Martial Tradition Research Articles

Karate na Kosovu i Metohiji: od međuetničke integracije do deintegracije

The area of Kosovo and Metohija has a rich martial tradition in which folk wrestling stands out. When karate came to Serbia in 1963, in just a few years it had already left its mark in the southern Serbian province. The first club was opened in 1969, and soon numerous clubs appeared throughout the province where thousands of karate fighters trained. It is emphasized that all the clubs were multi-ethnic, where Serbs and Albanians practiced equally. The key sensei for the whole of Yugoslavia were Dr. Vladimir and Ilija Jorga, who did their part in the complete integration of the Albanian masters. Albanians were also part of a committee during examinations for higher black belt degrees even in central Serbia. In addition, prominent Albanian karateka were also lecturers at seminars along with with great Japanese masters. The wars of 1998-1999 had its consequences and multi-ethnic karate of Kosovo and Metohija disintegrated. From prominent practitioners of karate, on the Albanian side, Nazmi Iberdemaj stands out as the most prominent expert in this skill. However, there is also karate master Isak Musliu, a member of the KLA who was accused in The Hague of abusing his victims in the Lapusnik camp with karate techniques. From the Serbian side, the most prominent is Oliver Ivanovic. He built his career in karate as a judge of the highest rank. In politics, he advocated inter-ethnic dialogue, but he was killed in 2018 under unclear circumstances.

Bolognese Tradition: Ancient Tradition or Modern Myth?

This article discusses the modern interpretation that Bologna produced a distinctive regional martial tradition, based on the existence of similar treatises. It examines the assumption that a series of fencing masters formed a distinct lineage and that their martial practices formed a tradition separate to martial forms outside of Bologna. As a case study, it also considers the 'Viridario' of Giovanni Filoteo Achillini, a poem that contains instructions on the use of sword an buckler, written in 1504 and asks why this apparently unknown treatise was not used by its author to promote a Bolognese tradition.

A process-sociology analysis of religious practices and Japanese martial arts

This paper uses primary and secondary sources to provide a process-sociological analysis of the relationship between religious practices and Japanese martial arts. It problematises the taken for granted role of Zen Buddhism as the sole influence on the development of Japanese martial arts. Such essential connection is inaccurate and anachronistic. Religious and martial practices developed as part of processes of sociogenesis (state formation) and psychogenesis (habitus) during three different key stages: (1) Medieval Japan (1185-1600): during this stage, warriors (bushi) progressively became the predominant rulers across the country, enforcing law by sheer force. Warriors seasoned in combat used esoteric practices (spells, magic rituals) as part of their psychological arsenal for warfare, as practical means of action. The cult of the Buddhist deity Marishiten held special interest for the bushi originating martial traditions (ryu). (2) Tokugawa shogunate (1600-1848): the pacification of the country by the central military court implied a more detached approach to martial arts by samurai. Within this milieu, the samurai acted as a retainer/bureaucrat whose main mission was to keep order in a stratified society and to serve his lord, something that Zen practices helped to incorporate in the samurai ethos. (3) Early Showa period (1926-1945): this stage featured a progressive militarisation of people and the instigation of a strong involvement towards the Japanese nation, considered as the main (symbolic) survival unit. Budo (martial arts) was connected to shinto (functioning as a ‘state religion’) and embodied the imperial bushido message. Zen provided a legitimation of violence for citizen-soldiers with a personality structure that presented self-doubts on killing someone and fear of being killed.

