How Martial Arts Reflect Cultural Values

The world is constantly changing, whether it’s politically, climate, economically etc. Culture is no different, a part of society that is forever changing. Examples of these are the expansion of foreign media into the United States, during late WWII the idea of Japanese media being commonplace in the United States would have been impossible. But now we see Japanese media everywhere, their shows, their books, their sports, their traditions, etc. Recently amongst younger generations like me, I have noticed the popularization of martial arts this could be due to the popularization in media for things like MMA and Muay Thai. Two other martial arts that have seen growth are Judo and Boxing. Much like the Japanese culture, Judo has transformed heavily from once being seen as a very peaceful way of life to an economic powerhouse for Japan that is in the Olympics. Although Boxing did not commence in Mexico it is a large part of the culture, however this was not always the case. In the early days this introduction of boxing was viewed with negativity by older generations. This just goes to show that over time culture changes, the values of the culture change. Some people may be upset at the changes, but I think they are both inevitable and positive.

Judo stems from jujutsu which both originate in Japan. Judo began from a man that had always felt physically inferior during high school, this led to him doing Jujutsu (Sato 2013, para 2). This person was Jigoro Kano, who is the creator of Judo, “the gentle way”. This essay will be about the cultural significance Judo has had on Japan and the same in the opposite way. Judo was founded from the domestication of two older Japanese martial arts. These two martial arts were Jujutsu and Bujutsu. The reason for the shift is because the older two had begun to get a bad reputation for being barbaric during a time of peace, they were both made for war time use where judo was not (Sato 2013, para 10). This gave Judo its meaning from earlier “The gentle way”.  Kano viewed Judo as a way of living, never really a sport, a lifestyle was Kano’s vision for Judo. Even going as far as saying “Japanese government that judo would be an effective tool to implant patriotism in the ‘spines and brains’ of Japanese youngsters” (Sato 2013, para 15). Judo was founded in tradition, but it began to change what it was in nature when it became more global. While Kano and his critics were arguing about the future of Judo, it began to grow on its own and got to the point where it was in the Olympics. When this growth kept happening, Kano began growing the amount of people he taught internationally. Sato (2013) in paragraph 16 states that Judo began to grow beyond traditional Japanese culture into an international sport where each nation had a different style and cultural backing behind their individual style, although still Judo this was a different Judo from the early days of heavy Japanese tradition. Throughout Judo’s development from a tradition based martial art to an internationally competitive sport. Japan has gone from a time of samurais to a time of vast economical growth. They have grown from each other and have built each other’s future.

Mexicans are generally very prideful, with a very go getter attitude to a lot of things, the Mexican Boxing style reflects that. The Mexican Boxing Style is a very in your face brawling style in boxing. How did this start? In page 111, LaFevor (2020) states that boxing and prizefighting were introduced to Mexico in 1915 when foreigners introduced it in the bays of the Gulf of Mexico At the time Mexican culture was different, professionalism and elegance is what ruled, but when boxing came around all that began to change, “For Sierra, the culture that supported prizefighting was alien and uncivilized” (LaFevor 2020, P. 4). A Mexican nationalist is who said this, Justo Sierra. He began to notice the shift of culture and values of people changing compared to those he had himself. Boxing was a culprit in that change of value. “It challenged traditional ideas of how good men and women should interact in public” (LaFevor 2020, P. 5).  Although there were attempts to try and disable this change in culture from various groups those being nationalists, and older Mexicans. Change is inevitable, eventually the culture did flip from one that was hellbent on tradition to one that was expressive of a more barbaric side with quotes like “The youth traded the backward behaviors of the past for more modern forms of Barbarity: It shames us to admit that we are civilized.” (LaFevor 2020, P. 34). Mexico is known for a lot, but many of the deep-rooted beliefs that we take at face value were not always that way. In the past Mexico used to be a more passive less aggressive kind of culture. But times have changed and as boxing has been introduced to Mexican culture, the culture itself has shifted to one of dominance and exaggeration of masculinity.

Different cultures have different values, a lot of the time this is expressed in cultural practices, religion, and in some cases martial arts. Japan is very well known for many reasons, but one of those is their vast array of martial arts, one of them being Judo. Although boxing did not commence in Mexico it doesn’t mean that it is not a major part of the culture. I will be talking about how these two different martial arts have aided grow and reflected the growth of the nation in the art as well. In paragraph 5 Sato (2013) states that Judo was created after Bujutsu and Jujutsu had begun to be seen as very animalistic, this was due to them being created during war times and being used for that application. After the war these styles needed to be adapted to a more civilized form, this is where Judo began. In page 5 LaFevor (2020) states that boxing was introduced to Mexico initially in the Gulf of Mexico by foreigners, during this time Mexico looked a lot different, it shared many of the qualities that post-Judo Japan had. A culture where elegance, professionalism, and grace ruled. Once boxing was introduced expressions of masculinity, dominance, and pride became what was culturally valued. You can see these effects in the “Mexican Boxing style”. A style that is famous for its very in your face, no retreating brawling style, you can see this a lot in Canelo’s current style. This initially had a large push back from older generations, as LaFevor stated in page 34 (2020) young people began to hate the much beloved traditions of Mexico for ones that would follow modern times of violence and ego. Boxing has brought in a lot of money for Mexico due to it becoming an expression of the new culture. On the topic of money, Japan has transformed from a culture of heavy tradition and grace to one of cutting-edge technology and world leading economics. In paragraph 15, Sato (2013) talks about how Judo Transversely has went from a martial art centered on high grace and respect to one of finance. Judo began as a way of life, with a name like “the gentle way” (Sato 2013, para 12). To an international sport, where various countries have their own style and different beliefs. Both sports have experienced immense changes since their cultures have vastly changed as well, but the connection between culture and martial arts remains the same, they grow together.

Martial arts are tied to cultural values, as cultural values change so do the application of their respective martial arts. This change can be seen in Japan and Judo, When Judo was created it was after a major war and people wanted to feel at peace, that is why Judo was named “the gentle way”. As Japan has become an economic powerhouse with media growing as well, Judo has become an internationally viewed sport at the Olympics, where more countries compete in Judo than even Wrestling. Boxing in Mexico has seen similar changes with being viewed with discontent and a large intolerance, to one that has raised a lot of money for the country, to a point where it has created its own style. Culture is ever changing, and it is unfair to disagree with different cultural beliefs and practices without understanding them, regardless if it is from the past or from the present. So, take the time and learn about other people before judging them immediately, just because they are different does not mean they are wrong.

References

LaFevor, D. C. (2020). Prizefighting and civilization: A cultural history of boxing, race, and masculinity in mexico and cuba, 1840-1940 University of New Mexico Press, University of New Mexico Press. Retrieved from http://168.156.198.98:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/books/prizefighting-civilization/docview/2385846177/se-2

Sato, S. (2013). The sportification of judo: Global convergence and evolution. Journal of Global History, 8(2), 299-317. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S1740022813000235