Naginata made a fresh start as a sport after World War II and in its new form, “Rhythm Naginata”, in which practitioners perform to rhythm such as music, was created. This study examines the process in which Rhythm Naginata was created and developed and the main instigators, and explores possibilities in the future development of Naginata as a field which demonstrates the diversity of budo arts.
 The budo arts were originally developed for combat. In post-war Naginata, however, Rhythm Naginata came to be utilised in the training and acquisition of basic moves and techniques such as forms of etiquette through the traditional process of learning Kata. This is because modern budo arts aim for character building, and are practiced by people as popular forms of traditional physical exercise. In tracing the origins of Rhythm Naginata, we find that “Naginata-Mai” (dance) was performed in Shinto rituals throughout Japan for invoking rain or abundant crops. Naginata-Mai, which was an elegant system of exercise considered suitable for girls, was created by Ozawa Unosuke. He was an educator who invented bujutsu-taisō (martial art calisthenics) in the latter years of the Meiji era when Naginata had yet to be approved as an authorized field of study in the education system.
 In the post-war era, Rhythm Naginata was initiated by Sonobe Shigehachi, headmaster of Jikishinkage-ryū. It is clearly stated in a bulletin published in 1966 that he coined the term “Rhythm Naginata”. Sonobe’s successors, Yamamoto Misao and Kajiyama Takeko, demonstrated Rhythm Naginata accompanied by piano for the first time as a public display at the 10th National Athletic Meet. In 1961, Mori Kiyoko, a teacher at Asaka Junior High School in Saitama Prefecture, created Rhythm Naginata for junior high school students, and demonstrated it at a Naginata meet. Yano Tsune, who studied the Tendō-ryū Naginata as one of the first generation of students in the Butokukai’s Naginata course, led the performance of Rhythm Naginata by students from Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences at the Kobe Universiade in 1985. It was accompanied by traditional Japanese music and mainly displayed techniques from classical Naginata. Rhythm Naginata successfully achieved two outcomes: 1) it could be utilised as an effective educational medium; and 2) as a representation of Naginata’s cultural value it contributed to the spread and development of Naginata by showcasing its aesthetically pleasing movements and skills required in using a long weapon. Further study is needed to ascertain the connection between Naginata Mai and Rhythm Naginata.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the formational process of the thought about women and bushido seen in Kendo Gokui (1916) by Kagawa Teru. To achieve that aim, the first step was to reveal the context of the thought between women and bushido in the chapter of general statement of Kendo Gokui while looking at the meaning and positioning of bushido. Next, the background of formation of the thought was explored through analyzing the descriptions in the journal titled Seikou.

The results of this study are shown below.

1. Kagawa states in the chapter of general statement of Kendo Gokui that the concept of bushido was to be calm and resolute against those who are strong and fierce, and show love to those who are weak and suffering. The terms “jindo” (human way) or “Nihon-do” (Japanese way) could also be used instead of “bushido”. Furthermore, Kagawa pointed out a problem with the term “bushido”. According to him, the concept of bushido has been misunderstood in that the spiritual characteristics of “do” (way) in the word “bushido” were only for samurai warriors (bushi), and had no relation to the other farmer, artisan, and merchant classes in Japan. Kagawa thought that from such an interpretation bushido is a “way” for all people and that even women should not be excluded from studying it and benefitting from it. For that purpose, Kagawa recommended practicing kendo. Thus, it became clear that in the relationship between women and bushido, for Kagawa these concepts were at the core.

2. When the background to the formation of thoughts on the relationship between women and bushido were explored, Kagawa’s view of women and interpretation of bushido in Kendo Gokui were found to be similar to an article he wrote in a journal called Seikou that was published in 1909. For this reason, this journal article by Kagawa was considered to be the beginning of his view on women and bushido found in Kendo Gokui.

3. The background of Kagawa’s article published in the journal Seikou in 1909, firstly, it was the close relationship between girls and budo in girls’ education in the middle and late Meiji era. It was confirmed that, as governor of Saga prefecture, Kagawa was involved in girls’ education by opening a girls’ high school. Furthermore, similarities were found between interpretations of the view of women and bushido in Kagawa’s Seikou article, and the view of women and bushido described in Bushido, edited by Abe Masato and published in 1902. This was not only because of the teacher-student relationship with Yamaoka Tesshu through Kagawa’s kendo training, but also the close time between the two discourses. From these facts, it can be said that the accounts of Yamaoka Tesshu’s verbal teachings were the background for the generation of the view of women and interpretation of bushido in Kagawa’s Seikou article.

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