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Come and discover the art of the Japanese sword

The Kenjutsu (剣術) and the Battōjutsu (抜刀術)

The Japanese martial arts more closely related to the sword. Be it katana or wakizashi, nodachi or tantō, every kind of sword that has been used by the samurai is included. Between Zen and Shinto, product of Bujutsu and Heihō, with an influence going all the way back to the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi, the Wa Rei Ryū carries this centuries-old tradition of the sword art.

Koyasan is a sacred mountain that since its opening has attracted people from all walks of life as a haven for the heart and the soul, regardless of sect.

And it's on this sacred mountain that the Tokugawa-ke Reidai were built to enshrine the spirits of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hidetada by the third generation shōgun Iemitsu.

According to the "Kii Shoku Fudoki", the construction of the mausoleums was completed in 1643.
From the inscription "Kanei 10 (1633)" in ink on a section of structural material in Hidetada's Mausoleum, it can be assumed it took ten years to build the mausoleums, but if one calculates from the start of the construction it is possible that it took more to complete the entire process.

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The Ikuta shrine is one with a rich history that is recorded in the Chronicles of Japan as being worshipped as the place where the Empress Jingu's ship became unable to move on her return from the Shiragi expedition.

During the battle of Ichi-no-tani the Heike army established the Ikuta forest as an eastern camp and lay troops and set barricades on the Ikuta river, with Taira Tomomori acting as a general and engaging the forces of Noriyori of the Genji army in battle.

In the temple grounds
the 'quiver plum', of which it is said that Kajiwara Genta Kagesue placed a fully bloomed plum blossom in his quiver and fought gloriously,

the 'Kajiwara's well' and

the bamboo given as reverence by Benkei when he visited as a representative of Yoshistune

remain as historic artifacts.

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Japanese swords are one of the traditional arts of Japan. They have been perfected about 1000 years ago and have been produced up to the present day.
Since ancient times the Japanese people consider the sword as a sacred treasure where a god dwells.
It not only functions as a weapon of precision considering that they do not break nor bend easily, and cut well, but is also a piece of art that reflects beauty and symmetry.

The craftsmanship of such an object includes a curvature of the shape (sugata), the steel patterns (jigane), and the magnificent temper patterns (hamon).
The Japanese swords, which reflect an aesthetic sense and spirituality of the people, continue to attract the attention of people throughout the world.

In commemoration of the Expo 2025 Ōsaka, Kansai, the swordsmith Gassan Sadatoshi created a straight sword, which is in the style that has been passed down in Japan since very ancient times.

A sword case was also created for the sword, and the exterior of the case was commissioned to the lacquer artist Tsuya-Tsuya. The design of said sword case: red plum blossoms (colored lacquer and gold maki-e) on the white body (eggshell pasting).

Japanese people have loved plum trees since ancient times as a symbol of good luck because of its vitality. They also love them as the blossoms tell the end of winter and the coming of spring in Japan.

This and many other beautiful masterpieces, including works from Masamune and Muramasa, can be seen in the Gallery EAST of the Ōsaka Expo until the 25th of April.

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The Hōkoku Shrine honors the founder of the Ōsaka Castle, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598).

Hideyoshi was a samurai who rose from humble beginnings during a long period of widespread military conflict to become Japan's most powerful samurai lord.

By the time of his death, Hideyoshi controlled virtually the entire country, but the Toyotomi family never became a dynasty. Hideyoshi was succeeded by his former retainer Tokugawa leyasu (1543-1616), who held the position of shōgun until Hideyoshi's son was old enough to receive it.

Rather than relinquish his power, in 1615 Tokugawa attacked and destroyed Ōsaka Castle, wiping out the Toyotomi family.

This shrine was originally called Toyokuni Sha, written with the characters toyo, from Toyotomi's name, and kuni, meaning "country." After ending the Toyotomi family line, Tokugawa had the shrine dismantled.

The shrine was rebuilt in 1879, two and a half centuries after Tokugawa's coup, by order of Emperor Meiji (1852-1912), in whose name the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown.
Initially, the shrine operated as a branch of the Toyokuni-jinja Shrine in Kyōto.

In 1921, it became an independent shrine, and its name was changed to Hōkoku to avoid confusion.

The shrine was originally located in the Nakanoshima area of the city and was relocated to he castle grounds in 1961.

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Sanada Yukimura (1567 - 1615) was a bushi of the Sengoku period who distinguished himself particularly during the Siege of Ōsaja and earning titles such as "Crimson Demon of War" and "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years".

During the winter part of the aforementioned siege, Yukimura built a small fortress called Sanada Maru, with which he and 6'000 men were able to hold their ground against a Tokugawa army several times bigger.

Many legends surround the figure of Sanada Yukimura, including the leadership of a group of ten shinobi called "Sanada Ten Braves"; what it's sure is that he is still celebrated at the Sanadayama Sankō Shrine in Ōsaka, nearby to where his famous Sanada Maru used to be.

#kenjutsu #kenjutsulausanne #kenjutsuswitzerland #battojutsu #battō #iaijutsu #wareiryu #jouen #martialarts #artsmartiaux #剣術 #抜刀術 #居合術 #samurai #bushi #musha #warrior #sanadayukimura #japanesehistory #osaka #ōsaka #大阪 #kansai #japan #日本

"Shōgun" (1975) is a history novel written by James Clavell.
The book draws its inspiration (in a relatively free way) from the real events of Japan's late Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600) as well as the beginning of the Edo period (1600-1868) and its shōgunate, henceforth the name.

