What is Shinto?

What is Shinto?

What is Shinto? Shinto is the indigenous spirituality of Japan. Shinto practices were first recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. The earliest writings do not refer to Shinto as a religion, but as historical folklore and mythology. Shinto today is...
Warrior Spirituality

Warrior Spirituality

The warriors of Japan, the Samurai, lived in a warrior society where martial etiquette ruled all aspects of the warrior’s life. A comparison to the ancient martial laws would be the modern U.S. military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice. This is a set of laws quite...
Gendai Budo

Gendai Budo

Gendai Budō  means “modern martial arts” in Japanese, and is often used to refer to Japanese martial arts that were formed after 1868 (the Meiji Restoration) (or 1876 when samurai could no longer wear swords).  But the meaning of Gendai Budo is deeper, as are most...
Dojo Etiquette

Dojo Etiquette

What is so damn important about dojo etiquette? Why do I have to bow? I don’t bow to anyone! What is the difference if I act a certain way or not, am quiet or not, am respectful or not? Does it mean I can’t defend myself? If I don’t bow lower than my...
The Essence of Budo

The Essence of Budo

Hanshi Duke Moore said it best in the introduction to the original manuscript for the Fighting Spirit of Zen – which was “Survival is everything, all else is trivial”. I want to speak briefly on the essence of Budo. In order to do that – lets...