Japanese martial arts

is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), Paralympic sport (since 1988) and Commonwealth Games sport (since 1990). Judo is the most prominent form of Samurai throws and self-defense competed internationally. Judo was created in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō () as an eclectic martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors (primarily Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujutsu and Kitō-ryū jujutsu) due to an emphasis on "randori" (, lit. 'free sparring') instead of alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements. Judo rose to prominence for its dominance o

(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; tī in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a .

is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring () or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down).

Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Aikikai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 140 countries.

, also known as jiu-jitsu or ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner. A subset of techniques from certain styles that jujutsu were used to develop many modern martial arts and combat sports, such as judo, aikido, sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ARB, and mixed martial arts.

Kickboxing is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or for competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.

is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship exercises, and today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread to many other nations across the world.

thumb|A samurai in Japanese armour|his armor in the 1860s. Hand-colored photograph by [[Felice Beato]]

, and are terms for the techniques and skills used by covert operatives, irregular warfare specialists and intelligence gatherers in pre-modern Japan known as ninja. Some of these techniques are recorded in ninja scrolls, several of which have been published and translated. The study of these scrolls have changed the perception of ninja and ninjutsu.

is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei.

Kata is a Japanese word (型 or 形) meaning 'form'. It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts as a way to memorize and perfect the movements being executed. Korean martial arts with Japanese influence (hapkido, Tang Soo Do) use the derived term hyeong (hanja: 形) and also the term pumsae (hanja: 品勢 hangeul: 품새).

, abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.

thumb|Inagaki Genshiro Hanshi 9. Dan does Kyūdō Kyūdō () is the Japanese martial art of archery. Kyūdō is based on kyūjutsu ("art of archery"), which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan. In 1919, the name of kyūjutsu was officially changed to kyūdō, and following the example of other martial arts that have been systematizing for educational purposes, kyūdō also reorganized and integrated various forms of shooting that had been used up until then. Many practitioners may refer to themselves as yumihiki (弓引き), or 'ones who draw the bow'. Kyūdō is practised by over a hundred thousand

is the name of several martial arts. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel. The word Kenpō translates to "Fist Method", "ken" meaning "fist" and "po" meaning "method/technique". The generic nature of the term combined with its widespread, cross-cultural adoption in the martial arts community has led to many divergent definitions. For example, in Suiō-ryū Iai Kenpō it refers to "Battlefield sword against sword forms". In modern Japanese, the term is generally used

, Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques.

Japanese martial art

right|thumb|Motobu's twelve kumite (1926) thumb|Two karatekas sparring Kumite (, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.

is a Japanese term describing modern Japanese martial arts. It is commonly translated as "Martial Way", or the "Way of Martial Arts".

Japanese martial art

is an umbrella term for all (ko-budō) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Kenjutsu is a martial art that puts more emphasis on various real-life sword combat scenarios, compared with its modern adaptation, kendo, which has evolved into a modern sport with fewer target areas and attack patterns and more rules. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also include modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "sword techniques", as

thumb|Yabusame archer on [[horseback, an ancient combat form]] thumb|Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, one of the oldest schools of swordsmanship ([[kenjutsu)]] is a collective term for Japanese traditional techniques for the use of armour, blades, firearms, and techniques related to combat and horse riding. The kanji and are other ways of writing it. The general umbrella term is also used to describe these ancient arts.

is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982). Ōtsuka was a Menkyo Kaiden licensed Shindō Yōshin-ryū practitioner of Tatsusaburo Nakayama and a student of Yōshin-ryū prior to meeting the Okinawan karate master Gichin Funakoshi. After having learned from Funakoshi, and after their split, with Okinawan masters such as Kenwa Mabuni and Motobu Chōki, Ōtsuka merged Shindō Yōshin-ryū with Okinawan karate. The result of Ōtsuka's efforts is Wadō-ryū Karate.

200px|right|thumb|Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shitō-ryū Karate.

Japanese martial art

weapons systems of Okinawan martial arts

, meaning "way of the jō", or , meaning "art of the jō", is a Japanese martial art using a short staff called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) long.

(formerly known as Daido Juku) is a Japanese hybrid martial art. It is a full-contact combat sport that aims to achieve safety, aggression and practicality, a style of mixed martial arts practised with headgear and gloves. It features stand-up striking, with throwing and grappling techniques being also allowed in the competition, including restraint, locks and chokeholds.

thumb|upright|Nagamaki, koshirae, from tsuka to tip, tang, tsuka, cutting edge thumb|upright=0.2|Nagamaki koshirae, 54 in. thumb|upright=0.2|Nagamaki hilt, 26.75 in. thumb|upright=0.2|Shinto nagamaki tang, 19.75 in.

