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
Japanese martial arts with self-defense as a secondary purpose. Additionally, many of the "gendai budō" have included a sporting element to them. Judo and kendo are both examples of this. , literally meaning "gentle way" or "way of softness", is a grappling-based martial art, practiced primarily as a sport. It contains substantially the same emphasis on the personal, spiritual, and physical self-improvement of its practitioners as can be found throughout "gendai budō". Judo was created by Kano Jigoro (嘉納 治五郎 "Kanō Jigorō", 1860–1938) at the end of the 19th century. Kano took the "koryū" martial arts he learned (specifically Kitō-ryū and Tenjin Shin'yo-ryū