Aikido

- often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the Way of
harmonious spirit.”
- It is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting
the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on.
- Aikido practitioners, commonly called aikidōka, generally progress by
promotion through a series of "grades" (kyū), followed by a series of
"degrees" (dan), pursuant to formal testing procedures. Most aikido
organizations use only white and black belts to distinguish rank, but some
use various belt colors.

Judo

- meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) and
combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century
- its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to
either throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue
one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit
by joint locking the elbow or by applying a choke
- Strikes and thrusts (by hands and feet) - as well as weapons defences - are
a part of judo

Jujitsu

- literally meaning the "art of softness", or "way of yielding"

- a martial art consisting of grappling and striking techniques
- evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for dispatching an
armed and armored opponent in situations where the use of weapons was
impractical or forbidden
- techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's
energy against him, rather than directly opposing it

Karate

- means "the way of the empty hand"

- It is a fusion of pre-existing Okinawan martial arts, called "te", and Chinese
martial arts, it is strictly speaking, not a Japanese martial art, but rather it is
an art that has been adopted and developed by the Japanese.
-the word "karate" was originally a generic term for Chinese martial arts,
meaning "China hand", rather than "empty hand".
-It is primarily a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes
and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands and ridge-hands.

Kendo
- meaning the "way of the sword", is the sport of Japanese fencing
- It is a relatively modern evolution of the art of kenjutsu, and its exercises
and practice are descended from several particular schools of swordsmanship
- a way to discipline the human character through the application of the
principles of the Katana (sword).

Kenjutsu

- literally means "the art/science of the sword

- "kenjutsu" is more often used to refer to the specific aspect of
swordsmanship dealing with partnered sword training
- It is the oldest form of training, and at its simplest level, consists of two
partners with swords drawn, practicing combat drills
- Historically practiced with wooden katana (bokken), this most often
consists of pre-determined forms, called kata, or sometimes called
kumitachi, and similar to the partner drills practiced in kendo.

Kyudo

- means “way of the bow,” is the modern name for Japanese archery
- Originally in Japan, Kyujutsu, the “art of the bow,” was a discipline of the
samurai, the Japanese warrior class.
- The yumi (Japanese bow) is exceptionally tall (standing over two meters),
surpassing the height of the archer.
- Ya (arrow) shafts were traditionally made of bamboo, with either eagle or
hawk feathers
The length of an arrow is the archers yatsuka plus between 6 to 10
centimeters
- The kyūdō archer wears a glove on the right hand called a yugake. Typically
a yugake will be of the three- or four-finger variety. The three fingered version
is called a "mitsugake", and the four-fingered version is called a "yotsugake".

Sumo
considered by many to be Japan's national sport
sumo retains much of its traditional trappings, including a referee dressed as
a Shinto priest, and a ritual where the competitors clap hands, stomp their
feet, and throw salt in the ring prior to each match. To win a match,
competitors employ throwing and grappling techniques to force the other
man to the ground; the first man to touch the ground with a part of the body
other than the bottom of the feet, or touch the ground outside the ring with
any part of the body, loses.
Ninjitsu

- is the martial art, strategy, and tactics of unconventional warfare and

guerilla warfare practiced by the shinobi (aka ninja).
- Ninja jūhakkei was often studied along with Bugei Jūhappan (the "18
samurai fighting art skills"). Though some are used in the same way by both
samurai and ninja other techniques were used differently by the two groups.

The 18 disciplines are:

1. Seishin-teki kyōyō (spiritual refinement)

2. Taijutsu (unarmed combat, using one's body as the only weapon)
3. Kenjutsu (sword fighting)
4. Bōjutsu (stick and staff fighting)
5. Shurikenjutsu (throwing shuriken)
6. Sōjutsu (spear fighting)
7. Naginatajutsu (naginata fighting)
8. Kusarigamajutsu (kusarigama fighting)
9. Kayakujutsu (pyrotechnics and explosives)
10. Hensōjutsu (disguise and impersonation)
11. Shinobi-iri (stealth and entering methods)
12. Bajutsu (horsemanship)
13. Sui-ren (water training)
14. Bōryaku (tactic)
15. Chōhō (espionage)
16. Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment)
17. Tenmon (meteorology)
18. Chi-mon (geography)

Today the main focus of ninjutsu deals with the techniques relevant to armed
and unarmed combat.