Kenjutsu

Kenjutsu
(剣術)

Samurai fighting with swords on the roof of Hōryū Tower dating from the Edo Period
Focus	Weaponry
Country of origin	Japan
Olympic sport	No

Kenjutsu (剣術), meaning "the method, or technique, of the sword." This is opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, is the umbrella term for all traditional (koryū) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration and the modern styles of Kendo and Iaido that emerged from the traditional schools in the late 19th century.

The exact activities undertaken when practising kenjutsu vary with school, but commonly include practice of battlefield techniques without opponent and techniques where two persons paired kata (featuring full contact strikes in some styles). Historically schools incorporated sparring under a variety of conditions, from using solid wooden bokutō to use of bamboo sword (shinai) and armor (bogu). In modern times sparring in Japanese swordsmanship is more strongly associated with Kendo.

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 via Korean peninsula. While swords clearly played an important cultural and religious role in ancient Japan, it is in the Heian period when the globally recognised curved Japanese sword was developed, and when swords became an important weapon, as well as a symbolic item. No known Kenjutsu lineage survives from this period, the oldest schools still 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.

• Kage-ryū (Aizu) (Aisukage ryū)
• Chujo-ryū
• Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū

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 Motobu 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 period of the Ryukyu Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

Edo Period

During the Edo period schools proliferated to number more than five hundred, and training techniques & equipment advanced. In the nineteenth 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. Prior to this, training in Kenjutsu had consisted mainly of basic technique practice and paired kata, using solid wooden practice swords (bokutō), 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 samurai class was officially dissolved at this time, kenjutsu fell into decline, an unpopular reminder of the past. This decline continued for approximately twenty 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. 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, until in 1912 an official 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 kenjutsu and the kenjutsu was transmitted to the modern kendo.

20th and 21st century

Modern kenjutsu practitioners giving a demonstration at the Devonian Botanical Garden in Devon, Alberta, Canada (2005).

With the increasing interest in Japanese martial arts outside Japan during the twentieth century people outside Japan started taking an interest in kenjutsu. Many martial artists who study Japanese martial arts know the principles of kenjutsu. For modern kenjutsu type training most practice is done in suburi style with bokken.

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.

Techniques and styles

Nitōjutsu

An example of modern nitōjutsu practice.

A distinguishing feature of many kenjutsu syllabi is the use of a paired katana or daitō and wakizashi or 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 Miyamoto Musashi (1584 – 1645), the founder of Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū, who advocates it in The Book of Five Rings. 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 Muromachi period (ca. 1447), and Tatsumi-ryu founded Eishō period (1504–1521), contain extensive nitōjutsu curricula while also preceding the establishment of Musashi’s Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū.

Techniques

Hiroshi Ozawa

• Battōjutsu
• Tojutsu

Notable Kensei

• Iizasa Choisai Ienao
• Yagyu Munenori
• Miyamoto Musashi
• Takeda Shingen
• Sasaki Kojiro
• Ito Ittosai Kagehisa
• Yamaoka Tesshu
• Okita Souji

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

See also

• Japanese martial arts
• Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū
• Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū
• Kashima Shin-ryū
• Kashima Shinto-ryū
• Kendo
• Maniwa Nen-ryū
• Tatsumi-ryū
• Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū
• Yagyū Shinkage-ryū
• Muso Jikiden Eishin ryu
• Tennen Rishin Ryu

External links

• History - Video Documentary about KENJUTSU - Kaze no ryu Ogawa ha
• Koryu.com Guide to Kenjutsu
• Shinkageryu.us Guide to a school of Kenjutsu, Shinkageryu
• KoryuWeb, Kenjutsu schools listed among other koryu
• Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu, the Kenjutsu school created by Miyamoto Musashi
• A Critical Biography of the swordsman Yamaoka Tesshu (2012) by Anatoliy Anshin