Kenjutsu

Kenjutsu (剣術 : けんじゅつ, Kenjutsu?), meaning the craft, art, or science of the sword, is a Japanese martial art that uses a specific methodology to teach the use of the katana (Japanese sword). Generally, kenjutsu takes the form of partnered practice exercised through kata (pre-arranged forms, as opposed to competition, solo, or freestyle practice).

Kenjutsu in conjunction with kata is the core means by which koryū, which are "old" or "traditional" schools of martial arts, train their students to employ the Japanese swords against a variety of classical weapons, while indoctrinating the student in the combative mindset of the school. Therefore, kenjutsu can be seen as an integral aspect of all classical Japanese sword school curricula.

Today most koryū schools continue to employ kenjutsu as part of their curriculum. Some are even thriving on a relatively small scale. Schools (or ryū) such as Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, Kashima Shinto-ryū, Kashima Shin-ryū, Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū, Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū are some of the more famous still existing. Some of these schools trace their lineage to the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate. Many other schools can legitimately trace their history from the founder dating back to the 14th century, such as Maniwa Nen-ryū (founded: 1368) or Tatsumi-ryū (founded: Eisho period 1504-1520) or Kashima Shin-ryū (founded: ca. 1450).

Confusion with other practices
Kenjutsu should not be confused with iaidō or iaijutsu, where the former being a modern development with both sporting, artistic, and meditative features. The role of iaijutsu is as a practice performed against an opponent who is visualized most often to be armed with a sword. There is often strong biomechanical symbiosis between the iaijutsu and kenjutsu of most schools. Iaijutsu allows the practitioner to perfect the execution of techniques, body position and displacement which he/she will later employ in his/her kenjutsu without the stresses of a partnered kata. Iaijutsu therefore remains a distinct and yet a complementary practice to kenjutsu in most schools.

Another general distinction between iaijutsu and kenjutsu is the condition of the sword at the start of the kata. In iaijutsu, the sword starts in the sheathed position with the emphasis on the draw as well as the few initial cuts. Traditionally, koryū focus on shifting smoothly in the pace of execution within the iaijutsu kata with little focus is given to the speed of draw. This is contrasted with kenjutsu, were the sword begins unsheathed, and the emphasis is on both attack and defense. This distinction is however not consistent as some kenjutsu kata start with the sword sheathed.


Equipment
The equipment employed in kenjutsu has changed little in almost five hundred years, with most schools employing a ryū-specific bokken (wooden katana). The style of the bokken is often defined by tradition with the design, weight and feeling of the bokken being specifically chosen so as to allow the techniques of the ryū to be effectively executed. Contrast, for example, the very thin and fast Yagyū bokken which suits the quick and light sword work of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū with the relatively heavy and straight Kashima Shin-ryū bokken which has little taper and which lends itself well to the heavy contact inertial style of the Kashima Shin-ryū.

Some schools employ a fukuro shinai (a bamboo sword covered with leather or cloth) under circumstances where the junior student lacks the ability to safely control a bokken at full speed or as a general safety precaution. The practice of using a fukuro shinai was however not adopted from kendo as the invention of the fukuro shinai dates back to the 15th century. Many schools also practice kenjutsu at advanced levels with unsharpened steel or alloy artificial swords, called iaitō.


Nitōjutsu
A distinguishing feature of many kenjutsu syllabus is the use of a paired ōdachi and kodachi/shotō commonly refereed to nitōjutsu or two sword methods. The most famous exponent of [[nitōjutsu was Musashi Miyamoto, (1584 – 1645) the founder of Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū. 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 Muromachi period (ca. 1447), and Tatsumi-ryu founded Eisho period (1504-1520), contain extensive nitōjutsu curricula while also preceding the establishment of Musashi’s Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū.


Disciplines
Battojutsu
Nitojutsu
Tojutsu
Kojutsu