A Dō is any one of a number of spiritual, martial, or aesthetic disciplines that evolved in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

. The term "Dō" is borrowed from the Chinese philosophical concept of Tao

Tao

Dao or Tao is a Chinese word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'...

 (Dao), a word meaning 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'. Within the context of traditional East Asian philosophy and religion, Dō is a metaphysical

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...

 concept signifying the primordial essence or fundamental nature of the universe.

In Japanese, a Dō implies a body of knowledge and tradition with an ethic and an aesthetic, and having the characteristics of specialization (senmonsei), transmissivity (keishōsei), normativity (kihansei), universality (kihensei), and authoritativeness (ken'isei).

List of Dōs

• Aikido
  Aikido
  is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
  
   (合気道), the Way of harmonious spirit

Compassionate hand-to-hand fighting

• Bushidō
  Bushido
  , meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
  
   (武士道), the Way of the warrior

The samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 moral code

• Chadō (茶道), or sadō, or chanoyu, the Way of tea

The Japanese tea ceremony

Japanese tea ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...

• Gendai budō
  Gendai Budo
  , meaning "modern martial way", are modern Japanese martial arts which were established after the Meiji Restoration . Koryū are the opposite: ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration.-Scope and tradition:...
  
   (現代武道), modern warrior Way

The group of martial disciplines that arose after the Meiji restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

• Hojōjutsu
  Hojojutsu
  Hojōjutsu or Nawajutsu, is the traditional Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord or rope.Encompassing many different materials, techniques and methods from many different schools, Hojojutsu is a quintessentially Japanese art that is a unique product of Japanese history and...
  
   martial art

A Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord or rope.

• Iaido
  Iaido
  is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard...
  
   (居合道), the Way of harmonious life

A Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword

• Jōdō
  Jodo
  , meaning "the way of the jō", or is a Japanese martial art using short staffs called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet long...
  
   (杖道), the Way of the jō
  Jo
  JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...
  
  

Wooden staff fighting

• Judo
  Judo
  is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
  
   (柔道), the "gentle way"

A grappling martial art

• Jūkendō
  Jukendo
  is the Japanese martial art of bayonet fighting, and has been likened to kendo . Jukendo techniques are based on sojutsu or bayonet techniques from the 17th century, when firearms were introduced to Japan....
  
   (銃剣), the Way of the bayonet
  Bayonet
  A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
  
  

Bayonet fighting

• Kadō (華道) or Ikebana
  Ikebana
  is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
  
  , the Way of flowers

Flower arrangement

• Karate
  Karate
  is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
  
   or karate-dō (空手道), the Way of the empty hand

Bare hand fighting

• Kendo
  Kendo
  , meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
  
   (剣道), the Way of the sword

Traditional Japanese fencing

• Kōdō
  Kodo
  -In Japan:* The kōdō, Japanese incense ceremony.* Kodo , a taiko drumming group based in Japan.* The Kodo Group, a yakuza criminal organization...
  
  , (香道), the Way of incense/fragrance

Appreciation of incense

• Kyūdō
  Kyudo
  , literally meaning "way of the bow", is the Japanese art of archery. It is a modern Japanese martial art and practitioners are known as .It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyudo today....
  
  , (弓道), the Way of the bow

Zen archery

• Kyushindō
  Kyushindo
  Kyushindo is a philosophy developed by budo master Kenshiro Abbe in the mid-20th century and which became his central statement for his personal approach to Judo.-Meaning:Several interpretations of the Japanese term kyu shin do have been proposed...
  
  , the Way of longing for knowledge of the fundamental nature of anything

Japanese-inspired Western school of hand-to-hand fighting

• Nanbudō (南武道), the Way of the Nan warrior

Hand-to-hand fighting recently evolved from karate

• Shinto
  Shinto
  or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
  
   (神道), the Way of the gods

The native religion of Japan

• Shodō
  Shodo
  "Shōdō" is the fortieth single by B'z, released on January 25, 2006. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon charts. This song was the opening theme of Case Closed.- External links :*...
  
   (書道), the Way of writing

Traditional Japanese brush calligraphy

• Taidō
  Taido
  Taidō is a Japanese martial art created in 1965 by Seiken Shukumine . The word taidō means "way of the body." Taidō has its roots in traditional Okinawan Karate...
  
   (躰道), the Way of the body

Hand-to-hand fighting evolved from Okinawan karate

• Yoseikan Budō
  Yoseikan Budo
  Yoseikan Budo may be classified as a sogo budo form , but is used here to indicate a martial art into which various martial ways have been integrated...
  
   (養正館武道), the teaching truth place warrior Way

Comprehensive martial art with ancient roots

List of Korean Dōs

The word "道" is used in quite the same way in Korean language and culture, and is pronounced identically with its Japanese cognate as Dō.

• Taekwon-Do (태권도; 跆拳道), the Way of the foot and the fist

a Korean martial art with roots in Taekkyon and Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

• Kumdo
  Kumdo
  Kumdo is a modern martial art descended from kendo, which is practiced in Korea. It is also romanized as kǒmdo, gumdo, or geomdo. The name means "the way of the sword," and is a cognate with the Japanese term. Kumdo is a martial art that has become engrained within Korean culture and society since...
  
   (검도; 劍道), the Way of the Sword

Korean fencing with roots in Japanese Kendo

• Hapkido
  Hapkido
  Hapkido is a dynamic and also eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, techniques of other martial arts, as well as kicks, punches, and other striking attacks...
  
   (합기도; 合氣道), the Way of the harmonious spirit

a Korean martial art which shares history with Japanese Aikido

• Seodo
  Korean calligraphy
  Korean calligraphy is a variant of Chinese calligraphy, formerly applied to Chinese characters to transcribe Korean speech. It later also applied to the Korean alphabet . Hangul introduces the circle stroke...
  
  (서도; 書道), the Way of writing

An alternate name for Korean brush calligraphy, Seoye (서예; 書藝)