Art of the sword
Shodan - 1st Degree Black Belt
All warriors regardless of rank were trained in Swordsmanship, those of higher ranks had more time to develop their expertise, which is why a retainer of lower rank was no match for the Bushi.
These Bushi normally carried two swords, the long sword (Katana) and the short (wakiashi) and these two weapons symbolized the Bushi position in Japanese society.
The art of sword fighting (Ken-Jutsu) became highly specialised and many schools (Ryu) were established, where the devotees of the skill trained for long hours, practising the initial preparation for combat, the unsheathing of a sword, strategies of attack, counter attack and defence.