I'm assuming you must live in the Western Hemisphere. The reasons that such a large percentage of the west favors Japanese Martial Arts are several. One is because most of the Japanese arts are of a more linear and less complicated form which favors the west's more aggressive and direct mentality. Another reason is that many military soldiers brought the Japanese arts back with them from their stations in Okinawa and Japan. The Japanese have, since the Feudal era, been willing to share their arts with the outside world where the Chinese have been very secretive about theirs. Much of the Chinese styles is still misunderstood by the west but with the internet and a more open Chinese mentality, you will surely begin to see more exposure...however it may not be adopted quite so quickly by westerners still. Best wishes.
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Both Martial Arts systems share origins and thus are just different interpretations of the original system. Japanese systems were created later as the Chinese culture predates Japanese culture and are thus a little more specific to their applications. Both include the focus of energy within the systems, in Chinese known as 'Chi' and in Japanese known as 'Ki'. Actually, the systems show more commonality than difference.
Dojo is a Japanese word which means "the place of the way". It is the training hall where you study.
No, of course not. This is a "stereotype"-- when you generalize about all members of a group, even though people in that group might be very different. While some Asians study martial arts, it is not a requirement for every Asian, and many Asians never study them. Further, "Asian" can refer to people who are Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc. Certainly, some Asians have become excellent at Martial Arts, and the popularity of Asian movie stars like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan may give Americans the idea that all Asian men are masters of kung fu and karate. But in reality, Asian people are actually very diverse, and they have many different interests and many different cultural pursuits.
All martial arts are based on the same foundations as each other. E.g. discipline, health, humility, perseverance, indomitable spirit to name a few. Therefore no martial art is better than any other, they are all the same. It just depends what different people enjoy practicing more in the martial arts as to which one they decide to study.
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Yes, many martial arts include the use of weapons.Many people have a misconception as to what a martial art is. Most have the idea that martial art means only the weaponless arts that originated in Asia. This is too limited a definition.A martial art is the study of the art of fighting. It includes all skills that are of value in combat. Archery, sword fighting, shooting, running, equestrian, swimming and dozens of others are considered martial arts, as they can be, and many were and some still are, used in combat.