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Bokken
A ''bokken'' (, , 'wood', and ''ken'', '(double-edged) sword') or ''bokutō'' (, , 'wood', and ''tō'', '(single-edged) sword') is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' and '' tantō''. Some ornamental ''bokken'' are decorated with mother-of-pearl work and elaborate carvings. Sometimes, it is spelled "boken" in English. ''Bokken'' are traditionally composed of red oak or white oak, although any hardwood can be used. In comparison, practice swords made of flexible, soft wood such as bamboo are referred to as ''shinai''. History It is hard to determine precisely when the first ''bokken'' appeared due to secrecy in ancient martial arts training and loose record-keeping. While various mock weapons were surely used during the earlier periods of Japanese history, usage of ''bokken'' in their modern form first emerged during the Muromachi Period (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miyamoto Musashi
, was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (sword saint) of Japan. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū (or Nito Ichi-ryū) style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored and ''Dokkōdō'' (獨行道, ''The Path of Aloneness''). Both documents were given to Terao Magonojō, the most important of Miyamoto's students, seven days before Musashi's death. ''The Book of Five Rings'' focuses on the character of his Niten Ichi-ryū school in a concrete sense; his own practical martial art and its generic significance. ''The Path of Aloneness'', on the other hand, deals with the ideas that lie behind it, as well as his life's philosophy in a few short aphoristic sentences. It is believed that Miyamoto was a friend of Mizuno Katsushige, Mizuno Katsunari, a Tokugawa shogunate gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waster
In martial arts, a waster is a practice weapon, usually a sword, and usually made out of wood, though nylon (plastic) wasters are also available. Nylon is safer than wood, due to it having an adequate amount of flex for thrusts to be generally safe, unlike wooden wasters. Even a steel feder has more flex than most wooden wasters. The use of wood or nylon instead of metal provides an economic option for initial weapons training and sparring, at some loss of genuine experience. A weighted waster may be used for a sort of strength training, theoretically making the movements of using an actual sword comparatively easier and quicker, though modern sports science shows that an athlete would most optimally train with an implement which is closest to the same weight, balance, and shape of the tool they will be using . Wasters as wooden practice weapons have been found in a variety of cultures over a number of centuries, including ancient China China, officially the People's R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenjutsu
is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword". This is opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword ( shinai) and protective armour ( bōgu). The exact activities and conventions undertaken when practicing ''kenjutsu'' vary from school to school, where the word school here refers to the practice, methods, ethics, and metaphysics of a given tradition, yet commonly include practice of battlefield techniques without an opponent and techniques whereby two practitioners perform ''kata'' (featuring full contact strikes to the body in some styles and no body contact strikes permitted in others). Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinai
A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in '' kendō''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendō shinai'', and represented with different characters. The light, soft wood used in a ''shinai'' distinguishes it from other wooden swords such as a '' bokuto (木刀)'', usually called a bokken (木剣) outside Japan, which is generally made of heavier, sturdier wood. History The earliest use of a bamboo weapon to train with instead of a sword is credited to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (1508–1572?) of the Shinkage-ryū. The modern ''shinai'', with four slats of bamboo, is generally credited to Nakanishi Chuzo Tsugutate (died 1801) of Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū. The ''shinai'' was developed in an effort to reduce the number of practitioners being seriously injured during practice, making a practice weapon that was less dangerous than , the hard wooden swords they were previously using. This is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sasaki Kojirō
was a Japanese swordsman who may have lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is known primarily for the story of his duel with Miyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed. Although suffering from defeat as well as death at the hands of Musashi, he is a revered and respected warrior in Japanese history and culture. Later Miyamoto proclaimed that Sasaki Kojirō was the strongest opponent he faced in his life. In popular culture Like most of the well-known samurai of his era, Sasaki was depicted in several places: *He plays a central role in the novel, Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa. His life is described in a parallel storyline. *In various film adaptations of his story or that of Miyamoto Musashi. For example, in ''Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijōji no kettō'' (''Samurai 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple''; 1955; Director / Screenplay: Hiroshi Inagaki). *In the manga '' Vagabond'', he plays a central role alongside Musashi and is shown here as deaf. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byakkotai
