Tantōjutsu (短刀術) is a Japanese term for a variety of traditional Japanese

knife fight A knife fight is a violent physical confrontation between two or more combatants in which one or more participants is armed with a knife.MacYoung, Marc, ''Winning A Street Knife Fight'', (Digital format, 70 min.), Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, (J ...

ing systems that used the

tantō A is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords ( ''nihonto'') that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ...

(短刀), a knife or dagger. Historically, many women used a version of the tantō, called the

kaiken A is a long, single (or rare double-edged) knife without ornamental fittings housed in a plain mount. Uses It was once carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense in indoor spaces where the long bla ...

, for self-defense, but warrior women in pre-modern Japan learned one of the tantōjutsu arts to fight in battle.

Martial arts that practise tantōjutsu

Tantō with blunt wooden or plastic blades are used to practice martial arts. Metal blades can be used in more advanced training and in demonstrations. Styles that use tantō: Budō (Gendai): *

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

Shorinji Kempo is a Japanese martial art claimed to be a modified version of Shaolin Kung Fu. The name ''Shōrinji Kempo'' is the Japanese reading of ''Shàolínsì Quánfǎ''. It was established in 1947 by , a Japanese martial artist and former military ...

Bugei: * Yanagi-ryu Aiki Bugei Bujutsu (Koryū): *

Kashima Shin-ryū is a Japanese '' koryū'' martial art whose foundation dates back to the early 16th century. Friday, Karl F. with Seki Humitake, ''Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima Shin-ryū and Samurai Martial Culture'', Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press ...

(this '' ryūha'' uses term Kaikenjutsu) * Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryu

Martial arts that practise tantōjutsu

See also