is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to an ...

, in particular those that predate the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. Some modern styles of

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 ex ...

and

iaido , abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.Christensen, Karen and Allen Guttmann et.al (2001) ''International Encyclopedia of Women and Sport ...

that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

class of feudal Japan, means "methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword". This is opposed to

, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword (

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. ...

) and protective armour (

bōgu , properly called , is training armour used primarily in the Japanese martial arts, Japanese martial art of kendo,Uchida, M. (2005)Kendo Bogu (Protective Equipment)(October 2005). Retrieved on 12 May 2010.

). 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 ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...

'' (featuring full contact strikes to the body in some styles and no body contact strikes permitted in others). Contact striking during kata is used for example in Ono Ha Ittō-ryū. Although kata training has always been the mainstay, in later periods, schools incorporated

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. It can encompass a range of activities and techniques such as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, wrestling or submission work dependent on style. Although the precise form varies, ...

under a variety of conditions, from using solid wooden ''

bokutō 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 so ...

'' to the use of a bamboo sword (''

'') and armor (''

''). In modern times sparring in Japanese

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

is more strongly associated with kendo and is mainly practiced by students or the police force. Although kendo is common in Japan, it is also practiced in other countries around the world.

History

Early development

It is thought likely that the first iron swords were manufactured in Japan in the fourth century, based on technology imported from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

via the

Korean peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

. While swords clearly played an important cultural and religious role in ancient Japan, in the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

the globally recognised curved Japanese sword (the

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

) was developed and swords became important weapons and symbolic items. The oldest schools in existence today arose in the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

(1336 to 1573), known for long periods of inter-state warfare. Three major schools emerged during this period. *

Kage-ryū (Aizu) is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu'') founded by Aizu Hyūga-no-Kami Iko (c. 1452–1538) in c. 1490. This school is also sometimes called Aizu Kage-ryū after the name of its founder. The founder was also ...

(Aisukage ryū) * Chūjō-ryū *

Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū Written as 天眞正傳香取神道流 before adoption (1946) of Tōyō kanji. is one of the oldest extant Japanese martial arts and an exemplar of ''bujutsu''. It was founded by Iizasa Ienao, who lived near Katori Shrine (Sawara, Chiba, Sawara ...

These schools form the ancestors for many descendent styles, for example, from Ittō ryū has branched Ono-ha Ittō ryū and Mizoguchi-ha Ittō-ryū (among many others). On the island of Okinawa, the art of Udundi includes a unique method of both Kenjutsu and

Iaijutsu is a combative quick-draw sword technique. This art of drawing the Japanese sword, katana, is one of the Japanese ''ko-ryū'' martial art disciplines in the education of the classical warrior (samurai, bushi).Gordon Warner, Warner, Gordon and D ...

. This is the only surviving sword system from Okinawa. It was the martial art of the noble Motobu family during the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Edo period

During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

schools proliferated to number more than 500, and training techniques and equipment advanced. The 19th century led to the development of the bamboo practice sword, the ''shinai'', and protective armor, ''bogu''. This allowed practice of full speed techniques in sparring, while reducing risk of serious harm to the practitioner. Before this, training in Kenjutsu had consisted mainly of basic technique practice and paired ''

'', using solid wooden practice swords (''

'') or live blades.

Decline

Beginning in 1868, the Meiji Restoration led to the breakup of the military class and the modernization of Japan along the lines of western industrial nations. As the ''

'' class was officially dissolved at this time, ''kenjutsu'' fell into decline, an unpopular reminder of the past. This decline continued for approximately 20 years, until rising national confidence led to an increase of the uptake of traditional sword arts again, particularly in the military and the police. In 1886 the

Japanese Police The is the central coordinating law enforcement agency of the Japanese police system. Unlike national police in other countries, the NPA does not have any operational units of its own aside from the Imperial Guard; rather, it is responsible f ...

gathered together ''kata'' from a variety of ''kenjutsu'' schools into a standardised set for training purposes. This process of standardization of martial training continued when, in 1895, a body for martial arts in Japan, the

Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (DNBK, , ) was the largest martial arts organization in Japan with strong ties to WWII-era Japanese government, originally established in 1895 in Kyoto and had the biggest influence on Budo in modern Japan. The first president was Imperial Prin ...

