If you believe that budô is really a thing which should become a part of one's life, you must step back and take a long and objective look at the image you project. The simple truth is that people who wear jeans and baseball caps work for people who don't, and its not a bit different than 17th century Japan where the people who wore silk kimono were in charge of the people who didn't. Yes, I know that the majority of people walk around saying things like this is a free country and everyone is equal. If you believe that, you're very naive.

There exists, among many of today’s students, a certain amount of confusion as to the difference between a Ko-Budo and a Ko-Bujutsu. Of particular interest to the martial artist is the difference in attitude required from the students of these respective arts.

During a recent conversation on budō, the topic of just how difficult it is to judge a kata in an open karate tournament came up. For a JKA black-belt to judge a series of JKA kata is not too hard. But, what if he has to look at a series of kata from schools as diverse as Shorin-ryū, Gōjū-ryū, and Wadō-ryū? Aside from the fact that there are major differences in techniques, there will also be some major differences in the philosophy behind the techniques.

The journey is a long one, from basic jūjutsu to the ethereal realm of pure aiki, yet it is a road oft traveled. Some people never make it past the primitive stage of a thump on the head, while others take a few faltering steps and lose their way. But the magic remains. A magic that, once experienced even for a fleeting moment, traps an individual in a silken web.

Each instructor will have HIS budo; a way of doing a certain group of things that are unique. This budo is the sum of his years of training, distilled and filtered, and flavored with his own spirit.