Our Philosophy

The Inukshuk Bushido Kai strives to provide an open, enjoyable, and above all – safe environment for participants to meet new people, improve their level of fitness, have fun, and gain confidence through an education in valuable self-defense skills. Safety is paramount in our club because even though Jujitsu techniques can be dangerous (that is what makes them effective, after all) we all need to return to our places of work or school in one piece the following day.

Competition is not a central component of our club’s training, though some “randori” (controlled sparring / wrestling) is practiced at higher belt levels. Apart from this, all other training is practiced co-operatively with a partner in order to minimize the risk of injury. Children’s classes also incorporate movement games to help develop their skills in a more entertaining way.

As the name of our club states, the virtues of Bushido as practiced by the ancient Samurai are personal qualities that we strive to uphold in the hope that they will carry over into our student’s lives while they are away from the dojo. After all, a primary objective of the study of any martial art is to contribute to a better world through the betterment of oneself and the polishing of one’s spirit. Sincere practice of these ideals will result in improved confidence, discipline, self-esteem, humility, patience, tolerance and respect.

Our Logo and Club Name

Our logo incorporates both the image of an Inukshuk and the image of a traditional Japanese gate (Shinto Torii). The purpose of this image is manifold; the Inukshuk is a symbol of our home in northern Canada and the Shinto Torii represents Japan, the birthplace of Jujitsu.

"Inukshuk" is the name given to the stone statues that the Inuit people build in the Arctic. They act as navigational aids on a barren and featureless landscape. This function of a "guide" relates well to the role of a martial art instructor … they guide their students along a safe path, yet it is still the student (or traveller) that must make the journey. Inuksuit (plural) also symbolize many other things; they assure a traveller that the path they are following is safe, and that someone has gone this way before. They symbolize trust and reassurance, in that the path ultimately leads to a settlement with food and shelter where the traveller will be welcomed. They also symbolize community (it takes the cooperation and strength of several/many people to construct an Inukshuk) and balance (each piece of rock in an Inukshuk supports, and is supported by, every other rock in the structure - further emphasizing the importance of each person and their place in their family and community). In the end, an Inukshuk can be seen to represent strength and leadership. These are all qualities that reflect the self-development that can be achieved along the path of studying a martial art.

A " torii" is a gate with two overhead cross bars or lintels. Torii are found in front of almost every shrine in Japan. Their function is to mark the boundary between the sacred world of the shrine and the profane world outside. This symbol is also appropriate in that the name for many a martial art training hall is “dojo” which is the historic term for a place devoted to religious exercise and translates into “place of enlightenment”.

"Bushido" was the code of ethics practiced by the "Bushi" (the officer class of Samurai). It is composed of seven main virtues:

    Yuki:         courage, valour, bravery

    Jin:            benevolence, compassion, charity

    Gi:             justice, integrity, righteousness

    Rei:           etiquette, courtesy, civility (obedience)

    Makoto:   sincerity, honesty, reality

    Chugi:      loyalty, fidelity, devotion

    Meiyo:     honour, dignity, prestige

These virtues are essential to the study of any martial art in order to harness the destructive power and channel it toward a good and productive end. Without such a code of conduct, a martial art is simply a loose collection of destructive forces. “Bushido” forms part of our club’s name because it symbolizes the ideals that all of our members are expected to embody. Our club is not simply a place to learn how to fight, but rather a place where we strive to better our community and ourselves by learning how to stop a fight.

"Kai" is simply the Japanese term for "club" or "organization". So in summary, "Inukshuk Bushido Kai" is a club that represents a Canadian perspective of a Japanese martial art.