Respecting and Despising the Martial Arts

In Japan and China, values and evaluations of martial arts were different.

As I mentioned in my previous article, since the enactment of the Laws for the Military Houses (1615) in Japan, feudal lords of various domains were required to study both academics (literature) and martial arts, in other words, to practice martial arts as well as academics. The concept of Shōbu (尚武, Respecting the martial arts), which places importance on martial arts, can be traced back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when the samurai class began to take control of the government. We can also see from the “Testament of Aka Chokushiki” (1778, 1783) that this idea of Shōbu extended to Ryukyu as well.

A scene of bow and gun practice in Edo Castle. From “Edo Picture Screens” (17th century).

However, the Japanese perspective on values, which considered academics and martial arts to be of equal value and considered martial arts practice to be essential for those belonging to the ruling class, is actually rare in the world. In China, for example, martial arts were considered to be practiced by the lower classes. The following explanation can be found in Lin Baoyuan, History of Chinese Martial Arts (2015).

1. “Respect for academics and despise for martial arts” in China

In China before the Qin Empire, the ideal person was one who was both literate and martial, and…