In classical Japanese martial arts, Koryū Bujutsu (古流武術) is best described as pre-modern samurai combat systems preserved through direct lineage, emphasizing weapons, battlefield tactics, and kata-based transmission, preserved through lineages that existed before the Meiji Restoration (1868).
Koryū Bujutsu systems are usually single-lineage transmission where knowledge is transmitted through direct lineage (師弟関係 shi–tei kankei) and preserved with formal training traditions (kata, scrolls, densho). Ranking is done using the menkyo system, not danDan 段 is a graded level or stage of advancement in Japanese arts, especially martial arts. More ranks.
Koryū Bujutsu are samurai-era systems that teach battlefield tactics designed for war. Weapons and battlefield strategy taught are sword (kenjutsu); spear (sōjutsu); staff (bōjutsu); grappling in armor (yoroi kumiuchi); small weapons (tanto, kodachi); and archery (kyūjutsu).
Training is highly structured, kata-based training that transmits combative timing; weapon mechanics; situational strategy; and psychological conditioning. These principles (兵法/heihō) are taught as strategy and method of combat, not sport or exercise.
Examples include:
- Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū
- Kashima Shinryū
- Yagyū Shinkage-ryū
- Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū
- Takeuchi-ryū
- Jikishinkage-ryū
- Araki-ryū
- Shibukawa-ryū
How Koryū Differs from Modern Budō (Gendai Budō 現代武道)
| Koryū (古流) | Modern Budō (現代武道) |
|---|---|
| Before 1868 | After 1868 |
| Forged in feudal combat | Created for education, character, sport |
| Weapons-first | Empty-hand and competition-first |
| Lineage-based licensing | DanDan 段 is a graded level or stage of advancement in Japanese arts, especially martial arts. More/kyū ranking |
| Often secretive | Public, standardized |
| Realistic, lethal kata | Safe, repeatable techniques |
Modern arts like AikidōAikidō is a Japanese martial art that blends with an opponent’s force to control and throw them without relying on strength. More, Kendō, Judō, Karate-dō are not koryū.
Koryū bujutsu is often described as severe, precise, strategic, non-commercial, socially conservative, focused on transmitting an entire worldview, not just techniques. Practitioners often say: “Koryū is not something you practice — it is something you join.” It is a cultural inheritance, not merely martial training.
Translation
古 (ko) – old, ancient
流 (ryū) – school, tradition, lineage
武術 (bujutsu) – martial arts, combat techniques (focused on battlefield effectiveness)
古流武術 = “Old-school martial arts traditions.”
Often translated as “classical Japanese martial arts.”
