Kenjutsu is the traditional sword-fighting style of Japan that uses a katana as the primary weapon. The katana is a single-edged, slightly curved blade used by the samurai, or warrior caste, of feudal Japan. Kenjutsu means "way of the sword" and was practiced by the samurai as training for war and for perfection of self.
Early History
The modern form of the katana, the curved Japanese sword, originated during the point in Japanese history known as the Heian period, which ran from 794 to 1185. This period was when Taoism and Buddhism was at their height in Japan, and these religious influences brought about the idea of perfection in every aspect of life. As Japan was a highly feudal society at the time, the warrior class, known as samurai, practiced perfection of their chief art, kenjutsu. There are no surviving schools from this earliest point of kenjutsu's history.
1336 to 1573
the oldest surviving schools of kenjutsu originated during the time known as the Muromachi period. The Itto Ryu, Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-Ryu and Kage-Ryu schools were the major kenjutsu schools in this time. The Kage-Ryu school was founded in 1490 AD by Aizu Hyyga-no-Kami Iko. Although this school has no current form, it lives on in the many schools that branched off of it. The Itto-Ryu school was developed by Ittosai Kagehisa and specialized in single katana combat. Many current schools that utilize a single sword claim this school in their ancestry. The Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-Ryu school was founded in 1447 by Iizasa Choisai Ienao and taught a comprehensive skill set that includes single sword, dual swords, short sword and iaijutsu, or sword drawing, among other weapon forms.
Golden Age
From 1603 to 1868, Japan went through a long period of relative peace under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Most samurai focused on training rather than war, and more than 500 schools of kenjutsu were developed. Bokken and shinai were developed during this time to allow practitioners to practice with a lower chance of being seriously injured. Perhaps the most famous practitioner of kenjutsu, Miyamoto Mushashi, was active in this time and wrote the "Go Rin No Sho," or "Book of Five Rings."
Restoration
After 1868, the feudal system of Japan began to break down as Western influence asserted itself. The samurai class was dissolved by imperial edict, which led to a greatly reduced practitioner population. In 1895, the Dai Nippon Botoku Kai, an organization for the standardization of martial arts in Japan, was created. The Dai Nippon Botoku Kai gathered up as much information on kenjutsu as possible in an effort to preserve the national martial art.
References
- Aikibudo Aikido: Kenjutsu
- "Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan"; Diane Skoss; 1997
- "Sword and Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 2"; Diane Skoss; 1999
- "Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 3"; Diane Skoss; 2002
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