Elderly martial arts master Elderly martial arts master The elderly martial arts master is a mentor/teacher stock character in fiction, especially "Wuxia", "Chanbara", and other martial arts films. Typically an East Asian male, he is a near-invincible master of the martial arts, despite being advanced in age and presumably having a decrease in physical strength. Often he possesses the rank of Sensei (or teacher) and is referred to as such by his student. The elderly master most often teaches either generic kung fu or an exotic style specific to the fictional period (see List of fictional martial arts). During the films, the master often
Modern history of East Asian martial arts today. In October 1928, the Central Guoshu Institute held a national examination, the so-called Leitai competition, which came to be regarded as one of the most significant historic gatherings of Chinese martial arts masters. Koryū is the Japanese term for all martial arts schools that predate the Meiji restoration (1860s). The systems of Japanese martial arts that post-date the Meiji Restoration are known as "gendai budō". The most well known of these arts include judo, karate, kendo, some schools iaidō, and aikido. These newer systems are commonly valued as sports or arts for self-improvement. The modern Korean martial arts developed