Kenjutsu..... Question

[Justin Treadaway]

I was wondering if there are any good books/videos on kenjutsu? There are no schools even remotely close to me. I am very interested in learning this style and was wondering if there are any books/videos worth getting.

[Zanshin]

I was wondering if there are any good books/videos on kenjutsu? There are no schools even remotely close to me. I am very interested in learning this style and was wondering if there are any books/videos worth getting.

This may be of interest. Tobin Threadgill is an exponent of Shindo Yoshin Ryu Ju-Jitsu. This footage was taken at a Wado Ryu Karate Demo in the US: As a Wado-Ka I love to see the association between Karate and Sword work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Ma0Aefggo

Another Good vid I found was this one. I dont know a lot about Okawa Ryu but looks impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0z77DzmzyE&mode=related&search=

As far as locating a suitable school, you could start by contact your national Kendo association. In the UK its the BKA

[ARADOX]

I think I remember reading something that stated kenjutsu as something of a black art?, at least as far as the "Swordsmanship" arts are concerned, I mean iaido is just drawing the sword, iaijutso is something akin to kenjutsu, but kenjutsu is actually the art of fighting and killing with the sword, kendo dosen't teach the sort of finishing moves that kenjutsu does. This is second hand info but hopefully it helps somewhat, it may be wise to research iaido as well since it is similar if somewhat less... brutal?, I dunno.

[bushido_man96]

If you are learning to use a sword, then there should be no misconceptions about what the moves you do with the sword are designed to do, or what the weapon itself was designed to do. It is a killing implement, and it was meant to be used efficiently.

Iado, for example, isn't just the art of drawing the sword, it is the art of drawing and slicing/cutting at once, resulting, in the eye of the warrrior, in death.

[ARADOX]

That's what I meant of course if iaido was simply the art of drawing the sword in one motion there would be no need for an art, the art function referrs to the various ways of killing an assailant with a bladed weapon (probably a katana) while it resides within the scabbard with one well-executed movement.

I am not uder any doubt what the tool is used for, I'm saying the Kenjutsu (seems to) have moves that are brutal, perhaps dishnourable and not nesecarily in keeping with ye ol' bushido, and that's why it's considered to be a "black art", the distiguishing factors come when one starts to think about the finishing movements, should the opponant be killed if his arm is no longer a threat? that sort of thing.

[bushido_man96]

I'm not sure that there can really be a difference in the brutality of one sword attack over another. In combat, if a warrior took someone's arm off, they may naturally flow right into another attack, dispatching the attacker. Who knows? What if you didn't take off their sword arm?

As far as it being called a "black art" because of the killing moves.....well, I think that is what the sword was made to do....kill, not maim.

[ARADOX]

Perhaps "killing move" was a poor choice of wording, every movement with a sword should be a killing move, but rather the inclusion of concepts such as small scale domoralisation, after all who wants to fight the dude tht just butchered his friend and is now throwing the eyeballs at them, this is the difference between iaijutsu and kenjuts, the latter is more of a warfare situation, iaijutsi I'm led to believe is more of a duelling art, and when coupled with iaido one becomes VERY good at dispatching single assailants, whereas kenjutsu is as mentioned before; warfare.

[NY_Karatedork]

kenjutsu isn't a widely available sport, I know there is a dojo in Californa, New York City and Japan, Now Iaido is just as bad I believe, I want to take Kenjutsu but since I don't live near a Dojo I just accept it keep a Katana in my room, (i've been known to act like Gollem over it).

[Zanshin]

Kenjutsu is taught by schools that fall into the "Koryu" category of martial arts and as such it is very difficult to find a sensei that can teach you.

As I understand it, it’s a bit like joining an exclusive golf club. You have to be nominated, then interviewed and if you’re lucky may get on the shortlist.

Or at least that’s what it seems like to me.

[ARADOX]

That sounds rather pompous and unnessecary