Why is there a martial art for everything in Japan.?

In japanese martial arts, theres an art for everything...





Hand-to-Hand - Jujutsu





Sword - Kenjutsu, Kendo





Spear - Sojutsu





Staff - Bojutsu





Shurikenjutsu, jojutsu, ect.





Why aren't they all taught in the same art like Kung Fu.





Typically Kung Fu teaches all weapons... Theres no such thing as a chinese art that teaches weapons only. School vary, but no matter what if you want to learn how to use a chinese straight sword, you have to do Kung Fu, and learn Hand-to-Hand and other weapons, but in Japanese martial arts, if i want to learn just the Katana, i learn Kenjutsu or Kendo.

Why is there a martial art for everything in Japan.?
Hi there





Actually all these arts can be taught under one school. The problem you will have is that arts like Karate, Judo, Kendo etc aren't pure samurai arts there a modern equivalent. All the techniques that no longer have any practical application aren't taught any more by these schools.





Most of the Koryu arts have all the elements you have described above. Kukishinden or Kukishin ryu have all of the above techniques you mention and more. And I'm sure there will be other Koryu ryu ha that teach a complete system. The closest you will get in the west are schools that teach Okinawan Kobudo jutsu but again these are not koryu samurai schools.





Finding a good one outside of Japan is very difficult mainly because a westerner would have had to spent many years learning all the individual kata for each brach. And trust me just from what you have listed theres tons of it!





I have to admit even the Japanese schools wont generally teach you weapons until you have learned the unarmed side of things with the exception of iaido and kendo schools and both of these arent teaching a complete system.





And the chap above me is quite correct. Any ture samurai would have studied the job lot.





Best wishes





idai
Reply:They are all taught in the same art.





In the age where there was a purpose for such things, many of these techniques were taught in the same places. They are all part of a Samurai's repertoire. He used almost all of these things on the battlefield, did he not?
Reply:I liked a lot of the answers already posted but I wanted to add an analogy that might make it easier to imagine...





Lets take a western historic example (or a fanastybased like Lord of the Rings, etc)...





Would the guy working a catapult way up on the battlements in the castle need to learn how to shoot a bow from a horse? Would he need to learn staff? Not likely.


The needs and the circumstances of the culture/time/position, etc will dictate what the warrior needs.


The samurai in different periods had different needs.





There are some styles that teach it all. I watched the show "Way of the Warrior" on TV which featured such a style almost 20 years ago and then met the same teacher here in Japan as well. It is still here. But only here...
Reply:Hi Keith,





Without having to write a tale of an epic proportion. Here's a shorter version. It has a lot to do with attitude and political climate of the culture of the old days. while its true that Chinese martial arts tends to include everything in its style. The Japanese as well as the Okinawan focused mainly on what was practical for them at that time.





The Japanese samurai's did have many various forms of martial arts in their repertoire such as Archery, Spearmanship, Horsemanship swimming and of course swordmanship.





As for the empty hands system, they also did Aikijujutsu, Sumo, wajutsu and as well as many other forms of un-armed fighting.





Due to the banning of "metallic" weapons in Okinawa by the Satsuma subjugation. The Okinawan royalty focused a lot more on the empty system of fighting called "te" what we now know as "karate". The Okinawan did have martial arts weaponry in their own curriculum such as the Rokushakubo, Tonfa and other forms of specially "designed" weapons.





and lastly, why the arts was taught separately ? I suspect that perhaps because time was neither on the Japanese or Okinawan side and training on one particular art was all they could spare before heading to war or defending the castles from constant attack.





Hope this helps !
Reply:History
Reply:Ok this would take a long explanation of Japanese history. But suffice it to say that during the edo period things became divided into schools as family clans became less powerful and no longer had armies to train.





Also samurai would generally only learn three weapons, sword, archery (kyudo), and a polearm or spear, and generally they would specialize with one.





Shuriken jutsu, bojutsu, and other weapons are generally from peasant martial arts instead of bushi (warrior) martial arts.
Reply:They've had a long history of tribal warfare not only with each other but with Korea, China, Mongols, etc.
Reply:Speciaization. What if you don't need to know how to fight with a spear or staff?





Plus, the divisions allow more time to be focused on one weapon, rather than all weapons.
Reply:very smart people im not being mean but they are crazy people
Reply:Originally, they are all taught together.





It was called Bujutsu back then.





All the skills you mentioned above are related.
Reply:It is probably a cultural thing. Thanks for the question though. It may sparck some research.