The literal translation of Kenjutsu is 'Ken' Sword and 'Jutsu' Science, putting these together means Sword Science. This Class is designed for Students wishing to learn about 'The Ancient Art Of The Samurai'. Kenjutsu was created in Japan in the 15th century. This military art form was primarily designed to prepare Samurai, as well as ordinary soldiers for combat on the battlefield. Kenjutsu is mainly the practice of swordsmanship. But in some styles the practice of other battlefield-related weapons is also an integral part of this military art form. At the simplest level, it can be viewed as a collection of combat techniques for various weapons, most notably the sword. Kenjutsu is an art that is concerned with realistic sword technique application, learning to fight with the sword in a real-life context.
Weapons Used In Our School :
Katana (Sword)
Wakizashi (Short Sword)
Tanto (Knife)
Naginata (halberd)
What is a Katana ?
The katana is a type of Japanese sword, also commonly referred to as a "samurai sword". The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. Japanese sword with a blade length of greater than 60cm (23.6 inches). It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan, and has become renowned for its sharpness and cutting ability.
What is a Wakazashi
When entering a building, a samurai would leave his katana with a servant or page who would then let it rest on a rack called a katana-kake, with the hilt pointing left so that it had to be removed with the left hand, passed to the right, then placed at the samurai's right, making it difficult to draw quickly, and reducing suspicion. However, the wakizashi would be worn at all times, and therefore, it constituted a side arm for the samurai (similar to a modern soldier's use of a pistol). Samurai mainly used it as a self defense tool as indoor combat was difficult with a katana or longer swords. A samurai would have worn it from the time he awoke to the time he went to sleep, and slept with it under his pillow.
What is a Tanto ?
A tantō "Knife" is a common Japanese single or, occasionally, double edged knife or dagger with a blade length between 15 and 30cm (6-12inches). Tantō first began to appear in the Heian period, however these blades lacked any artistic quality and were purely weapons.
The tantō was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well. Due to it's short range Tanto-Jutsu relys mainly on body turns & rolls to close in on the target. Tantō were mostly carried by Samurai as commoners did not generally carry them, because of this Tanto techniques often work well with Ju-Jitsu. A Tanto was sometimes worn as the shōtō in place of a wakizashi in a daishō, especially on the battlefield. Before the 16th century, it was common for a samurai to carry a tachi and a tantō as opposed to a katana and a wakizashi.
What is a Naginata ?
Naginata is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the Samurai class. A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved blade on the end; it is similar to the Chinese Guan Dao. Usually it also had a sword-like guard (tsuba) between the blade and shaft.