The was a group of around 305 young teenage samurai of the Aizu Domain, who fought in the Boshin War (1868–1869) on the side of the Tokugawa shogunate. History The Byakkotai was part of Aizu's four-unit military, formed in April 1868 in the domain's drive to finalize its military modernization, in the wake of the Battle of Toba–Fushimi. The other three units were the Genbutai ( Black Tortoise Unit), the Seiryūtai (Azure Dragon Unit), and the Suzakutai (Vermilion Bird Unit). Each of the four was named after the protecting gods of compass directions. Byakkotai was meant to be a reserve unit, as it was composed of the young, 16- to 17-year-old sons of Aizu samurai. It was subdivided further, along the lines of rank within the domain's samurai population: two squads were from the upper (''shichū'') rank, two from the middle rank (''yoriai''), and two from the lowest (''ashigaru''). Twenty of the members of the 2nd ''shichū'' squad, cut off from the rest of their unit in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miyakonojō
is a city in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 158,235 in 72394 households, and a population density of 240 persons per km2. The total area of the city is , making it the largest city in the prefecture in terms of area. Geography Miyakonojō is located at the southwestern tip of Miyazaki Prefecture in the Miyakonojō basin, approximately 50 km west-southwest of Miyazaki City and approximately 90 km east-northeast of Kagoshima City. The northern, western, and southern parts of the city border Kagoshima Prefecture.The Ōyodo River flows roughly from north to south through the center of the city, and the city is surrounded by the Kirishima Mountains to the west and the Wanizuka Mountains to the east. Neighboring municipalities Kagoshima Prefecture * Kirishima * Shibushi * Soo Miyazaki Prefecture *Kobayashi * Kushima * Mimata * Miyazaki * Nichinan * Takaharu Climate Miyakonojō has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classifica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aizuwakamatsu
is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . History The area of present-day Aizuwakamatsu was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and was settled from prehistoric times. The Aizu-Otsuka Kofun within the city borders dates from the 4th century AD, and is an Important Cultural Property. According to legend, in 88 BCE, Emperor Sujin sent two generals; Ohiko and Takenukawa-wake to the Tōhoku region for the purpose of establishing peace after the quashing of a rebellion in the region. Before the late 12th century, Aizuwakamatsu was mainly a market town and a base for regional warlords. Starting in 1192, Aizuwakamatsu became part of the regions that were controlled by the Kamakura shogunate. Soon after taking power, Yoritomo granted a samurai named Suwara Yoshitsura (from the Miura clan) all of Aizu. A descendant of Suwara, Ashin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship exercises, and today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread to many other nations across the world. History Swordsmen in Japan established schools of ''kenjutsu'' (the ancestor of kendo). These continued for centuries and form the basis of kendo practice today.. Formal kendo exercises known as ''kata'' were developed several centuries ago as ''kenjutsu'' practice for warriors. They are still studied today, in a modified form. The introduction of bamboo practice swords and armor to sword training is attributed to during the Shotoku Era (1711–1715). Naganuma developed the use of this armor and established a training method using bamboo swords. , third son of Naganuma and the eighth headmaster of the Kashima Shinden Jik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Aizu
The Battle of Aizu () was fought in northern Japan from October to November in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War. History Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time a standing army of over 5000. It was often deployed to security operations on the northern fringes of the country, as far north as southern Sakhalin. Also, in the period immediately before, during, and after Commodore Perry's arrival, Aizu had a presence in security operations around Edo Bay. During the tenure of the 9th generation lord Matsudaira Katamori, the domain deployed massive amounts of their troops to Kyoto, where Katamori served as Kyoto Shugoshoku. Earning the hatred of the Chōshū domain, and alienating his ally, the Satsuma domain, Katamori retreated with the shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1868. Though the Satchōdo controlled Imperial Court, following Yoshinobu's resignation, called for the punishment of Katamori and Aizu as "enemies of the Court," (朝敵) h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shōwa (1926–1989)
Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Shōwa may also refer to: Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian period) (承和), alternatively read as Shōwa, from 834 to 848 * Shōwa (Kamakura period) (正和), from 1312 to 1317 Japanese places * Shōwa, Akita, a former town in Akita Prefecture * Shōwa, Yamanashi, a town in Yamanashi Prefecture * Shōwa, a former town in Tokyo, now part of Akishima, Tokyo * Shōwa-ku, a ward of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture * Shōwa, Fukushima, a village in Fukushima Prefecture * Shōwa, Gunma, a village in Gunma Prefecture * Shōwa, Saitama, a dissolved town in Saitama Prefecture * Showa Station (Antarctica), a Japanese research station located in Antarctica * Shōwa Station (Kanagawa), a Japanese railway station ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
