In
Japanese, usually when referring to
martial arts, one will often notice the suffixes 'do' and 'jutsu', as in
kendo or
kenjutsu,
iaido or
iaijutsu, etc. This is confusing to some, and many use them
interchangeably. This is incorrect.
The
suffix 'justu' translates roughly to '
skill' or '
technique.' Thus:
- Ken (sword) jutsu (skill) = kenjutsu (swordsmanship, swordfighting)
- iai (the act of drawing a sword) jutsu = iaijutsu (sword-drawing technique)
The suffix 'do' is borrowed from the chinese '
tao' (pron: dow, like cow) and translates roughly to '
path' or '
way.' Thus:
- Ken (sword) do (way) =
kendo (way of the sword).
What it reflects is an attempt to capture the basics of a skill or activity while leaving some of it out.
For instance, kendo is to kenjutsu what western
fencing would be to real
swashbuckling. Kendo is a sport that attempts to capture many of the aspects of actual japanese swordfighting, including the spiritual aspects. (Aspects that are sadly lacking in western fencing.)