Zanjutsu

**Zanjutsu** (*斬術, Swordsmanship*) is the shinigami fighting style which focuses on the use of Zanpakuto, it is distinct from Kenjutsu which is more widely practiced and focuses on sword fighting without any emphasis being put into the nature and abilities of the Zanpakuto. The Tsunayoshiro family are the noble family of the noble quartet that focuses on Zanjutsu.

## ***Overview***

While Zanjutsu may appear most similar to Hakuda it is in fact a style of combat more closely related of Hoho and Kido than Hakuda because Zanjutsu focuses on the use of reiatsu of its user and if the user is skilled enough, of the reiatsu of the zanpakuto as well.

While the above is true, it also only applies to combat using unsealed and zanpakutos which leave the blade mostly unchanged after their releases. For most shinigami Zanjutsu consists in training and using the synergy of using their zanpakuto with the effects of their shikai or bankai. As such Zanjutsu can be considered an hybrid art that focuses on both the synergy with special zanpakuto effects and the underlying mechanics that all zanpakuto share.

## ***Core Techniques***

These techniques are core and do not belong to specific styles, note certain techniques are performed by the Zanpakuto as opposed tot he shinigami these will be marked with [Zanpakuto Technique].

### ***Basic Level***

Zanjutsu as a combat technique obviously focuses on teaching the physical movements and forms of sword combat but those are not considered true zanjutsu, instead zanjutsu only flourishes when one learns to use their reiatsu with their sword.

* **Edge Alignment**: The most fundamental and versatile technique of Zanjutsu, edge alignment as its name implies, requires a shinigami to align the flow of their reiatsu with the slashing motion of their blade, thus adding their reiatsu to the edge of their Zanpakuto. This simple technique greatly increases the attack power of any blow, and mastering it to work with every strike is the most fundamental and important training a shinigami can undertake.
	+ **Ha** (刃, *Edge*): A simple and natural improvement of the edge alignment technique where a shinigami will focus their reiatsu to cover the edge of the blade rather than the entirety of it to preserve reiatsu and to focus the cutting power of their reiatsu on the zanpakuto's edge.
	+ **Mune** (棟, *Back*): A more complex evolution of the Edge alignment technique where a shinigami will exert their spiritual pressure in alignment with their sword but focusing it on the back of the sword, using that surface as a "sail" and their reiatsu as wind, pushing the sword with more power and speed than a normal swing. This serves as the basis of **Ryodan-Ryu**.
* **Hadakaha** (*裸刃, Naked Edge*): A basic technique where a user will endow the super-majority if not the entirety of their Reiatsu into their blade, foregoing defense entirely to increase their offense using their zanpakuto. This technique is rarely practiced because most shinigami fight using reiryoku and reiatsu intensive shikais and using this technique considerably weakens non melee type zanpakuto. This technique is a "supplemental" technique because it can be used to strengthen other techniques.

### ***Intermediate Level***

These techniques are essential for those who seek to master their Zanpakuto but are not necessarily taught to all shinigami.

* **Bunki** (*分岐, Bifurcation*): An intermediate technique of Zanjutsu where a user will perform edge alignment and use **Ha** and **Mune** simultaneously to add power, speed and sharpness to their attacks. It is named "Bifurcation" because the user needs to split their reiatsu control in 2 and because this technique was famously used by a Kenpachi of the past famous for his clean Bifurcations of adjuchas.
* **Kōsoku** (*拘束, Restraint*): An evolution of Edge Alignment where a shinigami will perform Edge Alignment but narrow down the area even further to multiply the pressure of the reiatsu for even greater effect, masters can narrow down all their pressure into a single point. This technique is a "supplemental" technique because it can be used to strengthen other techniques, namely Ha and Mune.
	+ **Kisaki** (*Point*): The technique name for when a shinigami performs Kosoku and Ha at only the tip of their blade, granting it sharpness of incomparable level which is capable of piercing through Hierro of all strenghts.
* **Self-Edge Alignment** [Zanpakuto Technique]: An intermediate technique of Zanjutsu and a technique most melee type zanpakuto perform by themselves by default. Self-Edge Alignment consist in the Zanpakuto using and manipulating their *own* unique reiatsu to align itself with their edge. This confers the benefit of 2 edge alignment effects onto a single strike, notably a zanpakuto is unable to use certain "evolutions" of this technique due to their shape, the most obvious example being **Mune** (*Back*). Because Zanpakuto can perform both *Ha* and *Kosoku* they normally default to using those techniques to assist.

### ***Advanced Level***

* **Daiken** (*大剣, Great Sword*) [Zanpakuto Technique]: The generic name for the school of techniques where a shinigami will perform their own technique while their zanpakuto focuses on using **Self-Edge Alignment** to perform **Ha** and thus grant immense cutting power to every strike without the shinigami even doing anything. Nearly all masters of zanjutsu are defined by their ability to make every single one of their strikes a Daiken strike.
* **Yureru** (*揺れる, Sway*): An advanced technique where a shinigami will perform **Mune** and **Ha** in quick succession in a single strike, due to the order of the technique this will provide the benefit of both techniques by speeding up the strike with **Mune** and granting it increased sharpness and power with **Ha** at the moment of impact. Ame Sawada is a proponent of this technique and categorizes styles which make use of Yureru as **Hyper-Offensive** in nature, only those with great talent can learn this technique.

### ***Master Level***

* **Kyoshin** (*共振, Resonance*): Less of a technique and more of a phenomenon, Kyosin is what occurs when a zanpakuto and a shinigami's **Kosoku Ha** (*Restrained Edge*) align with absolute perfection, when this event occurs *constructive resonance* will occur on both reiatsus causing them to both multiply in effectiveness, if used on a perfect sword swing that uses the entire body this technique can generate tremendous destructive power comparable even to weak bankais. Being able to perform **Kyoshin** on demand is the mark of a **Kensei** (*剣聖, Sword Saint*).

## ***Styles***

### ***Ryodan-Ryu***

A style of sword-fighting which makes use of **Mune** in every strike, with every strike being 2 handed as well. It is a preferred style for sword fighters with powerful explosive reiatsu even when it's not fully released to a visible level and those which possess great natural power. The style is named as such because every strike hits with the strength of Ryodan. What makes this style unique is that Ryodan-ryu makes use of the full pushing power of reiatsu by exploiting the extra force it carries when it's not released the traditional and more natural way.

### ***Oretaken-Ryu***

**Oretaken-Ryu** (*折れた剣流, Broken Sword Style*) is a sword style invented and used exclusively by Ame Sawada, it makes use of **Yureru** for every strike due to his familiarity and experience with the technique, but takes it further by regularly abusing the phenomenon of **Fuitchi** (*不一致, Discordance*) in combat.

**Fuitchi** is a sister technique of **Kyoshin** (*共振, Resonance*) and is the exact opposite event, where Ame will intentionally misalign his own reiatsu with his Zanpakuto's to create destructive resonance, causing an explosive reaction that will result in the destruction of his Zanpakuto and in the production of a large volume of reiryoku from the destruction of the structure of the Zanpakuto. Essentially Ame is capable of making his sword explode like a bomb at will.

Ame is the sole user of this unorthodox style because **Tokage no Shippo's Shikai** ability allows it to instantly restore itself at no cost. Although other sword users could theoretically learn it, provided they do not mind using it only once per battle, and only battling once every couple of days.