The Classical Martial Traditions of Japan

The Koryu.com Guide to Classical Japanese Martial Arts

This "Ryu Guide" is the place to start when investigating a classical Japanese martial ryu. Each category includes a list of the schools that we cover (thus far) at Koryu.com. Schools are listed in more than one category when appropriate (i.e. Tenshin Buko-ryu will be listed both under naginatajutsu and kusarigamajutsu). Each ryu listing contains basic information on the tradition, including the founder, date founded, and systems taught, as well as references to photographs and articles here at Koryu.com, relevant books, and links to appropriate web sites. We will continue to add new material to this list from our archives and research.

All listed ryu-ha have one thing in common--they are authentic Japanese warrior traditions. Virtually all are members of the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai (Society for the Promotion of the Japanese Classical Martial Arts) or the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai (Japanese Classical Martial Arts Association), the two most respected and well-established organizations devoted to koryu in Japan. All are included in the standard Japanese reference sources. Please keep in mind, however, that this list is by no means comprehensive. Many of the hundreds of extant classical traditions are not yet listed, so the fact that a school's name does not appear means relatively little. Those that are listed, we can and do "vouch for."

Ryuha list by name
Ryuha list by ryu type
General Resources
Legend