The martial art behind the Anglo-Satsuma War

sugurunyan

May 5, 2026

The martial art behind the Anglo-Satsuma War

Japan is home to numerous schools of swordsmanship. Among them is Jigenryu(示現流), a closely guarded secret of the Satsuma domain that was practiced primarily by its samurai. Out of all the Japanese sword styles, it is uniquely famous for staking absolutely everything on a single, devastating first strike. Delivered alongside an ear-splitting, bloodcurdling battle cry known as enkyo (monkey scream), the sheer power of this initial blow was terrifying. During the twilight of the samurai era, it even prompted Isami Kondo, commander of the famed Shinsengumi, to warn his men, "When crossing swords with a Satsuma man, always dodge the first strike." The force was so immense that there are historical records of opponents attempting to block the attack, only to be killed when the impact drove the unsharpened back of their own blade, or even their handguard, straight into their skulls. However, the very first thing a student of Jigen-ryu learns is that the sword should never be drawn. Ultimately, the core philosophy of Jigen-ryu was, "Be strong so that you never have to fight."
This mindset is reflected in the "Order of Men", a set of moral guidelines passed down by Satsuma samurai through the generations. It ranks five ways to live a life, in order of how commendable they are as individuals:
1. Those who take on a challenge and succeed.
2. Those who take on a challenge and fail.
3. Those who do not take on a challenge, but support those who do.
4. Those who do nothing.
5. Those who do nothing but criticize.
It’s amazing how relevant this still is today. Human nature really hasn't changed at all.

source: https://aeroporto-tokyo.com/jigen-ryu/

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thomas256

The martial art behind the Anglo-Satsuma War

Japan is home to numerous schools of swordsmanship.

Among them is Jigenryu(示現流), a closely guarded secret of the Satsuma domain that was practiced primarily by its samurai.

Out of all the Japanese sword styles, it is uniquely famous for staking absolutely everything on a single, devastating first strike.

Delivered alongside an ear-splitting, bloodcurdling battle cry known as enkyo (monkey scream), the sheer power of this initial blow was terrifying.

During the twilight of the samurai era, it even prompted Isami Kondo, commander of the famed Shinsengumi, to warn his men, "When crossing swords with a Satsuma man, always dodge the first strike."

The force was so immense that there are historical records of opponents attempting to block the attack, only to be killed when the impact drove the unsharpened back of their own blade, or even their handguard, straight into their skulls.

However, the very first thing a student of Jigen-ryu learns is that the sword should never be drawn.

Ultimately, the core philosophy of Jigen-ryu was, "Be strong so that you never have to fight."

This mindset is reflected in the "Order of Men", a set of moral guidelines passed down by Satsuma samurai through the generations.

It ranks five ways to live a life, in order of how commendable they are as individuals:

Those who take on a challenge and succeed.

Those who take on a challenge and fail.

Those who do not take on a challenge, but support those who do.

Those who do nothing.

Those who do nothing but criticize.

It’s amazing how relevant this still is today.

Human nature really hasn't changed at all.

sugurunyan

May 5, 2026

The martial art behind the Anglo-Satsuma War