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Please visit the original Koryu.com, home of all things koryu bujutsu.


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the “Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan” series

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Curious about koryu?

Just what are the koryu bujutsu? Authentic classical Japanese martial arts or traditions are quite rare in the West, and there’s not a whole lot of reliable information in English. If you’re curious, these introductions to the koryu will get you started with definitions and general explanations of the martial arts of the Japanese samurai.

Thinking about training in koryu?

What are the differences between modern martial arts training and training in the koryu bujutsu? How do you find a legitimate, authorized instructor? What does it take to get admitted into a koryu? What will be expected of you if you do join? These articles focus on answering questions for the prospective koryu trainee.

Already training in the koryu?

There’s so much context that is so enormously difficult to convey to koryu practitioners outside of Japan. Here’s good place to start finding out how much there is you need to know about Japanese culture in order to fully understand your training in these traditions.

Doing research on koryu bujutsu and the history of the samurai?

Browse our Koryu.com Ryu Guide or check out these articles and recommended books on the history of the Japanese classical martial arts and the samurai who practiced them.

Biographies & Interviews

Find out more about significant budoka, past and present, in these interviews and biographical sketches.

Gendai Budo

It’s nearly impossible to write about the koryu bujutsu without referencing the modern arts that evolved from them. Many of our authors have extensive experience in various gendai budo and include useful information about them in their contributions.

Book Excerpts

Finally, we have–sprinkled throughout the site– chapters from published books. We list them here, organized by book title.


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