Сібір түркі халықтары қаһармандық эпостарының ерекшеліктері

The folklore of the Turkic peoples is extremely rich and diverse. In terms of genre, the Turkic epics are of considerable interest, which, being transmitted orally and in writing from generation to generation and which reveal the spiritual wealth and culture of the Turkic peoples. Heroic epics depicting historical facts, events, and martial traditions of the Turkic peoples are indicative in this context. The origins of heroic epics go back to ancient myths, heroic fairy tales, ancient legends, where mythological consciousness undergoes significant mental changes in the formation of heroic epics.Mythological motifs can be traced in heroic epics of the Turkic peoples of Southern Siberia, that represent a complex synthesis of ancient beliefs of the Turkic peoples, and the epics themselves glorify the glorious exploits of the Turkic peoples, many of which have a real historical basis.This article highlights the history of the epics (including heroic) of the Turkic peoples of Siberia, their systematic classification by origin, subject matter, plot composition, genre characteristics is carried out, plot motives, including mythological ones, are identified. It is assumed that shamanic myths are at the structural basis of the epics of the Turkic peoples of Siberia, as a result of which the structural frame and the plot of events in the myths are repeated in the epics together with various semantic changes.

The general characteristics and historical aspect of the emergence and development of horting as a national type of motor activity of Ukraine

Horting is the national sport of Ukraine. It is a representative of a new direction of complex mixed martial arts in the world, but the multifaceted two rounds of a duel significantly distinguish this sport from others, thanks to the developed rules of competitions, which have not been used in the world until this moment.
 The main goal of horting is to cover all sections of the population of Ukraine from young children to the elderly, popularize and increase the role of physical culture and sports, patriotic education, involve children and young people in a healthy lifestyle, distract them from harmful habits, and educate the individual in the spirit. decency, patriotism and love for one's Motherland.
 The article provides a general description and examines the historical aspect of the emergence and development of horting as a national type of motor activity of Ukraine. The origin of the word "horting" was studied.
 It has been established that horting in Ukraine is an important component of the national system of physical culture and sports, patriotic and spiritual education of youth, revival and rooting of cultural, health and martial traditions of the Ukrainian people.
 It has been found that horting classes contribute to strengthening health; development of physical, moral and intellectual qualities of a person; the formation of the internal culture of the individual, his high-willed qualities, healthy lifestyle skills; harmonious physical development; attracting the younger generation to the wealth of universal values; the "awakening" of the national consciousness of Ukrainians; is an effective means of solving the problems of educating the younger generation, as sports distract boys and girls from the street, giving them the opportunity to fully demonstrate their talents and realize their potential.

Military and patriotic education of apprentice and student youth, cadets in the sports group «Combat Horting» under the conditions of marital state

The role of the «Combat Horting» sports clubs, especially in the conditions of martial law, is to promote the level of military-patriotic upbringing of school and student youth, cadets; forming among young people a persistent interest and need for regular classes in Ukrainian martial arts; raising the level of education in the field of physical culture, sports and a healthy lifestyle; improving the quality of the process of physical education and education among young people, etc.
 Scientific works are analyzed in the scientific article N., Dovgan, M., Zubalii, K., Kukushkin, O., Ostapenko, S., Prysiazhniuk L., Pustoliakova, T., Fedorchenko, A., Khatko and other which reveal some aspects of the military-patriotic education of schoolchildren and student youth, cadets in the «Combat Horting» sports club.
 Also, the concept of military-patriotic education of children and young people by means of combat horting (author E., Yeromenko) described by Z., Dikhtiarenko has been improved, as a predicted result of independent training with Combat Horting in conditions of martial law for school and student youth and cadets. The concept of «martial law» is singled out in the Law of Ukraine «On the Legal Regime of Martial Law».
 The authors of the publication proved that the national professional and applied sport of Ukraine is Combat Horting, which is based on the cultural, health and martial traditions of the Ukrainian people and contributes to the comprehensive education of the younger generation to ensure the security of the state independence of Ukraine, eliminating threats to the preservation of the integrity of Ukrainian lands. It is a multi-year specially organized process of learning, comprehensive development, moral and ethical education and improvement of children and youth.
 On the basis of the Concept of military-patriotic education of children and youth by means of combat horting (author E., Yeromenko) [5, p. 37-43] and the analysis of literary sources [1-23], Z., Dikhtiarenko determined the indicators for the predicted result of independent training with Combat Horting in conditions of martial law (to know; to be able to) for school and student youth and cadets.

