Kenjutsu
Dragon Fencing
Academy is pleased to
offer study in Japanese swordsmanship in Katori
Shinto Ryu. Instruction will be
non-contact 2 person partnered kata forms. Classes are held
on Sundays only.
Learn techniques and tactics with exposure to the ancient
art of Kenjutsu and the use of the Japanese sword. Understand sword techniques from an
idealized combat system used in ancient medieval Japan.
“To master the virtue of the
long sword is to govern the world and oneself.”
-
Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
News
Beginner Kenjutsu
-
Learn Japanese sword
techniques
-
4 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
-
Minimum 14 years
old to participate
-
4 lessons for
$100 GST included
-
Minimum 4
students maximum 10 per session
-
To register call
905-764-8388 or email
info@dragonfencing.com
-
Sundays
11:30am
Weekly Kenjutsu Classes - Katori
Shinto Ryu
- Offered on Sundays or Tuesdays Katori Shinto Ryu
- 1 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
Japanese sword techniques course a pre-requisite
- Minimum 14
years old to participate
- Maximum 8 students per class,
- Katori Shinto
Ryu - 8 lessons
package -
$220 GST included
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).
The Legacy of
Katori Shinto Ryu
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).
Which Version of Katori Shinto Ryu Do We Practice?
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.
Who is the
teacher?
The teacher of Katori Shinto Ryu at the Dragon Fencing
Academy is Mr. Douglas Tong. Mr. Tong was the direct pupil of Master
Yoshio Sugino. More information can be found on the Coaches page.
The Tradition
of Katori Shinto Ryu in Canada
There are only a
handful of people in the world who practice Katori Shinto Ryu
seriously and carry on the tradition. It is a very exclusive club.
Likewise in Canada,
the serious practitioners are also in an exclusive club. Mr. Tong's
group, Tokumeikan, is the only such club. Established in 1994, it is
the leader for serious study in Sugino-style Katori Shinto Ryu in
Canada.
Members of Dragon Fencing's Katori Shinto Ryu class, as students of
Mr. Tong, are automatically part of Tokumeikan and are able to
participate in all of the events put on by Tokumeikan. Every year,
members can attend special seminars featuring top-class instructors
from all over the world such as Sozen Sensei (5th dan) and Eri
Kusano Sensei (6th dan) from Norway. Our members can also choose
to participate in our annual pilgrimage to see Sugino Sensei (the
headmaster) and learn directly from him when he comes to Canada
every year. Guest instructors like Dennis Wiens Sensei come
periodically to enrich our understanding of katori Shinto Ryu. Our
members also participate in demonstrations at the Japanese Canadian
Cultural Centre in Toronto. More information about past and upcoming
Tokumeikan events can be found at:
http://www.tokumeikan-toronto.blogspot.com/
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, metal
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 4 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.
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
-
Chushingura
- 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