Bushin-ryu

This section of the curriculum has its roots in the Kashima-line of Shinkage Ryū Heihō and Seigo Ryū Battō-jutsu (also called Shinkage Ryū Iai-jutsu) methods of sword combat.  The two schools are historically linked within the Ōwari domain (modern-day Aichi prefecture), and practitioners were prevalently from top-ranking Samurai and the elite of the warrior class of the time. There is historically a strong connection with the philosophy of Zen, and the writings of its most famous exponents have influenced many other Japanese Budō schools for centuries and are still regarded as valuable classics even by non-practitioners.

We practice Iai-jutsu / Battō-jutsu and Ken-jutsu. We use real swords (or imitation swords for beginners) for solo practice, and for pair practice, we use the Hikihada-shinai (also called Fukuro-shinai, a split-bamboo sword covered with leather) or a Bokutō (wooden sword) according to the Kata (form) to practice.

Primary characteristics of the Shinkage Ryū method of swordsmanship are long, swift, and yet powerful sword movements aimed at the precise area of the opponent to maximize effectiveness. Impeccable understanding and control of the opponent’s timing, distance and psychology of combat are core elements of each portion of the curriculum. A large portion of the practice is dedicated to the study of strategy and its tactics through a deep understanding of natural body mechanics, as well as the study of the classics writings passed on by previous generations of masters of the art.

The Shinkage Ryū school was created in c.1560s by Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna (later Nobutsuna), already a renowned master of Kage Ryū and Katori Shintō Ryū, to develop a “new” method of swordsmanship that was more current with the times, where most of the combat would happen in daily clothes rather than in heavy armours, incorporating a refined and efficient approach to the use of the sword. In addition, he devised a new typology of practice, and he is attributed with the development of the Hikihada-shinai, which allows one to strike the training partner without risk of serious injuries. This, at the time, revolutionary implement would eventually find its way in other prominent schools and a version of it is still used today in modern Japanese swordsmanship sports.
The theory and philosophy of the Shinkage Ryū that he devised, and later expanded by his disciples in following generations, explore deep, ever-current, concepts and principles applicable to the art of the sword, as well as life in general, which have influenced many other martial arts methods to this day. These principles are something akin to “natural laws”, rather than artificial constructs, and to understand the essential nature of things. Teaching that expresses this is “katsu bekishite katsu” (win by doing that must necessarily win).

The school of Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami was transmitted by his disciples, some of which went on to create their own schools. The original line was passed on to Yagyū Tajima-no-kami Taira Munetoshi (Yagyū Sekishusai), and the tradition has been kept within the Yagyū bloodline to this day. Since the early 1600s, the Yagyū became the official sword masters of the family of the Shōgun (military ruler of Japan), and continued this duty for all the subsequent generations until the abolishment of the Shōgun and the dissolution of the Samurai cast in 1868. During those times two lines were present, the Ōwari line (in present-day Nagoya), and the Edō line (in present-day Tokyō). The Ōwari line of the Yagyū Shinkage Ryū continued after the dissolution of the Samurai caste preserving the traditions that have been passed on through two and a half centuries.

Among the top students of the 19^th and 20^th Headmasters, Yagyū Sangorō Taira Toshichika and Yagyū Kinji Taira Toshinaga was Kashima Kiyōtaka Shihan which received full transmission and went on to create his own school where he could focus on the teachings of the art of swordsmanship. A formidably skilled swordsman Kashima Shihan had several proficient students, among which Akita Moriji Shihan excelled and, in turn, taught Mukaida Takeshi Sōke, founder of our school.

A main characteristic of Bushin Ryū is the deep knowledge of the Shinkage Ryū tradition and techniques, which has been broadened by decades of studies of various sources.

Perhaps the most fundamental concepts of the Shinkage Ryū philosophy and theory are:

• Kentaihyori (Ken Tai Hyo Ri wa Ichigū wo Mamorazu): One must not dwell on only attacking, nor on only waiting, on only one’s front or only one’s back. One should be flexible and all these four elements should be in harmony
• Katsuninken / Setsunintō: Katsuninken refers to act in accordance with the opponent, but not be swayed by him. In response to the opponent’s actions one must use appropriate means to win. To “respond” but not “react”. Setsunintō refers to overpowering an opponent through strength and speed ignoring his actions.
• Jūmonjigachi: It is considered the central technique of the Shinkage Ryū system and concretely expresses the Kentaihyori and Katsuninken, where the practicioner aligns his/her jinchuro (center-line) with the opponent’s jinchuro, and simply cut straight along his/her own jinchuro. Then no matter what path the opponent’s sword takes, the practitioner will win, if the correct timing, distance and technique are applied. As the swords cross it resembles the Japanese character of the number ten, hence the name Jūmonjigachi (ten-figure-victory).