Peace on Our Terms: The Global Battle for Women's Rights after the First World War

Peace on Our Terms: The Global Battle for Women's Rights after the First World War

Archaic Martial Traditions in High Medieval Scandinavia: A Glimpse of Viking Age Warfare?

Most written evidence regarding warfare in Viking Age Scandinavia originates either from contemporaneous chronicles – recorded by those at the receiving end of Norse attacks – from skaldic poetry, or from high medieval Scandinavian texts. However, these sources often prove problematic: either in the form of chronicles from other parts of Europe, whichoften exaggerate the brutality of Viking raids, or from 13th century Icelandic writers, who embellish accounts of long deceased rulers. This article explores archaic martial features found in 12th- and 13th-century contemporaneous sagas and treatises to identify and analyse the continued influence of Viking Age military practices in high medieval Scandinavia. By comparing information found in three medieval texts to scholarly contributions on Viking Age warfare; skaldic poems; and archaeological evidence, this article aims to identify Viking Age military features that survived the military transformation, which followed the periods of internal struggles that the Scandinavian kingdoms underwent from the 1130s onwards.

Bruce Lee and the Trolley Problem: An Analysis from an Asian Martial Arts Tradition

ABSTRACT In this paper, I approach the trolley problem from a different angle, and align the perspective with non-Western models of philosophy as instruction for life. I argue that the trolley problem is an example of an extreme event that requires agents’ instant response; to act well, they must utilize all resources they have within themselves, whether these resources be physical, practical or ethical in nature. This approach, stemming from Asian philosophies, means that the solution of the trolley problem does not lie in any formulation of utilitarian calculus, or affirmation of deontological rights per se. Rather, it lies in the agents’ composure, attained by practicing a range of meditative and physical exercises. We can identify relevant ideas from Bruce Lee’s (1940-1973) philosophy and that of Zen Buddhism. For agents to perform well in the trolley case, they must display a range of virtues that pertains to an ethical model of life.

For Phillip: Remembering a Friend

It is going to take some time for me to fully accept that Phillip Zarrilli is no more. Phillip, as I knew him as a friend, continues to live in my mind's eye with memories of ceaseless conversations, exchanges of letters and interactions in different parts of the world. Just three months before his death on 28 April 2020, we had met in Kerala, his second home, in the town of Kunnamkulam, where we had watched a high-voltage, virtuoso performance of the Kathakali play Duryodhanavadham (The Killing of Duryodhana) by the Kerala Kalamandalam troupe, which we thoroughly relished. I have rarely seen Phillip more relaxed and happy as I remember him in Kunnamkulam. While he was, in all probability, aware that this was going to be his last trip to Kerala, he was making the most of it, reminding us that he had come full circle by returning to the state which had nurtured his initiation into the martial arts tradition of kalarippayyattu.

Qigong, Philosophical Reading, and the Cultivation of Attention: Chinese Contemplative Body Practices and Slow Philosophy

ABSTRACT Qigong practices are contemplative body practices and meditation techniques that emerge from Chinese philosophical, medical, and martial traditions. This paper argues that qigong is a kind of embodied philosophical activity that is analogous to the ‘slow philosophy’ called for by Michelle Boulous Walker. Four features of Walker’s slow philosophy are highlighted: (i) careful slowness, (ii) repetition, (iii) openness to the transformation of one’s propositional attitudes and one’s virtues, and (iv) a blurring of boundaries between philosophy and non-philosophy. A particular qigong practice is then examined as a case study: Hunyuan Qigong (Hùnyuán qìgōng 混元氣功), a qigong form taught by the Chen-style taijiquan master Feng Zhiqiang 馮志強 (1928–2012) that involves the practitioner moving her body through multiple series of broadly circular movements. It is argued that qigong practices are examples of philosophical activity analogous to slow philosophical reading, that slow philosophical reading and qigong practice can be mutually illuminating and can help us better understand what doing philosophy is, and that qigong can transform us both by changing our philosophically significant propositional attitudes and by providing means of cultivating virtues related to attention.