The plot revolves around European interests, internal conflicts, meeting of cultures and, of course, bushi.

In recent years (2024) a new adaptation as a series has been created and until the 20th of April is possible to see a few armours (and kimono) that have been used at the EXPO Exhibition Centre "Wasse" within the EXPO 2025 in Ōsaka.

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Since around the 8th century, the Ichijoji Sagarimatsu pine tree has served as a landmark for travelers.
It was a key traffic location along the road from Omi (now Shiga Prefecture) to Kyoto over Mt. Hiei. The current pine is the fifth on the site.

This location is associated with the famous story of how Miyamoto Musashi fought a duel with several dozen disciples of the Yoshioka Ryū, usually dated to 1604.

The old stump of the first pine that stood in this very place, overlooking the duel, is preserved in the grounds of Hachidai shrine.

The story also goes that, on his way to the fight, Musashi visited the shrine to pray for divine assistance; however, realizing that asking for help was to admit his own weakness, he stopped on the brink of praying.

The name of the area derives from Ichijoji, a temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, that once stood in this vicinity. However, the temple's fortunes declined, and it closed after being destroyed by fire in a battle in 1335.

The memorial stone tablet to the side was erected in 1921 by the swordsman Shohei Hori and his wife from Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture.

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The Hachidai shrine was established in 1294, with Susanoo-no-Mikoto as the main deity.
Known as "Northern Gion", people pray there for happiness, success in business, studies, marriage and so on.

But more importantly for us, Miyamoto Musashi is said to have defeated Yoshioka Matashichiro as well as other members of the Yoshioka ryū nearby at "Sagarimatsu", after almost praying at this shrine.

The Bukōden by Toyoda Masamaga states:

"路に八幡の社前を経、憶、「我幸に不圖して神前に來れり。當祈勝利」と、及詣社壇、恭て鰐口の紐を執て將に打鳴さんとす。忽ち思ふ、「我常に佛神をも不信仰、而今此難を憚て頻に敬祷す。神其受や、諸吁怯矣」。即ち其紐を措て、孜々として下壇、慙愧ぢ汗流れて踵に至る。"

(On my way there I passed in front of the Hachiman shrine, and I thought to myself, “What good fortune that I should come before the gods by accident. I should take this opportunity and pray for victory.” However, when I went up to the shrine’s altar and took the crimson cord to sound the temple gong it suddenly occurred to me that normally I have never put any faith in kami and Buddhas. Yet, now, as I am facing imminent danger, I am suddenly eager to pay my respects. Ah, I must be ﬂinching from danger. At that moment I let loose the shrine’s gong’s cord and stepped down from the altar. I was so deeply ashamed that I felt the sweat running down by back.)

This thought was probably refined through the rest of his life and culminated in the Dokkōdo in the form of:

"I respected the kami and Buddha without seeking their aid."

Come and discover the Kenjutsu and the Battōjutsu at the Dōjō Jouen of the Wa Rei Ryū!

#kenjutsu #kenjutsulausanne #kenjutsuswitzerland #battojutsu #battō #iaijutsu #wareiryu #jouen #martialarts #artsmartiaux #剣術 #抜刀術 #居合術 #samurai #bushi #musha #swordfighting #japanesesword #nitenichiryu #miyamotomusashi #miyakawaha #nitō #heihō #bujutsu #japan #kyōto #lausanne #switzerland

春 - Haru

白梅に
明くるよばかりと
なりにけり

Shiraume ni
akuru yo bakari to
nari ni keri

Au milieu de blancs
fleurs de prunier
l'aube se lève maintenant

(Yosa Buson)

Parmi toutes les saisons, haru (春), le printemps, est probablement celle que plus que n'importe quelle autre a le potentiel d'éveiller des sentiments chez les gens:
les journées plus longues,
la nature qui se réveille de sa torpeur hivernale,
les températures qui grimpent,
(...).
Dans l'ensemble un sentiment d'espoir, comme celui éprouvé par le poète Yosa Buson en composant son dernier haiku, en imaginant le retour de la saison plus douce, avec
ses parfums,
sa lumière,
son charme.
Son destin, s'il en existe un, a voulu différemment pour lui, mais on peut quand même faire comme lui et espérer:
nouvelles aventures,
épopées imprévues,
ordalies mystérieuses,
(...),
mais toujours avec une touche de familiarité, comme l'hiver qui laisse sa place au printemps.
Venez découvrir le Kenjutsu et le Battōjutsu au Dōjō Jouen de la Wa Rei Ryū!

#春 #haru #kenjutsu #kenjutsulausanne #kenjutsuswitzerland #battojutsu #battō #iaijutsu #wareiryu #jouen #martialarts #artsmartiaux #剣術 #抜刀術 #居合術 #samurai #bushi #bushido #sakura #桜 #hanami #cherryblossom #spring #printemps #haiku #artsmartiauxlausanne #japaninswitzerland #japan #lausanne #switzerland

Photo by @lichoupe

P.S. Le publications journalières seront mises en pause mais des nouveaux formats arriveront bientôt! 🌸⚔️🗻🏯

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