Dragon Fencing Academy
Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu
Dragon Fencing Academy is pleased to offer study in two styles of Japanese swordsmanship in Katori Shinto Ryu and Yagyu Shinkage Ryu Kenjutsu. Instruction will be non-contact 2 person partnered kata forms. Classes are held on Tuesday, Friday and Sundays.
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
Our Japanese Swordsmanship Classes Highlighted on York Region Living
Sunday: Introduction to Kenjutsu
Sundays 10am to 11am
Introduction to Kenjutsu
Learn Basic stances, cuts, blocks, kata,
All equipment is supplied
Gym clothes or martial arts uniform required
Next workshop - Contact US
Minimum 4 and maximum 10 participants
Join in anytime - Flexible Start Dates
Limited spaces - To register call 905-764-8388 or email info@dragonfencing.com
YAGYU SHINKAGE RYU Kenjutsu (Ohtsubo branch)
Learn The official style of the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu
We are the only official Canadian school for Yagyu Shinkage Ryu (Ohtsubo branch)
"The Life Giving sword" -
Minimum requirement must have a basic foundation of Katori Shinto Ryu
Minimum 4 students maximum 10 per session
To register call 905-764-8388 or email info@dragonfencing.com
Fridays 8pm
Weekly Kenjutsu Classes - Katori Shinto Ryu
- Offered on Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
- 1 hour lesson - includes warm-up kamae, stances, footwork and Kata
- Karate Gi required
- Sugino style Katori Shinto Ryu
- Minimum 14 years old to participate
- Maximum 8 students per class,
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.
KATORI SHINTO RYU
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.
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.
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. Mr. Tong is the pioneer of Sugino-style Katori Shinto Ryu in Canada, being the first to introduce the style to Canada in 1994. 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 Canada who practice Katori Shinto Ryu seriously and carry on the tradition. The Dragon Fencing Academy's group is one of the top groups in Sugino-style Katori Shinto Ryu in Canada. Some of Mr. Tong's students have gone on to be ranked with Sugino Sensei and to become official members of Sugino Dojo in Japan.
Members of Dragon Fencing Academy's Katori Shinto Ryu class can attend special events throughout the year, like special seminars featuring top-class instructors from all over the world, such as Sozen Sensei (5th dan) of Norway. Our students also participate in demonstrations at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. 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.
YAGYU SHINKAGE RYU
What is Yagyu Shinkage Ryu?
Shinkage Ryu was created in the mid-sixteenth century (c. 1568) by a samurai named Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. Shinkage Ryu means "new shadow school". This style was created out of a fusion of his studies in 2 styles: Kage Ryu and Katori Shinto Ryu. He later taught a young, talented swordsman named Yagyu Muneyoshi, who then went on to found his own school, the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.
The Legend of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu
Tokugawa Ieyasu, then a general under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a warlord, arranged to have a meeting with Yagyu Muneyoshi to see for himself this great sword style. Muneyoshi impressed him so much that Ieyasu asked Muneyoshi to be his personal sword instructor. Muneyoshi had to decline due to his age but recommended his fifth son, Munenori. Ieyasu agreed and Munenori went with him. Later, when Tokugawa became Shogun, Munenori became the official instructor of swordsmanship of the Tokugawa Shogunate, instructing Ieyasu's son, Hidetada. He also became the trusted adviser of the third Shogun, Iemitsu.Munenori composed a book in 1632 called the Heiho Kaden Sho, in which he fused many ideas in Zen with those of swordsmanship. This book, which not only discussed the practical issues in swordfighting but also looked at its spiritual and philosophical aspects, became one of the Bibles of Japanese swordsmanship.About Us
We are an authorized group of practitioners that train in Yagyu Shinkage Ryu kenjutsu. We follow the direction of Kajitsuka Yasushi Sensei, soke of the Ohtsubo branch of the Owari Line of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.
The Tradition of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu in Canada
We are proud to be the first official study group for Yagyu Shinkage Ryu (Ohtsubo branch) in Canada.
What Is the difference between Kenjutsu and Kendo?
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
Do you teach kendo?
No, but we teach the foundation Kenjutsu style of Ono-Ha Itto Ryu workshop on occasion.
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
- The Samurai I Loved
- Love and Honour
- 13 assassins
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