Impact of training in Combat Horting on prevention of psychophysiological stress of students and students, cadets

In the scientific work «Impact of training in Combat Horting on prevention of psychophysiological stress of students and students, cadets» by analyzing psychological and pedagogical sources found that aspects of psychophysiological mechanisms of stress reflected in the fundamental works of domestic and foreign researchers. The authors described four stages of pedagogical experiment (1st: generalization of data of scientific and methodological literature from a certain direction of research; 2nd: questioning of cadets, students and students who attend six months (training) in combat horticulture; 3rd: pedagogical observations of a certain contingent; 4th: conversation with youth). Described daily tips to avoid stress and fatigue. Emphasis is placed on the fact that in order to avoid stress and fatigue for coaches, teachers should systematically conduct training exercises. It is emphasized that Combat Horticulture is a national professional and applied sport of servicemen and law enforcement officers, as well as other power structures of Ukraine. It is an important component of the patriotic, cultural and spiritual upbringing of children and young people, the revival and development of sports, recreational and martial traditions of the Ukrainian people, the promotion of health, the development of physical, moral, volitional and intellectual abilities of a person by involving the population in participation in Combat competitions Horting. The rules of the competition for the sport «Fighting Horting» are designed and operate on the basis of experience and experience in a mixed type of martial arts, designed for athletes of all ages. The main part of the Rules lists the age groups and weight categories of the competitors who compete with each other under these Rules in different sections of the competition. The sections of combat horticulture competitions are divided into contact and conditionally contact. Contact sections of Combat Horticulture competitions include: «Hand-to-hand combat», «Wrestling fight», «Self-defense». The contingent section of Combat Horticulture competitions is the «Form» section.

Jin Yong’s Method of Imagining China

Does the popular martial arts (wuxia) genre compromise Jin Yong’s literary representation and historical reflection, or, on the contrary, does it provide him with new modes and methods to portray an imagined China? Would his politics of writing reshape and even revolutionize the martial arts tradition, or were the latter’s innovative and creative potentials tamed or undermined by the rule and force of the commercialized market and popular culture industry? This article understands Jin Yong’s method of imagining China as a chivalric topography, close to a “situationist psychogeography,” and examines its vocabulary, grammar, and employment in terms of (1) four major geographical coordinates that anchor his wuxia world—Jiangnan region and the south, the Central Plains, the peripheries or frontiers, and the imperial capitals; (2) the gratitude and vengeance—be it political or personal, public or private—between Han Chinese and non-Han peoples, and between the knights-errant and the political sovereign; and (3) his chivalrous imagination intermingled with folklores and tales, (un)official histories, and cultural memories to stimulate reflections on China’s past for contemporary readers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and a global Sinophone world.

Қазақтардың жауынгерлік дәстүрі мен әскери өнері (тарихи-этнографиялық материалдар негізінде)

Қазақтардың жауынгерлік дәстүрі мен әскери өнері (тарихи-этнографиялық материалдар негізінде)

Citizen-Scholar: Essays in Honor of Walter Edgar ed. by Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr

