to the sword occurred as we proceed into the Shinto, or New Sword, period (1530–1867). The tachi (curved sword), developed during the Chokuto period, became outdated. A lengthy blade measuring up to four feet in length, the tachi had been worn with its cutting edge facing downward, suspended from the hip of the samurai by a rope that was threaded through two rings on the scabbard. The revised version’s blade length was shortened, resulting in a blade only two feet long, that would be carried fastened to the user’s left hip by a sash, with the cutting edge of the blade facing upward. According to some sources, this new kind of sword was the first to be called a katana (single cutting edge). The katana enabled the samurai to draw the sword at a moment’s notice and greatly influenced other aspects of samurai sword technique. Most of the iai-jutsu (sword-drawing) techniques described in this book came about as a result of this important physical modification of the weapon.
Some warriors of the era wore two samurai swords affixed by a sash at the side of the body, which were together known as daisho. These might have been composed of a katana or daito (long samurai swords) and wakizashi or shoto (short samurai swords), both seated on the left side at the hip. The shorter sword was considered an auxiliary to be used in tandem with the longer one, as a “back-up” in case of loss or damage to the primary blade, and even as an instrument to fall upon for suicide. (Today, this type of sword configuration is utilized in the more advanced levels of iai-jutsu; however, very few people ever train in this aspect.) A tanto (knife) was also worn, to be employed against an enemy of the samurai; it was also used if seppuku (ritual suicide) was necessary to preserve the honor of the samurai or his daimyo. In this case, another samurai would be appointed as the kaishakunin, to assist the samurai in seppuku by decapitating him, after he had cut himself across the abdomen.
Seppuku was just one of many ritualized traditions in the samurai’s strict moral code of honor, known as bushido, or “way of the warrior.” This code was to be tested by Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582), a samurai and military general whose ruthless tactics would have been perceived by samurai of the time as dishonorable. They included employing muskets, making sneak attacks, and torturing captives—all violations against bushido, which demanded that the samurai act within specific parameters of fairness. There had been a slow decline in “martial etiquette” subsequent to the fall of the Minamotos, some of bushido’s most dedicated proponents, but the chaotic Sengoku period in which Nobunaga lived would see its greatest decline. Nobunaga’s unorthodox techniques may have been the cause of his demise; he was either killed or committed seppuku when one of his own generals, who was also a samurai, staged an overwhelming attack against him at a temple where he was staying the night.
Nobunaga had been on his way to help his ally, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in an effort to overthrow a common rival when he came under attack. Upon hearing about Nobunaga’s death, Hideyoshi continued to follow in his comrade’s footsteps and conquered more territory. Hideyoshi would eventually reunify Japan from its divided, almost anarchistic state to end the Sengoku period before the close of the sixteenth century.
Hideyoshi’s clan lost control of the nation to the Tokugawa samurai in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. This battle marked a shift in power that would result in about 250 years of relative peace in Japan under the Tokugawa “dynasty.”
Circa 1600, the head of the Tokugawa clan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, came into power and strengthened the shogunate by clearly defining distinctions between the classes. The resulting hierarchy imposed a rigid structure and enforced strict laws that applied separately to daimyos, samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants (ordered by class, descending from the most to the least respected). During this period (the Edo period, 1600–1867), Japan looked inward, closing its borders to trade and influence from its neighbors. Aside from Ryukyu (the present-day Okinawa Prefecture), which was taken over by a small clan of Samurai sent by the Tokugawas, called the Shimazu, the shogu-nate ceased all attempts at conquest and expansion, and Japan became a relatively peaceful archipelago. This era brought about a decrease in demand for finely crafted samurai swords that were constructed to function well in combat. Thus, the sword-making techniques of the Five Schools became more and more antiquated, as an aesthetic component to the samurai sword rose in popularity.
However, with mounting commercial interests and industrialization spreading westward from the Americas and Europe, Japan’s closed-door policy was fated to be ephemeral. Japan’s technology was falling behind that of the rest of the world, which was beginning to industrialize. Once again, change would come from within when the Sotozama daimyos overthrew the Tokugawa dynasty, ending the shogunate forever and reestablishing an emperor as ruler, in 1868. With this new emperor came the end of the samurai sword’s golden era.
SHIN-SHINTO OR MODERN SWORD PERIOD
The end of the shogunate, and the reestablishment of an emperor as ruler, set the stage for a new era. For the samurai, this was cemented in 1876 when Emperor Meiji (1868–1912) prohibited the wearing of samurai swords. Samurai were rendered powerless in the eyes of the new government, which was evolving into a more Westernized form of leadership that did not depend on a powerful warrior class. After the ascension of Emperor Meiji, the Shin-shinto, or Modern, period of the samurai sword began. Changing political circumstances caused the need for the samurai sword to wane dramatically, and the quality of the blades manufactured during this period couldn’t be compared to that of the samurai swords produced by the Five Schools.
The last “mass production” (both metaphorically and literally) of samurai swords took place in preparation for World War II. Unlike in earlier eras, these swords were made in mechanized factories and inscribed with a cherry blossom on the tang to indicate the Showa era (1926–1989). The low-quality factory productions constructed in modern times were of the katana style.
Over time, the way of the samurai sword has always been changing and evolving: the popularity and availability of the sword fluctuated, battlefield experience revolutionized how samurai used it to fight, and modifications to the sword affected the circumstances of warfare. These changes have given rise to a proliferation of methods of using the samurai sword, which one might contend emanated either from the swords that were available or from the innovations of swordsmiths striving to satisfy the whims of the shogun, emperor, or daimyo, who requested such instruments to fortify their retainers.
In either case, the plethora of techniques successfully used in battle by the samurai became the foundation for the evolution of thousands of martial ryus, or “schools of thought,” that would make up a category of martial arts that the Japanese would refer to as kobu-jutsu. In spite of the decline in samurai sword quality and the sweeping social changes that brought an end to the samurai class, the kobu-jutsu disciplines of ken-jutsu and iai-jutsu, which are based on the wisdom and tradition of the samurai, quietly survived through oral and gestural transmission, from teacher to student. These aspects of kobu-jutsu constitute the theme of my next discourse and are the hallmarks of this text.
Iai-Jutsu and Ken-Jutsu
Subsequent to the era of the samurai, the art of the samurai sword has been divided into two categories: iai-jutsu and ken-jutsu.
Iai-jutsu or literally, “quick-draw art,” is devoted to methods of drawing the samurai sword and returning it to its sheath, using the most economical movements possible. It evolved parallel to the evolution of the samurai sword and provided an indispensable, rapid, efficient system of response to imminent attack. The three integral facets of this art are called in Japanese nuki-dashi (draw), chiburi (deblood), and noto (sheathe).
In contrast to iai-jutsu is ken-jutsu, which refers to the myriad of cuts, parries, thrusts, and blocks that the samurai would use after his samurai sword had been unsheathed. Although both
