Archeology of the Art of Body Movement: Learning from Japanese Ko-bujutsu

The aim of this paper is to clarify some of the fundamental ways of body movement found in Japanese ko-bujutsu or martial arts, which have been mostly lost to modern culture. Ko-bujutsu is described by martial artist Yoshinori Kono, who criticizes modernity. Kono insists that, through bujutsu, one can pursue what human nature means. This understanding came from Kono's way of life. This functions as significant educational theory in the same way as Richard Shusterman's somaesthetics. Another aspect of Kono's philosophy is its reference to aesthetic consciousness, which he believes is necessary to serve as the base of new ideas. Kono defines aesthetic consciousness as strong sensations, such as contentedness based on physical feelings of fascination or being drawn to something at only one glance. This aesthetic consciousness serves to support our inner lives. While this could be dismissed as being merely subjective interpretations, for those who seek to advance philosophical discourse, Kono contends that, through ko-bujutsu the world can be improved.