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| Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Shin Kage Ryu |
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| Kamiizumi Nobutsuna |
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Shin Kage Ryu Ken Jutsu
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Shin Kage Ryu has its origins with Kamiizumi Hidetsuga (Aka Nobutsuna) who was a student of Matsumoto Masanobu (d 1543) or a fellow student of his his teacher Izasa Yamashiro no Kami Choisai of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu; Japans oldest recorded and still existant Ryu. This influence is sometimes called Shinto Ryu. However Kage Ryu comes from
Kamiizumi Hidetsuga's (Aka Nobutsuna) teacher Aisu Ikosai.
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Kage Ryu
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The term Kage Ryu, means shadow school. This Ryu represents the sword techniques of the Aizu clan, which were passed on by Aizu Hyuga No Kami (Aisu Ikosai 1452-1538) who was involved, although in what capacity is unknown, in piracy along the Korean and Chinese Coasts.
Aisu Ikosai was born Aisu Tarozaemon Hisatada and was part of the Aizu/Aisu Samurai clan, a branch of the Kii family of Kumano. The Kii family had been put in charge of five castle areas in the Muromachi period (1336 - 1568) by Shogun Morinaga Shinno (1308-1335). Aisu Ikosai claims to have studied what became Kage Ryu in Ming China. Ikosai's Kage Ryu is based on animal behaviour and the rhythm of the waves.
1. On animal behaviour (This is common to many Kung Fu/Chaun Fa styles)
2. The Rhythm of the waves (Ikosai could be refering to lessons learnt whilst at sea).
Aisu Ikosai was sword teacher to the chief retainer of the warlord Uesugi at Orgo castle. The Uesegi clan served the Ashikaga Shogunate (1338-1572). The chief retainer of Orgo Castle was in the hands of the Hidetsuga family. The post of retainer in the Hidetsuga family passes from father to eldest son. Kamiizumi Hidetsuga and his father served as retainers to the Uesugi clan during periods of war and alliance with the Takeda clan.
The battles between these two great warlords of Uesugi and Takeda resulted in mounting casualities on both sides, eventually an alliance was formed between the Takeda clan and the Uesegi clan retainers the Hidetsuga clan. Kamiizumi Hidetsuga was awarded the name Nobutsuna by Takeda Shingen, who had taken this name when he was a monk.
It is the eclectic nature of Kamiizumi Hidetsuga`s training in Kage Ryu and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu that led him to formulate the Shin Kage Ryu. Literally the New Shade or New Abatement school, sometimes translated as the New Shadow school to distinguish it from the Aizu Clans Kage Ryu.
Here we see a clear separation between the Kage Ryu lineage and the Aizu clan, this however is not surprising as during the battles between the warlords Uesugi and Takeda, it was the Aizu who were the retainers to the Takeda clan.
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Shin Kage Ryu
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Kamaiizumi Nobutsuna gave a diploma to Yagyu Muneyoshi in 1566 in which he states that:
`In my studies I penetrated into the deepest foundations of the various styles, but in particular I drew out the mysteries of the Kage Ryu and call my own school the Shin Kage Ryu`.
The aims of the Shin Kage Ryu were stated by Nobutsuna to Yagyu Muneyoshi as:
`The school aims to come up with a series of measures by changing in response to the opponent, just as one handles the sail by watching the wind and releases the hawk upon seeing a rabbit`.
Here it appears that Kamiizumi Nobutsuna is staying close to the original teachings given by Aizu Ikosai, animal behaviour (Hawk and Rabbit) and the natural elements such as the Wind, just as Aizu Ikosai refered to the rhythm of the waves.
Yagyu Muneyoshi`s son, Munenori states in the Tsuki no Sho (Notes on the Moon):
`The sword of the Shin Kage Ryu is not a yang blade, but a Yin (Kage) blade; it does not employ any posture, its posture being posturelessness. The position of the Shin Kage Ryu is to do things in response to the opponents moves. It is a Ryu that does not aim to slash, not to take,not to win, not to lose`.
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Yagyu Ryu
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Yagyu Muneyoshi, like Nobutsuna, had studied the swordsmanship of the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu and the style of Chujo Ryu which is said to have been founded by Chujo Nagahide who had studied swordsmanship under the monk Jion of the Jufukuji Temple in Kamakara.
A meeting was arranged by Inei between Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (Hidetsuga) and Yagyu Muneyoshi and is believed to have taken place in either 1559 or 1566. Yagyu Muneyoshi arrives at the Hozo In temple and engages in a duel with Higita Bungoro, Nobutsuna`s nephew, who is armed with a bundle of bamboo sticks tied with leather covering(called Fukuro Shinai) and who defeats Yagyu Muneyoshi easily.
The result of this is that Yagyu Muneyoshi becomes a student of Nobutsuna and receives what is later to become the Heiho Kaiden Sho (family transmitted book on swordsmanship) and establishes the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, it is likely that this is the correspondence that Kamiizumi Nobutsuna wrote to Yagyu Muneysohi in 1566 telling him the aims of the Shin Kage Ryu.
