Nippon Budokan Books

The Nippon Budokan is a building and an organization. It was established with a grand vision to promote traditional budo disciplines and utilise martial arts to improve the physical and spiritual education of children, aid the nation's development, and ultimately foster world peace through mutual respect and understanding. These inspiring ideals served as the foundation, and with the overwhelming support of the Japanese public, the Nippon Budokan was launched in 1964, receiving assistance from Diet members, the Japanese government, and various financial sectors.

The opening ceremony of the Nippon Budokan was held in October of the same year, and soon after that judo debuted as an Olympic event there during the Tokyo Olympics. The Emperor and Empress of Japan graced the event with their presence, adding prestige and honour to the inauguration of this traditional Japanese martial arts venue.

Today, the Nippon Budokan remains committed to promoting budo and Japanese culture, which are now more popular than ever, both in Japan and abroad. The Nippon Budokan is dedicated to ensuring that budo is correctly passed on to future generations, preserving this invaluable part of Japan’s cultural heritage.

As part of its commitment to promote budo and Japanese culture, the Nippon Budokan has a publishing division. They have produced numerous periodicals and books on the technical, philosophical, and cultural aspects of budo. The titles that have been translated into English are introduced on this page. If you want to learn more about budo, go straight to the source with these fantastic titles written by Japan's premier budo scholars.