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movies kept the myths alive, however. These were often period
pieces set in the era of the xia or the Shaolin Temple.
While many were made in pre-unification Hong Kong, epics
such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero are more
recent, and highly regarded as wuxia. Actors in these movies
practice Wushu (pp. 206-207), which is China’s official art,
making it suitable for modern Chinese martial artists even
in a cinematic game. It is still possible to train in all other
forms of kung fu in China, however.
HISTORICAL JAPAN
Japan has a rich martial-arts history. Like China, it’s
often synonymous with “martial arts” in the popular mind.
Two groups of historical Japanese martial artists – the
samurai and the ninja – are the subject of a large proportion
of martial-arts legend and fiction.
The “Samurai Era”
and Tokugawa Era
The samurai were central to Japanese martial arts
from about 800 A.D. until abolished as a class in the 19th
century. Along with low-born hopefuls, they fought in the
constant conflicts that first fractured and then eventually
unified Japan. They rose to prominence when the Yamato
government began to rely on local nobles to provide mounted
archers, and remained important until around 1600,
when Japan was unified under the Tokugawa Shogunate.
After that, battle became rare but the martial arts didn’t
decline in popularity or social importance.
This entire period is flush with martial arts. Armed styles
prevail – taking on armored opponents barehanded is foolhardy
if there are weapons handy! Appropriate styles include
Bajutsu (p. 151), Bojutsu (p. 192), Iaijutsu (p. 174), Kenjutsu
(pp. 173-175), Kusarijutsu (p. 179), Kusarigamajutsu
(p. 180), Kyujutsu (pp. 179-180), Naginatajutsu (p. 186), and
Sojutsu (pp. 197-198). Shurikenjutsu (pp. 195-197) also
exists, and grows useful later in the period, when armor
heavy enough to shrug off shuriken isn’t worn routinely. An
early samurai would be an expert in the bow and regard it as
the central weapon of combat. Later samurai would emphasize
the sword, spear, and polearms – but the bow remains in
use even after the advent of the gun. On Okinawa, the main
weapon style is Kobujutsu (p. 178), although samurai from
the mainland and those educated in China practice styles
from abroad, too.
Unarmed styles include Aikijutsu (p. 149) and Jujutsu
(pp. 166-168). Sumo (pp. 198-199) is mainly a sport . . . but
some sources have lords hiring sumotori as bodyguards,
implying that sumo hadn’t yet lost all combat utility. Te
(pp. 169-170) is the dominant barehanded style on
Okinawa, but frequent contact with China makes kung fu
styles another possibility.
Ninja participated in the conflicts of this era. Ninja characters
should be trained in Taijutsu (pp. 202-203) and some
of the armed styles listed for samurai. For more on the
topic, see Ninja and Ninjutsu (p. 202).
The Tokugawa era marked an end to the continuous conflict.
With more students and instructors surviving to pass
on their skills, the period saw an explosion in the number of
ryuha. Some detractors point out that this was partly
because ineffective styles survived – styles that in an earlier
era would have gotten their proponents killed in combat
before they could pass on their art. On the other hand,
Musashi Miyamoto (pp. 21-22) was active at this time and
founded Niten Ichi Ryu (see Nito Ryu, pp. 174-175) . . . and
the founder of Jojutsu (p. 192) created his style after an
encounter with Musashi. Both styles are quite effective!
What’s certain is that a game set in this age would feature
all of the earlier styles plus those developed during the
peaceful times that followed. Many of these arts suit any
Japanese campaign set before the modern era. Some exist
even today, although -do forms are more common than -
jutsu forms.
Most Japanese movies and manga depicting these periods
boast cinematic abilities and extreme bloodshed. A campaign
inspired by this fiction would be an excellent hybrid
(see Hybrid Campaigns, pp. 239-241). It might adopt such
realistic rules as Harsh Realism for Unarmed Fighters
(p. 124) and Realistic Injury (pp. 136-139) (Extreme
Dismemberment in particular!), but depict reality as
described for Borderline Realism (pp. 237-238) or even Epic
(p. 239) games. Especially appropriate themes are The Quest
(p. 247) and War is Hell (p. 248).
Running historically accurate Japanese characters can
be challenging for non-Japanese. However, such anime as
Samurai Champloo simply transplant modern attitudes into
the era to facilitate the story. The GM might wish to do the
same.
Modern Japan
After World War II, the American occupiers initially
banned most martial arts. The ban didn’t hold up for long,
though. American servicemen often trained enthusiastically,
and many went on to found dojos upon returning to the U.S.
The most famous modern art was probably Karate (pp. 169-
172), introduced into Japan prior to WWII by Okinawan
instructors.
Today, Karate (especially Shotokan and Kyokushin),
Aikido (p. 149), and Taijutsu (pp. 202-203) are all popular. In
addition, -do forms of most historical combat arts still exist
and some schools keep ancient traditions alive. Yabusame
(p. 181) practitioners demonstrate their art on holidays.
Japanese participation in Sumo (pp. 198-199) is declining
but the sport is still wildly popular – and a steady influx of
foreign-born wrestlers competing at the top levels keeps
interest high. Such sports as Judo (p. 166), Kendo (p. 175),
and Kyudo (p. 181) are common activities for Japanese
teenagers, although people of all ages participate.
In late 20th- and early 21st-century Japan, mixed martial
arts (p. 189) are becoming more popular. There are a number
of competing “brands” or leagues, and fighters often
compete in several of these. MMA and kickboxing matches
are major television events, and participants endorse products
and make TV appearances quite unrelated to fighting!
A modern Japanese campaign might have any realism
level and any theme. Recent Japanese fiction runs the
gamut from Gritty Realism (p. 237) to Over-the-Top (p. 239).
Modern Japan is relatively safe, though, making the “Street”
lens (p. 145) on styles inappropriate and the courses represented
by “Self-Defense” (p. 145) vanishingly rare. Even the
riot police train in formal, traditional styles.
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