Kurama-ryu Kenjutsu
鞍馬流剣術Sword school of the Tensho years, founded by Ono Shogen according to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai. It uses thick wooden swords, and one form is, per Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the model of a kendo strike.
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About Kurama-ryu Kenjutsu
Kurama-ryu Kenjutsu is a sword school that, according to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, Ono Shogen founded in the Tensho years. According to the same source's tradition, the school continues the Kyoto tradition of the eight schools. The dictionary Nihon Jinmei Daijiten Plus reads the founder's name as Ono Shogen, the guide koryu.com as Ono Shokan. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, it cannot be said with whom the founder trained, because its secret writings burned in the war. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai regards the 14th and 15th holders as its restorers. According to the same source, the 15th holder joined the school at eight, received the menkyo kaiden license at eighteen and in 1879 founded a dojo in Tokyo. In 1945 the dojo burned down with the writings, documents and weapons, and the 17th holder rebuilt it in 1989 on the same site. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the forms are practised with thick wooden swords and forceful shouting. The school builds on many counterstrikes. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, one form is the model of the direct strike of today's kendo, and another, regarded as its main technique, was included in the wooden forms of the Tokyo police. Today the 18th holder from the Shibata family leads the school in Tokyo, where, according to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, it is practised alongside kendo.
History
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that the school, according to tradition, continues the Kyoto tradition of the eight schools and that Ono Shogen founded it in the Tensho years. According to the same source, it cannot be said with whom the founder trained, because the secret writings burned in the war. The dictionary Nihon Jinmei Daijiten Plus places the founder in the Oda and Toyotomi period and states that his school was later also called Kotengu Kurama-ryu and Shogen Kurama-ryu. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai regards the 14th and 15th holders as the school's restorers. The 15th holder joined the school at eight, received the menkyo kaiden license at eighteen and in 1879 founded a dojo in Tokyo. It was named by Katsu Kaishu. Japanese Wikipedia states that he took part in the Seinan War in 1877 and from 1879 taught swordsmanship to the Tokyo police. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the dojo burned down in 1945 with the secret writings, family documents and weapons. The 17th holder rebuilt it in 1989 on the same site. Japanese Wikipedia adds that, because the writings were lost, the lineage before the 14th holder is not known.
How it differs
The dictionaries Daijisen and Kokugo daijiten distinguish two meanings of the name Kurama-ryu: the school founded by Ono Shogen in the Tensho years, and a collective term for eight older schools. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai says that this school, per tradition, continues the Kyoto tradition of the eight schools. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, one form was the model of the kendo strike, and the school is practised alongside kendo.
Technique
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the forms are practised with thick wooden swords and forceful shouting. The technique builds on many counterstrikes. According to the same source, one form is the model of the direct strike of today's kendo. Another, which Nihon Kobudo Kyokai regards as its main technique, was included in the wooden forms of the Tokyo police. Japanese Wikipedia states that seven forms are transmitted today and that their content matches the basics of today's kendo. Per the same encyclopedia, the 17th holder judged that the 15th holder altered and shortened the forms to suit competitive swordsmanship. Japanese Wikipedia adds that the school influenced the kendo forms of 1911, in whose creation the 15th holder took part.
Training
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that the Tokyo dojo practises several times a week alongside today's kendo. The forms are practised with thick wooden swords and loud shouting. The guide koryu.com gives kenjutsu with the odachi as the school's discipline.
Ranks and progression
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the 15th holder received the menkyo kaiden license at eighteen. The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai genealogy lists just one name between the founder and the 14th holder and itself notes that the handover after him is not fully clear. We have not found the school's license order in the sources.
Today
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai, the 18th holder from the Shibata family leads the school, and the dojo is in Shinjuku ward, Tokyo. The guide koryu.com also names the 17th holder Shibata Tetsuo. We have not found the school among cultural properties.
Did you know
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, Katsu Kaishu gave the school's Tokyo dojo its name. The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai genealogy lists Hayashizaki Jinsuke right after the founder.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Kurama-ryu?
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, Ono Shogen, in the Tensho years. The dictionary Nihon Jinmei Daijiten Plus reads his name as Ono Shogen, the guide koryu.com as Ono Shokan.
Is Kurama-ryu connected with kendo?
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, one of the school's forms is the model of the direct strike of present-day kendo, and at the Tokyo dojo it is practised alongside kendo.
Why are the teachers of the founder of Kurama-ryu not known?
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that the school's secret writings burned in the war, and therefore it cannot be said with whom the founder trained.
Similar styles
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