Reviewed by: Citizen-Scholar: Essays in Honor of Walter Edgar ed. by Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr M. Ryan Floyd Citizen-Scholar: Essays in Honor of Walter Edgar. Edited by Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr. (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2016. pp. xiv, 275. $34.99, 978-1-61117-750-3.) Historian Walter Edgar has produced many books, directed the University of South Carolina's Institute for Southern Studies, and continues to host a weekly radio show, Walter Edgar's Journal. Throughout his career, Edgar has influenced numerous scholars and the public, and in Citizen-Scholar: Essays in Honor of Walter Edgar, Robert H. Brinkmeyer Jr. presents a series of essays that recognize Edgar's contributions to South Carolina and its history. The book begins with essays by Edgar's friends and colleagues that focus on the role he has played in their lives and in the historical profession. Following the personal tributes are short chapters on South Carolina history that expand on Edgar's own work and that underscore his role in moving the field forward. In the first section of the book, Brinkmeyer brings together Winston Groom, Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, Harris Pastides, and Mark M. Smith to express their [End Page 238] appreciation of Edgar's character and talent. These longtime friends and colleagues provide laudatory accounts of their connections to Edgar, discussing his life as a student, soldier, and scholar. Brinkmeyer follows this section with twelve chapters addressing topics from South Carolina's past and present. Larry D. Watson notes in "The Grand Jury in Colonial South Carolina: An Index of Societal Concerns" that jury records provide a lens into the daily lives of everyday South Carolinians. Watson includes colorful and insightful accounts of grievances placed before the grand jury, demonstrating the extent and breadth of the issues that it addressed. In "The Worlds of John Tunno: Scottish Emigrant, Charleston Loyalist, London Merchant, 1746-1819," Barbara L. Bellows uses John Tunno's story to explore the experiences of Loyalists during and after the American Revolution. She notes that they faced social and economic distress and, in Tunno's case, left everything behind to flee South Carolina. John M. Sherrer III's "Rediscovering Milo H. Berry: Columbia Artisan and Businessman, 1843-1907" demonstrates that there was a strong artisan culture in Columbia that deserves more attention from historians. Focusing on Edgefield County in his chapter, Orville Vernon Burton argues that most citizens emphasized local concerns throughout the Civil War and that nationalism increased only as the war concluded and as the Lost Cause ideology emerged. Bernard E. Powers Jr. discusses the development of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church from its pre-Civil War beginning through its expansion during the era of the New South. Powers also points out that the AME Church and its leaders were key contributors to the civil rights movement in South Carolina and the nation. Peter A. Coclanis, in "Another 'Faithful Index': Inventive Activity and Economic Innovation in Nineteenth-Century South Carolina," uses patent data to discuss South Carolina's intellectual life between 1776 and 1865. He explains that the state not only focused on profiting from a slave-based agricultural system but also embraced intellectual and technological progress. Brinkmeyer also includes chapters that address post-Civil War issues and that stress the past's enduring influence on South Carolina and its citizens. Charles Joyner, for instance, explores the long fight over flying the Confederate battle flag above the state capitol. Joyner examines southern views on honor, the myths surrounding southern heritage, and the link that many white southerners have made between the flag and their regional identity. In the chapter "Walter Edgar and the Southern Military Tradition," Andrew H. Myers summarizes historians' arguments about the existence of a martial tradition in the South. John M. McCardell Jr. argues in "William Gilmore Simms and His World after the Civil War: A New Look at Joscelyn" that southern literature provides a window into the views of white southerners during Reconstruction. Focusing on Simms's novel Joscelyn (1867), McCardell delves into Simms's perception of the causes of the war and his reaction to the changes in southern society. James C. Cobb, in his essay, discusses...

The Japanese and Korean Martial Arts: In Search of a Philosophical Framework Compatible to History

The popular discourse about Asian martial arts has often been surrounded by an aura of esotericism, so pervasive that it even influenced the academic discussion to some degree. Moreover, nationalistic motives to promote certain martial arts narratives often prevail. This article focuses on the frequently flawed philosophical and historical discourse surrounding the Asian martial arts. In particular, this study concentrates on the academic discussions of the Japanese and Korean martial arts, and the search for a philosophical framework compatible with historical narratives. The Japanese created a romantic but also nationalistic martial arts narrative that aligned with the ideals of the Meiji Restoration. This romanticized image was naively accepted in the West, often imported along with esoteric ideas of the East. And, as most modern Korean martial arts originated in Japan, the Korean martial arts discussion aligns with that of Japanese martial arts, and this alignment has been a point of heated dispute. Discussions of Korean martial arts reflect a search for a definitive identity of the Korean martial arts community as well as the desire to establish a martial arts tradition independent of those of Japan as well as China. However, the discourse has often been influenced by western, albeit biased and perhaps faulty, historical views, and ideas about martial arts traditions.

