The secret origin of Martial Arts names: Judo is right wing

Did you know martial arts like Judo, karate, Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang, Xinyi, and many others weren’t originally called by those names? Did you know those names are modern inventions? Did you know those martial arts were re-named for political re-branding purposes?
Let’s talk about it!
Linji guest stars in this episode.
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Ramsey Dewey is a retired pro fighter, combat sports coach, referee, and fight commentator… and occasional musician based in Shanghai, China.
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This video features original music by Ramsey Dewey
Follow me on Instagram at: / ramseydewey
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I fought professionally in Mixed Martial arts, Sanda, Muay Thai, K1 and American kickboxing from 2004-2011 when I was forced to retire due to a broken skull and being blinded in one eye. I hold a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Black belts in multiple traditional martial arts, including Taekwondo and kyokushin karate. I also train in catch wrestling, sambo, taijiquan, judo, and boxing.
I currently coach at the Animal MMA gym, the Extreme Fight Lab, and the Mordor Fight Club, all in Shanghai, China.

[@linjifire5567]

In Japan, judo, kendo, and aikido benefit from government and right-wing subsidies, making monthly tuition around 3000 yen, which is relatively inexpensive. The use of public elementary and junior high school gymnasiums and dojos is also permitted. They argue that this support is for the purpose of education. However, for styles like Kyokushin karate, Kickboxing, BJJ, MMA, and other foreign martial arts, individuals must establish external gyms, resulting in significantly higher monthly tuition fees ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 yen. In addition, it is difficult for under 15 years old to start practicing striking martial arts because there is a belief that children who express an interest in such sports are somehow influenced by malevolent forces.

[@mattonthemoon225]

You forgot the pedagogic side of original Kano’ s judo, it was created mainly for that goals. Mma, Thai boxe etc what kind of pedagogic aspect may have?

[@lordMartiya]

​@@mattonthemoon225What pedagogical aspect?

[@mattonthemoon225]

@@lordMartiya please read on Wikipedia -> Kano biography, why did he creates judo.

[@lordMartiya]

@@mattonthemoon225 Please tell me. I used to practice Judo, and nobody ever said anything about pedagogic benefits.

[@luizgustavovasques4663]

And yet people still insist on all that “jutsu” and “do” difference like it’s the word that makes the martial art. Name changes are all about politics and marketing. Not to say that modern martial arts are not different from old ones, but the change in practice and change in name is not always connected. Thank you for the video.

[@littlerunningwolf]

Another element of the name change of jujutsu to judo was about changing the image of jututsu. Supposedly, when Jigoro Kano changed the name, jujutsu was heavily associated with the mafia. Naming it "Judo" allowed it to establish itself as part of the new historical changes, as the world of the Meiji restoration was modernizing away from the "savage" days of feudalism under the Tokugawa shogunate. Changing the name was to correct an image problem, and gain social and government support, so that it could gain more public acceptance.

[@NicolasCabral-tr1dn]

Exactly!!

[@guytakamatsu7326]

Interesting when Jigoro Kano, first instruction from jujitsu teachers, he was turned away. The teachers themselves thought that the art was useless in the age of guns.

[@blockmasterscott]

I like what you said about most people not realizing that katas are mostly grappling, while sports based Karate is almost all punches and kicks. So many people do not realize that.

[@ThepurposeofTime]

it will take everyone a while but we'll all get there in the end 😂

[@kingartifex]

I will always remember the first time I did a karate competition, I accidentally touched the shoulder of my opponent with my palm and the referee immediately stopped the fight and reset us because "no grabbing allowed 😡😡"

[@shooter86-uw8ce]

Okinawan kata=grappling Mainland Japanese kata=kicking&punching Fixed it for you

[@honigdachs.]

The whole right wing angle in regards to Budo doesn't surprise me. I trained both in "japanese" karate (Shotokan and Kyokushin) as well as in okinawan Goju Ryu. You can tell that by the time karate was brought to the mainland and instrumentalized into becoming a "national" martial art, a lot about it drastically changed. Okinawa style karate is way less formalistic and the training as well as the dojo culture is free of the militaristic attitude and conformity that is typical for japanese karate. Nobody says "osu" in okinawan karate either.

[@camiloiribarren1450]

Agreed. Okinawa culture is more relaxed and one can step out to get a drink, learn the forms at techniques at your own pace and apply them according to your body, rather than all using and applying the same techniques the exact same way because EVERYONE has to be the same which is what the Japanese did. Okinawa understands that we all have different bodies and applied grappling from their Tegumi/okinawa wrestling and grappling. Also, hello, fellow Goju Ryu Karateka. Thank you so much for your insight.

[@MCmaksE]

In Poland we also had a name for mma „wolnoamerykanka” which roughly translates to “anything goes American fighting”. It also can translate to “slow American woman/girl” but I don’t know. 😂

[@JeepNCrowd1]

For those interested in the Korean "Karate" perspective (or at least a TSD guy's 2 cents). I'm a Tang Soo Do practitioner fascinated by history. I am well aware of the Kara Te Do influence and really want us (TSD practitioners) to embrace our history and influence. Like you have mentioned, Tang Soo Do has become almost a generic term now for Korean Karate. There are different styles or Kwans (~school) of Tang Soo Do and which is somewhat similar to how we think of Ryu in Japanese/Okinawan systems. Many of these Tang Soo Do Kwans such as Jidokwan, Chung Do Kwan, etc merged during the Korean martial arts unification into Tae Kwon Do. Others have maintained their independence from the Kukkikwon. The most common Tang Soo Do still practiced is Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do and that lineage is what is assumed when someone says they practice Tang Soo Do now days. To make things confusing though, there are some other Kwans that still use the Tang Soo Do name, and Moo Duk Kwan lineages that now consider themselves Tae Kwon Do ( Soo Bahk Do is another matter all together). In reference to Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, which I have the most experience with, I've noticed has a lot in common with Shotokan, but there are some pretty significant differences with stances, hip movement, philosophy etc. So much so that they are different enough to be considered completely separate. This is due to Hwang Kee's claimed experience with, research of, and influence from Chinese (soft martial arts) and indigenous Korean (Taekkyon, Hwa Rang, Soo Bahk) martial arts. He continued to incorporate these other systems into his Tang Soo Do until he eventually decided to change the name all together to Soo Bahk Do (in reference and honor to historical Korean style). I personally consider those who practice the Korean "karate" or Tang Soo Do as karateka the same as I consider those who practice Japanese styles karateka. It's only a language difference and slight stylistic differences, but fundamentally they share roots and philosophy from Okinawa and by extension by China.

