to the samurai sword rose in popularity.
However, with mounting commercial interests and industrialization spreading westward from the Americas and Europe, Japan’s closed-door policy was fated to be ephemeral. Japan’s technology was falling behind that of the rest of the world, which was beginning to industrialize. Once again, change would come from within when the Sotozama daimyos overthrew the Tokugawa dynasty, ending the shogunate forever and reestablishing an emperor as ruler, in 1868. With this new emperor came the end of the samurai sword’s golden era.
SHIN-SHINTO OR MODERN SWORD PERIOD
The end of the shogunate, and the reestablishment of an emperor as ruler, set the stage for a new era. For the samurai, this was cemented in 1876 when Emperor Meiji (1868–1912) prohibited the wearing of samurai swords. Samurai were rendered powerless in the eyes of the new government, which was evolving into a more Westernized form of leadership that did not depend on a powerful warrior class. After the ascension of Emperor Meiji, the Shin-shinto, or Modern, period of the samurai sword began. Changing political circumstances caused the need for the samurai sword to wane dramatically, and the quality of the blades manufactured during this period couldn’t be compared to that of the samurai swords produced by the Five Schools.
The last “mass production” (both metaphorically and literally) of samurai swords took place in preparation for World War II. Unlike in earlier eras, these swords were made in mechanized factories and inscribed with a cherry blossom on the tang to indicate the Showa era (1926–1989). The low-quality factory productions constructed in modern times were of the katana style.
Over time, the way of the samurai sword has always been changing and evolving: the popularity and availability of the sword fluctuated, battlefield experience revolutionized how samurai used it to fight, and modifications to the sword affected the circumstances of warfare. These changes have given rise to a proliferation of methods of using the samurai sword, which one might contend emanated either from the swords that were available or from the innovations of swordsmiths striving to satisfy the whims of the shogun, emperor, or daimyo, who requested such instruments to fortify their retainers.
In either case, the plethora of techniques successfully used in battle by the samurai became the foundation for the evolution of thousands of martial ryus, or “schools of thought,” that would make up a category of martial arts that the Japanese would refer to as kobu-jutsu. In spite of the decline in samurai sword quality and the sweeping social changes that brought an end to the samurai class, the kobu-jutsu disciplines of ken-jutsu and iai-jutsu, which are based on the wisdom and tradition of the samurai, quietly survived through oral and gestural transmission, from teacher to student. These aspects of kobu-jutsu constitute the theme of my next discourse and are the hallmarks of this text.
Iai-Jutsu and Ken-Jutsu
Subsequent to the era of the samurai, the art of the samurai sword has been divided into two categories: iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu.
Iai-jutsu or literally, “quick-draw art,” is devoted to methods of drawing the samurai sword and returning it to its sheath, using the most economical movements possible. It evolved parallel to the evolution of the samurai sword and provided an indispensable, rapid, efficient system of response to imminent attack. The three integral facets of this art are called in Japanese nuki-dashi (draw), chiburi (deblood), and noto (sheathe).
In contrast to iai-jutsu is ken-jutsu, which refers to the myriad of cuts, parries, thrusts, and blocks that the samurai would use after his samurai sword had been unsheathed. Although both these disciplines use the samurai sword, they are generally considered to be two completely separate martial arts.
The evolution of the samurai sword allows us to infer that ken-jutsu must have been practiced long before the development of iai-jutsu. Because the early samurai sword blades and handles were too long and cumbersome to be drawn and sheathed quickly, they could not have been used for iai-jutsu. Thus, a bona fide series of techniques focusing on the fencing aspect of samurai sword use must have been created and refined very early on, making use of the tachi—the large, primitive two-handed sword used throughout the Chokuto period.
A key factor in the development of both these arts would have been the kata, or “contrived sequences of movements,” which materialized as a product of profound reflection on technique and methodology by battle-seasoned samurai. These katas would be practiced at exhaustive length, conditioning the practitioner of iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu (an iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu ka, in Japanese) to naturally move efficiently with the samurai sword. Like real combat with the samurai sword, iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu katas very rarely amounted to more than a few movements in any single direction. This is because it merely took one or two blows from the razor-sharp blade to render a samurai lifeless. The experience and familiarity with the sword gained through repetition of these katas were vital to the success of samurai warriors. Regardless of the protection given by armor, one thrust with the samurai sword’s kissaki (blade tip) or a single hew with the monouchi (“maximum strike”; the ideal blade area for use in striking) could frequently be fatal or cause dismemberment. Hence, kata practice would be embraced as a necessity by an iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu ka, in order to condition a young protégé to follow the “way” of the samurai sword—which demanded that the samurai sword be wielded with confidence, composure, and respect toward the people of Japan. In addition, it was a means by which the most skilled samurai might maintain his martial acuity during more peaceful times.
Both ken-jutsu katas and iai-jutsu katas, the prescribed sequences of movements that were part of these practices, were modeled after battle maneuvers. Although iaijutsu katas could be practiced alone, ken-jutsu katas would most often be practiced by two ken-jutsu kas. Here, the second person would be an integral part of the equation necessary for the achievement of greater fencing aptitude. Once again, contrived practice yielded exceptional conditioning, resulting in masterful technique. In addition, samurai would practice bogyo-waza (defensive techniques), wherein the opponents would spar, acting spontaneously to measure their fighting abilities. Bogyo-waza could indeed become perilous if one lacked adequate control. It was, however, integral to the discipline, because it bore the closest resemblance to a real engagement.
All of these different elements come together in the unique ideology of each ryu, or school of thought, within iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu. One’s ryu determines how the draw, cuts, deblooding, and sheathing orchestrate into one flowing movement.
Each ryu is also differentiated by other secondary characteristics, such as the procedure for entering and exiting the training area with the samurai sword, maintaining the sword by cleaning and preparing it for use, putting on and removing the training attire, inspecting another’s weapon, properly setting the blade at the side, and tying the scabbard’s sageo (rope) for use or storage. All of the aforementioned would be practiced piously by the iai-jutsu ka in a routine, ritualized manner referred to as saho (formal etiquette), which served to put the samurai in the bushi (warrior) frame of mind, to prepare himself for practice or real confrontation.
This history of, and contrast between, iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu lead us to Fukasa-Ryu iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu, the ryu detailed in this book.
FUKASA-RYU IAI-JUTSU AND KEN-JUTSU
The Fukasa-Ryu style of iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu is different from other ryu that enforce a separation between iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu. Here, we view and explore these two arts as complementary parts of a whole.
It is important to recognize that in each ryu there is what might be called a “tacit” set of parameters that constrain which samurai practices are classified as iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu. Although these two arts are inherently connected, most individual ryus are devoted to one of them at the expense of the other. In contrast, Fukasa-Ryu iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu incorporates each art symbiotically for the most efficient use of the samurai sword. The ryu, or philosophy, explains how the samurai sword is to be utilized in iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu and is merely a perspective from which to describe the