7. The History of Japanese Martial Arts

Although the history of the martial arts was sometimes taken up several times in fragments until now, it was rare to consider the history itself. So this time, we will consider the history of Japanese martial arts in more detail. There are two main themes.

First, the history of 剣術(Kenjutsu). In ancient Japan, use of iron swords was the fountainhead of military superiority. First Kenjutsu school in Japan called 関東七流：the Kanto seven style (東国七流：the east country seven style) was born to 常陸国鹿島：Hitachi-no-Kuni Kashima (現代では茨城県鹿島市：At the present age, it is Kashima City of Ibaraki Prefecture) in the middle of the period of ancient burial mounds. Seven Shinto priests spread Kenjutsu transmitted from old times mainly by the east country. When the middle of the Heian period came, the technology for offending and defending with a sword and, killing and wounding an enemy, that is to say, Kenjutsu was established at these days. 京八流(The kyou eight style) was produced in 鞍馬山(Kurama-yama) in Kyoto in the late Heian period. Both 京八流(the kyou eight style) and 関東七流 (the Kanto seven style) became the mother's body of many schools. In those days, Kenjutsu was not important for the samurai because Shinto priests shoulder 関東七流(the Kanto seven style) and Buddhist priests shoulder 京八流(the kyou eight style). The samurai of the Kamakura period thought archery and horsemanship as important, and Kenjutsu was not much important. The hand-to-hand fight using a sword or a spear came to arise from the Muromachi period to the Warring States period: It is the full-scale appearance of the art. However, Kenjutsu was a kind of the "military tactics" which is the synthetic combat technology in a battlefield, because the edged tool with long reach (e.g. a spear, a Japanese halberd) was used in the hand-to-hand combat, having given priority. When the Azuchi-Momoyama era came, the Kenjutsu on condition that it use in everyday life became the mainstream. When the Edo period came, the Kenjutsu developed greatly, and the school exceeded 700. The game with the wooden sword which casualties produce was forbidden by the government. Then, the bamboo sword and the protector were invented, and while securing safety, it came to play a game. This is an incident worthy of mention that the farmer and townspeople who are the non-samurai class came to study Kenjutsu. Kenjutsu was made unnecessary by the modernization campaign and the Europeanism policy by the Meiji new government and, it declined. The 大日本武徳会(great Japan Butoku meeting) was established for the purpose of promoting Japanese martial arts in 1895. After it, the school art of Kenjutsu formed present age kendo.

剣術の系図(The genealogy of Kenjutsu)

Second, the history of 柔術(Jujutsu). The oldest origin that can be checked is 竹内流(the Takeuchi style). Jujutsu is the name after the Edo period comes. Therefore technology of 組 討(kumiuchi) in a battlefield and The art of self-defense using the knife by a samurai and Sumo and the arrest way, the arresting rope way for maintenance of public order, are the origins of jujutsu. When the Edo period came, such technology will develop, and the school called jujutsu began to appear. 講道館柔道(Kodokan judo) was created by Meiji Era. As 講道館柔道(Kodokan judo) spread all over the country, Jujutsu judo-ized in the second half of Meiji era. Taisho to Showa era, Jujutsu declined since many successors were killed in war by the Second World War and martial arts prohibition was carried out by the GHQ instructions after defeat. Today while old style Jujutsu further declines, there are schools which revive gradually.

A list of reference: 日本武学史(Nihonbugakushi)  佐藤堅司(written by Kenji Sato)

                                     日本の武道(Japanese Martial Arts) 日本武道館編集(Nippon Budokan edit)