What are Samurai Fighting Styles?

The Samurai were a fighting class of warriors prominent in Japan for centuries. The style of Samurai fighting lives on today. There are several techniques and fighting styles that anyone can learn. The styles range from hand on hand combat to swordsmanship.

Samurai fighting styles can include a variety of different activities. Some styles use swords, bows, rifles and hand to hand combat. Learning these styles can be a lot of fun and can teach you about an important aspect of history at the same time.

Sword Fighting

When most people think of Samurai fighting they typically envision sword fighting. Swordsmanship is certainly an important aspect of the Samurai history, but it incorporated very little of what most Samurais were known for. The sword was actually more of a symbolic weapon rather than one used for fighting. 

Gun Fighting

One of the lessor known aspects of Samurai fighting was marksmanship. While guns weren't around in the beginning, the introduction of the rifle changed how many of these warriors fought. When rifles started to make their way on to the scene the Samurai philosophy embraced this style of fight. They were great marksmen with amazing focus.

Archery

The archer was popular in the day the Samurai was around. Samurai archers could shoot farther and faster than most others. They spent a large amount of time studying this form of fighting, and included various aspects such as shooting from moving objects.

Spear Fighting

Spears were the go-to weapon during the Samurai days. It was easy to travel with these and when used correctly they were deadly and effective. Longer spears could be used to slash through heavy forested areas, and shorter spears were used to throw with precision.