Ritual Formalism and the Intangible Body of the Japanese Koryū Budō Culture
Ritual Formalism and the Intangible Body of the Japanese Koryū Budō Culture

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents an analysis of the interrelation between the traditional Japanese martial arts culture (koryū budō) and its modern correspondents (gendai budō). The analysis is based on the idea of inscribing koryū budō on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, as Japan’s oldest martial cultural asset. Initial proposals to do so were put forward in the last ten years by some Japanese martial arts organizations, e.g. Nippon Budokan, especially by its koryū legacy division. The paper interprets the ritual-like and pattern-like formalism of the Japanese modern and traditional budō legacy, especially in the context of “Japanese nationalist history” after the Meiji Restoration. Emphasis is therefore put on the structures of movements that pre-exist in the ritual practices of the classical budō culture and are still present in modern martial arts systems, because of their hereditary and pre-formalized performativity.

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