Bugei Juhappan (18 Warrior Virtues)

武芸十八般

Bugei Juhappan: 武芸十八般 "The 18 Warrior Virtues"

The term Bugei Juhappan (Eighteen Warrior Virtues) is used to describe the 18 martial art skills that all Bushi (Warriors) would need to perfect during their day-to-day lives. Some scholars argue that the number 18 was not actually representative of the number of martial arts skills, but rather to the Chinese belief that the number 18 represents comprehensiveness within the martial arts.

To this day both martial artists and historians argue about exactly what skills should make up the Bugei Juhappan; this is further complicated by the fact that as warfare changed in Feudal Japan so did the skills that the warriors needed to study. For example all early Samurai were extensively trained in the arts of battlefield application Naginatajutsu (Glaive) and Sojutsu (Spear), whereas by the Edo period (1600 – 1868) the Naginata had largely been discarded from everyday training by the Samurai class and was instead seen as a weapon of Onna-Bugeisha (Warrior Women). The same can be said of the art of Kyujutsu (Combative Archery) which was almost completely replaced by the art of Hojutsu (Musketry) shortly after the weapons arrival in Japan; after all the Japanese longbow takes many years of dedicated practice to master, but training with firearms can take as little as a few days.

The following text details the version of the Bugei Juhappan followed by students of the Junsei Ryu Hoshin Jutsu Renmei.

1)   柔術 Ju-Jutsu (Unarmed Combat)

2)   鎧組み打ち Yoroi Kumiuchi (Armoured Ju-Jutsu)

3)   武器防衛 Buki-Dori (Unarmed Defence Against Assorted Weaponry)

4)   剣術 Kenjutsu (Swordsmanship) Including 剣防衛 Muto-Dori (Unarmed Defence Against A Sword)

5)   抜刀術 Battojutsu (Combative Sword Drawing)

6)   槍薙刀術 Nagamonojutsu (Polearm Combat) Including 槍術 Sojutsu (Spear Combat) 薙刀術 Naginatajutsu (Glaive Combat)

7)   棒術 Bojutsu (Stave Combat) Including 棒 Jo (4' Stave) 棒 Bo (6' Stave) 警棒 Keibo (Clubbing Stave)
鉄棒 Tetsukeibo (Iron Fixtures Clubbing Stave)

8)   手武器術 Te-Buki Jutsu (Short Hand Weapons) Including 十手 Jutte (Pronged Baton) 陣鎌 Jingama (Battle Sickle) 鉄扇 Tessen (Iron Fan)

9)   鎖術 Kusari Jutsu (Flexible / Chain Weaponry) Including 鎖 Kusari (Chain) 万力鎖 Manrikigusari (Weighted Chain) 鎖鎌 Kusarigama (Weighted Chain And Sickle)

10) 隠し武器術 Kakushi Buki Jutsu (Hidden Weaponry) Including Yawara (Nerve Striking Baton) 鉄甲 Tekko (Knuckle Dusters)

11) 捕物道具 Torimono Dogu (Arresting And Restraint Weapons) Including 捕縄術 Hojojutsu (Rope Tying Arts)

12) 飛び道具 Tobi-Dogu (Weapons For Killing Distant Enemies) Including 手裏剣術 Shurikenjutsu (Blade Throwing) Hojutsu (Musketry) 鉄砲術 Teppo-Jutsu (Firearms) 弓馬 Kyujutsu (Combative Archery) 弓馬術 Kyubajutsu (Mounted Combative Archery)

13) 馬術 Bajutsu (Horsemanship)

14) 水泳術 Suijutsu (Swimming & Fighting In And Out Of Armour)

15) 情報回収 Jouhou Kaishuu (Information Gathering)

16) 築城 Chikujou (Fortifications)

17) 治癒 Kappo (Healing Arts) Including 活 Katsu (Resuscitation)

18) 兵法 Heiho (Military Strategy)

PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately the prohibited weapon legislations within Great Britain restrict the ownership of some weapons taught as part of the Bugei-Juhappan. In these cases safe / legal variants of the weapons will be used in place of the traditional weapon itself.

In other cases the regular practice of other areas of the Bugei Juhappan is price and location restrictive, after all not every student is able to own a full set of armour and a horse. In these cases it is the theory that is regularly taught, with opportunities for authentic training offered as often as is logistically available.