is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, 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 and iaido 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 ...

class of feudal Japan, 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). 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'' (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 under a variety of conditions, from using solid wooden '' bokutō'' to the use of a bamboo sword ('' shinai'') and armor ('' bōgu''). In modern times sparring in Japanese 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

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

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 ...

. 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 Japan ...

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 ...

) 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 ...

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

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 character ...

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 '' 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 ''

'' 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 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 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 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''

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 (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

(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 佐々木累 * Nakazawa Koto 中沢琴 * Tatsumi Sankyo 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 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 足利義輝 * Togo Chui 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 "Shichir� ...

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 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 * Miyamoto Musashi 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 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 根岸信五郎 (Last Edo period headmaster of Shinto Munen-ryu) * Kubota Suketaro Sugane 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 gove ...

榊原鍵吉 * Nakayama Hakudo 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'' 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. People Notable people with the name include: * Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist ...

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, Karai, the Shredder, 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 s ...

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'' included kenjutsu in his fighting style. * Kenjutsu was an inspiration for sword fighting in '' Power Rangers Ninja Storm'' and '' Power Rangers Samurai''. * '' 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