History UsefulNotes / Kenjutsu

* ''Jodan'': High stance, associated with the element of Fire. Different ''ryu'' vary on the exact angle and placement of the sword during ''jodan.'' The general idea is that the sword is held above the head, ready to strike down in ''shomen-uchi'' or a similar cut. Most basic cuts in Japanese swordsmanship come from this position: ''shomen-uchi,''[[hottip:*:downward cut]], kesa-giri'' [[hottip:*:diagonal cut from shoulder to hip]] and ''yokomen-uchi''[[hottip:*:cut to side of the head]].
* ''Gedan'': Low stance, associated with the element of Earth. This is the last of the pointed guard stances, in which the sword is pointed down at the enemy's knee. It's meant to lure him in for an attack, analogous to ''alber'' in German tradition.

* ''Jodan'': High stance, associated with the element of Fire. Different ''ryu'' vary on the exact angle and placement of the sword during ''jodan.'' The general idea is that the sword is held above the head, ready to strike down in ''shomen-uchi'' or a similar cut. Most basic cuts in Japanese swordsmanship come from this position: ''shomen-uchi,''[[[hottip:*:downward cut ]], kesa-giri'' [[hottip:*:diagonal cut from shoulder to hip]] and ''yokomen-uchi.''[[hottip:*:cut to side of the head]].

* ''Chudan'': Centre stance, often associated with the element of water. The sword is held at a 30-degree angle from the horizontal, with the hilt two fists away from your navel. The tip should point toward the enemy's throat or face. One percenived weakness of ''chudan'' is the necessity to pull the sword back before making a cut, but this isn't the case as much as you would think. The ''katana'' can make devastating slices simply by running the edge along flesh. A common maneuver from this stance is ''tsuki''[[hottip*:*thrust]] to the throat or face. The sword can also slide across the throat.
* ''Jodan'': High stance, associated with the element of fire. Different ''ryu'' vary on the exact angle and placement of the sword during ''jodan.'' The general idea is that the sword is held above the head, ready to strike down in ''shomen-uchi'' or a similar cut. Most basic cuts in Japanese swordsmanship come from this position: ''shomen-uchi,'' '', kesa-giri'' and ''yokomen-uchi''
* ''Gedan'':

* ''Chudan'': Centre stance, often associated with the element of water. The sword is held at a 30-degree angle from the horizontal, with the hilt two fists away from your navel. The tip should point toward the enemy's throat or face. One percenived weakness of ''chudan'' is the necessity to pull the sword back before making a cut, but this isn't the case as much as you would think. The ''katana'' can make devastating slices simply by running the edge along flesh. A common maneuver from this stance is ''tsuki''[[hottip*:thrust]] to the throat or face. The sword can also slide across the throat.

* ''Jodan'': High stance, associated with the element of fire. Differnet ''ryu'' vary on the exact angle and placement of the sword during ''jodan.'' The general idea is that the sword is held above the head, ready to strike down in ''shomen-uchi'' or a similar cut. Most cuts in Japanese swordsmanship come from this position.

* ''Bo'': SimpleStaff. Commonly about six feet long, same as the ''yari.''

* ''Chudan'':
* ''Jodan'':

The idea behind all this shuffling is to allow the fighter to charge the enemy in a smooth gliding motion, which makes it hard for your opponent to notice that you have initiated movement.

* ''Ayumi-ashi'': Crossing footwork. This is the most "normal" of the bunch as far as foot movement (ie, it looks like normal walking.) The difference is, it's still a semi-slide, and the motion comes from the rotation of you hips pulling your legs along rather than picking the foot up and placing it.

''How the Katana Cuts''

''Grip''

''Footwork/Movement''

''Sankakudai'' lends itself well to angular movements. Movement directly forward and backward is a little more awkward, but not impossible. There are several types of footwork.

* Okuri-ashi: Sliding footwork. In this footwork, you press on the floor with your trailing foot (relative to the direction you're going), move the lead foot into position and readopt your stance by repositioning your trailing foot.

As with any type of swordsmanship, movement is vital in ''kenjutsu''

If you grip a ''katana'' correctly, your thumb and index finger should form a V with the point centered on the ''tsuka'', and they should be lined up. When you finish a cut, you stop the sword by twisting your wrists inward like you're wringing out a wet rag (this, by the way, is an excellent exercise to strengthen your grip - just do 200-300 repetitions of it daily; you'll get Popeye forearms in no time. Just watch for wrist injury)

The ''katana'', due to its curved, single-edge construction, specialises in slicing cuts rather than cuts delivered purely through kinetic motion, i.e. chopping/cleaving. Power for a cut comes from the rotation of the torso and hips, footwork and the pull of the left hand, not the extension of the arms. It is a two-handed sword wielded symmetrically, though the stances tend to favour the right side. A select few schools such as ''Niten-ichi ryu'' sometimes use the ''katana'' in one hand and the ''wakizashi'' in the other hand.

