Mr Somers,
I have read your article and question the following statement, which I quote:
"Budo, or martial ways, is just like it says, a way of life. But, lets look further into the characters/kanji of Budo. Bu is made up of two characters, one being for the character of stop, the other of the character spear. Do, also sometimes pronounced michi, is often translated as way. So, the characters put together mean way of stopping the spear; so this indicates it is a way of stopping violence."
This is a common peaceful interpretation of BU and I have heard at least one aikido shihan give this explanation during a seminar, in support of his general opinion that aikido is dedicated to world peace. However, do you have any specific evidence for this interpretation?
There is another body of opinion, according to which BU is made up of two characters: one for 'halberd', one for 'foot' or 'stride', and the character means 'forward progress with a weapon': a meaning according to which BU would mean 'start' violence as much as 'stop' it, or stop it in a violent fashion.
In Japanese kanji dictionaries, for example, Morohashi's Dai Kanwa Jiten, the interpretation you have given is there, but the interpretation I have given is also there and older than yours. So we might say that the interpretation of the character by Chinses scholars follows the actual politics of empire-building.
Best wishes,
Peter Goldsbury,
Forum Administrator,
Hiroshima, Japan