Sōjutsu
 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source.(November 2016) |
 | |
| Focus | Weaponry(yari/Spear) |
|---|---|
| Hardness | Non-competitive |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Creator | Manemu Jiefu |
| Parenthood | Historical |
| Olympic sport | No |
Sōjutsu(Thương thuật),meaning "art of the spear", is theJapanese martial artof fighting with aJapanese spear(Thương,yari).
Origins
[edit]Although the spear had a profound role in earlyJapanese mythology,where the islands of Japan themselves were said to be created by salt water dripping from the tip of the spear Ame-no-Nuhoko (Heavenly jeweled spear), as a weapon the first spear prototypes were brought from mainland Asia. These early versions were not seen as suitable by the Japanese, who later redesigned them once technology permitted.[1]
Use and popularity
[edit]TheYariwas a popular weapon throughout the feudal period of Japan,[2]being cheaper to produce and requiring less training than other contemporary battlefield weapons, and lending itself to close formations ofashigarutroops, in conjunction with firearms upon their adoption in Japan. The height of sōjutsu's popularity was immediately after the Mongol invasions of the 13th century, who themselves used spearmen in great numbers.[1]
The Japanese ultimately modified the heads of their spears into a number of different variations, leading to the use of the spear both on foot and from horseback, and for slashing as well as the primary use of attacking with thrusts.[1]
Modern practice
[edit]Sōjutsu is typically only a single component of curriculum in comprehensive traditional (koryū) schools. The still extantTenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryūclaims to be the first school to include sōjutsu in its formal curriculum, and another very well known school of sōjutsu is theHōzōin-ryū.While today there are very few schools still teaching sōjutsu, at one time there were as many as 450.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdDraeger, Donn F.(2007) [1973].Classical Bujutsu: Martial Arts and Ways of Japan.Boston, Massachusetts: Weatherhill. pp. 71–72.ISBN978-0-8348-0233-9.
- ^Antony Karasulas (2004)Zaimokuza Reconsidered: The Forensic Evidence, and Classical Japanese Swordsmanship, World Archaeology, 36, 4, Debates in World Archaeology pp. 507- 518
| Lists | |
|---|---|
| Kobudō | |
| Gendai budō | |
| Terms | |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