[@honigdachs.]

Very interesting to hear that there are different styles and interpretations of Tang Soo Do much like there are differences between, say, Shotokan and Wado Ryu. Didn't know that at all.

[@blaa443blaa2]

Cool insight! You apparently know a lot of this subject. May I ask you how would you react if someone, *me ,called taekwondo karate? Is It really that different? I do karate also (shorinji-ryu) and have yet to notice any remarkable difference

[@JeepNCrowd1]

@blaa443blaa2 I think you could argue that Tae Kwon Do can be a style of Karate, though I know historically many Koreans may disagree due to animosity.... My opinion only, but I see WTF TKD as it's own art all together, as opposed to a style of Karate. It has very different in rules (for sport) and many of the kicks seem to have evolved away from their Karate. ITF and ATA TKD seem to be much closer to Okinawan/Japanese karate when compared to WTF. So I'd agree they could easily be considered karate. In relation to the Kwans, Jidokwan on it's logo calls itself TKD and TSD (which IS Karate in my opinion), but at least at the Jidokwan dojang where I cross trained, they practiced WTF TKD. So I guess people can call it whatever they want. Lol. It's confusing

[@bentinho]

Good analysis. All TKD and TSD has roots in less than a handful of karate styles, mostly shotokan. There was no way the founders of the Kwans could call what they were doing karate post Japanese occupation. Of course over time the Kwans diverged as they focused on different aspects as well as political affiliations, interpersonal conflicts, etc further stratifying them. I remember starting TKD decades ago and hearing the party line of it being an ancient martial art of the Hwarang etc etc... Thinking to myself, then why does it looks so much like karate? I dove into the history of Korean martial arts in general and in reality, pretty much all of the modern Korean martial arts are analogues of Japanese counterparts and were affected similarly after the Japanese occupation. There are very few pure Korean martial arts today that have any real link to ancient Korea---perhaps Ssirium and Taekkyon---those are more martial folk games however. In fact, most of the martial arts of ancient Korea were/looked like Chinese styles, according to surviving surveys such as the Muyedobotongji...

[@magd_123_xyz7]

And it’s also very interesting you mentioning about the indigenous people MA account too. I remember reading a study how most people when given a stick would strike instead of thrust which is somewhat similar to people throwing a slap more than an actual jab which at times toddlers/children who have no idea usually do too. I’m a native from Borneo and my uncle used to do some local competitions where we “fought”. By right it’s supposed to be until first blood (lots of modifications of the rules et as time/opponents goes on) but most of us tend to grapple and wrestle instead. Punching wasn’t really an idea to most of us but bashing with our forearms was. We never got exposed to mainstream MA too, we watched more WWF than any Boxing programs (and that is if we’re allowed to watch it) and looking back now, a footballer has better kicks than what we had back then lmaoo

[@seanreynolds7369]

Butokukai is so worth having a look at and how it changad the japanese arts from jutsu to do

[@henrys3138]

I remember "no holds barred" being used in the 00s until the 10s. It was rapidly dropping off though.

[@bentinho]

Yeah and people (at least the ones around me) used to use NHB to differentiate from MMA, which maybe had a few more rules...sometimes.

[@konekotron]

The aikido video went down while I was watching it. :( I was worried but then saw the rest of the videos are still here. :D

[@RamseyDewey]

I had to reupload it because of some technical nonsense.

[@RamseyDewey]

It’s back now

[@tkdguide]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing.

[@matthewschafer6359]

From what I understood here, by "right wing" I think he meant nationalist. That would make sense as during the mid-late 1800's the Japanese were building up their military in preparation to invade China, and were pushing nationalism very hard to build up domestic support. Part of this was teaching that the Japanese were biologically and morally superior to all other peoples and that all Japanese were now samurai warriors. The government used martial arts to spread nationalism and ready men for military service, so the emperor ordered the ministry of education to form the "Dai Nippon Butoku Kai" to oversee and organize the arts for this purpose. Due the prestige and various privileges of joining, most instructors wanted to join and have themselves and their style officially recognized by the government and the emperor himself. Based on what your guest said it now sounds like making your art a "Do" was part of the package to join the Dia Nippon Butoku Kai and get the government's support.

[@Billy-Mandalay]

Good points.

[@magd_123_xyz7]

Since you mentioned about this and shared that part, I guess it wouldn’t be as shameless to share regarding Silat as well (gotta represent at any opportunity lmao) Unlike most martial arts which have a clear name definition like Karate (empty-hand), Kung fu (skill), -quan/-kuen (-fist)and even Kalaripayattu (Battlefield practice?), Silat doesn’t really have much to go on. Yes, there are theories on what it *could* mean like “Si Elat” which means “the one who evades/deceives” or from the Arabic word “Silah” سلاح which means “weapon” or even coming from Sanskrit’s “Sila” which means principle and many many more but it isn’t a 100% confirmed thing to begin with The best part about it is SEA’s own pride of ethnic culture and languages. While nowadays we tend to ask what Martial Arts we practice we do respond “Silat” but in the days before other MAs entered or was even popular, we mentioned it by its relative dialect which is either Gayong, Tomoi, Maenpo, Silek (Minang) and even Kuntau which is taken from Chinese immigrants from the past that could either be traced from the colonial or pre-colonial past with Chinese creoles living in the area. And the names are used interchangeably with Silat Some people pride it with the name “Ilmu” or “Ilmu perang” which literally means “War Knowledge”. Some may even call it “Ilmu Kebal” (Steel body Knowledge) which is mostly towards the spiritual aspect and does have a negative stigma due to its association with mysticism and non-Islamic practices. Other “Kata”(Jurus) which I only knew as “Jurus Mat Klang” have you perform the moves on a raised plank to simulate you fighting on a narrow boat or some say the railings on a ship like a swashbuckling sailor lmao but other styles have something similar yet a different name either “Buah Papan”(Plank Form), “Papan Sekeping”(Single Plank), etc. which if true is somewhat a sound practice for what warfare was like by the riversides but alas with time comes flamboyance and exaggeration Being in the Silat community however, we barely say Silat to begin with since we’re all in the same boat so we mentioned our styles similar to those old kungfu movies as well; Gayong Fatani, Setia Hati Terate, Kera Sakti, Betawi, etc. In the end of the day, it’s an art usually highly associated with religion or spiritualism or even both and it’s a knowledge to carry for your whole life so it can’t be a simple “empty-hand” definition, more of a “dao/do” (way) type of thing instead

