Jujutsu vs Kenjutsu
Jujutsu and Kenjutsu side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Jujutsu | Kenjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Japan |
| Type | martial arts and jutsu | bujutsu |
| Notable practitioners here | 16 | 2 |
| Top countries of practitioners | Austria, Russia and Japan | France and Japan |
Jujutsu
Jujutsu (柔術, jūjutsu; Japanese pronunciation: [dʑɯːʑɯtsɯ] or [dʑɯꜜːʑɯtsɯ] ), also known as jiu-jitsu or ju-jitsu (both joo-JITS-oo), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner. A subset of techniques from certain styles of Japanese jujutsu either directly or indirectly influenced the development of many martial arts and combat sports, such as judo, aikido, hapkido, sambo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ARB, other styles of Submission wrestling, and mixed martial arts.
From the Wikipedia article Jujutsu (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): Q163770, 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.