, was established. Work on standardizing ''kenjutsu'' ''kata'' continued for years, with several groups involved until in 1912 an edict was released by the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai. This edict highlighted a lack of unity in teaching and introduced a standard core teaching curriculum to which the individual ''kenjutsu'' schools would add their distinctive techniques. This core curriculum, and its ten ''kata'' evolved into the modern martial art of ''kendo''. This point could be regarded as the end of the development of Kendo. Kata was provided for the unification of many schools to enable them to pass on the techniques and spirit of the Japanese sword.

Weapons

One of the more common training weapons is the wooden sword (''bokutō'' or ''bokken''). For various reasons, many schools make use of very specifically designed ''bokutō'', altering its shape, weight and length according to the style's specifications. For example, ''bokutō'' used within

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who ...

are relatively thin and without a handguard in order to match the school's characteristic approach to combat. Alternatively, Kashima Shin-ryū practitioners use a thicker than average ''bokutō'' with no curvature and with a rather large hilt. This of course lends itself well to Kashima Shin-ryū's distinct principles of combat. Some schools practice with ''fukuro'' ''

'' (a bamboo sword covered with leather or cloth) under circumstances where the student lacks the ability to safely control a ''bokutō'' at full speed or as a general safety precaution. In fact, the ''fukuro shinai'' dates as far back as the 15th century.

''Nitōjutsu''

A distinguishing feature of many kenjutsu syllabi is the use of a paired katana or '' daitō'' and wakizashi or '' shōtō,'' commonly referred to as . Styles that teach it are called ; contrast . The most famous exponent of ''nitōjutsu'' was

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'' (swo ...

(1584 – 1645), the founder of Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū, who advocates it in ''

The Book of Five Rings is a text on ''kenjutsu'' and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi between 1643-5. The book title from ''the'' ''godai'' (五大) of Buddhist esotericism ( 密教), thus has five volumes: "Earth, Wate ...

''. ''Nitōjutsu'' is not however unique to Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū, nor was ''nitōjutsu'' the creation of Musashi. Both Tenshin Shōden Katori Shinto-ryū were founded in the early

(ca. 1447), and Tatsumi-ryu founded Eishō period (1504–1521), contain extensive two-sword curricula while also preceding the establishment of Musashi's school.Serge Mol, 2003, ''Classical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Arts'' Kodansha International Ltd
(pp.22-23)

Notable historical Japanese practitioners

Sasaki Rui was a Japanese swordwoman, Onna-musha and kenjutsu expert of the early Edo period (mid-17th century). She was known as the "Strangely Dressed Female Sword Master."''佐々木累''、朝日日本歴史人物事典、コトバンク、2012年8月 ...

佐々木累 *

Nakazawa Koto Nakazawa Koto (中沢琴, 1839–October 12, 1927) was a Japanese swordswoman and Onna-musha of the Bakumatsu period. She joined the Rōshigumi and later Shinchogumi forces, and worked as a pro-Tokugawa agent in the Boshin War. Life Naka ...

中沢琴 *

Tatsumi Sankyo Tatsumi is a Japanese name. It may refer to: People Surname * Daiyū Tatsumi (born 1940), Japanese former sumo wrestler * Juri Tatsumi (born 1979), Japanese synchronised swimmer * Kazuhiro Tatsumi (born 1946), Japanese archaeologist * Naofumi Tats ...

立身三京 * Nen-ami Jion 念阿弥慈恩 * Iizasa Choisai Ienao 飯篠長威斎家直 * Aidu Ikousai Hisatada 愛洲移香斎久忠 *

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, (上泉信綱), born Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, (c.1508 – 1572/1577) was a samurai in Japan's Sengoku period famous for creating the Shinkage-ryū school of combat. He is also well known as Kamiizumi Ise ...

上泉信綱 * Moro-oka Ippa 諸岡一波 *

Tsukahara Bokuden was a swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was described as a '' kensei'' (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of kenjutsu, and served as an instructor of Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor '' ...