[@bolieve603]

Boxing is an adaptation to law I think because many places where boxing is common had very strict laws against dueling and/or civilian carry of weaponry

[@NicolasCabral-tr1dn]

Amazing video! The following essay is not an attack on Ramsey and his company, but rather some arguments that invalidate the statement that “judo is right-wing”; although I understand the title was more of a hyperbole and shouldn't be interpreted that way. This is aimed at those who might end up sharing hyperbole as fact. (An essay on the topic, not completed yet) Title: Jigoro Kano's Judo: A Sport Beyond Political Ideologies Introduction: Jigoro Kano's creation of Judo was not merely a martial art; it was a philosophy and a way of life that transcended political ideologies. Despite living in an era marked by political upheaval in Japan, Kano's Judo embraced principles of inclusivity, personal development, and international understanding that stand in contrast to right-wing ideologies. This essay will delve deeper into Kano's life, his writings, and the historical context to support the argument that Judo is not a right-wing martial art, despite the enviroment in which It was created. Body: 1. **Inclusivity and Mutual Benefit:** Kano's commitment to inclusivity is evident in his own words from "Kodokan Judo: The Essential Guide to Judo by Its Founder." He emphasized the principle of mutual benefit, stating that "In Judo, both sides should profit, this is the ideal of mutual welfare and benefit." This principle contradicts the exclusivity often associated with right-wing ideologies, promoting cooperation and shared success among practitioners regardless of their backgrounds. 2. **Absence of Nationalistic Agendas:** The historical context in which Kano developed Judo is crucial. During a time of growing Japanese nationalism, Kano's emphasis on the global applicability of Judo is evident in his efforts to spread the art internationally. In his book "Mind Over Muscle: Writings from the Founder of Judo," Kano discusses his vision for Judo as a means of international understanding, undermining any notion of nationalistic agendas within the sport. 3. **Emphasis on Personal Growth and Character Development:** Kano's educational philosophy, as outlined in "Kodokan Judo," extends beyond physical techniques. He writes, "The ultimate goal of Judo is not victory or defeat but the perfection of character." This focus on character development aligns with humanistic values, diverging from the authoritarian tendencies associated with right-wing ideologies. 4. **Globalization of Judo:** The global spread of Judo, as envisioned by Kano, is well-documented. Kano himself traveled extensively to promote Judo internationally. One notable event is the founding of the Kodokan Judo Institute in 1882, which became a hub for Judo education and exemplifies Kano's commitment to sharing the art on a global scale. 5. **Philosophical Writings:** Beyond his technical manuals, Kano's philosophical writings further illuminate his ideals. In "Judo Memoirs of Jigoro Kano," he stresses the importance of moral and mental development through Judo. These writings reinforce the notion that Judo transcends mere physical techniques, emphasizing values that do not align with the dogmatic nature of right-wing ideologies. Conclusion: Jigoro Kano's life, writings, and the historical context in which he lived all support the argument that Judo is not a right-wing sport. His emphasis on inclusivity, international understanding, personal development, and the absence of nationalistic agendas collectively illustrate that Judo is a sport that transcends political boundaries, embodying principles that encourage cooperation, respect, and shared growth.

[@bentinho]

I've always sort of viewed Kano as a bit of a "centrist" (maybe?). What I mean by that is, like many of us martial arts teachers, you might need to play a bit of a "political alignment game" to receive the support you need or at the very least to keep certain eyes off of you. I think his (known/published) ideals and philosophies are just general enough to appeal to both sides without endorsing either. It'd be interesting to know what Kano was reading and the kinds of private conversations he was having with contemporaries as someone who essentially straddled "Old Japan" and an emerging "Modern Japan".

[@mattlawyer3245]

This is super awesome. Thanks! I’d love more videos on the history of how different martial arts developed.

[@guytakamatsu7326]

Are you familiar with the book A KILLING ART by Alex Gillis? The founder of tae kwon do studied Shotokan, but wanted to hide the Japan or Okinawa connection to his art. Gichin Funakoshi is the one who changed the kanji meaning from “Chinese hand” to “empty hand.” Funakoshi in his book KARATE DO: my way of life, wrote that he got flak for the change both from Okinawa and Japan. Funakoshi kept the sound “Kara” but the written character was changed and thus the meaning. Did you know that the Japanese call a wind from China “karakaze” or “China wind.”

[@axvlife]

I find the talk about "do" vs "Justu" very interesting. Do you or your friend have any sources that I can reference to be able to bring this up in conversation with others? One side story that I heard with the lore BJJ ending up with its name was in regards to Maeda going against Jigaros wishes and participating in money fights. Due to this he was not allowed to use the name Judo since his actions were not in line with the guidelines that Jigaro set forth for Judo.

