Oishi Shinkage-ryu Kenjutsu
Sword school of the Yanagawa domain founded by Oishi Susumu. Known for thrusts with a long bamboo sword, with which the founder succeeded in Edo in 1832.
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About Oishi Shinkage-ryu Kenjutsu
Oishi Shinkage-ryu is a sword school from the Yanagawa domain in Chikugo province. The Nipponica encyclopedia names as its founder the late Edo period swordsman Oishi Susumu (1797–1863), who studied sword and spear from childhood and became the domain's instructor in 1825. The Daijisen dictionary says he was born into a family of sword and spear instructors of the Yanagawa domain, but places the school's origin in the middle Edo period. According to Nipponica, his long bamboo swords drew attention. The Jinmei daijiten dictionary says he excelled at thrusting with a long bamboo sword and came to Edo in 1832, where he matched Chiba Shusaku and Shirai Toru. Sources give the length of his sword differently, English Wikipedia four shaku, Japanese Wikipedia five shaku and three sun. According to contributions by Morimoto Kunio, the school spread to other domains, among them Tosa, Ogi and Takanabe. Neither the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai nor the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists it. Japanese Wikipedia says the school still exists in Omuta and Yanagawa in Fukuoka prefecture and that its seventh holder took over leadership in 2014.
History
The Nipponica encyclopedia says that Oishi Susumu (1797–1863) was born in Chikugo province, practised sword and spear from childhood and became the domain's instructor in 1825. The Daijisen dictionary says he was born into a family of sword and spear instructors of the Yanagawa domain, and reads his name as Tanetsugu. Japanese Wikipedia says he learned Shinkage-ryu sword and Oshima-ryu spear from his father. English Wikipedia derives the school from Aizu Kage-ryu, which according to it Murakami Itto brought to the Yanagawa domain. In 1832, according to the Jinmei daijiten dictionary, Oishi came to Edo and with a long bamboo sword matched Chiba Shusaku and Shirai Toru. Nipponica says he became famous on the way to Edo. According to Jinmei daijiten he died in 1863. Morimoto Kunio, in contributions from 2007 to 2020, examines the school's list of students from the provinces and the Oishi Shinkage-ryu instructors in the Tosa, Ogi and Takanabe domains. Japanese Wikipedia says that the second holder, the founder's son (1824–1878), also came to Edo with a long sword, and the two Oishi Susumu are therefore often confused.
How it differs
According to the Nipponica encyclopedia, the founder's long bamboo swords drew attention. Sources give their length differently: English Wikipedia says the founder was about 1.8 metres tall and used a sword four shaku long, about 121 centimetres, while Japanese Wikipedia gives five shaku and three sun, about 1.6 metres. Reports of the matches in Edo differ, according to Japanese Wikipedia. In one version Oishi was defeated only by Shirai Toru, in another Chiba Shusaku drew the match when he used a barrel lid instead of a tsuba.
Technique
The Jinmei daijiten dictionary says Oishi excelled at thrusting with a long bamboo sword. Japanese Wikipedia says the school is known for a left one-handed thrust from a stance with the point at the throat and the left elbow bent, recalling a spear stance. According to Wikipedia, the practice sword's length follows the student's chest height. Japanese Wikipedia says the teaching also includes two-sword forms, iaijutsu sayanouchi and kodachi techniques, and that the sword techniques make up about eighty kata variations.
Ranks and progression
Japanese Wikipedia gives one example of a licence being awarded, a student from the Tosa domain who, it says, received full kaiden transmission 28 days after joining the school. English Wikipedia says Morimoto Kunio received the menkyo kaiden licence in 2010.
Today
Neither the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai nor the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists the school, and the koryu.com guide does not mention it. We have not found in the sources any designation as a cultural property or any organisation of the school. Japanese Wikipedia says the school still exists in Omuta and Yanagawa in Fukuoka prefecture and that on 20 April 2014 its seventh holder took over leadership. English Wikipedia gives Oishi Kei as the present holder.
Did you know
According to Japanese Wikipedia, the founder reputedly honed his thrust by striking a suspended ball with a bamboo sword. English Wikipedia says the lord of the domain sent him to Edo in 1832 and that he reportedly adapted the practice sword into a form close to today's bamboo sword.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Oishi Shinkage-ryu?
According to the Nipponica encyclopedia, Oishi Susumu (1797–1863) from Chikugo province, who became the domain's instructor in 1825.
What was Oishi Susumu known for?
The Jinmei daijiten dictionary says he excelled at thrusting with a long bamboo sword and that in 1832 he matched Chiba Shusaku and Shirai Toru in Edo.
How long was Oishi Susumu's sword?
Sources disagree. English Wikipedia gives four shaku, about 121 centimetres, Japanese Wikipedia five shaku and three sun, about 1.6 metres.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.