By Huang Chun Yi.
About the author:
Historical fencing and olympic fencing enthusiasm. She was a fencing coach of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. Now she is a classical fencing (sabre and foil) instructor of Lionheart Historical European Swordsmanship and her students have good results in several competitions. She had been invited to give lectures in Taiwan and the United Kingdom on classical fencing. Besides classical fencing, she is also interested in research on other historical disciplines, including bayonet fencing and rapier, etc.
In 2023, I had the opportunity to attend an international seminar in Fukushima, Japan, where I observed the training methodologies and educational approaches for Jukendo (bayonet fencing) and tankendo (short sword fencing). I noted substantial parallels with Western fencing techniques, particularly in footwork, striking methods, and technical execution, which can be traced to the influence of French bayonet fencing. Consequently, Jukendo has emerged as a martial art that amalgamates both Western and Eastern elements, now evolving into an international competitive sport.
Several years ago, I encountered an old painting titled “Jukendo” (figure 1) at an art exhibition. This experience sparked my interest as a historical fencing enthusiast in exploring the history of Jukendo during the Japanese-ruled era in Taiwan. I embarked on research into the development of martial arts in Taiwan. While existing research primarily focused on kendo and judo, I discovered that Jukendo, a relatively recent topic, required local surveys and educational research to understand its evolution better.
Jukendo (1943), Koike Tetsutarō. Chen Cheng-Po Cultural Foundation (figure 1).
During that era, economic and educational policies facilitated the coexistence of Japanese immigrants with the local population. Local police, under the auspices of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, conducted routine training, competitions, and seminars to perpetuate martial arts training. Residents also participated in protecting their homeland, contributing to the widespread adoption of martial arts practices in Taiwanese society. Besides professionals, general workers from various enterprises are also engaged in practice. Records indicate that in 1927, proceeds from a demonstration in Tamsui funded the purchase of kendo and Jukendo equipment. Additionally, in 1937, new grading regulations, including Jukendo, were established. In 1940, Taichung Prefecture secured second place in a Jukendo competition, attesting to the existence of Jukendo practice before the 1940s (figure 2).
Jukendo competitors from Taichung Prefecture at Taichung Park (1940) Lin Qi-san. Ministry of Culture (figure 2).
Martial arts and physical education were compulsory school subjects, with martial arts clubs primarily established from the 1920s to the 1940s. Kendo, judo, and naginata (for women) were the most prominent disciplines. However, Jukendo clubs also existed in schools. In the 1940s, official military training, known as "Tai-ren-ka (体練科)," was conducted under military supervision in schools and local governments. An old photograph in Issue 801 of the Kainan University News shows the Jukendo club practicing under the guidance of instructor Noguchi in the 1940s.
[Source: Kainan University News Issue 801, Page 3 (http://web1.knvs.tp.edu.tw/journal/821/files/basic-html/page3.html)].
The 1944 yearbook of Taipei High School (now Taipei Municipal High School) introduced the Jukendo club and its instructors, with students photographed wearing protective gear and holding wooden bayonets (figure 3).
Jukendo club at Taipei High School (1944) National Museum of Taiwan History (figure 3).
At Pingtung Agricultural School (now National Pingtung University of Science and Technology), Jukendo training was supervised by the military, with students practicing with wooden bayonets. Mitsui Forestry also organized Jukendo training, with participation in competitions held in Miaoli, and general workers gained experience in Jukendo. This photograph was taken by Lin Qi-san of Taiwan. According to Lin Qi-san’s son, Lin Shizhen, his father was deeply passionate about Jukendo, and Lin Shizhen carefully preserved his father’s protective gear and various martial arts photographs, which he regarded as valuable (figure 4).
Jukendo training at Pingtung Agricultural School (top left), Jukendo competition at Mitsui Forestry (top right), Jukendo competition at Mitsui Forestry (bottom left), Jukendo training at Mitsui Forestry (bottom right) (1940) Lin Qi-san. Ministry of Culture, National Cultural Archives (figure 4).
Beyond schools and companies, numerous workers participated in practice at other dojos, as documented in their résumés. Men obtained certificates of merit in Jukendo, noted in their résumés (figure 5).
Miyamune Soemon’s Résumé (1945) Ministry of Culture, National Cultural Archives (figure 5).
In 1943, a significant number of Taiwanese individuals were members of the "Greater Japan Jukendo Promotion Association (大日本銃剣道振興会)." Membership fees were recorded as 517 sen (100 sen equaled 1 yen), with a household tax receipt of 1 yen (figure 6).
Receipt for Membership Fee of Greater Japan Jukendo Promotion Association (1943) Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica (figure 6).
Numerous encyclopedias and photographs substantiate that Jukendo existed as a martial practice in Taiwan, beyond military applications. In 1943, a pocket manual titled "Jukendo Training and Guidance" was published and printed in Taiwan. The author, Noguchi Hachitarō, a military man, detailed training and guidance methods for Jukendo, tankendo, and other weapons. The manual also discussed various tactical strategies, including nighttime combat and combat formations. This manual serves as a critical record of Jukendo’s development in the region. It was published and printed in Taipei as a local training guideline when demand increased (figure 7-10).
Jukendo Training and Guidance (1943) Noguchi Hachitarō (figure 7).
Member Badge (left), The Guard of Night Combat (right) (figure 8).
Arrangements Inside and Outside the Trench and Fighting with Multiple Enemies (figure 9).
Education Method for Break-in Combat (figure 10).
The influence of Jukendo remains present in Taiwanese military practices today, evolving through various historical transitions. After the Chinese Nationalist Party's defeat in the Chinese Civil War and to counter the Chinese Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek of the Chinese Nationalist Party enlisted Japanese army and navy officers. Through Imperial Japanese Army General Okamura Yasuji, training and courses were provided to the local Chinese military (now the ROC Armed Forces) in Taiwan from 1949 to 1969. Among them, Tomita Naosuke was responsible for supporting personnel deployment and training for the Taiwanese Chinese military (currently the ROC Armed Forces). This organization, known as the "White Group," aligned with the strategies and mindset required for a disadvantaged military. Bushido and Jukendo training spread throughout the Chinese military. With American intervention in the 1950s, cooperation transitioned underground. In the early years of the ROC Armed Forces, the White Group provided combat training guidelines and conscription policies.
Modern soldiers undergo bayonet combat training developed based on Japanese or American bayonet systems and adapted to local needs. This represents the historical trajectory of Jukendo in Taiwan, continually evolving in national military contexts and martial arts competitions. Today, Jukendo has developed into an international competitive sport.
**Acknowledgments:**
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Lin Shizhen, Mr. Yeh Jenwei, Chen Cheng-Po Cultural Foundation, National Museum of Taiwan History, Institute of Taiwan History, Ministry of Culture for providing the resources and photos.
**References:**
1.陳信安，《臺灣日治時期武德殿建築之研究》，附錄 4，頁 21
2.富山可誠，《大日本武德會臺灣支部 劍道同志會會誌》第五號（臺北市南門町：劍道同志會 昭和 3 年（1928）11 月），頁 56-57。
3.「臺灣公立國民學校規則(號外)」（府令第四十七號），《臺灣總督府府報》，昭和 16 年 3 月 30 日。
4.臺灣總督府，《國民學校體鍊科教授要項竝同細目》（臺北：臺灣總督府，1942)。