[@tokyo333]

That part of the guys who changed their art name to "Do" to get funding from the right wing was fascinating. Thanks! I am just a lowly "Carroddee" guy so here is something else interesting that you might like about Karate history... The 唐手 characters (in the written record) can really only be traced back to the 1860s... The general Ryukyuan word for martial arts was 手 (Ti). 唐手 (Toudi) just means "Chinese-style martial arts" (not necessarily even unarmed, but could be any Chinese MAs), 棒の手 (Bo no Ti) means the martial art of using the staff, etc. The change of the pronunciation of 唐手 from "Toudi" to "Karate" was also political - when the martial arts were modified for use in the school system in Okinawa, the teachers were obliged to teach only in standard Japanese. "Toudi" was a Ryukyuan term, they had to pronounce it in Japanese, for which the general person would pronounce it "Karate." This became (well, more or less, but also arguable) the pronunciation from which the 空手 characters became more popular from the 1930s onward due to the political air if the time. The use of 唐 was also popular in Edo Era Japan, to give an air of elegance or fanciness, even if the thing that they used 唐 for wasn't even from China. This is likely the reason Ryukyuans used 唐手 for a period of time from the mid/late 1800s to early 1900s... to give it an air of "authenticity" (whatever that means).

[@Easttndude]

Thanks. Very interesting info man.

[@pierrefoulquie6272]

In Brazil, the "regional" capoeira style, founded by Manoel Dos Reyes Machado in 1930, was originally named "luta regional bahiana" (bahian regional wrestling) because capoeira was forbidden in that time. When the president Getulio Vargas saw a demonstration of this art, he decided to adopt it using the traditional name "capoeira" as a nationalist symbol to serve his political narrative.

[@fo4357]

Small correction, "luta" means "fight", not wrestling

[@pierrefoulquie6272]

@@fo4357ok. How do you say wrestling in portguese then?

[@fo4357]

@@pierrefoulquie6272in general, "luta livre" (literally "free fight"). I hear people say "luta olímpica" as well ("Olympic fight")

[@Lift_these]

What about the Angola system ?

[@pierrefoulquie6272]

@@Lift_these as far as I know, before Mestre Bimba formalized his regional style, "jogo de Angola" (Angola game) was synonymous of "capoeira", referring to the geographical origin of the slaves who brought to Brazil the traditions that turned into capoeira. Shortly after the creation of Mestre Bimba's school, Mestre Pastinha founded the first school of "capoeira Angola" (often leading to the misconception that Pastinha "created" the capoeira angola).

[@dsgdsg9764]

I'm so glad you're doing more videos with this guy I love his point of view keep up the good work coach

[@MarcRitzMD]

Nice change of pace!

[@alexanders562]

The idea of the right wing name adjustment to get more money makes me think of 1970's U.S. people being sold "American Karate", which implied it was better and made for Americans.

[@justin8865]

That was fantastic, as for all martial arts being mixed. It makes sense they were essentially all military combatives. One thing modern society has given us is the ability to hyperspecializs and create complexity for that specialization. I think that transfers to all aspects like combat sports and martial arts. With that added complexity you have to use marketing in order stand out also contributing to that hyper specialization.

[@guytakamatsu7326]

I guess specialization in martial arts is a relatively recent phenomenon. I remember my aikido teacher mentioning that aikido practitioner, Terry Dobson, said the biggest joke about martial arts is they were invented in time of peace

[@bentinho]

Yeah, most arts often got codified and systematized or re-systematized during (generally) peaceful times. Which makes sense. You now have time on your hands. That's also where the philosophies and ritualization start to creep in too.

[@peterflashman8100]

Years ago, my parents hosted students mainly from Japan and China. Whenever I told them I trained in Karate, they looked blank, but as soon as they saw the dogi uniform, they would say, 'Oh, you practise Kenpo.' For my life, I couldn't remember what the Chinese students called it until you said it at 12:53 Kōngshǒudào. Several Japanese students trained in martial arts; the boys did Kendo and Judo at school. Instead of Kendo, the girls trained with a Naginata, a large pole with a blade used by Samurai (at one time, it was the only martial art girls could train in). One boy practised Taido, a relatively new martial art in Japan, invented in 1965. One group of friends aged 15-17 from Osaka trained in Judo. They told me they went four times a week. I later found out they had a split routine in which they went for one hour before school (they also did cram classes, which stretched the days out to 8-9 hours at school). They then did an hour and a half after classes on the same four days. Effectively, eight lessons for ten hours.

[@kallepikku4991]

13:50 John McCarthy wasn't responsible for MMA name change. It was the Greco-roman wrestling Olympic gold medalist Jeff Blatnick, who at the time was the UFC commentator (before Joe Rogan). He was the one came up with the name MMA, and advocates for the name change. Before McCarthy.

[@lazersondesign]

You forgot the deadly art of dim mak!! PLUS, I don't know if I can say this on camera, but if your toe is not in the right place, can't knock you out

[@RamseyDewey]

Plus!!!

[@tzebunyip4178]

Bruce lee know dim mak technology

[@GuitarsRockForever]

Very interesting to know the name change with political motivition. I know someone who lived in Japan for some years and also black belt in karate. He said the name "do" and "jitsu" basically means the same for us casual people.

[@Lift_these]

That’s not correct… Do means way and jitsu means skill. Now I don’t dispute what the Japanese Brother is saying because “Do”, may mean the right wing way.

[@GuitarsRockForever]

@@Lift_these I know there are difference in "do" and "jitsu" in Japanese. But when translate to English, particularly for general population, both are pretty much "the way of". "The way of sword" or "the skill of sword" really means pretty much the same (how to use sword in fight/the skill you need to fight with sword).

[@nomad155]

Omay thks was veeu insightful when knowing of martial arts origins

[@harrisonbloom816]

Does anyone know a book or article somewhere on this subject that an English speaker like me could get his hands on? I’d love to read up on the history of this subject. It’s beyond fascinating!

[@chinvoicetutorial7306]

Hello Ramsey, Please can you do a detailed video on Shifting Weight in Boxing.

[@RamseyDewey]

What is it about shifting weight in boxing that you want to know about?

