Dragon Fencing Academy
Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu
Dragon Fencing Academy is pleased to announce a partnership with Tokumeikan to offer study in two styles of Japanese swordsmanship: Katori Shinto Ryu and Ono-Ha Itto Ryu. Instruction will be non-contact 2 person partnered kata forms. Classes are held only on Sundays.
Enhance your western fencing techniques and tactics with exposure to the ancient art of Kenjutsu and the use of the Japanese sword. The ability to understand sword techniques from an idealized combat system will further enhance your fencing abilities in the practical environment of sport fencing,
“To master the virtue of the long sword is to govern the world and oneself.”
- Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
News
The next Kenjutsu lessons will be a 5 week course
Sundays May 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22
We will restart the Kenjutsu courses on September 7th, 2008
Katori Shinto Ryu
Ono-Ha itto Ryu
Iaido Workshop
Beginner Sword Techniques
To register call 905-764-8388 or email info@dragonfencing.com
May 25, 2008 - Beginner Japanese Sword Techniques Workshop
Learn signature Japanese sword cuts and moves
3 week course - every week learn interesting and unique cuts, blocks, strikes and moves
1 hour class includes sword strikes, blocks, stances, footwork, 2 person kata forms
Learn sword techniques from various famous styles - Katori Shinto Ryu, Ono-Ha Itto Ryu, Yagyu Shinkage ryu, and Muso Shinden Eishin Ryu iaido.
All equipment provided
Minimum 14 years old to participate
5 lessons for $125 GST included
Minimum 4 students maximum 10 per session
Starts Sunday June 1, 2008 -1:30pm to 2:30pm (May 25, June 1,8, 15, 22)
To register call 905-764-8388 or email info@dragonfencing.com
10 spaces total - 6 spaces available
Current session - Sunday March 16, 2008 -1:30pm to 2:30pm (Mar 16, 30, Apr 6, 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11)
for May 25, 2008 - Ono-Ha Itto-Ryu Workshop
Learn the one stroke style (Ono Branch) Early Edo Period (circa 1630)
One of the most prestigious Kenjutsu styles studied in Japan
If you like simple striking and efficiency then this style is for you
1 Hour class - light contact with shinai on padded armour.
Shinai and equipment provided
Martial Arts Gi or Traditional Uniform (Hakama, Gi, Obi) required
Blend of theoretical with practical Kendo strikes and attacks
Minimum 14 years old to participate
5 lessons for $125 GST included
Minimum 4 students maximum 8 per session
To register call 905-764-8388 or email info@dragonfencing.com
8 spaces total
Starts Sunday May 25, 2008 -12:30pm to 1:30pm (June 1,8, 15)
for September 2008 - Beginner Iaido Workshop
Learn the art of drawing the sword - Muso Shinden Eishin Ryu
4 week course
1 hour class includes sword strikes, drawing and sheathing the sword, single person Kata
All equipment provided (Bokken & Saya)
Traditional uniform - Iaidogi, Obi and Hakama is mandatory and a requirement
Minimum 14 years old to participate
4 lessons for $100 GST included
Maximum 6 students per session
To register call 905-764-8388 or email info@dragonfencing.com
6 spaces total
Weekly Kenjutsu Classes - Katori Shinto Ryu
- Sundays 11am to 12:30pm
- 1.5 hour lesson - includes warm-up, stretching, stances, footwork and Kata,
- Karate Gi or Hakama, Kendogi, Obi and Bokken required.
- Sugino style Katori Shinto Ryu
- Beginner sword techniques course a pre-requisite
- Minimum 14 years old to participate
- Maximum 8 students per class,
- 8 lessons package - $200 GST included
- Next session $125 for 5 weeks - (May 25, June 1, 8, 15, 22)
Current session March 16, 2008 - 11am to 12:30pm (Mar 16, 30, Apr 6, 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11)
Kenjutsu FAQ
What Is Kenjutsu?
Kenjutsu (literally “sword techniques”) is a term which refers to the classical styles of Japanese swordsmanship which blossomed in Japan during the Warring States Period (c.1300-1600). Since battlefield fighting was a regular occurrence at that time, Warlords needed a way to train their warriors in the use of the sword. Schools of swordsmanship (kenjutsu) were created to meet this need. At the height of the Warring States Period, schools of kenjutsu numbered in the hundreds. Study in kenjutsu was the way of the samurai. They studied not for advancement and certificates but for survival. The samurai lived and died by the sword. Kenjutsu was for this elite class of men, a way of life.
What is Katori Shinto Ryu: The Sword Style of The War God of Katori
Katori Shinto Ryu was created in the mid-fifteenth century by a samurai Choisai Ienao, after he received enlightenment from the God of the Katori shrine in which he was practicing for 1000 days and nights, as legend has it. Katori Shinto Ryu has had a long and illustrious history dating back some 600 years. This style has produced many excellent swordsmen and famous sword masters such as Tsukuhara Bokuden (who survived more than 100 duels and fought on the battlefield 37 times) and Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (the progenitor of the famous Yagyu style).
In the past, this style was kept hidden away from the prying eyes of outsiders. It has been passed down as a secret tradition from generation to generation, teacher to student, intact and relatively unchanged for half a millennium. Only recently have outsiders been allowed to see it. Katori Shinto Ryu was finally officially recognized as a “cultural treasure of Japan” by the Japanese Government in the 35th year of Showa (1960).
