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 a ...

, 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 practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. 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). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

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 Sports ...

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

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

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 ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...

) and protective armour (

bōgu , properly called , is training armour used primarily in the 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 made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

'' (featuring full contact strikes to the body in some styles and no body contact strikes permitted in others). 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. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...

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

bokutō A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) 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'' ...

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

'') and armor (''

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

''). 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-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

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. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

via the

Korean peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. 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 Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

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 is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

(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 Aisu Iko, 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 ...

(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''. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū was founded by Iizasa Ienao, born in 13 ...

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 '' koryū'' martial art disciplines in the education of the classical warrior ( bushi). Warner, Gordon and Draeger, Donn F. 2007 ...

. 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 or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

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 a law enforcement agency under the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office. It is the central agency of the Japanese police system, and the central coordinating agency of law enforcement in situations of national emer ...

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 ''Dai Nippon Butoku Kai'' (DNBK, ja, 大日本武徳会, en, "Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society") was a martial arts organization with strong ties to WWII-era Japanese government, originally established in 1895 in Kyoto. Following the end of ...

, 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.

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.

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 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 ''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'' ''

'' (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''

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 , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

(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 around 1645. Many translations have been made, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than other martial artists and people ac ...

''. ''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 Kenjutsu, swordswoman and Onna-musha of the Bakumatsu period. She joined the Rōshigumi and later Shinchogumi forces, and worked as a Tokugawa shogunate, pro-Tokugawa agent in t ...

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 *Naofumi Tatsumi (1845–1907), Japanese general of the Imperial Army ...

立身三京 * Nen-ami Jion 念阿弥慈恩 *

Iizasa Choisai Ienao was the founder of Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū which is a traditional ('' koryū'') Japanese martial art. His Buddhist posthumous name is ''Taiganin-den-Taira-no-Ason-Iga-no-Kami-Raiodo-Hon-Daikoji''.''Deity and the Sword, Vol 1 p. 16-17 ...

飯篠長威斎家直 *

Aidu Ikousai Hisatada Aidu may refer to: *Aidu, Ida-Viru County, village in Maidla Parish, Ida-Viru County *Aidu, Jõgeva County, village in Pajusi Parish, Jõgeva County *Aidu, Viljandi County Aidu is a village in Viljandi Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia Est ...

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 famous 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 mot ...

足利義輝 *

Togo Chui Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in Western Africa, 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 ...

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 Chujo may refer to: * Chujō-ryū (中条流), a koryū martial art founded in the 14th century by Chujō Nagahide * Chūjō-hime (also written Chūjō Hime or Hase-Hime) (c. 753?–781?) was by most accounts a daughter of the court noble Fujiwa ...

中条長秀 *

Toda Gorouzaemon Nyudo Seigen Toda may refer to: *Toda (surname), a Japanese surname *Queen Toda of Navarre (fl. 885–970) *Toda people *Toda language *Toda Embroidery *Toda lattice *Toda field theory *Oscillator Toda *Toda, Saitama, Japan * TODA Racing, who tune and race veh ...

富田五郎左衛門入道勢源 *

Ito Ittosai Kagehisa Ito may refer to: Places * Ito Island, an island of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea * Ito Airport, an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Ito District, Wakayama, a district located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Itō, Shizuo ...

伊藤一刀斎景久 *Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki (

Mikogami Tenzen or Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period, who was renowned as a swordsman. He founded the Ono-ha Ittō-ryū style of swordsmanship after his teacher made him head master of the Ittō-ryū. He was one of two official ...

) 小野次郎衛門忠明 *

Ono Jiroemon Tadatsune ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

小野次郎衛門忠常 *

御子神典膳 *

宮本武蔵玄信 *

Aoki Johemon Kaneie (Tetsujin) may refer to: People *Aoki (surname), a list of people with the surname Places *Aoki, Nagano, a village in the Nagano Prefecture Company * Aoki Corporation, a defunct construction company * Aoki (store), a men's clothing store based in Japan Fi ...

青木城衛門金家 (鉄人) *

Sasaki Ganryu Sasaki () is the 13th most common Japanese surname. Less common variants are 佐咲, 佐佐木 and 笹木. Notable people with the surname include: Overview *, Japanese figure skater *, Japanese alpine skier *, Japanese idol and singer *, Japane ...

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 Momoi (written: 桃井 lit. "peach well") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (born 1977), Japanese voice actress and singer-songwriter * (born 1951), Japanese actress * (1978–2002), Japanese AV idol {{surname Japa ...

桃井春蔵直由 * Togasaki Teruyoshi 戸ケ崎暉芳 *

Iba Hachiro Hidesato IBA or Iba may refer to: Iba People *Clarence Iba (1909-1997), American basketball coach *Erol Iba (born 1979), Indonesian footballer *Henry Iba (1904-1993), American basketball coach *Moe Iba (born 1939), American basketball coach *Itsuki Iba, a ...

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 Ja ...

根岸信五郎 (Last Edo period headmaster of

Shinto Munen-ryu Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

) *

Kubota Suketaro Sugane Kubota machine 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, p ...

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 Yamaoka is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (born 1968), Japanese video game composer (''Silent Hill'' series) * Kristi Yamaoka (born 1987), American cheerleader discussed in Cheerleading#Dangers of cheerleading * ( ...

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 ( ...

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 gover ...

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 笹森順造 * Hayashizaki Jinsuke 林崎甚助

Popular culture

* ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

'' features kenjutsu being used by

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate ...

Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...

April O'Neil April O'Neil is a fictional character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. Her main love interest in the series is Casey Jones. April made her first appearance in the Mirage comic ...

, Karai,

the Shredder ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, etc. It was also used by

Miyamoto Usagi is a fictional character, who appears in the American comic book ''Usagi Yojimbo'', a Dark Horse Comics book created by Stan Sakai. Usagi is an anthropomorphic rabbit (''Usagi'' is Japanese for "rabbit") and a ronin now walking the ''musha shu ...

who was an ally for the Turtles and their group as well as the main character of his own series. * The

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

of ''

Samurai Jack ''Samurai Jack'' is an American animated action-adventure television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. Tartakovsky conceived ''Samurai Jack'' after finishing his wor ...

'' included kenjutsu in his fighting style. * Kenjutsu was an inspiration for sword fighting in ''

Power Rangers Ninja Storm ''Power Rangers Ninja Storm'' is a television series and the eleventh season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 26th Super Sentai series ''Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger''. The season marked a series of firsts in the franchise, being t ...

'' and ''

Power Rangers Samurai ''Power Rangers Samurai'' is the eighteenth season of the children's television series ''Power Rangers'', which is based on the Japanese ''Super Sentai Series''. The season was the first to be produced by SCG Power Rangers, after Saban Brands ( ...

''. * '' Avengers: Endgame'' and '' Hawkeye'' features Hawkeye using kenjutsu.

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