Koryu

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Rory Miller (Meditations on Violence) briefly mentioned that he was a koryu snob. What is koryu? Old school:

Koryu is a Japanese word that is used in association with the ancient Japanese martial arts. This word literally translates as “old school” (ko – old, ryu – school) or “traditional school.” Koryu is a general term for Japanese schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji Restoration (the period from 1866 to 1869 which sparked major socio-political changes and led to the modernization of Japan). While there is no “official” cutoff date, the dates most commonly used are either 1868, the first year of the Meiji period, or 1876, when the Haitorei edict banning the wearing of swords was pronounced.

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