Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu
宝蔵院流槍術A spear-fighting school founded in Nara by In'ei, a monk of Kofuku-ji. Its typical weapon is the kama yari, a spear with a cross-shaped transverse blade.
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About Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu
Hozoin-ryu is a school of sojutsu, the art of fighting with the spear. It was founded by In'ei (1521–1607), a monk of Kofuku-ji temple in Nara and head of its sub-temple Hozoin. The Daijisen dictionary also calls it Kama Hozoin-ryu, for its typical kama yari spear. The year of founding differs between sources. The koryu.com guide and English Wikipedia give around 1560, the Kokugo daijiten dictionary places the origin in the early Edo period, and the school itself dates its beginning from 1553. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, In'ei studied the sword together with Yagyu Munetoshi, while the Britannica encyclopedia and the Jinmei daijiten dictionary write that he merged his sword and spear training into his own cross-spear style. Technically the school rests on the spear, whose head has transverse blades on its sides. The koryu.com guide lists both the straight su yari spear and the kama yari in the curriculum. Hozoin-ryu later split into several branches. According to English Wikipedia, the monastic line at the temple ended in the early 19th century, and only the lay branch Takada-ha survives today. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai both now list only Takada-ha under the name Hozoin-ryu. Instruction thus continues in Nara, where the school originated.
History
According to the Heibonsha encyclopedia and the Jinmei daijiten dictionary, the founder In'ei lived in the years 1521 to 1607. He was a monk of Kofuku-ji temple in Nara and later head of its sub-temple Hozoin. Heibonsha states that in his youth he first studied the Katori line of Shinto-ryu. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai writes that he studied the sword together with Yagyu Munetoshi, and according to the Kokugo daijiten dictionary he took over the spear technique from another teacher. The school's own website says that on 12 January 1553, at dawn, In'ei received two secret principles from his spear teacher, and the school counts its founding from that moment. The Kokugo daijiten dictionary, by contrast, places the origin in the early Edo period, and the koryu.com guide around 1560. The heads of the Hozoin sub-temple after In'ei continued to lead the school. The Heibonsha encyclopedia names the second head, Inshun (1589–1648), and two further successors. English Wikipedia gives different years for the third and fourth heads and writes that the monastic line ended with the head Inken, who died in 1808. Alongside it a lay line arose, from which came the branches Nakamura-ha and Takada-ha.
How it differs
Hozoin-ryu is not a single line but the parent school of several branches. The Heibonsha encyclopedia lists five branches, among them Nakamura-ha and Takada-ha. Japanese Wikipedia names more of them and divides them by whether they derive from In'ei or from his successor Inshun. Takada-ha differs from the other branches in being the only one that survived. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai and the koryu.com guide list only it under the name Hozoin-ryu. We have not found another living line with its own lineage in the sources.
Technique
The school's central weapon is a spear with a cross-shaped head, which Nihon Kobudo Kyokai calls kama yari and jumonji yari. According to Britannica, In'ei arrived at this shape by bringing his sword and spear training into the spear and adding modifications of his own. The koryu.com guide lists the straight su yari spear in the curriculum alongside the kama yari. Dave Lowry writes in an essay on koryu.com that the spear had, roughly two feet below the head, a crescent-shaped hook perpendicular to the shaft. The core of the technique, he says, is to thrust into the opponent's joint and then turn the weapon so the joint bends and the opponent falls. According to Lowry, about twenty spear kata have survived, and today's movements differ considerably from the originals. The school's website quotes a saying that the weapon is a spear when it thrusts, a naginata when it cuts, and a sickle when it pulls. Japanese Wikipedia states that the school also transmitted the art of the naginata, but its kata have not survived.
Today
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai lists the school as its member number 052, under the name Hozoin-ryu Takada-ha sojutsu. According to this association, the head of the school is a teacher from Kizugawa in Kyoto Prefecture. Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai likewise lists only the Takada-ha branch. Japanese Wikipedia states that most of the kata of the parent school are lost and only the part of Takada-ha that was handed down in Edo has survived. According to the same source, the school has accepted women since 2017, and in 2018 the first woman passed an exam of the lower grade.
Did you know
A legend is told about the origin of the cross-shaped head. According to the Heibonsha encyclopedia, In'ei saw the reflection of the moon on the surface of the water and, to the straight spear, added a moon-shaped side blade. The school's website and English Wikipedia link the story to Sarusawa pond in Nara. Dave Lowry on koryu.com points out that the story cannot be verified, and also mentions a version with lightning instead of the moon. According to the Heibonsha encyclopedia and the Jinmei daijiten dictionary, it is handed down of In'ei that he considered the martial arts unsuitable for a Buddhist monk and kept no weapons in the temple. Lowry further writes that historians often connect the shape of the spear with the cross-bladed spears that the Ainu used for hunting bears.
Styles & Branches
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Hozoin-ryu?
The school was founded by In'ei (1521–1607), a monk of Kofuku-ji temple in Nara and head of its sub-temple Hozoin. The sources give the year of founding differently, koryu.com around 1560, the school itself 1553.
What is kama yari?
It is a spear whose head has transverse blades on its sides, so that it forms a cross. The Daijisen dictionary calls the school Kama Hozoin-ryu after it.
Is Hozoin-ryu still practiced today?
Yes, but only in one branch. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai both list under this name only Hozoin-ryu Takada-ha, whose instruction continues in Nara.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.