[@chinvoicetutorial7306]

​@@RamseyDeweyWhat is the position of our head while shifting our weight, how to transfer weight from the front foot to the other, how to punch with full body weight etc

[@BMO_Creative]

Wait, What?!? 🤯

[@martialgeeks]

Mind........Blown🤯

[@pyronicdesign]

Just to illustrate how silly someone can be with martial art names. My master used to joke that baqua was chicken kung fu. It was all about hitting behind some one and hitting them in the back of the head, like chicken fights. Now, I went for years not knowing he was making a joke. So when a friend of mine came to spar with me and told me he studied baqua I thought he studied chicken style kung fu. Evidently my teacher thought I would get the joke, because the name sounded like a chicken sound...I did not.

[@tuukkai1841]

Isn't that dō just Japanese for way/path, as in way of life or thinking

[@targetfootball7807]

That's exactly what I thought it means in Japanese. Do is like Dao in Chinese. Of course that is just what I've heard.

[@BWater-yq3jx]

​@@targetfootball7807 Yes, it is literally the same character - in both languages.

[@BWater-yq3jx]

Confusion may occur due to Japanese using different character systems. So, the 'Do' character in Kanji is identical to the Chinese 'Dao' or 'Tao'. Kanji derive from Chinese characters.

[@kevingray4980]

I'm surprised you left out chinese martial arts using "athletic association" or even "jujitsu" to avoid the stigma of hooliganism.

[@obiwanquixote8423]

I had always heard that the Jutsu/Do thing had to do with the old koryu names had fallen out of fashion. Something to do with pushing the martial arts as a philosophy instead of as a fighting style. I vaguely remember this was related to westernization that started around the Meiji Restoration. So the "Do" arts came into being as cultural arts as a way of preserving the old culture. Which I guess does relate to nationalism and a classical right wing agenda. I think from an American perspective "right wing" tends to mean something very specific these days.

[@blaa443blaa2]

I have actually just noticed that a lot of ppl in the arts I train in are right wingers. This makes me feel anxious Am I right wing also 😮 I have a feeling that ppl in capoeira, muay thai and wing tsun are less right wing

[@BWater-yq3jx]

Right wingers learn to defend themselves. Leftists get their phones out, start filming, threaten to call the cops, &/or sue. Too much entitlement there to bother with hard training.

[@bentinho]

Unfortunately, in America right now certain arts (or should I say schools?) are starting to lean that way. It's more due to who is promoting them and their audience demographics than anything about the art specifically. You mention capoeira being less right wing and I'd say, from personal experience, that's generally true. But I think that comes from in Brazil capoeira being used as social outreach in many places and it's still something prevalent in marginalized parts of society. The people of means in Brazil, who tend to be more right wing, view it with a stigma and don't get involved...BJJ however... 🙃

[@Wombo_combo75874]

My mind is blown.

[@موسى_7]

Karate changed one Chinese character which meant 'Chinese' to a homophonic character which means 'empty' because the Japanese government wanted people to hate China to justify the invasion of China. This transformed karate from Chinese Hand to Empty Hand, even though karate isn't always unarmed, but sometimes involves weapons such as nunchaku.

[@Choppy_Z]

How's a character that means "empty" homophobic?

[@shantanusapru]

@@Choppy_Z Read the/his word carefully!

[@beenright5115]

​@@Choppy_Z 😂 it's homophonic, not homophobic

[@Choppy_Z]

@@beenright5115 oh lmfao my bad

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

​@@Choppy_Zbro that's hilarios 😂😂

[@Sira628]

what are bjj? muay thai? kick boxing? right wing or left wing?

[@nikan8946]

Man, that explains it, I kept thinking why does this Chinese guy have a Japanese accent😂

[@moustachio334]

and ugghhhh alot people don't do their national kickboxing sport of Kun Khmer but holy snap do they have to tell everyone that Thailand stole their boxing. All southeast Asian countries; the nerds and older nationalists swear their boxing is inherently stronger. Funny thing, my coach was Chan Rothana and he was a famous Kun Khmer boxer But and a big but, he was raised in Thailand because his family escaped the genocide. Rothana started in Thai boxing. He is also a black belt in TKD. Anyways. Muay Thai, Muay Laos, even Lethwei, and Kun Khmer all have similiarities but styles change because rule sets. For instance. Muay Thai used to allow headbutts but this was banned after the adoption of boxing gloves to make the sport look uh.. Safer?

[@MatiasAlric]

-We must give up our water rights -Heh... liberals... -"Make Water Great Again" -I'm in.

[@EzeHSK]

I'm not sure there's ever not been a right wing government in Japan. But it makes sense that the government asked schools to change their name as a sort of pledge of allegiance. Another reason for the change from jutsu to do was to make it more sport/health/etc. oriented and less martial at least to public eye. Kendo is a regulated sport while there are several kenjutsu schools very different from each other usually under the koryu category. Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu is what Ueshiba learned, then what he taught he called Aikido. I believe Chinese don't call karate tangshoudao because it's more Japanese than Chinese nowadays. Oddly enough Hong Yixiang a famous master from Taiwan who mainly taught xingyi, bagua and taiji, designed a curriculum/system he called tangshoudao. Another fun fact with names in Taiwan, back in the times of Chiang Kai Shek each style could only have one school registered. So different schools had to change the name of what they taught to register their school. I mainly do Choy Lee Fut and the name comes from the styles the founder trained in and combined into his own. Choy Gar, Lee Gar and Fut Gar.

