Sayatoryu

**Sayatoryu** (*鞘刀流*, Lit: *Sheath Sword Style*) is a hybrid **Gentle Blade** (*柔剣, Jūken*) and **Strong Blade** (*豪剣, Gōken*) **One Sword** (*一刀, Itto*) style which emphasizes non-lethality and the use of a sheathed sword.

## ***Overview***

Sayatoryu is a much maligned style of swordsmanship considered by most swordsman as the absolute worst sword-style imaginable due to it preaching that the sword should never be unsheathed, while there is some merit to this point of view the small number of its user are adamant that they would still use it over any other one.

The essence and reason for the existence of this style is in fact not swordsmanship skill but is instead a cultivation of an unbroken and disciplined will, one so strong and powerful that it will keep the user from drawing their sword even in a life or death situation.

## ***Training***

Sayatoryu is a martial art and swordstyle which has an heavy emphasis on philosophy more so than most, despite this, training is almost identical for other sword-styles the key difference is when it comes to evaluations. A user of Sayatoryu will be evaluated by being set loose on dangerous territory and made to fend for their lives against wild beasts, should they ever draw their blade they will instantly fail the evaluation and have to begin training from zero, if they don't die before, as supervisors will not intervene unless the student draws their blade.

This brutal method of evaluation may seem extreme but it is actually relatively safe as most students will inevitably draw their blades before things become too dangerous. Only a select few strong willed people will be able to endure the evaluation process and rise in the ranks.

## ***Principles***

### **Sheathed Swordplay**

Sayatoryu is primarily a style of swordplay but it can actually be transferred to clubs since a sheathed blade effectively functions as a club. Because it is a style which cares not for the type of sword is it in fact perhaps the most versatile of all swordstyles in that it can attack with any angle of the "sword" and can do so with virtually no downsides except awkward grips, in fact it is this very advantage that makes its advanced users prefer it over other swordstyles.

Sheathed Swordplay also provides some interesting obstacles and barriers that most swordsman do not face while opening up other tricks which they can leverage for their benefit. Perhaps most iconic is the fact that users of Sayatoryu can in fact still cut with their sword if their level of skill and mental ability is strong enough, a Sayatoryu master can cut just as well as a normal sword-user.

But more rarely observed and more exploitable is the unique interaction between the Flying Sword Slash maneuver and the Sayatoryu weapon of choice which renders these Flying Sword Slashes completely dull and edgeless but instead deal blunt physical damage or push everything away like a gale of wind. Indeed because of the nature of Sayatoryu, masters are entirely unable to cut things at a distance but they instead gain a greater level of air manipulation than just about any other swordstyle.

### **Restraint and Willpower**

Hidden within the teachings of Sayatoryu and its philosophy texts which students must memorize to rise in the ranking are the principles of haki encoded. In fact the principle of restraint and never unsheathing one's blade is merely a method devised to unlock (in the evaluations) and practice haki (every time they use the style). The teachings are so efficient in their use for the practice Haki that it would be a miracle if this was simple happenstance, the logical conclusion is then that this method of swordplay was directly designed with Haki in mind.

As a direct result of this fact users of Sayatoryu will accidentally use Haki unconsciously in combat as part of their strongest techniques even if they are never taught or explained the principles behind it. If a user of Sayatoryu keeps to their curriculum and practices diligently they'll eventually instinctively unlock and use more advanced forms of haki. Should they ever be given a full explanation of haki their ability and ease of learning it will be exponentially faster than normal.

### ***Sword Quality***

Because Sayatoryu relies entirely on the use of a sheathed blade the only thing a Sayatoryu user should worry about when acquiring a sword is if the sheathe of the sword is of high quality and endurance, everything else is secondary. It's not entirely weird or unexpected for a user of Sayatoryu to simply have a low grade sword.

### **Mastery: Sword Release**

If a person reaches high enough level of Sayatoryu they will be given permission to use their sword in combat, this is done so to bring their training to the next level since they have already reached mastery of the discipline and are now free to do as they see fit since they have proven their dedication to the art.

Because swordsmen of high enough skill can choose what their sword slashes, the highest levels of Sayatoryu will be allowed to use their sword unsheathed since by this point they should be skilled enough to make sure their sword never cut anything by accident.

## ***Drawbacks***

The main drawback of this style is that it is predictably slower and less deadly than an actual swordstyle due to the lack of aerodynamics of a sword sheathe and the lack of sharpness. This is however by design as Sayatoryu was designed to be a less lethal style of swordsmanship.

