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Description
Original 1923 “Kenjutsu Education Instruction Manual” (剣術教育指導要領), issued by the Imperial Japanese Army Toyama School Officers’ Association style="margin-bottom: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-width: normal; font-size: 20px; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Authored by Captain Eguchi Ukichi (江口卯吉) and introduced by Major General Hishikari Takashi (菱刈隆), this 214-page manual served as one of the earliest official textbooks for military swordsmanship and bayonet training in the prewar Imperial Army.
📖 Historical Background
During the Taisho period (1912–1926), the Toyama Army School in Tokyo functioned as the central hub for military martial arts instruction.
This manual, published in Taisho 12 (1923), formalized the integration of Kenjutsu (classical swordsmanship) into the military training curriculum, alongside bayonet drills and physical discipline.
The text defines:
- Educational theory and philosophy of military swordsmanship
- Psychological and moral aspects of Bushido in officer training
- Step-by-step instruction for sword and bayonet movements
- Equipment standards, dojo setup, and training discipline
This was a transitional period when traditional samurai arts were being adapted into modern military doctrine, serving as the foundation for later Guntojutsu (military sword techniques) and Kendo instruction under the Ministry of War.
🪶 Significance
This manual represents a primary historical source in the development of Japanese military martial arts education.
It reflects the shift from traditional Kenjutsu to a systematized, state-endorsed form of sword and bayonet training used by the officer corps.
Such documents were restricted to military instructors and rarely survived the postwar purges, making intact copies exceedingly rare.
🏛 Bibliographic Details
- Title: Kenjutsu Kyoiku Shido Yoryo (剣術教育指導要領)
- Author: Eguchi Ukichi (江口卯吉), Imperial Japanese Army Captain
- Preface by: Major General Hishikari Takashi (菱刈隆), Principal of Toyama Army School
- Published: July 13, Taisho 12 (1923)
- Publisher: Toyama Army School Officers’ Association / Heisho Publishing Co.
- Pages: 214
- Language: Japanese
- Format: Cloth-bound, vertical text
⚔ Condition
- Heavy wear on the cover with stains, foxing, and handwriting present.
- Inner pages show typical aging but remain complete and legible.
- No missing pages; structurally sound for a 100-year-old document.
💡 Collector’s Note
A cornerstone artifact in the study of Bushido, Kendo, and Imperial Japanese military training.
Highly recommended for collectors of WWII militaria, martial arts historians, or researchers in early 20th-century Japanese education and ideology.
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