, meaning "art of the spear", is the Japanese martial art of fighting with a .

is a Japanese martial art blanket term for any combat skill, technique, or system of martial art using body movements that are described as an empty-hand combat skill or system. Taijutsu is a synonym for jujutsu (method of close combat either unarmed or with minor weapons), and the words jujutsu, taijutsu, and yawara can be used interchangeably. The term is commonly used when referring to traditional Japanese martial arts but has also been used in the naming of modern martial arts such as Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Taijutsu is similar to karate but is more focused on the body techniques. More spe

type of martial arts

'''''' () is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the staff. Others involve using the staff as a vaulting pole or as a prop for hand-to-hand strikes.

thumb|Shōrin-ryū

kata practised in karate

thumb|Yabusame archer on horseback thumb|Yabusame archery|archer takes aim on the second target.

thumb|An original Kubotan keychain with keys attached A Kubotan is a self-defense keychain weapon developed by Sōke Takayuki Kubota in the late 1960s. It is typically no more than long and about in diameter, slightly thicker or the same size as a marker pen. The material is usually a hard high-impact plastic such as Lexan. The body of the Kubotan is lined with six round grooves with a screw eye or swivel and split ring attachment at one end for keys. The term is a portmanteau of Kubota (the creator's last name) and of the word Baton, and it is a genericized trademark.

Japanese school of swordsmanship

umbrella term for modern Japanese martial arts

is the Japanese martial art of bayonet fighting, and has been likened to kendo (but with bayonets instead of swords).

is an old term for iaijutsu (居合術). Battōjutsu is often used interchangeably with the terms iaijutsu and battō (抜刀).

is a term used in Japanese martial arts to describe free-style practice (sparring). The term denotes an exercise in 取り tori, applying technique to a random ( 乱 ran) succession of uke attacks.

thumb|En no Gyōja holding a khakkhara, Japan, [[Kamakura period, polychromed wood]]

In Japanese martial arts a is a short shout uttered when performing an assault.

is the Japanese martial art of wielding the . The naginata is a weapon resembling the European glaive and the Chinese guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a gendai budō, in which competitions also are held.

, literally meaning "analysis" or "disassembly", "is a term used in Japanese martial arts referring to process of analysing kata and extracting fighting techniques from the movements of a 'form' (kata). The extracted fighting techniques are called Oyo."

okinawan martial arts

("art of archery") is the traditional Japanese martial art of wielding a bow (yumi) as practiced by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Although the samurai are perhaps best known for their swordsmanship with a katana (kenjutsu), kyūjutsu was actually considered a more vital skill for a significant portion of Japanese history. During the majority of the Kamakura period through the Muromachi period (c.1185–c.1568), the bow was almost exclusively the symbol of the professional warrior, and way of life of the warrior was referred to as .

Taidō is a Japanese martial art created in 1965 by Seiken Shukumine (1925–2001). Taidō has its roots in traditional Okinawan karate. Feeling that the martial arts, particularly karate, were not adapting to meet the needs of a changing world, Shukumine first developed a style of karate called Genseiryū around 1950.

style of sword-drawing art

is a traditional style of Okinawan karate. Uechi-Ryū means "Style of Uechi" or "School of Uechi". Originally called Pangai-noon, which translates to English as "half-hard, half-soft", the style was renamed Uechi-Ryū after the founder of the style, Kanbun Uechi, an Okinawan who went to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, China to study martial arts and Chinese medicine when he was 19 years old.

full-contact karate organization founded by Hideyuki Ashihara, who left Kyokushin

thumb|Tameshigiri using a goza target on a stand (2006) Ren Kuroda demonstrates Shofu at the Mugairyu Meishi-ha dojo in Tokyo, Japan is the Japanese art of target test cutting. The kanji literally means "test cut". This practice was popularized in the Edo period (17th century) for testing the quality of Japanese swords. It continues to the present day, but has evolved into a martial art which focuses on demonstrating the practitioner's skill with a sword.

combat sport and a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan

thumb|A single dumbbell-shaped yawara stick The yawara is a Japanese weapon used in various martial arts. Numerous types of jujutsu make use of a small rod, made of wood, that extends somewhat from both ends of a person's fist which is known as a yawara. The yawara likely originated from the use of the tokkosho, a Buddhist symbolic object, by monks in feudal Japan. The tokkosho was used during the Edo period and it was made of brass. Sometimes a short rope or cord would be looped around the user's wrist to distract someone else while in combat. The methods of using a yawara may have been creat

is a style of Karate founded by Seiken Shukumine (1925-2001). With Genseiryū, Shukumine combined classic Shuri-te techniques with his own innovations thus developing the special characteristics unique to the style. However, Shukumine would eventually come to realize the shortcomings of this system, but still use it as the foundation of his much more well-known style Taido.

martial art

is a traditional Japanese martial art (kobudō) which specializes in blade throwing.

Japanese swordsmanship school

, or just is the traditional Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord or rope (called in Japanese), as a precursor to modern-day handcuffs. Encompassing many different materials, techniques and methods from various schools, hojōjutsu is a classic Japanese art that is a unique product of Japanese history and culture.

is a traditional school (koryū) of Japanese martial arts that specializes in the art of spearmanship (sōjutsu). Hōzōin-ryū was founded by Hōzōin Kakuzenbō In'ei (宝蔵院 覚禅房 胤栄, 1521–1607) in c. 1560. In'ei was a Buddhist monk of Kōfuku-ji Temple in Nara, Japan. He adored martial arts and trained in the art of swordsmanship. At the same time, he was coached and mentored by , a master of the spear. Under this master's guidance, In'ei honed his spearmanship.