Kenjutsu in London

Cityultimas guide on Kenjutsu in London covers Kenjutsu Clubs in London, with contact details and maps. There are also great resource links to Kenjutsu Organisations and Kenjutsu Equipment.

About Kenjutsu

Kenjutsu (剣術 ?), meaning "the art of the sword" , is a term for classical Japanese sword arts (or koryū), in particular those which predate the Meiji Restoration. It is sometimes used more generally to describe any martial art which makes use of the Japanese sword. Kenjutsu originates from the samurai class of feudal japan. during this period of time, until about 1867

The exact activities undertaken when practising kenjutsu vary with school, but commonly include practice of basic techniques (kihon) without opponent and techniques where two persons paired kata (featuring full contact strikes in some styles). Historically schools incorporated sparring under a variety of conditions, from using solid wooden bokutō to use of bamboo sword (shinai) and armour (bogu)

The initial things to learn (rather than a series of endless and complicated techniques) when kenjutsu training are:

1. assessing space and distance (Maii) between yourself and your opponent
2. building up your reaction and co-ordination skills whilst also increasing your sense of balance – this is achieved through developing your tai-sabaki or body movement away from an attacker
3. learning to breath in time with your movements and becoming aware of your hara
4. getting used to being able to cut correctly at the correct angle – and being aware of the opponents anatomy so that a single cut does most/least damage
5. becoming aware of the rhythm of your opponent and developing an intuitive understanding of when an opponent will attack
6. being aware that it is not a matter of brute strength, but a method of using your whole body
7. and making the best use of your own timing and skills in this I find training with an opponent is essential to compliment your own personal training

The emphasis is therefore in becoming very familiar with the basic cuts so that you can gradually increase your range of skills both as a physical and intuitive action