("the craft of drawing out the sword") is an old term for iaijutsu (居合術). Battōjutsu is often used interchangeably with the terms ''

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, ...

'' and ''battō'' (抜刀).Armstrong, Hunter B. (1995) "The Koryu Bujutsu Experience" in ''Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan'' (ed. Diane Skoss). Koryu Books. Page 32. Generally, battōjutsu is practiced as a part of a classical ryū and is closely integrated with the tradition of

kenjutsu 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 ...

. It is practised with a live blade (

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 ...

), often simply as solo kata. The training is for combative effectiveness, through factors such as

distancing Distancing is the appropriate selection of distance between oneself and a combatant throughout an encounter. Distancing is significant in an altercation as it determines both attack and defence options for all parties involved.budō is a Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. Literally translated it means the "Martial Way", and may be thought of as the "Way of War" or the "Way of Martial Arts". Etymology Budō is a compound of the root ''bu'' ( 武:ぶ), m ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

List of schools

Koryu school: * Shinmei Muso Ryu Battōjutsu (神明夢想流抜刀術), founded by Hayashizaki Jinsuke (Minamoto no) Shigenobu(林崎甚助(源)重信) (c. 1542–1621) * Sekiguchi Ryu Battōjutsu (or Iai) (関口流抜刀術), founded by Sekiguchi Ujinari (関口氏業) (1636–1716) Gendai schools developed after the beginning of the Meiji era: *

Toyama-ryū established in 1925 by a committee of senior experts of several sword traditions for the curriculum of the Rikugun Toyama Gakkō. The special school for training army personnel founded in 1873, called Rikugun Toyama Gakkō or " Toyama Army Aca ...

(戸山流), was founded in 1925 at the Rikugun Toyama Gakkō (Toyama Army Academy) (陸軍戸山学校). This system of swordsmanship was developed for the military by a committee including sword masters

Nakayama Hakudō , also known as Nakayama Hiromichi, was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the iaidō style Musō Shinden-ryū. Received hanshi (master instructor) ranks in kendō, iaidō, and jōdō from the All Japan Kendo Federation. In addition, he ...

(中山博道) and Takano Sasaburo (高野佐三郎), and Lieutenant Colonel Morinaga Kiyoshi (森永清中佐). Morinaga selected 5 kata produced by Nakayama arranged in tachi-iai. Toyama-ryu was not taught generally but was reserved for officers, as they still carried swords. In 1940, Mochida Seiji (持田盛二) and Saimura Goro (斎村吾郎) added and revised the kata. In November of 1941, an official manual on Toyama-ryu was distributed widely within the Japanese Army. In 1942, a running slash-type kata geared toward cavalry charges was added. *

Nakamura-ryū is a ''battō'' style created by Nakamura Taizaburō (1912–2003). Nakamura Taizaburō Nakamura Taizaburō (中村泰三郎) was born in 1912 in Yamagata Prefecture. He resided in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Tsurumi, Yokohama, where he presided over ...

(中村流), founded in the mid-20th century by Nakamura Taizaburō (中村泰三郎), who had previously taught Gunto no Soho at the Toyama Academy.Draeger, Donn F. (1974) ''Modern Bujutsu & Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan (Vol. III)''. New York: Weatherhill. Page 67. * Zen Nihon Batto Do Renmei (全日本抜刀道連盟) or ZNBDR was created in 1977 under Nakamura Taizaburo which practice 5 Shoden Seitei and 8 Chuden Seitei Kata. * Dai Nihon Batto Ho (大日本抜刀法) was created in 1939 by Kono Hyakuren for the Japanese Naval Academy. It contains 12 Waza, 7 Shoden Kata and 5 Okuden Kata. Today it is taught as Eishin Ryu Batto Ho and included 10 Eishin-ryu kumitachi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battojutsu Japanese martial arts Japanese swordsmanship Ko-ryū bujutsu