Japanese Martial Arts exhibition opens

Islamabad: From battlefield combat techniques called ‘Bujutsu’ to popular sports or physical exercise to train the body and cultivate the spirit, which is called ‘Budo,’ an exhibition featuring evolution of more than 1,000 years of Japanese Martial Arts opened at the National Art Gallery here Monday.

Organised by the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), the exhibition was inaugurated by Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Takashi Kurai. The exhibition ‘Spirit of Budo: History of Japanese Martial Arts’ is a travelling exhibition and has been to many countries before coming to Pakistan for the second time.

The exhibit features reproductions of bows and arrows, elaborate helmets, armory and swords traditionally used in ‘Budo,’ which is literally translated to Martial Arts but attaches more importance to spiritual aspect of cultivation of oneself through developing both body and soul.

The special feature of this exhibition is that it shows the historical developments of Japanese Martial Arts from the 8th century to the 19th century through which visitors can see how the spirit of Martial Arts is still inherent in the daily lives of the Japanese people today.

Speaking at inaugural ceremony, Takashi Kurai said that the Japanese ‘Budo,’ together with their techniques and the weapons that were actually used, have become so immensely popular overseas that they are often seen as representative images of Japan. He hoped that through this exhibition, visitors would discover not only the history of Japanese ‘Budo’ but also the aesthetic awareness and creativity of the people of Japan.

‘Japanese Budo’ is one of the most important and inseparable aspects of Japanese culture and is becoming to be more and more appreciated in the world.