Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu
天真正伝香取神道流Old Japanese school from Katori, founded by Iizasa Choisai Ienao. It teaches swordsmanship, iai, staff, spear and naginata, and is an intangible cultural property of Chiba Prefecture.
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Training
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Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
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About Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu
Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu is an old Japanese school which, according to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, was founded by Iizasa Choisai Ienao in the Katori district of Shimosa Province. The encyclopedia Martial Arts of the World calls it the oldest documented martial arts school in Japan. Sources give different years of origin. The guide koryu.com places it around 1447, the dictionary Kokugo daijiten in the Bunmei years (1469–1487) and the dictionary Daijisen Plus in the middle of the Muromachi period. The founder's dates differ too: the Heibonsha encyclopedia gives 1387? to 1488, the Nipponica encyclopedia 1421? to 1488. According to the school's tradition reported by Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the founder received a text from the deity after a thousand days of devotion at the Katori shrine. The dictionary Daijisen Plus calls it a composite martial art. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, it teaches swordsmanship, iai, jujutsu, fighting staff, spear and naginata, and at an advanced stage also military tactics, castle building and the study of astronomy, geography and yin and yang. According to the same source, the technique is aimed at armored combat. Since 1960 the school has been an intangible cultural property of Chiba Prefecture. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai, it is headed by the 21st holder from the Iizasa family, based in Katori.
History
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that the founder was Iizasa Choisai Ienao from the Katori district in Shimosa Province. According to the school's tradition, reported by the same source, the founder received a text from the deity after a thousand days of devotion at the Katori shrine. The Britannica encyclopedia on kotobank writes that he founded the school in the Muromachi period in the village of Iizasa in the Katori district, based on a divine transmission from the Katori and Kashima shrines. Sources give different years of origin. The guide koryu.com gives the early Muromachi period, around 1447, the dictionary Kokugo daijiten the Bunmei years (1469–1487) and the dictionary Daijisen Plus the middle of the Muromachi period. English Wikipedia adds that some researchers place the origin around 1480. The Heibonsha encyclopedia and Hyakka jiten Mypedia give the founder's dates as 1387? to 1488, the Nipponica encyclopedia 1421? to 1488. The encyclopedia Martial Arts of the World writes that Katori Shinto-ryu was the first school that taught unarmed fighting, called yawara-ge, alongside work with weapons. According to the same encyclopedia, the school divided roles between the soke, the head of the school, and senior instructors who teach methodology. Japanese Wikipedia states that the school's name changed over time and old manuscripts also use other spellings.
How it differs
The Heibonsha encyclopedia lists among the founder's followers the schools Shinto-ryu of Tsukahara Bokuden, Arima-ryu, Jigen-ryu and Hozoin-ryu. Japanese Wikipedia points out that the name Shinto-ryu is also given to the swordsmanship transmitted within Shindo Muso-ryu, which, however, is of a different line. A study in a Japanese physical education journal from 2017 describes a village school with a similar name, transmitted by farmers, which is distinct from Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu. English Wikipedia lists, besides the main line, several independent groups that teach the school.
Technique
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai lists swordsmanship, iai, jujutsu, fighting staff, spear and naginata in the content of instruction, and at an advanced stage also military tactics, castle building and the study of astronomy, geography and yin and yang. According to the same source, the technique is aimed at armored combat and targets weak points such as the neck, armpit or inner thigh. The guide koryu.com lists kenjutsu with odachi, kodachi and ryoto, iaijutsu, bojutsu with rokushaku bo, naginatajutsu, sojutsu, jujutsu, shurikenjutsu, ninjutsu, chikujojutsu, gunbaiho and in-yo kigaku. English Wikipedia names the sword sets Omote no Tachi with four forms, Gogyo no Tachi with five and Gokui Shichijo no Tachi with three, and the iai sets Omote no Iai with six forms and Tachiai with five.
Training
English Wikipedia states that new students historically signed a written pledge called keppan in their own blood, with four points. They pledged not to disclose details of the school, not to misuse the art or start brawls, to avoid gambling and dubious places, and not to fight members of other schools without permission. We have not found competitions or free sparring in the sources of Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and koryu.com.
Ranks and progression
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that since 2017 the school has had an examination system meant to ensure the exact transmission of kata. English Wikipedia lists the traditional grades mokuroku, menkyo and gokui kaiden and the titles shidosha and shihan, and adds that the Sugino line uses dan grades.
Today
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai both say the school is headed by the 21st holder from the Iizasa family, based in Katori in Chiba Prefecture. Chiba Prefecture registered it as an intangible cultural property on 3 June 1960 and names Katori, Narita and Shisui as places of transmission. The koryu.com annotation of a book on the school places it among the few old Japanese traditions that kept a complete technical curriculum.
Did you know
Japanese Wikipedia states that, according to a Meiji-period text, the school was nicknamed Ya-To-ryu after its shouts. The same encyclopedia says its teachers advised on swordsmanship in two Kurosawa films.
Styles & Branches
Frequently asked questions
When did Katori Shinto-ryu originate?
The sources differ. The guide koryu.com gives around 1447, the dictionary Kokugo daijiten the Bunmei years (1469–1487) and the dictionary Daijisen Plus the middle of the Muromachi period.
Is Katori Shinto-ryu the oldest Japanese martial arts school?
The encyclopedia Martial Arts of the World calls it the oldest documented martial arts school in Japan. Neither Nihon Kobudo Kyokai nor the guide koryu.com gives such an assessment.
What is taught in Katori Shinto-ryu?
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, swordsmanship, iai, jujutsu, fighting staff, spear and naginata, and at an advanced stage also military tactics, castle building and the study of astronomy, geography and yin and yang.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.