Most of the power from the grip comes from the pinky and ring fingers of each hand. The middle finger rests on the grip rather neutrally, and the index finger and thumb float loosely, but are ''not'' extended past the ''tsuba.'' Regardless of whether the sword is on the right or left side of the body, this grip stays the same.

The ''katana'', due to its curved, single-edge construction, specialises in slicing cuts rather than cuts delivered through kinetic motion. Power for a cut comes from the rotation of the torso and hips, footwork and pull of the left hand, not the extension of the arms. It is a two-handed sword wielded equally from either side. A select few schools such as ''Niten-ichi ryu'' sometimes use the ''katana'' in one hand and the ''wakizashi'' in the other hand.

'''Basic Posture'''

Ahem. ''Kenjutsu'' is the historical conglomerate of Japanese sword arts, sometimes referred to as JSA. [[KatanasAreJustBetter The way most fictional media tells it,]] students of the Japanese sword can achieve [[ImplausibleFencingPowers insane levels of skill and do things that outright defy physics and logic.]] Like all types of propaganda, the anecdotes about users of the ''katana'' have some basis in fact, with the amount of truth varying from source to source. ''Kenjutsu'' schools often have a well-preserved lineage, unlike, unfortunately, its European counterparts. Because of this, we know a lot more about how the ''samurai'' used their weaponry in battle than we do about how knights and men-at-arms of Europe used theirs, despite the misconceptions surrounding Japanese weaponry and the growing body of knowledge of European swordplay.

Ahem. ''Kenjutsu'' is the historical conglomerate of Japanese sword arts, sometimes referred to as JSA. [[KatanasAreJustBetter The way most media tells it,]] students of the Japanese sword can achieve [[ImplausibleFencingPowers insane levels of skill with the sword and do things that outright defy physics and logic.]] Like all types of propaganda, the anecdotes about users of the ''katana'' have some basis in fact, with the amount of truth varying from source to source. ''Kenjutsu'' schools often have a well-preserved lineage, unlike, unfortunately, its European counterpart. Because of this, we know a lot more about how the ''samurai'' used their weaponry in battle than we do about how knights and men-at-arms of Europe used theirs, despite the misconceptions surrounding Japanese weaponry.

''Kenjutsu'' can either refer to Japanese sword arts as a whole, or to the subset of arts that focus on action once the two combatants have already drawn their swords. Another subset of Japanese arts is ''iaijutsu'', which focuses on combat from the draw. A subset of ''iaijutsu'' can be ''battoujutsu'', which, depending on your definition, is similar to ''iaijutsu'' but focuses on multiple cuts after the draw and includes test cutting practice as part of its curriculum.

* ''Iaito'': This is a cheaper mock-up of a katana, made of an aluminium-zinc alloy and with a dulled edge. It's used by beginning students of ''iai'' who opt to not use a ''bokken.'' Because of the exacting nature of ''iai,'' it's important to get it right; a beginner using a live blade could warp the blade or cut off a few fingers due to a mistake.

* ''Bokken'': TropeNamer for WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter. See that page for details.

* ''Bo'': [[SimpleStaff.]] Commonly about six feet long, same as the ''yari.''
* ''Bokken'': TropeNamer for WoodenKatanasAreJustBetter. See that page for details.

* ''Bo'': [[SimpleStaff.'' Commonly about six feet long, same as the ''yari.''

* ''Yari'': Spear. Usually about six feet long or so, used for thrusting and cutting similar to a Chinese [[SimpleStaff ''gun''.]]

Ahem. ''Kenjutsu'' is the historical conglomerate of Japanese sword arts, sometimes referred to as JSA (Japanese Sword Arts.) [[KatanasAreJustBetter The way most media tells it,]] students of the Japanese sword can achieve [[ImplausibleFencingPowers insane levels of skill with the sword and do things that outright defy physics and logic.]] Like all types of propaganda, the anecdotes about users of the ''katana'' have some basis in fact, with the amount of truth varying from source to source. ''Kenjutsu'' schools often have a well-preserved lineage, unlike, unfortunately, its European counterpart. Because of this, we know a lot more about how the ''samurai'' used their weaponry in battle than we do about how knights and men-at-arms of Europe used theirs, despite the misconceptions surrounding Japanese weaponry.

* ''Wakizashi'': The shorter companion sword to the ''katana'', usually about two feet long. Used in two-sword forms or in some single forms. The ''wakizashi'' was the "indoor" sword; ''samurai'' didn't use the ''katana'' indoors partially because of low ceilings and etiquette and the like.

''Ahem.'' ''Kenjutsu'' is the historical conglomerate of Japanese sword arts, sometimes referred to as JSA.