[@WayneManifesto]

The concept of Soft or gentle in martial arts is completely different in Chinese martial arts compared to Japanese. There is no relationship between these concepts, they just share a name

[@0-kingsloth-020]

Neji's fighting style

[@fennec812]

Hi, I do Japanese history (albeit a bit earlier than what is being discussed here). The distinction between “right-wing” and “left-wing” is tricky, especially when Ramsey’s audience is majority English speaking and those terms illicit different ideas. Beyond that-as some commentators have correctly pointed out-what is “right” or “left” has a lot to do with our timeframe. It is worth pointing out, though, that the shifting of political labels is not at all unique to Japan… being “right wing” in the American Revolution is a completely different thing than being right wing in 2023, for example. That aside, what Ramsey is calling “right wing” here is probably better understood as “conservative,” something the Japanese have almost always been. This doesn’t mean Japan never progresses or that conservatism hasn’t taken on different forms, but that Japanese culture is very conservatively coded. You’ll tend to find that most Japanese people idealize “getting back” to a better time in their conception of social improvement whilst their American counterparts tend to idealize invention/innovation as the vehicle of progress. What is important is that “right-wing” as it is being used here isn’t really a part of a binary “right vs left.” Typically, some flavor of Conservative Party is always the status quo in Japan. Although there are “left wing” elements, they kind of slot into the greater government apparatus through deals. I’m not an expert on modern Japanese government, but I’m just trying to paint the picture that the conservative status quo usually isn’t under any real political threat internally. What forces political shifts in Japan tends to be external factors: the country being forcibly opened up by the Americans or modern demographic decline, for example. So, when these martial arts changed from “-jutsu” to “-do,” this wasn’t so much a “right wing” thing as it was an appeal to the sentiments of the conservative status quo of the time. “Jutsu” (or “jitsu”) felt antiquated and warlike. Meanwhile the idea of “do,” meaning “way” or “path” was a fresh re-invention of an old idea -something heavily suited to the Meiji Era where “old meets new” was a popular sentiment. More crucially, “do” had connotations of education. Judo’s Kano lobbied hard to get Judo into the school system and while, yes, the “do” matched his personal philosophy, its difficult to argue that such a term wasn’t also conveniently more appealing to the Japanese government. Breaking into the school system meant subsidies and tons of other kinds of support. Even today, for example, you can work for a company as a Judo player in Japan and pretty much just be responsible for representing them in tournaments. All that said, I don’t think “do” is necessarily “right wing” in the way most people in the comments might be thinking. Did it appeal to a conservative ideal of tradition that was popular at the time? Absolutely. Was it somehow encoded with deep political meaning? Not really. Now, I will say that there were a lot of legitimately right wing people doing martial arts. Saying martial arts were apolitical is absolutely a bridge too far. Plenty of martial arts and martial artists were or supported right wing extremism in the Imperial Japan days and plenty were also deeply entangled with military figures and domestic politics. It’s just that the change from “Jutsu” to “Do” was not particularly related to all that. Alright, that’s my ramble. Hopefully might have cleared some stuff up. Best wishes.

[@maxpower8439]

This: "What is important is that “right-wing” as it is being used here isn’t really a part of a binary “right vs left.” Typically, some flavor of Conservative Party is always the status quo in Japan. Although there are “left wing” elements, they kind of slot into the greater government apparatus through deals. I’m not an expert on modern Japanese government, but I’m just trying to paint the picture that the conservative status quo usually isn’t under any real political threat internally. What forces political shifts in Japan tends to be external factors: the country being forcibly opened up by the Americans or modern demographic decline, for example. " And this: "Plenty of martial arts and martial artists were or supported right wing extremism in the Imperial Japan days and plenty were also deeply entangled with military figures and domestic politics. It’s just that the change from “Jutsu” to “Do” was not particularly related to all that. " True words.

[@ajshiro3957]

Mind blown

[@EliteBlackSash]

If you look at the actually Tai Chi tournaments in Chen Village, it’s all Wrestling. No striking. It’s basically a pummeling competition, who is able to do kuzushi / unbalancing the best. So, it makes perfect sense that it’s name is like Ju jutsu. Okinawan Karate is based on the Bubishi which is almost entirely grappling, takedowns and even some 10th planet looking groundfighting. Korea’s cultural martial art Ssireum is belt wrestling. Just like Chinese Wrestling, it’s also influenced later by Mongolian Wrestling. Common theme is… the political times changed the way we understand the arts, and also the push towards the civilian population doing FORMS instead of having your populace being a force of armed, skilled fighters. Sanshou for Military, Forms for the General Public lol Antonio Graceffo published the documents in his book. Today if you tell a KungFu or Karate person to learn grappling they will look at you like you are crazy! They think you are going to punch somebody in the pressure point and they will disable them.

[@kallepikku4991]

13:20 Vale Tudo is also Catch wrestling name. Vale Tudo is short for "Luta Livre Vale Tudo", meaning Catch Wrestling No Hold Barred. In other words, it's just a direct translation of its English name into Portuguese. PS: Originally Luta Livre Vale Tudo competitions didn't allow strikes, but later on the strikes were added to broaden both the audience and the participation of different martial arts; to showcase the dominance of wrestling over other (striking) arts. Basically doing what UFC 1 did to America some 130 years later.

[@RamseyDewey]

Direct translation from Portuguese: luta = fight, livre = free, luta livre = wrestling (any kind of wrestling), vale = has worth (3rd person present tense), tudo = all, vale tudo = everything has value, everything goes.

[@kallepikku4991]

@@RamseyDewey 🤣🤣 Love your humor!

[@tonbonthemon]

No disrespect but Taijiquan wasn't really called Mian Quan before being called Taiji... there's little evidence of that. For the most part it seems to have been nameless or at least called "Chen Quan" (i.e. Chen family boxing), before the Yang Style was called "Taijiquan" by a member of the elite class to give it philosophical weight, similarly to Baguazhang. The higher class practitioners were apparently the ones most interested in connecting it to philosophy.

[@bentinho]

I think if you've done any in depth study of martial arts history... It inevitably means you often have to also study cultures, classism, racism, and politics. They've all played a part in the preservation, modification, development or loss of the arts we love today...

[@johnrobinson3117]

I don't see how "right wing" is meaningful distinction for modern budo when the Japanese government has been right wing for almost the entirety of post-war Japanese history. The jutsu/do paradigm is also not a definitive way to understand classical Japanese martial arts. Kano studied Kito Ryu, which called its skill "judo" well before the Meiji era. Even "jujutsu" is a fairly new term, what with taijutsu, kogusoku, torite, yawara etc. People also called swordsmanship "kendo" and "heiho/hyoho" in pre-Meiji times, and that isn't strange considering "martial arts" were the pursuit of high falutin budo types, even in the warring States period.

