Senbukijutsu

Senbukijutsu (千武器の術 Art of Thousand Arms) is a style invented by Takeo "The White Demon" Ichinari, in a bid to make a style that will cause less loss of the men and women who fight in his group Tsurugi no Teisei. The style is exclusive to the group and combines Takeo's personal brand of Armed, Unarmed and Kido combat (The Kido was mainly developed by his father Yukimura Ichinari).

Overview
Senbukijutsu (千武器の術 Art of Thousand Arms) is a unique style involving fast, elegent, dynamic yet powerful armed and unarmed attacks along with unique and devastating Kido spells. The style is split into two sides - the Physical and Spiritual, the physical side deals with armed and unarmed combat as well as tactics. The spiritual side deals with Kido, meditation and emotions. It doesn't matter what weapon the user uses as the style itself is very adaptable. For example if one user uses a staff he can adapt the weapon techniques to be used for a polearm.

Teachings
Senbukijutsu's code is simple yet needed to understand the path a Senbukijutsu user must take. The 7 principles are Honor, Loyalty, Hope, Glory, Life, Death and Justice. Without these a user will never truly master the style.
 * Honor: Honor is integral for a user to be fair and respectful to both enemies and allies. If the user is challenged to a one on one fight with an enemy they must not use hostages to win even if the enemy does. To do so dishonors not only themselves but the style itself.
 * Loyalty: Loyalty, to be loyal to your freinds, family, leaders or people. This principle dictates the need for brotherhood within the style, to quote Takeo on the style "All who use this style are family...They are no longer friends they are family in both oath and path."
 * Hope: Hope is what everyone needs to get through the day. All users must have hope to get through any fight no matter how bad.
 * Glory: Everyone has an ego, all that is needed is to keep it in check. Glory isn't as required as the other principles but it is still needed to keep the moral of the user up.
 * Life: This is to understand that life is just one step to death, and can end with a single cut of the sword, strike of the fist or blast of Kido. All users are taught that their life may end no matter their skill or ability to survive.
 * Death: Like Life, all users are taught that this will happen no matter what, it's just a matter of time to when the final blow will land.
 * Justice: The concept of Justice is highly important in this style as all users are to deal out justice to the enemy who have killed innocence, even if the enemy is Shinigami, Hollow, Arrancar, Vizard, Fullbringer etc. No matter who they are if they kill innocence for the fun or it or due to some god complex they will be killed in revenge for the innocent souls that have lost their life before their time.

Usage
Senbukijutsu has several forms to learn with each form having a certain number of Kata, these forms are split into Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, Wood, Air, Light, Darkness and Storm

Earth
Earth deals with the defensive techniques such as block, this means the users will have to learn defence before attack. Earth form Kata are very rooted to the ground with firm leg postions and foot work. The idea is to never give ground to the opponant.

Fire
Fire is all about the attack all the kata deal with the attacks and the best places to strike. All it's kata are powerful, brutal and dynamic. The foot work is also just as dynamic each strike is followed by a movement in the footwork which procedes the next attack.

Water
Water is what could be considered the combonation of Earth and Fire Forms as the Water form is about countering. It takes the defence of Earth and the agressiveness from Fire making this form excelent for countering the opponant. All blocks, parries, attacks and foot work flow smoothly between eachother as if the user was water flowing around and eroding a rock in a stream.

Metal
Metal is the ultimate defence. While Rock will eventually break Metal will stand strong never yeilding. This how ever does pose many risks to the user. However it is not all about blocks it is effecivly Earth and Water in one form but as Water is considered the combonation of Fire and Earth the Metal form would need a stronger amount of Earth in it. Which is does using the Metal form means you don't flow with the attacks you block, seize then strike.

Wood
Wood is similar to Earth and Metal but istead of taking the brunt of the strike it teaches the user to yeild when needed but never to break. like a tree being blown by the wind, the user allows the opponant to fall as the user parries the strike enough to cause them to loose their footing. This then allows the user to open up with techniques from the Fire form.

Air
Air is highly agressive like Fire but flowing and elegent like water. This allows the user to attack with immense strength but defend and counter with equal strength. Like Air though this form is highly acrobatic floating around the battlespace, allowing the user to attack from many new angles.

Light
The Light Form is all about speed and attack, while fire is about attack it isn't the fastest it's more about strength than speed. Light is the opposite it's about hitting them with enough speed you break their guard and finish the fight.

Darkness
The Darkness Form is about the sneak attack. It teaches the user to attack when least expected. Such as waiting for the enemy to attack while your sword is still sheathed away.

Storm
Storm is all the previous forms in one. Only a true master of Senbukijutsu cna use this form fully. The current true master is the grandmaster of the style. Being all the previous forms in one the user must master Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Air, Light and Darkness before they can even hope to learn this form.

Ranks
These ranks are demnoted by a coloured piece of cloth which can be tired anywhere on the practioners body (as long as it's visible). This will show the colour of each cloth
 * Recruit: White
 * Initiate: White with yellow tip
 * Apprentice: Yellow
 * Novice: Yellow with red tip
 * Disciple: Red
 * Warrior: Red with brown tip
 * Veteran: Brown
 * Master (provisional): Brown with black tip
 * Master, Rank 1: Black with 1 white bar
 * Master, Rank 2: Black with 2 white bars
 * Master, Rank 3: Black with 3 white bars
 * Master, Rank 4: Black with 4 white bars
 * Master, Rank 5: Black with 5 white bars
 * Grandmaster: Black with white dragon

Trivia
All credit for the inspiration goes to two people/systems; first being Kenji-Taicho and his Yuengiri in the sense it is a similar system of combat. and of course real world martial arts.