A samurai will not drown!

2023-08-25

What if we told you that swimming could be a martial art, and a swimmer—a warrior? That during swimming, one could shoot a bow, wield a sword, or engage in hand-to-hand combat? In the latest installment of our "Swimming Journeys" series, we present Nihon Eiho, derived from the samurai martial art of fighting in water, Suieijutsu. Our guides on this topic are first-degree practitioners—Piotr Kieżun and Paweł Rurak (Paul Piper's)—who visited Japan and practiced this unique form of swimming there.

Is Swimming a Martial Art?

What exactly is Nihon Eiho? Is it more of an art or a combat technique?

Piotr Kieżun: Modern-day Nihon Eiho, practiced in Japan, is more of an art than combat, although it originates from Suieijutsu (suiei – swimming, jutsu – art, skill, technique)—a military technique designed to prepare samurai for fighting in water.

Japan is an island and mountainous country, offering no shortage of opportunities for naval battles or crossings of swift rivers. The surrounding moats of fortresses also posed challenges. These diverse conditions led to the development of specific swimming styles in each of the dozen or so schools of suieijutsu that emerged in the Land of the Rising Sun over the centuries.

Unlike the swimming techniques familiar to us in Europe, suieijutsu includes at least several dozen swimming techniques. In Mito, the seat of the Tokugawa clan, the focus was on swimming in freshwater—rivers and lakes. Around Tokyo Bay, styles were developed for moving through the salty ocean waters with high waves.

A suieijutsu practitioner was also taught how to stay afloat in full armor while shooting a bow, fighting with swords, or wielding a knife. Their training also involved techniques for swimming underwater and navigating with their hands and feet bound by rope. A warrior had to be prepared for anything.

This comprehensive military training became unnecessary with the rapid modernization of Japanese society and its army. By the late 19th century, during the Meiji era, samurai traded their swords for ministerial briefcases. The swimming schools of the various samurai clans were closed. However, some swimming techniques continued to be taught as part of regular school education. Over time, suieijutsu schools began to revive, but the focus shifted: hand-to-hand combat and weaponry skills became part of tradition and a means to maintain physical fitness. Like most East Asian martial arts, suieijutsu also involved spiritual self-improvement—understanding one's body and achieving harmony between the mind and the surrounding nature.

In Japan, suieijutsu evolved into nihon eiho in the 20th century, further establishing itself as a sport. Within the Japanese Swimming Federation, traditional Japanese swimming has its own separate section alongside competitive swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, water polo, and open water swimming.

Since the 1950s, national nihon eiho championships have been held annually. These focus more on precision of movement and artistry rather than speed or strength. Times are not recorded; instead, judges award points for the correct execution of each technique. Only in recent years have races been introduced during the championships in one of the many nihon eiho styles. However, as organizers admit, this addition is more of a nod to those influenced by Western trends.

The vast majority of swimmers train to gain better control over their bodies in water. “Precision is the key to this sport,” says the narrator in a BBC documentary showcasing nihon eiho training. This statement perfectly encapsulates the essence of this extraordinary activity.

Swimming in Japan

Who practices nihon eiho in Japan, and where can you learn it?

Piotr Kieżun: Nowadays, nihon eiho is a fairly niche discipline, even in Japan itself. There are twelve nihon eiho centers, known as schools, each specializing in different swimming styles. Every school includes several swimming clubs.

The passion for swimming in traditional Japanese styles is often passed down from parents to their children. In many cases, grandparents, parents, and children all swim in the same club. Traditional swimming is typically combined with regular sports training. For instance, a swimmer competing in a 200-meter freestyle race might also be a member of one of the nihon eiho schools.

Together with Paweł Rurak, we visited three nihon eiho swimming clubs in Japan. The first, and the one with the longest tradition, was the club in the city of Mito, located on the eastern coast at the mouth of the Naka River, near Lake Senba. The local swimming school was founded 400 years ago by a member of the Tokugawa family, whose crest now serves as the emblem of the club. The proximity of the river and the lake influenced the swimming styles and techniques developed in Mito, which are tailored to swimming in both the still waters of the lake and the fast currents of the river. Today, training primarily takes place in a 25-meter municipal pool.

The younger counterpart of the Mito club is the one founded at Heio University in Yokohama. It focuses on the same techniques, but unlike Mito, where membership spans multiple generations, the Yokohama club is primarily attended by university students. Training sessions are held in a modern sports center, where nihon eiho swimmers train alongside those practicing water polo and diving.

The third club we had the chance to visit was a Tokyo-based center specializing in ocean swimming. Its members included a diverse group of people, such as a retired professor of oceanography from the University of Tokyo and the mayor of a local town on the Bōsō Peninsula.

Of course, there are more clubs scattered throughout Japan. Information about all of them is maintained by the Traditional Japanese Swimming Section of the Japanese Swimming Federation.

Swimming and Technique

What does this activity in the water involve? What can it be compared to?

Paweł Rurak: If you search online for videos related to nihon eiho, you’ll typically find clips showcasing the diverse, traditional applications of Japanese swimming techniques. You might see swimming in full armor, shooting a bow or rifle while floating in the water, calligraphy demonstrations, waving a giant flag, or synchronized team swimming in formation. Most of these materials are for demonstration purposes—they reflect how samurai would showcase their skills to their Shogun.

The daily life of a nihon eiho swimmer is far less festive and much closer to the swimming training we’re familiar with at our local pools. Swimmers focus on several main techniques for moving in the water, each with numerous additional variations.

