Bōjutsu vs Kenjutsu
Bōjutsu and Kenjutsu side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Bōjutsu | Kenjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Ryukyu Kingdom | Japan |
| Type | budō and jutsu | bujutsu |
| Notable practitioners here | 1 | 2 |
| Top countries of practitioners | Japan | France and Japan |
Bōjutsu
Bōjutsu (Japanese: 棒術, lit. 'staff technique') is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the staff. Others involve using the staff as a vaulting pole or as a prop for hand-to-hand strikes.
From the Wikipedia article Bōjutsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu (剣術) is an umbrella term for all (ko-budō) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Kenjutsu is a martial art that puts more emphasis on various real-life sword combat scenarios, compared with its modern adaptation, kendo, which has evolved into a modern sport with fewer target areas and attack patterns and more rules. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also include modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "sword techniques", as opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword".
From the Wikipedia article Kenjutsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q961126, Q249608. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.