MUDDLING THROUGH THE LANGUAGE CLUTTER: SCOURING FOR A MIDDLE PATH

Polarization for the sake of conceptual and ideological distinctiveness often spawns chasms so cantankerous, that the ramifications of further deliberation become counterproductive. Conflicting ideas pervade every domain of rational thought. But conflict is not a hindrance. It exists as an integral and indisputable undercurrent of thinking as well as human nature. Conflict degenerates into a frantic scramble for power when the premise is squeezed dry of its fertile potential. There would be an appalling dearth of ideas, interpretations and perceptions had conflict been crucified as the instigator of discord. It is justified to concur that where there is no conflict, there is no independent thought. However, this conflict is not to wrestle over an impasse, but to acknowledge all perspectives how-much-ever divergent they might be. The productivity of conflict can be realised, when in its aftermath, the rifts between the poles, have been neutralized and the quest for the middle path can ensue. In the Chinese martial tradition, when two swordsmen joust, it is not blatantly for striking or defending. When their swords meet, depending on where they collide and with how much force they strike, they produce distinct soundwaves, which over a period appears as melody to the martial artists and comprises the spiritual as well as aesthetic underpinning. The pinnacle of the art lies in producing this very melody by simply displacing air with the sword. This analogy delineates the mental picture behind the conflict of ideas, how it transcends into a virile force and ultimately leads one on the search for the Aristotelian ‘golden mean’.

Governing martial traditions: Post-conflict ritual sites in Iron Age Northern Europe (200 BC–AD 200)

Iron Age martial ritual sites constitute some of the richest archaeological evidence that violence and mass behavior not only became increasingly a part of the political reality in the Iron Age, but that it subsequently began to permeate the religious sphere. Of particular interest are the post-conflict ritual sanctuaries of Northern Gaul and the war bogs of Scandinavia, both of which display the remains of violent conflicts with exceptional amounts of (often mutilated) weapon paraphernalia and/or human remains. The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkage between these two traditions in the period 200 BC–AD 200. It is based on a new compilation of 80 sites with post-conflict ritual practices from this period. We suggest that the significant latitude in the combination of different martial practices and elements points both to local customs and to supra-regional links. This pattern is explained by the existence of a partly shared symbolic reservoir of symbols and practices. Dependent on differing ritual governance structures, different patterns come about in the archaeological record. In this respect, post-conflict sites represent largely self-organized settings associated with large-scale conflicts, assembled groups, and high-arousal group behavior. They thus differ from governing structures at community or family group level. This approach gives post-conflict rituals a new and more central role in the development and upholding of ritual traditions across Iron Age Northern Europe.

The “Franco-Russian Marseillaise”: International Exchange and the Making of Antiliberal Politics in Fin de Siècle France

The “Franco-Russian Marseillaise”: International Exchange and the Making of Antiliberal Politics in Fin de Siècle France

THE INVENTION OF TAEKWONDO TRADITION, 1945–1972: WHEN MYTHOLOGY BECOMES ‘HISTORY’

Taekwondo's popular, historical narrative presents an excellent example of nationalistic attitudes in South Korean society toward portraying historical accounts in a favorable light, regardless of empirical evidence. This article explores various historical accounts regarding the origins of taekwondo, as presented by early taekwondo pioneers. After Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, taekwondo's earliest and most central historical source became the hwarang myth, which dominated, due to its promotion by the government as a symbol of South Korea's military might, martial traditions, and nationalism. Only over time, did a variety of additional events result in an 'official' martial arts narrative for taekwondo. By 1971, the accounts became consolidated and unified with taekwondo's emergence as an internationally known Korean national sport, with all references to foreign influences omitted from the official record. This article demonstrates how the creation of taekwondo's historical narrative represents a classic case of, 'the invention of tradition.'