Editing Kenjutsu (section)

===Early development===
It is thought likely that the first iron swords were manufactured in Japan in the fourth century, based on technology imported from [[China]] via the [[Korean peninsula]].<ref name='Ozawa2005'>
{{cite book
|last= Ozawa
|first= Hiroshi
|title= Swords in Ancient Japan
|orig-year= 2005
|series= Ideas and History of the Sword
|volume= 2
|year= 2008
|publisher= Kendo Academy Press
|location= Japan
|language= en, ja
|pages= 1
}}
</ref>{{rp|1}} While swords clearly played an important cultural and religious role in ancient Japan,<ref name='Ozawa2005'/>{{rp|5, 14}} in the [[Heian period]] the globally recognised curved Japanese sword (the [[katana]]) was developed and swords became important weapons and symbolic items.<ref name='Ozawa2005'/>{{rp|15}} The oldest schools in existence today arose in the [[Muromachi period]] (1336 to 1573), known for long periods of inter-state warfare. Three major schools emerged during this period.<ref name='Ozawa97'/>{{rp|XII}}

* [[Kage-ryū (Aizu)]] (Aisukage ryū)
*[[Chujō-ryū|Chūjō-ryū]]
* [[Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū]]

These schools form the ancestors for many descendent styles, for example, from Ittō ryū has branched Ono-ha Ittō ryū and Mizoguchi-ha Ittō-ryū (among many others).

On the island of Okinawa, the art of Udundi includes a unique method of both Kenjutsu and [[Iaijutsu]]. This is the only surviving sword system from Okinawa. It was the martial art of the noble Motobu family during the Ryukyu Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.motobu-ryu.org/motobu-udundi/about-motobu-udundi/|title=About Motobu Udundi|website=本部流 – Motobu-ryu -|language=ja-JP|access-date=2019-08-21}}</ref>