Niten Ichi-ryu
二天一流A sword school of Miyamoto Musashi that teaches forms with the long sword, the short sword and with two swords. Today several lineages on Kyushu transmit it.
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About Niten Ichi-ryu
Niten Ichi-ryu is a sword school founded, according to the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, by Miyamoto Musashi at fifty. The Nipponica Encyclopedia gives his years as 1584 to 1645 and writes that Musashi first called the school otherwise and that his successor introduced the name Niten Ichi-ryu around 1666, some twenty years after Musashi's death, after Musashi's Buddhist name. The Kokugo daijiten dictionary, however, gives Musashi's Gorin no sho as the first attestation of the name. According to the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, sets of forms for the long sword, short sword and two swords are transmitted. A feature of the technique is, according to the same source, to strike before the opponent's sword moves. The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai page on the Noda-ha lineage stresses that this is not commonly understood two-sword fighting but one-handed swordsmanship. The Nipponica Encyclopedia quotes Musashi that the left-hand sword teaches students to hold a sword one-handed. Today the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai leads two lineages, the main one with the 12th holder in Kitakyushu and Noda-ha in Kumamoto. The Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists three more groups on Kyushu.
History
According to the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, Miyamoto Musashi founded the school at fifty and was never defeated in sixty or more duels. The Nipponica Encyclopedia and the Kokugo daijiten dictionary write that Musashi first called the school otherwise and that the present name was introduced only by his pupil and successor. Nipponica places the renaming around 1666, some twenty years after Musashi's death, and derives the name from Musashi's Buddhist name. Kokugo daijiten, however, cites Musashi's Gorin no sho as the first attestation of the name. The Noda-ha lineage page at the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that Lord Hosokawa invited Musashi to Higo province during the Kan'ei years, that a year later Musashi gave him the text in thirty-five articles, and a year after that wrote Gorin no sho in a cave. After his death, according to the same page, the pupils divided the tradition into five schools, transmitted in secrecy within the domain. The Nipponica Encyclopedia states that in Higo three pupils were to take over Musashi's teaching and that one of them finally took over the tradition, because the second devoted himself to office and the third left for Edo. The Daijisen Plus dictionary states that the school survives mainly on Kyushu.
How it differs
According to its page at the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the Noda-ha lineage stresses that Niten Ichi-ryu is not commonly understood two-sword fighting but one-handed swordsmanship. Japanese Wikipedia states three views of today's teachers on the school's essence: one-handed swordsmanship, full use of both swords, or a two-handed long-sword form as the core.
Technique
The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that sets of forms for the long sword, short sword and two swords are transmitted. A feature of the technique is, per the same source, to know the opponent's sword, not look at it and strike before it moves. The koryu.com guide lists kenjutsu with odachi, kodachi and nitto. The Nipponica Encyclopedia quotes Musashi that the left-hand sword is carried so students learn to hold a sword one-handed. Japanese Wikipedia states that late in life Musashi condensed the technique into five forms with the large sword in the right hand and the small in the left. English Wikipedia lists twelve paired forms with the long sword, seven with the short, five with two swords and staff techniques.
Training
The Noda-ha lineage page at the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai describes paired practice of the forms. Uchidachi repeats them wordlessly, shidachi moves slowly and smoothly, uttering the cries Zuu, Tan and Hettai. The demonstration, per the same page, draws the viewer into the world of Noh theatre, and the school calls itself katsujinken.
Today
The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai leads two lineages: the main one with the 12th holder in Kitakyushu and Noda-ha in Kumamoto. The Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists three more groups in Usa, in Dazaifu and in Kumamoto, where the school is transmitted together with Sekiguchi-ryu Battojutsu. The koryu.com guide names the 11th holder, Iwami Toshio Gensho, as head, and Guy Buyens states on koryu.com that the 10th holder, Imai Masayuki, wrote a commentary on Dokkodo. We have not found the school's registration among cultural properties.
Did you know
The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai states that Musashi also attained mastery in painting and sculpture and left several works that are national treasures. His writings Gorin no sho, Dokkodo and the text in thirty-five articles are, according to the same source, still read today.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Niten Ichi-ryu?
According to the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, Miyamoto Musashi. The Nipponica Encyclopedia states that his successor gave the school its present name around 1666.
Is Niten Ichi-ryu fought with two swords?
The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai lists sets of forms for the long sword, short sword and two swords. The Noda-ha lineage stresses that the essence is one-handed swordsmanship.
Where is Niten Ichi-ryu practised today?
The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai lists lineages in Kitakyushu and Kumamoto, the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai further groups in Usa, Dazaifu and Kumamoto.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.