A traveling exhibition titled The Spirit of Budo: The History of Japan's Martial Arts is open to the public this month at the Isla Center for the Arts at the University of Guam.
The exhibition has traveled around the world since 2007. It has been on display in more than 75 galleries and museums in more than 45 countries.
The exhibition explores the evolution of Japanese martial arts. It features combat techniques (Bujutsu) to popular sports or physical exercise while tempering body and spirit (Budo).
The first half of the exhibition is devoted to displays of reproductions of historical weapons and implements, such as sword mountings, bows, arrows, helmets, and suits of armor. It focuses on the development and changes of Japanese martial arts from the 8th century to the 19th century.
The second half of the exhibition features the contemporary practice of martial arts evolution from the 19th and 20th centuries and how the spirit of martial arts is still inherent in the daily lives of Japanese people today.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors will explore the significance of the various Japanese martial arts as a philosophy and art form, rather than as just a form of combat or sporting activity.
Admission is free, and the exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Isla Center for the Arts on the UOG campus.
It will be open until Sept. 30 and then will move to the Guam Museum, where it will be open from Oct. 7 to Nov. 7. Mask wearing and social distancing will be enforced.
The exhibit is presented by the Japan Foundation and the Consulate-General of Japan in Hagåtña in partnership with the Isla Center for the Arts, the University of Guam, and the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum & CHamoru Educational Facility of the Department of CHamoru Affairs with special thanks to Guam Nikkei Association, Guam Visitors Bureau, and Galaide Group LLC.
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