In 1571 Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (formerly Hidetsuga) was awarded the title Kengo, sword master, by the Emperor Ogimachi. This title is the formal and royal recognition of Nobutsuna as the Head Master of his own Ryu, the Shin Kage Ryu. In that same year (1571) Yagyu Muneyoshi's son Munenori was born. it is Munenori who later comes to develop a close relationship with Takuan Soho, A Zen priest who is sometimes held to have been a prime mover in the phenomema in which Zen was fused with swordsmanship.
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Hozo In Ryu
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It was in 1567 on the eighth month that Hozo Inei of the Hozo In Ryu having practised since spring that year was awarded his Menkyo Kaiden (licensed initiate) as was at the same time Marume Nagayoshi (1540-1629) who went on to form the Taisha Shin Kage Ryu, later Taisha Ryu, from which the Satsuma Samurai's Jigen Ryu evolved, the same Jigen Ryu that influenced the Okinawan Martial Arts.
Hozo In Ryu
Shin Kage Ryu was also taught to the priest Inei at Hozo In temple in Nara (The old capital of Japan) by Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. This same priest at the Hozo In temple in Nara was the founder of Hozo In So Jutsu, the art of using the staff and Spear. In the meeting with Takeda in the battle at Orgo castle Hidetsuga (AKA:Kamiizumi Nobutsuna) had used the spear. It is therefore likely that Hidetsuga was at one time a student of Hozo Inei at Nara. How else would this humble monk have known Kamiizuma Hidetsuga?
Hozo Inei is credited with the invention of the Kama Yari, a spear with a scythe on the end. The story of Inei's discovery is usually told in the following way:
One night whilst practising with his spear (Yari) using the Surusawa pond as a mirror, Inei saw the first crescent of the full moon appear on the end of his spear and it was from this that he then created Kama Yari for which the Hozo In Ryu at Nara is famous.
This story may very well be a parable of sorts, the moon reflecting in water is often used as way of describing a particular state of mind Zanshin as Zazen, this is Zen.
The importance of Inei`s place in the transmission of Shin Kage Ryu is often overlooked. Inei,was not only chief priest at the Hozo In temple in Nara, a practitioneer of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna`s Shin Kage Ryu but was also the founder of Hozo In Ryu school of So Jutsu which exists in Nara to this day. It has also been suggested that Inei was uncle to Yagyu Muneyoshi. One wonders if the term Uncle means something other than relative by blood or marriage, as seen in some Chinese family martial arts systems, bonds forged through training.
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Influences of Yagyu and Shin Kage Ryu:
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The importance of Yagyu Shin Kage Ryu cannot be under estimated in the evolution of Japanese martial arts including their modern Budo forms such as Judo, Aikido and Kendo.
Students of Yagyu branch of Shin Kage Ryu have included Oguri Niemon, who founded the Oguri Ryu, Nagao Kemmtsu of Nagao Ryu and Ibaragi Sensai who was to become the Head Master of Kito Ryu. Each of these schools so mentioned developed grappling techniques in support of the sword and to be used against the sword when the practitioner had none. They are based on the Shin Kage Ryu principle of Mu To (No Sword).
The episode below is often used to demonstrate Muto is the invitation that General Ieyasu gave to Yagyu Muneyoshi in 1594 to demonstrate his skill at swordsmanship. The general was so impressed with Yagyu Muneyoshi`s display of skill that he decided to test his own skill against Muneyoshi.As the General brought down his Bokuto (Heavy wooden sword) on to Yagyu Muneyoshi`s forehead, the Yagyu dodged the blow, made a symbolic punch to the generals chest and with his other hand grabbed the Bokuto by the hilt and caused it to spin across the floor.
There are however other interpretations as to how this techique was performed. what is being stressed here is that Yagyu Muneyoshi was unarmed. It has been postulated that Shiho Nage of Aikido and the Kata Garuma of Ju Jutsu and Judo have their origin in this technique.
As the Shin Kage Ryu had numerous adherents at various times, the teachings of the original style became diffused throughout a number of various traditions.
For example the Goto Ryu Yagyu Ju Jutsu which was studied by Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido was not formulated into a composite system until late in the 19th Century when various teachings were gathered. Also to study Goto Ryu Yagyu Ju Jutsu was the father of modern Judo, Jigaro Kano, who had also studied Kito Ryu which had incorporated some Yagyu Ryu Muto techniques when Ibaragi Sensai had studied that style.
Morihei Ueshiba the founder of Aikido also had a close relationship with the Yagyu Ryu swordsman Kasaburo Shumojo and it is therefore likely that the basic sword postures and exercises in Aikido, despite their variation came from the Yagyu Shin Kage Ryu.
The influences of Hozo Inei and Takuan Soho appears to suggest an association with Zen. In Zen one of the teachings is of Mu Shin (No Mind) and this can be said to be related to the teaching of Muto, the ability to take your opponents sword without being taken by it. In Takuan's writings the ability to do this involves not allowing ones mind to be taken by anything.
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| Nihon Go Shin Kage Ryu & Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu
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| Essex |
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| Sensei983@yahoo.com
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Page Updated Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:08pm EST
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