## ***Techniques***

* **Sayatoryu - Orisuto** (*Sheathed Sword Style - Weaving Strike*): A block-breaking technique where the user will swing their blade and release it when it's blocked allowing it to pivot around the opponent's blade only to grab the end of the scabbard to continue the attack having "weaved" around the opponent's sword.
* **Sayatoryu - Sekisou** (*Sheathed Sword Style - Stone Spear*): A spearing technique where the user will perform a trusting movement with both hands but one of the hands will be in the scabbard for added precision on top of power. A very versatile technique.
* **Sayatoryu - Kajiyagi** (*Sheathed Sword Style - Blacksmith Technique*): A technique where the user of Sayatoryu will hold their sheathed blade by the scabbard and attempt to penetrate an opponent's defense by hitting them with the cross-guard like a hammer.
* **Sayatoryu - Shiroiha** (*Sheathed Sword Style - White Blade*): A technique where the user of Sayatoryu will slash at the opponent by exploiting some angled geometry of the sheathe to serve as a blade. A technique which often catches opponents off guard.

**Sayatoryu Iai** (*Sheathed Sword Style Re-sheathe*): These techniques are "Iai" like because they begin and end in the same position and are also incredibly fast. These techniques are more taxing than the rest except *Fujin* ones.

* **Sayatoryu Iai - Hakanai Kougeki** (*Sheathed Sword Style Re-sheathe - Ephemeral Strike*): The user will hold their sword in Iai position, hit the opponent with the sheathed sword and then instantly return to the starting position. If the attack is performed fast enough the enemy won't notice they were struck for a few seconds after which they will feel a sudden and powerful hit.
* **Sayatoryu Iai - Mujuryoku Kawasu** (*Sheathed Sword Style Re-sheate - Weightless Parry*): The user will quickly deflect an attack before it hits by hitting it off course before it finishes, doing it so fast that the opponent doesn't even realize that the user did so.

**Sayatoryu Fujin** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword style*): Techniques which begin with the Fujin sufix are generally techniques which are "ranged" and which involve the creation and manipulation of wind.

* **Sayatoryu Fujin - Hyaku-Nen Arashi** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style - 100 Year Storm*): A technique where the user will grip their sword and swing it as hard as possible with the widest side facing the opponent, the resulting movement will create a powerful and wide column of wind that will push the opponent and everything within a few feet of them back.
	+ **Sayatoryu Fujin - Issen-Nen Arashi** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style - 1.000 Year Storm*): A much more powerful version of *Hyaku-Nen Arashi* where the user must perform the technique with both hands and a solid stance so as to bring the whole body into the movement, the resulting wind column created will even obliterate solid objects and upend structures.
* **Sayatoryu Fujin - Garyo Tensei** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style - Grand Dragon Ascent*): A technique where the user will swing their sword in an arc from behind to the under and finally in front of them in an upwards motion to create a pillar of wind under the opponent that sends them flying into the sky.
* **Sayatoryu Fujin - Shujin-Fu** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style Re-Sheathe - Dust Gathering Wind*): A movement technique which relies on the user thrusting their sword as a means of generating wind but doing it in such a way that a large amount of recoil pushes them back transferring most of the energy back onto the sword in a manner similar to geppou. Can be used to propel oneself forward or maneuver in mid air.
* **Sayatoryu Fujin Iai - Byakoki** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style Re-Sheathe - Pale Exhalation*): A technique that begin and ends in the same position and which creates a a "beam" of wind and pressure which deals impact damage when it hits.

## ***Advanced Techniques***

**Ten-Sayatoryu** (*Heavenly Sheathed Sword Style*): Techniques which are prefixed with *Ten* are techniques of the realm of masters who have become so good at swordsmanship that they can wield a blade and never let it cut, as such they wield both blade and scabbard in conjunction. An alternate name for these techniques is **Nisayatoryu** (*Double Sheathed Swords Style*). If a technique is performed with a single unsheathed sword they do not qualify for this, they are simply normal techniques made with a sword.

* **Ten-Sayatoryu - Hatsuyuki** (*Heavenly Sheathed Sword Style - First Snow*): A technique where the user brings down both blade and scabbard onto the opponent's head simultaneously making them crash into the floor with great force.

## ***Secret Techniques***

* **Sayatoryu Fujin Ogi - Man-Nen Arashi** (*Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style Secret Technique - 10.000 Year Storm*): A technique of the same family as *100-Nen Arashi* which requires both hands on the same sword but one which is boosted further by application of haki (subconscious or consciously) in such a matter as to enhance both the user's strength and the resistance of the air to this movement resulting in an even more powerful wind being created from the intense compression and release.
* **Ten-Sayatoryu Ogi - Tengoku Hashira** (*Heavenly Sheathed Sword Style Secret Technique - Heaven-Earth Pillar*): The ultimate move of the Sayatoryu style which can only be performed by absolute masters, it is an air manipulation technique that catches all the air around, below and above the user up to the limits of space and redirects it down onto an opponent below, the result of this technique is that the area will become a temporary near vacuum and space will be seen through this "pillar" which lasts until the air thrown and the atmosphere forcibly fix themselves causing an immense explosion and implosion due to pressure.

## ***Technique Name Order***

**Ten-Sayatoryu Fujin Iai Ogi** (*Heavenly Wind God's Sheathed Sword Style Re-Sheathe Secret Technique*)

## ***Trivia***

* This style is inspired by Kagura Mizukachi from Fairy Tail.