[@johnrobinson3117]

Whoops, that was Jikishin Ryu coining Judo in 1724, not Kito Ryu; but they do have a parent art in Ryoi Shinto Ryu. All to say, the "jutsu/do" distinction is if anything, a modern one.

[@bentinho]

A similar thing happened in capoeira, where the art had a very poor reputation and was actually illegal until around 1940. It was legalized mainly due to the efforts of Mestre Bimba who systematized and codified the training, created a code of ethics for his students, etc---which made it palatable to the elites of Bahia. He got around the ban by calling what he was teaching Luta Regional Baiana (Regional fight of Bahia[n's], today we say Capoeira Regional or Capoeira Regional de Bimba) and he called his school Centro de Cultura Física e Luta Regional (Center of Physical Culture and Regional Fight). Through his good work and connections/affiliations made during that time, he was able to change the future of the art and help get it more accepted into mainstream society.

[@bentinho]

*Related sidenote* Having been involved myself with capoeira in the US for ~15 years, my group got started by associating with a higher learning institution. However we had to really play up/promote the cultural, dance and performing arts aspects to do so, if we had just said we are a martial arts group they'd have said "well...we already have karate and taekwondo---no thanks..."

[@TBlev215]

Judo = Ju don’t know I have a gun!

[@Meoooweww]

Coach!!! So many foolish folks think of Martial practice as being able to murder another human being . LET US CONSIDER THAT PRACTICE AND DISCIPLINE IN ANY ART, CONSIST OF THE BALANCE OF GOOD (Form Kata) MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AS THE ULTIMATE PERSONAL GOAL....THIS SHOULD BE A POSITIVE DOGMA FOR EVERYONE IN THE ARTS..... One may paint in oils, but it doesn't mean other mediums such as achylics, clay, wood, metal...are not artistic in intrinsic or healthy beauty!

[@robertsutherland6162]

Lots of made up names in martial arts IMO, which I understand the motive but also find it nonsensical. The old Okinawan "masters" said karate is karate, there are no "styles", just one's personal interpretation.

[@Druid_Ignacy]

Politically motivated name change? That would explain why it always felt so strange to me that ,,do" arts spar and compete (and know how to fight) while being very modest about their skill, and at the same time ,,justu" arts claiming to be ,,skill of combat" while most of the time knowing little about it.

[@andreartigas8308]

😲

[@MartialArtUK]

Good content thanks. Racism plays apart in this let me explain some things. I spent some time in China with scholars reading the oldest literature on martial arts . Tai ji oldest name reference was something like shadow box style. Wing chun was Yong chun a hard chopping at arms style , the first ref to ju jitsu being a thing was after 2 samurai trained at shaolin learning chin na . Kempo karate came from shaolin..karate was china hand but racist japanese changed it , like bjj did to jj for the west , chinese original name for mma is san shou , free fight , sumo was orginal chinese , japanese culture comes from a time in chinese history. Silat is also from kung fu its identity is now more mix of damce. Happy training everybody

[@rosemarietolentino3218]

Those that can do, those that can’t teach…

[@RamseyDewey]

Only people who can’t do either say this.

[@xpallodoc1147]

It’s from Zen Bushism actually which is as leftist as you can get. Also to say “rights” are right wing is an analysis that I’m guessing you used because rights have the word “right.” But human rights are left wing example so called reproductive rights etc etc. In the beginning of the video you explain people for some reason think the man is Chinese. I would assume they think that because you’re china and Japanese people are are also Asian.

[@SwordAndWaistcoat]

Do you know why the right-wing in Japan was funding do martial arts? Like what was the motivation?

[@suedenim]

Fascinating and informative, but we need a follow up with a master of the REAL martial art. The people call out for enlightenment from the one, the only... CAPTAIN KRAV MAGA!

[@godfistmartialarts6567]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏽

[@StardustMonkey]

I think it’s important to double check both your tai chi research and your understanding of the applications. Taijiquan is full of takedowns if you go to the Beijing lines of Chen style. The people from the chen village did not have much application training so they made up their own bullshit applications satisfy tourists or if they are better they supplemented with sanda and judo. On the naming of Taiji it is my understanding that 10 years ago new documents where found that dated Taiji back 400 years earlier than previously known and the name in those manuals was taiji yangsheng quan. The same documents verify that a student of this school was chen wang ting founder of chen Taiji and Jiang fa founder of Zhaobao Taiji. It was very popular 10 years ago to attribute the cotton palm or soft fist name to Taiji and say that a student of yang luchan invented the name Taiji quan… however if I am not mistaken this has been refuted

[@egm01egm]

Imagine Japanese were not nationalists in the 19th century and became a colony as most their neighboring countries in this time. But they wouldn't commit all these unspeakable horrors in WWII, on the other side.

[@lordMartiya]

I think the Ancient Greeks are to blame for the punching styles. They had their Boxing and their beloved Pankration, both with punching with Pankration being the oldest martial art on record aside for local wrestling styles, and as it happens martial arts in India, including punching, appeared right after Alexander the Great's aborted invasion. My guess is that, after the big battle, the Greeks had their usual sporting competitions and seeing them punching the Indians realized it wasn't a completely suicidal idea.

[@zedusan2141]

There is 1 instance of a punch heavy style not being associated with the Greeks! (I think) Dambe is a Nigerian boxing style, meant to emulate spear and shield. One hand is wrapped in rope (called spear) and is the only hand allowed to strike. The other hand can defend, hold and grab,

[@gnos1s171]

I would say when it comes to Chinese, Kung Fu and okinawa and karate. It's not as clear cut to say that Their forms are mostly grappling. I think it's a pretty good mix between both striking grappling, bcause there's still a good amount of punches and kicks and setups for them that you can find in these forms but still, you got the right idea. Great video!

