Kenjutsu

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Kenjutsu
(剣術)
Satomi Hakkenden, performed at the Ichimura theatre in 1852.

FocusWeaponry
Country of originJapan
Olympic sportNo

Kenjutsu (剣術) 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.[1] Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan,[2] 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).[3]

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

Ono Ha Ittō-ryū
. Although kata training has always been the mainstay, in later periods, schools incorporated
martial art
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

Korean peninsula.[4]: 1  While swords clearly played an important cultural and religious role in ancient Japan,[4]: 5, 14  in the Heian period the globally recognised curved Japanese sword (the katana) was developed and swords became important weapons and symbolic items.[4]: 15  The oldest schools in existence today arose in the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), known for long periods of inter-state warfare. Three major schools emerged during this period.[3]
: XII 

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. This is the only surviving sword system from Okinawa. It was the martial art of the noble Motobu family during the Ryukyu Kingdom.[5]

Edo period

During the

bokutō) or live blades.[3]
: XIII 

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 samurai class was officially dissolved at this time, kenjutsu fell into decline, an unpopular reminder of the past.[3]: XIII, XIV  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 gathered together kata from a variety of kenjutsu schools into a standardised set for training purposes.[7]: 11  This process of standardization of martial training continued when, in 1895, a body for martial arts in Japan, the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, was established. Work on standardizing kenjutsu kata continued for years, with several groups involved[7]: 11, 12  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.[7]: 11, 14  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.[8]

20th and 21st century

With the increasing interest in Japanese martial arts outside Japan during the 20th century, people in other countries started taking an interest in kenjutsu.[original research?]

Weapons

One of the more common training weapons is the wooden sword (bokuto or bokken). For various reasons, many schools make use of very specifically designed bokuto, altering its shape, weight and length according to the style's specifications. For example, bokuto used within Yagyū Shinkage-ryū 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 bokuto 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 shinai (a bamboo sword covered with leather or cloth) under circumstances where the student lacks the ability to safely control a bokuto at full speed or as a general safety precaution. In fact, the fukuro shinai dates as far back as the 15th century.

Nitōjutsu

shōtō
, commonly referred to as nitōjutsu (二刀術, two sword methods). Styles that teach it are called nitōryū (二刀流, two sword school); contrast ittō-ryū (一刀流, one sword school).

The most famous exponent of nitōjutsu was

Tatsumi-ryu founded Eishō period (1504–1521), contain extensive two-sword curricula while also preceding the establishment of Musashi's school.[9]

Notable historical Japanese practitioners

Popular culture

See also

Sources

  • Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan – 3-volume set by Diane Skoss (Koryu Books):
    • Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions Of Japan
      ISBN 1-890536-04-0
    • Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions Of Japan, Volume 2
      ISBN 1-890536-05-9
    • Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 3
      ISBN 1-890536-06-7

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-8048-3245-8
    .
  2. ISBN 978-1-59884-243-2
    P.599
  3. ^ a b c d e f Ozawa, Hiroshi (1997). Kendo The definitive guide. United Kingdom: Kodansha Europe.
    ISBN 4-7700-2119-4
    .
  4. ^ a b c Ozawa, Hiroshi (2008) [2005]. Swords in Ancient Japan. Ideas and History of the Sword (in English and Japanese). Vol. 2. Japan: Kendo Academy Press. p. 1.
  5. ^ "About Motobu Udundi". 本部流 – Motobu-ryu - (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  6. ISBN 978-1-4053-5136-2
    .
  7. ^ a b c Budden, Paul (2000) [2000]. Looking at a Far Mountain. United States of America: Tuttle Publishing.
    ISBN 0-8048-3245-5
    .
  8. ^ "The History of Kendo". All Japan Kendo Federation. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  9. ISBN 4-7700-2941-1
    (pp.22-23)

External links
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