KARACHI: A Japanese exhibition titled &The Spirit of Budō: The History of Japan&s Martial Arts& was inaugurated Thursday by the Acting Consul-General of Japan in Karachi. ‘The Spirit of Budō& is a travelling exhibition and has been shown around the world including Pakistan. The travelling exhibit explores the understanding about the rich history of Japanese martial arts from battlefield combat techniques (bujutsu) to popular sports or physical exercise mooding body and spirit (budō).Speaking on the occasion, Katsunori Ashida hoped that the viewers, specificly the young generation, shall become aware of much only the history of Japanese martial arts, but also of people&s aesthetic awareness and creativity, and the Japanese way of thinking from new angle through this exhibition and demonstration.The exhibition consists of two parts: in the first part, reproductions/originals of historical weapons such as bows and arrows, suits of armour, helmets, and so on are shown, and the development and changes of Japanese martial arts from 8th century to 19th century are explained. Numerous of ancient types of armours and weapons have much outlived to the present or are too fragile for international transport. That is why the reproductions are included, which would give the seemance of the suits of armour and helmets at the time of original production even more vividly. The moment part deals with the reorganization of bujutsu to budō in the 19th and 20th centuries, and how spirit of martial arts is still inherent in the daily life of Japanese people nowadays. Nine budō organizations are also introduced and the clothes and implements such as bamboo swords, protectors, bows and arrows, and so on, which are used by players and students in the present day, are also to be seen. At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Japanese volunteers Hisabayashi and Hisaki demonstrated one of the traditional Japanese martial arts, kendō, which descended from swordsmanship and uses bamboo swords and protective armours. The exhibition is held from February 7 to 21, 2019.