Martial Arts as Heritage of Mankind

Wojciech J. Cynarski — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Studi Purpose- Traditional martial arts, mostly originating from East Asia, are now practiced in many countries around the world, and therefore on a global scale.

Method. Research methodology in martial arts and according to the General Theory of Fighting Arts, in matters of cultural analysis it is most appropriate to adopt a qualitative methodology.

Result and Discussion. If a young, 30-year-old instructor boasts of having the rank of 10^th dan, it is extremely strange and against tradition. These highest, non-technical degrees are awarded for merits, i.e. teaching, work for popularization, publications, ethical attitude, etc. They can rarely be achieved before the age of 60. The cases of juvenile holders of the highest degrees result from the extreme commercialization of the martial arts market.

Conclusion. The novelty of research here is the idea of assessing the presence of various martial arts in the general cultural heritage of humanity according to the level of institutionalization and dissemination on a global scale. The matter probably requires further research.

International Martial Arts and Culture Journal

Martial Arts as Heritage of Mankind