[@ThepurposeofTime]

if you want to learn with no hinderance just find a good JKD club, they will teach you everything

[@RamseyDewey]

Usually when people write comments without watching the video, they are at least reacting to the title or thumbnail. What’s this? An AI generated comment?

[@ThepurposeofTime]

@@RamseyDewey oh I watched all of it. The question is, is this an AI generated reply? What does the name of an art have to do with the benefits of its dedication to mastering all types of combat? I'm just watching you guys figure out things we've known decades ago. It's interesting though, very entertaining 😁👍

[@Lift_these]

What did they mean by right wing people?

[@CraigHocker]

Sorry 😂 doesn’t know what he is talking about if he thinks Tai chi has almost no throwing. There are throws everywhere in the forms. Just few people understand this, and too many people that just learned superficial form for “health” think many moves are striking when they are actually throws.

[@shooter86-uw8ce]

"Everyone in china speaks Chinese" There is no one language called "Chinese" Theres numerous dialects spoken in china And not everyone speaks the most widespread dialect which is Mandarin which is spoken by about 80% percent of the population Leaving around 300 million people who speak other dialects

[@RamseyDewey]

Why are we saying this to people who have lived in China for most of their adult lives? There are over 400 languages (not dialects) in China. A dialect is a variation of a language (eg: Geordie is a dialect of English, but not a separate language from English) Shanghainese is a separate language from Mandarin, not a dialect of Mandarin. The Shanghai dialect of Mandarin, however, is a dialect. Chinese = Mandarin. Let’s be honest. If you want to be pedantic, call it 普通话 or 中文。

[@shooter86-uw8ce]

@RamseyDewey you're not saying it to people who have lived in China Those people aren't watching your videos And Chinese is split into 8 main dialects within those groups each of which has subdialects You can obfuscate as much as you want but it doesn't change the ridiculousness of your statement Googling ideograms to throw into your response doesn't give it the validity you think it does

[@RamseyDewey]

You are talking to me. Why are you preaching to the choir? I don’t even know what statement you are talking about.

[@ElDrHouse2010]

Judo and Aikido are straight up built up by ex-fascists lol but we dont talk about that. Look, Judo works and thats all that matters. We take what works & that are good teachings & discard what its useless. Read about The Black Dragon Society (kokuryūkai) of Fascist old Japan Ramsey it's interesting.

[@kevionrogers2605]

They brought martial arts to black nationalist in the USA.

[@BoRaiChoWins]

Cancel judo!!!!

[@mynameismynameis666]

Now one can argue that the corporal practice of martial arts is somewhat of a libertarian/rightwing/conservative thing to do. Athleticism requires a degree of self-centering at least when it comes to the body. Then again: it was the boxers revolution that eventually turned into the red tide that colored china into what it is today. so the individual strife can be channeled into a collective effort. Something they don't teach you, because that is a pressure point of our modern media debate. what the british did in South East Asia and how it -supposedly- ended... Actually, most people don't wanna know, they want to love the queen and adore the fairy tale appeal of monarchy and keep fantasizing about hot british actors.

[@DENVEROUTDOORMAN]

Nope it's Woke Left Wing Crybabies

[@maxpower8439]

One of the most dumbest shit I've seen in a while. The reason Kano chose the name "Judo" (the term already existed in another martial art by the way) was mostly because it was different than the term ju-jutsu. Samurai since the Edo period weren't famous or infamous warriors. They were at most debt collectors but in general they were bureaucrats and off course not very popular among the general population. That's why when the Meiji period started and especially after the Satsuma rebellion they were considered a backwards and regressive archaic movement which had no place in modern Japan. On that note Kano had to think of something that represented a similarity with the "old" (Ju) for which he claimed heritage but also added a modern nuance to it (Do) so it would actually attract people. Hence Ju - Do. Plus it was also equally vague enough so almost anything could be incorporated into it since jujutsu wasn't a name, it was a term among others (yawara, kogusoku) used to describe hand to hand combat (with weapons). The name "Aikido" was chosen by members of a committee in the old Dai Nippon Butoku kai in 1942. to represent Ueshiba's art in the confines of that organization. The name was in circulation even earlier, certain sources stating that Ueshiba used it on a scroll as early as 1940.. Ueshiba was involved with right wing people in Japan at the time and before. Some of his patrons were Hideki Tojo and Fumimaro Konoe, this was all well known by the way. However the name change wasn't because of that. What Ueshiba learned and taught was first called "Daito ryu Jujutsu", then "Daito ryu Aiki-jujutsu" then several names like Aoi ryu, Kobu ryu, Aikibudo (possibly some other). The reason "Aiki-do" was chosen was because it fitted with other martial arts sections like Ju-do, Ken-do, Kyu-do, Iai-do etc. You get the picture I presume. As for Oyama and the Kyokushinkai. I mean seriously, that's motherfucking hilarious. Many of Oyama's first students and higher ups were heavily involved with the yakuza and even working for them like Kazuyoshi Ishii. Some say Oyama was a yakuza errand boy when he was young. Oyama also trained with the known right wing activist Yoshida Kotaro and received some sort of scroll from him. Kotaro was an unofficial member of the Black Dragon society and possibly the Genyosha before that. Here's a list of how some Kyokushinkai organizations have operated after the death of the legendary Oyama: stsport.pl/the-true-story-on-the-biggest-organisations-of-karate-kyokushin-after-sosai-oyama-death/

[@nokungfuforyou323]

So Kano was not right wing necessarily? I can tell you BJJ is super right wing. Basically fascist.

[@RamseyDewey]

Why do you think BJJ is fascist?

[@nokungfuforyou323]

Tried to reply. Thought this was an open forum.

[@RamseyDewey]

@@nokungfuforyou323 this is youtube, the AI robot overseers auto-delete a lot of comments based on word choice.

[@valmendez84]

Is Judo the N-word of grappling, then ? Or is it to jiu-jitsu what Fanta is to Coca-Cola, the right-wing version?

[@skullheadbruv9058]

Nothing wrong with being right wing , i prefer to be far right than far wrong