Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this article. I’m Shogo, the manager of this website and the interpreter/instructor at Yushikan Kyoto’s Samurai Training Activity.
In the world of Japanese traditional culture, there is a concept called “Ryuha,” which means style or school. You may have heard before that martial arts like Karate, Jujutsu, and Aikido have different styles. Not only martial arts but also tea ceremonies and stage performances like Kabuki and Noh Theatre have different styles. The art of katana drawing, Iai, has more than 100 different Ryuha styles. At our Yushikan Kyoto’s “Samurai Training with the Modern-day Musashi,” you will learn at the Yushin Ryu’s dojo. “Ryu” means style, so our style is called the “Yushin style.”
Yushin Ryu is a rare katana martial art Ryuha style that teaches three forms of katana swordsmanship: Iai (katana drawing), Kenjutsu, and Tameshigiri (mat cutting). It is a two-katana style that trains the skills of the typical Uchi-katana, shorter Wakizashi, and dual-katana wielding. The left-hand drawing/sheathing of the katana and the Women’s Iai Kata are rare techniques that are unique to this Ryuha. There are five branches of dojos and about 100 students nationwide. The venue where the activity is held is the Kyoto branch of the Ryuha style, where more than 20 students train three times a week.
While there are many other “Samurai experiences” and “Katana training activities” nationwide in Japan, most facilities are not run by an actual Ryuha style of katana martial arts. At our activity, you will be able to watch a performance by the instructor showing the unique techniques of our school. This experience is not easily found in other facilities, and we invite you to join us in our activities. If you want to participate in any of our activities, please book through our Airbnb or TripAdvisor pages. We look forward to meeting you all.
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