is a traditional school of

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

. It was created by Kawakami Gensai in the 1860s, following his study of swordsmanship under the instructor Todoroki Buhē. Shiranui-ryū was characterized by high speed. Kawakami Gensai was its only practitioner as he was executed in 1872.

Fictional Portrayal

In the manga and anime

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...

, the sword style of

Himura Kenshin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga ''Rurouni Kenshin'' created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin's story is set in a fictional version of Japan during the Meiji period. Kenshin is a former legendary assassin known as , more ...

(himself loosely based on Kawakami Gensai), the ''Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū'' (飛天御剣流, lit. "Flying Heaven's Honorable Sword Style") is loosely based on Shiranui-ryū; both styles are characterized by high-speed attacks.

References

Meiji Restoration Ko-ryū bujutsu Japanese martial arts {{martialart-stub