JAPANESE SWORDSMANSHIP: What’s the point?


Kendo and Iaido are not to be confused with Kenjutsu or Iaijutsu, which are also Japanese martial arts. Even while there may seem to be some similarities, particularly in the case of Iaido and Iaijutsu, they are two completely different disciplines that should not be confused. By studying the same kata, it is feasible to study these latter two independent disciplines at the same time. It is essential to be clear about one’s intentions in order to distinguish between the two. To begin, one must ask himself or herself, “What is it that I desire to learn?” Examining the short explanations provided above should provide some basic guidelines for addressing this question in more detail. Iaijutsu (Japanese sword fighting) and Kenjutsu (Japanese sword training) are martial techniques that train students to wield their weapons as if they were deadly weapons in a combat situation. Sporting activities like as kendo and Iaido, which are more contemporary in nature, are guided by either esoteric or sporting concepts. – Now that we’ve sketched out the fundamental practises, we should have a better sense of what to look for if we ever decide to pursue a career in Japanese sword arts. When looking for a school to attend, it would be fantastic if it were as easy as searching for a school with a name like Kenjutsu school of. Alternatively, the Iaido school of. Fortunately for us, the Japanese have had almost a thousand years to come up with a plethora of names (all in Japanese, of course) to confound our efforts.

There have been several schools of Japanese swordsmanship that have come and gone throughout the years. There were more than 700 schools in Japan alone at its peak, according to official figures. Fortunately, there are many less of them nowadays. In one way, this makes the work of choosing a school much simpler, but in another, it makes it much more difficult. The traditional (“koryu” in Japanese) character of these arts means that they do not tend to travel well when they are performed in other nations. Because Japanese culture is permeated throughout and vital to each of the koryu Japanese arts, most experts feel that learning real koryu Japanese arts outside of Japan is very difficult. It is claimed that in order to study a koryu Japanese art, one must first understand about Japanese culture. It is only because of this reason that authentic traditional Japanese swordsmanship is not widely available outside Japan.

People Who Are Engaged In Learning Martial Arts

At an estimate, there are probably less than 1500 people in the UK who are actively engaged in learning traditional Japanese martial art (Aikido practitioners are excluded from this figure). So the choices are limited.

Here are some styles which can be found in the UK:

  • Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu
  • Muso Shinden Ryu
  • Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu
  • Araki Ryu
  • Daito Ryu

In looking at the above list (which is not exhaustive) don’t be fooled into thinking that they are all “Schools of Swordsmanship” because they are not. If only it were that simple. In order to give a full explanation, we would need to begin a long discourse on the development of samurai fighting methods through the ages. Suffice it to say that each of the styles in the above list either teaches much more than just sword skills, or only a part of sword skills. What we need to concentrate on is what benefits there can be from learning to use the Japanese sword.

The gradual development of Japanese fighting techniques over many centuries up to the 14th century caused a great deal of refinement of technique in many areas. Battlefield fighting skills spilled over into civilian life, where there was every bit as much need for them.

Whether unarmed fighting skills influenced the use of the sword or vice versa is not really known, but what became very clear by the 15th century in Japan, was that there was a very distinctive way in which the use of the sword gave rise to a set of movements which could be characterized as mirroring sword use in empty-handed combat. In other words, a set of body movement principles had been variously developed which were used to define the use of the sword, as well as how to fight without it. This refinement came to be known by many names, but quite commonly was called Aiki-jujutsu.

Knowing this, perhaps it becomes a little clearer what the modern practitioner might gain, with the right teaching. Understanding the various bodily movements required to wield the sword also allows the practitioner to learn something of a method of self-defense that does not require a sword, merely movements associated with its use.

It is this line of thinking which gave rise to the development of the modern style called Aikido. In traditional style Aikido, the emphasis is on those empty-handed movements. This training is supplemented with bokken (wooden sword) training to back it up. So does this mean that if we study Aikido, we learn swordsmanship? Unfortunately no, because the emphasis is always on the empty-handed technique.

Similarly, by learning say, a style incorporating Kenjutsu, do we learn Aikido? No, but we learn certain principles of body movement which are very useful in a fight when they are correctly understood.

Replace the sword with a stick, pool cue, broom, or chair leg (you just happened to find lying around…ahem) or any other such improvised weapon, and you can then directly use the techniques of the Japanese sword for self-defense.

If you were to take your training that little bit further and get some good Aikido training as well, then you have a well-rounded ability for a form of self-defense. You might already have learned some Karate or something similar, so you now have knowledge of empty-handed striking techniques to supplement these movements. We could go on and include Jujutsu or Judo training into the mix, but hopefully, you get the idea.

Japanese Swordsmanship

Japanese swordsmanship was designed to be an effective battlefield method of combat. It has had many centuries after that to be refined and make the cross-over into civilian life, where it was further refined and ruled supreme.

In this article, we have only covered one real benefit of this fascinating art, that being an element of self-defense. We could also talk about the development of the mind in various ways, the understanding of strategy as well as the usual attributes of martial art, such as indomitable spirit and health.

Owing to the demands of modern life and the scarcity of good training opportunities, it is a rare thing to have the opportunity to study this art in depth in the UK. Should the opportunity come your way, then please be encouraged to give it a try.

As a modern practitioner, you could do a lot worse than learn how to use the Japanese sword!

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