Dō (Way)

Dō (Way)

A Dō (道) is any one of a number of spiritual, martial, or aesthetic disciplines that evolved in Japan and Korea. The term "Dō" is borrowed from the Chinese philosophical concept of Tao (Dao), a word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'. Within the context of traditional East Asian philosophy and religion, Dō is a metaphysical concept signifying the primordial essence or fundamental nature of the universe.

In Japanese, a Dō implies a body of knowledge and tradition with an ethic and an aesthetic, and having the characteristics of specialization (senmonsei), transmissivity (keishōsei), normativity (kihansei), universality (kihensei), and authoritativeness (ken'isei).[1]

List of Dōs

  • Aikido (合気道), the Way of harmonious spirit
Compassionate hand-to-hand fighting
  • Bushidō (武士道), the Way of the warrior
The samurai moral code
  • Chadō (茶道), or sadō, or chanoyu, the Way of tea
The Japanese tea ceremony
The group of martial disciplines that arose after the Meiji restoration
A Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord or rope.
  • Iaido (居合道), the Way of harmonious life
A Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword
Wooden staff fighting
  • Judo (柔道), the "gentle way"
A grappling martial art
Bayonet fighting
  • Kadō (華道) or Ikebana, the Way of flowers
Flower arrangement
  • Karate or karate-dō (空手道), the Way of the empty hand
Bare hand fighting
  • Kendo (剣道), the Way of the sword
Traditional Japanese fencing
  • Kōdō, (香道), the Way of incense/fragrance
Appreciation of incense
  • Kyūdō, (弓道), the Way of the bow
Zen archery
  • Kyushindō, the Way of longing for knowledge of the fundamental nature of anything
Japanese-inspired Western school of hand-to-hand fighting
  • Nanbudō (南武道), the Way of the Nan warrior
Hand-to-hand fighting recently evolved from karate
  • Shinto (神道), the Way of the gods
The native religion of Japan
  • Shodō (書道), the Way of writing
Traditional Japanese brush calligraphy
  • Taidō (躰道), the Way of the body
Hand-to-hand fighting evolved from Okinawan karate
  • Yoseikan Budō (養正館武道), the teaching truth place warrior Way
Comprehensive martial art with ancient roots

List of Korean Dōs

The word "道" is used in quite the same way in Korean language and culture, and is pronounced identically with its Japanese cognate as Dō.

  • Taekwon-Do (태권도; 跆拳道), the Way of the foot and the fist
a Korean martial art with roots in Taekkyon and Karate
  • Kumdo (검도; 劍道), the Way of the Sword
Korean fencing with roots in Japanese Kendo
  • Hapkido (합기도; 合氣道), the Way of the harmonious spirit
a Korean martial art which shares history with Japanese Aikido
  • Seodo (서도; 書道), the Way of writing
An alternate name for Korean brush calligraphy, Seoye (서예; 書藝)

Notes

  1. ^ Konishi Jin'ichi, "Michi and Medieval Writing," trans. Aileen Gatten, in Principles of Classical Japanese Literature, ed. Earl Miner (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1985), p.181-208


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