塚原卜伝 *

Ashikaga Yoshiteru , also known as Yoshifushi or Yoshifuji, was the 13th ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was the eldest son of the 12th ''shōgun'', Ashikaga Yoshiharu, and his moth ...

足利義輝 *

Togo Chui Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

東郷重位 * Hikita Bungoro Kagetomo 疋田豊五郎景兼 * Marume Kurando-no-Suke Nagayoshi 丸目蔵人佐長恵 * Yagyū Sekishusai Muneyoshi 柳生石舟斎宗厳 * Yagyū Tajima-no-kami Munenori 柳生但馬守宗矩 *

Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi was one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era. Life Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi (born "Shichirō ...

柳生十兵衛三義 * Harigaya Sekiun 針ヶ谷夕雲 * Itori Koun Tamenobu 井鳥巨雲為信 * Chujo Nagahide 中条長秀 *

Toda Gorouzaemon Nyudo Seigen Toda may refer to: *Toda people *Toda language *Toda Embroidery *Toda lattice *Toda field theory *Oscillator Toda *Toda (surname), a Japanese surname * "Toda" (song), a song by Alex Rose and Rauw Alejandro *Queen Toda of Navarre (fl. 885–970) * ...

富田五郎左衛門入道勢源 * Ito Ittosai Kagehisa 伊藤一刀斎景久 *Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki ( Mikogami Tenzen) 小野次郎衛門忠明 * Ono Jiroemon Tadatsune 小野次郎衛門忠常 * Mikogami Tenzen 御子神典膳 *

宮本武蔵玄信 * Aoki Johemon Kaneie (Tetsujin) 青木城衛門金家 (鉄人) * Sasaki Ganryu佐々木岩流 (In Kodan (old Japanese storytelling), well known as Sasaki Kojiro) *

Chiba Shusaku Narimasa Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on t ...

千葉周作成政 * Momoi Shunzo Naoyoshi 桃井春蔵直由 * Togasaki Teruyoshi 戸ケ崎暉芳 * Iba Hachiro Hidesato 伊庭八郎秀穎 *

Negishi Shingoro is a Japanese surname and place name. It may refer to: * Ei-ichi Negishi, a Japanese chemist who was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry ** Negishi coupling, a chemical reaction discovered by Ei-ichi Negishi in 1977 * Kichitaro Negishi, a Jap ...

根岸信五郎 (Last Edo period headmaster of Shinto Munen-ryu) *

Kubota Suketaro Sugane is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, pipe, valves, cast ...

窪田助太郎清音 * Ohishi Susumu Tanetsugu 大石進種次 * Otani Seiichiro Nobutomo 男谷精一郎信友 * Yamaoka Tesshu 山岡鉄舟 *

Okita Souji Okita is a Japanese surname. Ōkita, sometimes spelled Ookita, is a different Japanese surname pronounced with a long vowel at the beginning. Notable people with these surnames include: * , Japanese samurai in the Shinchōgumi police force of Edo (m ...

沖田総司 * Shingai Tadaatsu真貝忠篤 *

Sakakibara Kenkichi was a Japanese samurai and martial artist. He was the fourteenth headmaster of the Jikishinkage school of sword fighting. Through his Jikishinkage contacts he rose to a position of some political influence; he taught swordsmanship at a govern ...

榊原鍵吉 *

Nakayama Hakudo Nakayama (中山) may refer to: People *Nakayama (surname) Places *Nakayama, Ehime, a town in Ehime Prefecture *Nakayama, Tottori, a town in Tottori Prefecture *Nakayama, Yamagata, a town in Yamagata Prefecture *Nakayama-dera, a temple in Hyōgo ...

中山博道 * Kohno Sasaburou 高野佐三郎 *

Sasamori Junzo Shigeko Sasamori (; Niimoto; June 16, 1932 – December 15, 2024) was a Japanese peace and anti-nuclear activist. She was a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and an advocate for peace and nuclear disarmament. After receiving reconst ...

笹森順造 * Hayashizaki Jinsuke 林崎甚助

Sources

* Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan – 3-volume set by Diane Skoss (Koryu Books): ** Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions Of Japan ** Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions Of Japan, Volume 2 ** Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 3

References

External links

{{martial arts Japanese martial arts * Kendo Ko-ryū bujutsu Ninjutsu skills