Dõjõ

Dojo, is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the Way". Initially, Dojo were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of a martial arts style to conduct training, examinations and other related encounters.

The concept of a dojo as a martial arts training place is a Western concept; in Japan, any physical training facility, including professional wrestling schools may be called dojos as well depending on the context.

A proper Japanese martial arts dojo is considered special and is well cared for by its users. In many styles it is traditional to conduct a ritual cleaning of the dojo at the end of each training session (called souji, which translates from Japanese as "cleaning"). Besides the obvious hygienic benefits of regular cleaning it also serves to reinforce the fact that dojo are supposed to be supported and managed by the student body, not the school's instructional staff. This attitude has become lost in many modern, commercial dojo that are founded and run by a small group of people or instructors. In fact, it is not uncommon that in traditional schools (koryu), dojo are rarely used for training at all, instead being reserved for more symbolic or formal occasions. The actual training is conducted typically outdoors or in a less formal area.