The History of Kenjutsu and Gekiken
According to ancient tradition, Japan in the age of the gods was once referred to as Kuwashi-hoko-chitaru-no-kuni (細戈千足国), a land where many weapons, including swords and blades, already existed.
During the reign of the tenth emperor, Sujin, the Nihon Shoki records a passage describing how Prince Toyokiiribiko no Mikoto, in a dream at dawn, ascended Mount Mimoro, faced east, and performed eight spear thrusts and eight sword strikes. In this account appears the term tachikaki (撃刀), which is considered the earliest recorded name referring to what would later be known as Japanese swordsmanship.
The production of swords in Japan is believed to have begun around the 5th century. In Kashima, a region dedicated to martial deities, Kuninazu no Mahito is said to have received the “Kashima no Tachi” through divine revelation. Excavations from the Kofun period reveal numerous straight swords known as chokutō, and the forging techniques of the time were already highly advanced. Complex combinations of hard and soft steel had been developed, forming the technological foundation that would later lead to the curved Japanese sword known as wantō. By the late 10th century, the method of forging the outwardly curved blade with its distinctive ridge line called shinogi had become established.
Formal kenjutsu schools began to emerge and rise to prominence during the Nanbokuchō and Muromachi periods. Before that time, swordsmanship appears only fragmentarily in war chronicles such as The Tale of the Heike and Taiheiki. From the Nanbokuchō period onward, schools connected to the tradition of “Kashima no Tachi” gave rise to lineages such as Shintō-ryū and Nen-ryū, the latter founded by Nen Ami Jion. Chūjō-ryū developed from these currents, and later, during the middle to late Muromachi period, Aisu Ikō established Kage-ryū, which would eventually give birth to Shinkage-ryū. Many existing traditions can be traced back to these formative schools.
At this time, there were no shinai. Training was conducted with wooden swords or even tree branches. Because full-force striking was extremely dangerous, practice likely involved controlled contact or stopping short of impact. Nonetheless, there were numerous instances of schools engaging in actual bouts using unsharpened blades or wooden swords. Even when not fought to the death, such matches frequently resulted in severe injury, permanent disability, or even fatalities.
During the Muromachi to Sengoku period, several legendary swordsmen appeared, including Tsukahara Bokuden of Kashima Shintō-ryū, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna of Shinkage-ryū, Tomita Seigen of Tomita-ryū, and Itō Ittōsai of Ittō-ryū. Although wooden sword practice remained dominant, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna devised a prototype of the modern shinai known as the fukuro shinai, a split bamboo core covered in leather or cloth. This innovation preserved the sensation of striking while allowing safer practice. The concept of the fukuro shinai would profoundly influence later developments and contribute to the spread of freer forms of live training.
In the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, the disciples and successors of these masters flourished. The fukuro shinai gradually spread throughout the country and began to be adopted by various schools. As the Sengoku wars ended and the Edo period brought stability under the Tokugawa shogunate, battlefield necessity declined. The martial skills once required for survival became less essential. Over time, certain schools emphasized refinement and formality, and in some cases practical effectiveness receded into a secondary role.
By the mid-Edo period, protective equipment and shinai-based matches became more common. Schools such as Jikishinkage-ryū and Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū contributed to the development of training with armor. Practitioners from outside the samurai class increased in number, and some commoner-based schools engaged freely in inter-school matches. Traveling training journeys using shinai striking practice also became widespread, sometimes undertaken under the pretext of religious pilgrimage, such as visiting Ise Shrine.
Equipment and technical characteristics varied widely by region and lineage. Tennen Rishin-ryū was founded during the latter half of the mid-Edo period and is believed to have incorporated shinai striking practice into its curriculum from the outset.
From the late Edo period into the Meiji Restoration, further developments occurred. Influenced by Ōishi Susumu, longer shinai became popular, leading to the length that would later be standardized in modern kendo. Protective armor was strengthened and refined, including the development of the iron thirteen-bar men, bamboo body protectors, and more flexible kote. Shinai-based matches became central to sword training, and in some regions the term “gekiken” was used interchangeably with swordsmanship. As inter-school matches became more frequent, techniques gradually converged toward methods effective under shinai conditions.
In response to the arrival of Commodore Perry and the changing political climate, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Kōbusho military academy. There, intensive shinai striking practice was conducted, and the length of three shaku eight sun, close to that used in modern kendo, was standardized. The severity of training also led to further improvements in protective equipment, enabling practitioners to strike without restraint and pursue greater realism.
Following the Meiji Restoration and the abolition of the samurai class, martial arts faced decline. In an effort to survive, public gekiken exhibitions were held, notably by Sakakibara Kenkichi. Swordsmanship regained recognition during events such as the Satsuma Rebellion and became actively practiced within the police. The Dai Nippon Butokukai was founded in the late 19th century and officially designated the term “kendō.” It established titles such as renshi, kyōshi, and hanshi, carrying significant social authority. Over time, traditional forms specific to each lineage were often replaced by standardized kata and competitive training. Many Edo-period schools gradually disappeared, and this process ultimately led to the development of modern kendo.
Throughout history, swordsmanship in Japan has been known by many names, including tachikaki, tachiuchi, heihō, heijutsu, kenpō, tōhō, tōjutsu, shigeki, kenjutsu, gekiken, and eventually kendō. The shinai and protective armor that evolved alongside this long history have become indispensable tools in Japanese martial arts. In recent years, shinai striking practice has also been recognized as one training method within traditional kenjutsu schools, and the term “gekiken” is sometimes used as a historical reference to classical shinai-based practice.
With these refined tools, regarded as the safest and most reliable means of conducting free sword exchange, we do not consider ourselves merely standing at the end of history. Rather, through their use, we continue searching for what remains alive within it.