All Japan Soudo Federation

under construction(準備中)
In Japan, the spear was developed during the late Kamakura period through the Nanboku-cho period, following the naginata, which had been the mainstream since the mid-Heian period. It was developed as a weapon for foot soldiers, but after the Onin War, it gradually came to be used by warlords, and spear technique developed as a martial art. As warlords began to use the spear, the weapon itself was improved according to the preferences of its users, and various types of spears were created, such as long-bodied spears with long blades, kama-yari with branches at the base of the blade, kagi-yari with an iron crossbar at the top of the handle, and tsukiyari with a movable tube attached to the handle to make thrusting easier.

In the early days of spear technique, the spear was used as a subject in military science. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the spear began to be widely used, and specialized schools of spear technique emerged. In the Edo period, the spear became a symbol of a samurai family, and spear technique developed rapidly, with new schools emerging.

From the Gen'wa period to the Kanbun period, the main schools of spear technique were established. However, after the Genroku period, spear technique became closed and defensive, emphasizing the preservation of schools and forms, and there was no longer any development of new techniques or schools.

During this period, protective equipment for practice, similar to that used in swordsmanship, was produced, but it was not intended for practical training, and there were no matches with other schools. This trend began to change in the latter part of the Bunka period. Practical training was emphasized, and the format of both sides wearing protective equipment, called aikuchi-shiai, became popular, and matches with other schools were held as a matter of course, but this trend tended to weaken the traditional characteristics of the schools that had been preserved up to that time.

With the Meiji Restoration and the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, spear technique, like other martial arts, suffered a blow, but its impact was particularly severe. The spear, which had been a symbol of a samurai's honor, lost its position with the disappearance of the samurai, and the long weapon was deemed unsuitable for physical education and became useless, so it did not spread widely among the general public. Also, because spear technique was primarily learned by high-ranking samurai, there were originally few practitioners.

Many people participated in the Dai Nippon Butokukai, but many schools focused on spear technique were lost or discontinued during the Meiji and Showa periods due to the aging of their instructors. The only schools that remain today are the Hozoin-ryu, Owarikan-ryu, Saburi-ryu, Fuden-ryu and Hikita-ryu. However, there are also comprehensive schools that include spear technique, such as Katorishinto-ryu, Kashimashin-ryu, Maniwanen-ryu, Araki-ryu Gunyo, and Saigouhadaitou-ryu In 2015, these schools were the only ones that remained.






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