Kenjutsu
/keɲ.dʑɯ.tsɯ/noun
A traditional Japanese martial art concerned with the techniques of swordsmanship.
Did you know?Kenjutsu is a modern umbrella term for numerous Japanese sword-fighting traditions, many of which developed in the warrior culture of the samurai and were preserved through formal schools called ryūha.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Middle Chinese
劍術 (jiànshù)
“Sword technique or sword arts; the source expression behind the Japanese compound.”
Before the 8th Century
Japanese
剣 (ken)
“Sword; a Sino-Japanese reading of the character 劍.”
Before the 8th Century
Japanese
術 (jutsu)
“Art, method, technique, or practiced skill; from Chinese 術.”
Medieval Japan
Japanese
剣術 (kenjutsu)
“The techniques and methods of swordsmanship, especially within warrior training traditions.”
19th–20th Century
Japanese
剣術 (kenjutsu)
“A conventional label for classical Japanese sword schools, particularly as martial systems were categorized during and after the modernization of Japan.”
Modern English
English
kenjutsu
“A Japanese martial art or group of traditions focused on swordsmanship.”