Kenjutsu
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Kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Kenjutsu is a martial art that puts more emphasis on various real-life s
Woodblock print by Utagawa Kunisada I (unsigned, the print is the upper part of a "two scenes" print; only the lower part is signed). The actors Seki Sanjūrō III and Bandō Shūka I as Inukai Genpachi and Inuzuka Kiba in a stage adaptation of Satomi Hakkenden, performed at the Ichimura theatre in 1852.
An example of modern nitōjutsu practice.
The Book of Five Rings
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The Book of Five Rings is a text on kenjutsu and martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi between 1643 and 1645. The book title is from the godai of Buddhist esoteri
Kenjutsu
…one sword school). The most famous exponent of nitōjutsu was Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645), the founder of Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū, who advocates it in The Book of Five Rings. Nitōjutsu is not however unique to Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū, nor was nitōjutsu the creation of Musashi. Both Tenshin Shōden Katori Shinto-ryū, founded in…
Miyamoto Musashi in his prime, wielding two bokken
Miyamoto Musashi killing a giant creature, from The Book of Five Rings