The style of Katori Shinto Ryu practiced at the Dragon Fencing Academy is Sugino-style Katori Shinto Ryu. The late Master Yoshio Sugino, an excellent swordsman, became famous due to his outstanding work as the swordfight choreographer for legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s most celebrated samurai films Yojimbo and the Seven Samurai, and Hiroshi Inagaki’s acclaimed epic Miyamoto Musashi (renamed Samurai Trilogy in North America) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1955.
What is Ono-Ha Itto Ryu: The One Stroke Style (Ono Branch)
Ono-ha Itto Ryu is the oldest and most celebrated branch of the famous Itto Ryu style of swordsmanship. It was created by Ono Tadaaki, an excellent swordsman, who succeeded Ittosai Kagehisa, the original founder of Itto Ryu, as headmaster of the style. The Ono-ha Itto Ryu style of swordsmanship gained fame and prominence throughout Japan when Ono Tadaaki was appointed “kenjutsu shinan-yaku” (instructor in swordsmanship) to the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. Ono-ha Itto Ryu became an official kenjutsu school of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Ono-ha Itto Ryu has proven to be one of the most studied styles of swordsmanship. Many superior swordsmen have graduated from this school over the centuries. Most recently, Sasamori Junzo, a famous kendo master (10th dan hanshi), Christian minister, educator, influential politician noted for his work for international peace, and author of the famous English language primer on kendo entitled "This is Kendo". He was the 16th generation headmaster of the style. His son Takemi now heads the style in Tokyo.
Ono-ha Itto Ryo has had a profound influence on the development of kendo (Japanese fencing) and its main techniques and principles. It is no surprise that many serious kendo teachers and practitioners in Japan and around the world study this style.
What Is the difference between Kenjutsu and Kendo? (Please note we do not teach kendo currently.)
KENJUTSU KENDO an art concerned with accurate and realistic sword technique applications is a sport with rules and conventions guiding acceptable targets, techniques, and scoring procedures Entire body is the target 5 targets only: wrists, head, throat, belly and sides of the waist uses wooden swords, real swords, and/or bamboo swords, weapon is a bamboo sword (shinai) curriculum consists mainly of training in kata and cutting practice curriculum consists of mostly fencing bouts and practice exercises stances, techniques, and tactics used depend on the particular style stance is upright, facing forward with whole body, rear foot (left) raised slightly off the floor movements can be linear or circular or any combination of the two, depending on the style movement is predominantly linear (forward and backward) some contend that kenjutsu is the art of winning real fights with real swords some contend that kendo is an art more geared towards improving oneself through spiritual development
How many katas are there?
Katori Shinto Ryu has a basic curriculum consisting of the following disciplines: 4 basic sword katas, 6 basic staff katas, 4 basic naginata katas, and 11 basic Iaijutsu katas.
Students begin their study of Katori Shinto Ryu by learning the 4 basic sword vs. sword katas. It will take on average 2 years of diligent study to learn all the basic movements of the basic sword katas.
Katori Shinto Ryu does have a more advanced curriculum but this is not introduced until the fundamentals and the basic curriculum have been mastered.
Ono-Ha Itto Ryu has 42 basic sword Katas (Otachi section). It will take about 2-3 years to learn all the katas in a basic way.
How long will it take me to become skilled (e.g., to become a black belt)?
There can be no timetable on proficiency.
Study in old budo disciplines like kenjutsu are a way of life. In Japan and around the world, there are still today swordsmen who devote their lifetime to studying their art and passing on the tradition. For these people, swordsmanship is like a religion. Miyamoto Musashi termed it "heiho no michi" (the Way of Strategy) and for others, it is the epitome of "Bushido" (following the Way of the Warrior). Joining a sword dojo is joining a tradition that is centuries old, and following in the footsteps of generations of warriors. Sword study, like Bushido, is not an accomplishment that ends with the last kata. It is a way of life.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step - Lao Tzu
Kenjutsu Resources
Movies
- Seven Samurai
- Yojimbo
- Sanjuro
- Throne of Blood
- Ran
- Kagemusha
- Rashomon
- Samurai Part1: Miyamoto Musashi
- Samurai Part 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
- Samurai Part 3: Duel at Ganryu Island
- The Twilight Samurai
- The Hidden Blade
- Love and Honour
Books
- Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings) - Miyamoto Musashi
- Hagakure (The Book of the Samurai) - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
- Bushido (The Soul of Japan) - Inazo Nitobe
- Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers (47 Ronin) - Takeda Izumo
About Tokumeikan
Tokumeikan is a group of practitioners dedicated to the study of budo and bujutsu. Tokumeikan was established in 1994 by Sensei Douglas Tong. While living in Japan he studied the following styles of kenjutsu there:
- Katori Shinto Ryu studied directly under Master Yoshio Sugino in Kawasaki-shi
- Ono-ha Itto Ryu under Master Takemi Sasamori in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
- Yagyu Shinkage Ryu under Master Masao Mutou in Zushi-shi
- Muso Shinden Eishin Ryu iaido and ZNKR kendo under Master Toshihiko Izawa in Fujisawa-shi
website: www.tokumeikan.com Blog: www.tokumeikan-toronto.blogspot.com/
email: doug@dragonfencing.com