There are so many things with the name “道, dou or dō” in Japan, such as “華道, Ka-dou“(flower arrangement), “茶道, Sa-dou“(tea ceremony), “書道, Sho-dou“(calligraphy), “柔道, Juu-dou“(judo), “剣道, Ken-dou“(kendo), and “神道, Shin-dou“(shinto). Why do Japanese people like things with the word “道, dou” in them? What is the “dou” in the first place? I will consider it.
The dictionary says
“道, dou” means that …
- A specialized field of study, art, etc. A way of doing something in each field.
- A skill or art that has been developed through the pursuit of a specialty.
Usually, a kanji has several readings, and the meaning changes slightly depending on the reading. Another reading of “道” is “michi”. And “道, michi” means road, path or way. Although both “道, michi” and “道, dou” mean “way”, it is clear that “道, dou” has a more complex meaning.
Interpretation by the viewpoint of word (Kanji)
The kanji character for “道” consists of two characters. The character on the right side means neck or head and represents a human being. The character on the left means walking on the road, going and stopping, or coming and going.
In other words, this kanji character “道” indicates that people come and go, and it means “road” or “way” as “道, michi“, the place to which it points. It is said that the meaning evolved further to mean the Supreme Goodness that a person has attained by repeatedly going back and forth, and that this was expressed as “道, dou“. Then it expresses the meaning of aiming not only to improve one’s skills, but also to grow as a person.
“道, dou” and “術, jutsu”
There are “武道, bu-dou“, “剣道, ken-dou“, and “柔道, Juu-dou“, as opposed to “武術, bu-jutsu“, “剣術, ken-jutsu“, and “柔術, juu-jutsu“. Although the type of competition in both is almost the same, it is generally said that “術, jutsu” is older and “道, dou” is a modernized version of it. For example, “剣道, ken-dou” and “剣術, ken-jutsu” are both about improving one’s sword skill, using the sword to fight, and competing to win or lose, while “剣道, ken-dou” is a modernized version of “剣術, ken-jutsu“.
So what exactly is the difference? The purpose of training is different between “道, dou” and “術, jutsu“. And the purpose of “術, jutsu” is to defeat one’s opponent, the purpose of “道, dou” is to unify the training of technique and mental, to master not only technique but also the path of humanity, and to cultivate one’s spirit toward the perfection of one’s humanity. In other words, “道, dou” takes on the ancient techniques of “術, jutsu” with the addition of spirituality, aiming to train the mind and cultivate the spirit.
This difference shows that “道, dou” is not only about the training of technique, but also about the training of the mind to reach a higher level of humanity.
Concept of practicing in “道, dou”
So what exactly is practicing in “道, dou“? Also, are there any differences between “武道, bu-dou (the martial arts)” and “芸道, gei-dou (the accomplishments)”, which seems to be completely different, even though the same “道, dou” is attached to each name?
Fortunately, I have experienced “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)” as a martial art and “華道, ka-dou (flower arrangement)” as accomplishments. I will consider them based on those experiences.
“剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)” practicing
First of all, what we learn as the basics of “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)” was the esteem courtesy and honor, repetitive practicing of stroke, and “型, kata (fixed pattern)” which is a fixed patterns to learn the basic elements of “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)”.
When I think back to “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)” practice, I realize that it is the very concept of “道, dou” – mastering a technique through repetition and building character through that process. In fact, when one looks at the concept and purpose of “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)”, it is obvious.
剣道の理念 (The Concept of Kendo)
剣道は剣の理法の修錬による
人間形成の道である
The concept of kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the katana (sword).
剣道修練の心構え (The Purpose of Practicing Kendo)
剣道を正しく真剣に学び
心身を錬磨して旺盛なる気力を養い
剣道の特性を通じて礼節をとうとび
信義を重んじ誠を尽して
常に自己の修養に努め
以って国家社会を愛して
広く人類の平和繁栄に
寄与せんとするものである
To mold the mind and body,
To cultivate a vigorous spirit,
And through correct and rigid training,
To strive for improvement in the art of kendo,
To hold in esteem human courtesy and honour,
To associate with others with sincerity,
And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.
This will make one be able:
To love his/her country and society,
To contribute to the development of culture,
And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.
I have found that honing the art of “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)” is a means to human development, and that human development is what we place the most emphasis on. This is the same concept not only in “剣道, ken-dou (Kendo)” but also in other “武道, bu-dou (martial arts)”.
“華道, ka-dou (flower arrangement)” practicing
First of all, what we learn as the basics of “華道, ka-dou (flower arrangement)” was “花型法, ka-kei-hou (method of flower formation/pattern)”. This method is designed to familiarize us with various kinds of plants to understand their characteristics, and to learn the basic rules and techniques for composing shapes. It allows even beginners to create a beautiful arragement with ease. And the method defines the position, angle, and length of the three main stems.
(I do not know if this method or concept is common to all “華道, ka-dou (flower arrangement )” schools, as there are said to be more than 300 schools.)
“華道, ka-dou (flower arrangement)” is the art of arranging flowers and plants that have only a few days left to live after they have been picked to make them more beautiful than when they were in bloom naturally, expressing and appreciating the beauty of their appearance and the preciousness of life, and is said to form one’s character while facing the beauty of life.
I realize that the repetitive practice and the development of one’s character through it is the very concept of “道, dou“.
The practice of “道, dou” destroys
As I have shown in the two specific examples, one of the common features of “道, dou” practicing is the repetitive practice of a fixed pattern.
But one question comes to mind: how does cultural development emerge from the repetition of the same thing? At the very least, this is because it is easy to recognize that the various “道, dou” cultures we are now witnessing have clearly developed from what is clearly the starting point.
There is a phrase that describes the process of training in “道, dou“: “守破離, Shu-ha-ri”. This will answer the question. I will limit myself to quotations from Wikipedia and write another blog.
・shu (守) “protect”, “obey”—traditional wisdom—learning fundamentals, techniques, heuristics, proverbs
Shuhari-Wikipedia
・ha (破) “detach”, “digress”—breaking with tradition—detachment from the illusions of self
・ri (離) “leave”, “separate”—transcendence—there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical
Epilogue: The base of Japanese learning is “道, dou”
Education in Japan today is strongly influenced by this spirit of “道, dou“. There is and tends to be an emphasis on basic learning through repetition. This is also true in sports practice.
Therefore, Japanese people sometimes show a high level of basic skills in various fields, but on the other hand, they are sometimes said to lack the ability to apply these skills.
In any case, I like and will continue to cherish the spirit of “道, dou” that the Japanese people have inherited to this day.
Comment List