Training for a nihon eiho swimmer is heavily centered on technique, as precision in movements is key. Short distances are often swum repeatedly to achieve near-millimeter perfection. During our trip, when Piotrek and I were invited to train seriously, we were given 3-hour sessions. None of the athletes on our team (Keio University) seemed surprised by this rigorous schedule.

If we were to draw comparisons to techniques familiar from Western pools or television, parallels to synchronized swimming or water polo would immediately come to mind. Many nihon eiho techniques are also nearly identical to swimming methods occasionally seen among older swimmers in Western countries. For instance, many of them swim on their side, using a scissor kick, which forms the foundation of many Japanese swimming styles.

At the end of our trip, Piotrek and I were invited to participate in an official exam for the first level of nihon eiho, which was quite similar to earning different belt colors in karate.

The exam took place during the annual Japan Championships, where we got to see firsthand how the competitions work. There are several events, but only one focuses on swimming speed. The rest evaluate precision. Exams run parallel to the competitions, and ours involved demonstrating two techniques before a panel of 13 judges—each representing a different school of nihon eiho.

I admit that despite my experience in competitive swimming, I was a little nervous. The kind of “start” and focus required was entirely different from swimming 200 meters freestyle.

How to Prepare for Swimming?

What kind of preparation (physical fitness, swimming skills, etc.) is needed to start training? Is any special equipment required?

Paweł Rurak: The beautiful thing about nihon eiho is that you don’t need to know how to swim to begin. This means you could enroll a child in Japanese swimming classes, and they would learn how to move in water from the very basics, much like joining European swimming schools.

Floating in water, learning to breathe, and basic movement are universal skills derived from the biological and physical capabilities of the human body. The difference lies in the techniques themselves, which represent the most external and superficial layer of swimming instruction.

As with any activity, general physical fitness is a great help. The fitter an athlete, the faster they can adapt their existing skills to nihon eiho swimming techniques. Advanced proficiency in competitive swimming can also speed up the learning process, but as we observed in Japan, it’s not a prerequisite. The culture of nihon eiho is deeply rooted in self-improvement, lifelong learning, and maintaining a healthy body.

This is why, at one competition, we saw both teenagers and adult swimmers spanning all age categories. Competitive swimmers might call them “Masters.”

As for equipment, nihon eiho in its basic form requires even less than competitive swimming—just a swimsuit and a cap, as goggles aren’t used. Many of the techniques taught in Japan can be quite spectacular even without any equipment.

Additionally, there are various props that give nihon eiho its distinctive Japanese flair. At competitions or demonstrations, you might occasionally see swimming in armor or waving giant flags; however, these are usually reserved for special occasions. Typically, only the best and most advanced swimmers perform these techniques. In everyday nihon eiho, training is minimalistic—just the swimmer’s body and the water.

Water Safety

How do nihon eiho techniques relate to water safety? Could it be a way to promote swimming and safe interaction with water among youth?

Piotr Kieżun: Midori Ishibiki, a nihon eiho coach and judge we met in Yokohama, repeatedly emphasized that Japanese swimming is not just a sport but also an attempt to find harmony between the body and water. To achieve this, muscles are important, but so is the mind—how we think about water and in water, our respect for this element, understanding how our body behaves in it, and learning what to do to make water our friend, not our enemy.

In a book about the history of nihon eiho that Midori gave us, there’s a quote from an old samurai “Book on the Art of Navigation” that perfectly illustrates the philosophy of nihon eiho: “The most essential thing in swimming is to move in water without tension; this is why the old saying goes that the body and water follow the mind.”

This means that building a positive and responsible attitude toward swimming and moving in water is the first point where nihon eiho aligns with the expectations of young swimmers—and perhaps even more so with their parents, who may worry about their children’s safety.

The second point is more practical. Nihon eiho is highly versatile. Its countless techniques allow swimmers to adapt to various conditions. After all, Japanese swimming didn’t originate as a pool sport. It’s more akin to traditional open water swimming. Swimmers had to learn how to handle rough seas, fast river currents, or whirlpools.

In most techniques, maintaining the head above water and having the freedom to use both hands is crucial. This greatly enhances the sense of safety and control, though respect for water remains the most important factor. I remember how strongly this was emphasized by swimmers from Tokyo Bay, who swam in the ocean.

There’s also a third reason why nihon eiho can appeal to young people. Who wouldn’t, even for a moment, want to walk the path of a samurai, knowing that the tradition they practice is over 400 years old? Nihon eiho is not just swimming—it comes with a rich cultural context: history, rituals, and ceremonies.

A member of a school who passes the first-level exam receives a suikan—a type of traditional kimono for swimmers, used in official settings (competitions, judging, etc.), with a unique design for each school. At nihon eiho championships, participants bow to the judges before entering the water and then bow to the pool, which here serves as a dojo—a training space that, like in any martial art, deserves respect.

All of this creates an unforgettable atmosphere and a sense of participating in something extraordinary. But it’s important not to overstate this sense of uniqueness. Nihon eiho, like any form of swimming, is simply a way of life—a daily activity that anyone can practice regularly.

Interview by: Maciej Mazerant / Editor-in-Chief of AQUA SPEED Magazine

Photos from the archives of Piotr and Paweł.

Piotr Kieżun – A member of the Mako Sports Club, swimming enthusiast, and aficionado of the history of this sport. He proudly holds a first-degree certificate in nihon eiho (Suifu school). When he’s not swimming, he serves as an editor at the weekly magazine Kultura Liberalna, where he heads the book review section. His work focuses on French literature.

Paweł Rurak – A swimming coach at the Mako Sports Club and a promoter of holistic development (not just physical). He believes it’s never too late to learn new skills. His passion lies in storytelling about swimming and the broader concept of physical culture, many of which can be found on his blog.