Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu
林崎甚助源の重信
Existence disputedJapanese swordsman born in 1542 according to Japanese dictionaries, by tradition the founder of the art of sword drawing iai, from whose school Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu derives.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu was a Japanese swordsman whom tradition regards as the founder of the art of sword drawing, iai. Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu and Tamiya-ryu, among others, trace their origin to his school, which is given as Shinmei Muso-ryu or Shin Muso Hayashizaki-ryu. According to the dictionary Nihon jinmei daijiten he was born in 1542, without a year of death.
The Japanese encyclopedia Nipponica states that he came from the Hojo clan and first studied the swordsmanship of Shinto-ryu. According to tradition, he prayed for one hundred days at the Hayashi Myojin shrine in Tateoka in Dewa Province and in meditation grasped the advantage of a long hilt. Among his students Nipponica names Tamiya Heibei, the founder of Tamiya-ryu, and three other founders of their own schools.
His biography is largely fictionalised. The story of revenge for his murdered father is told in several versions with different dates and names of the opponent, and neither Japanese biographical dictionary has it. According to Jack James, his last known residence is Kawagoe in 1616 and 1617, and we know nothing of his further fate, and Japanese Wikipedia gives his death as 1621.
In Murayama in Yamagata Prefecture stands the Hayashizaki shrine, which according to a tourist portal is the only iai shrine in Japan. We have not found a quotation with a documented origin.
Early life
The Japanese encyclopedia Nipponica states that his original clan was Hojo, that he lived in Date District in Osu Province, and that he first studied the swordsmanship of the Shinto-ryu school. The dictionary Nihon jinmei daijiten gives 1542 as the year of birth and Mutsu Province as the birthplace. Japanese Wikipedia gives his birth in Hayashizaki in Tateoka in Dewa Province, the childhood name Tamijimaru and his father Asano Kazuma. Jack James writes in the magazine Sword and Spirit of birth on 12 January 1542 and the name Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu from 1559, but he gives no source for the dates.
Training and teachers
According to Nipponica, he prayed for one hundred days at the Hayashi Myojin shrine in Tateoka in Dewa Province, and in meditation grasped the advantage of a long hilt and devised the manji-ken technique. The dictionary Nihon jinmei daijiten states the same more briefly as training with the long sword after a revelation in meditation. This is a tradition, not a record from the time. We have not found in the sources any further teacher besides the Shinto-ryu school.
Contribution and innovations
The dictionary Nihon jinmei daijiten designates him as the reviver and founder of the art of sword drawing batto iai and the founder of the school Shinmuso Hayashizaki-ryu. According to Japanese Wikipedia, however, he himself did not call the school by this name. English Wikipedia gives the name Shinmei Muso-ryu and, as heirs according to the tradition of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, Tamiya Heibei Shigemasa, Nagano Muraku and, as the seventh, Hasegawa Eishin.
Legends and documented facts
The legend says that his father was killed and that after intensive training he killed the murderer. Japanese Wikipedia places the revenge in the years 1560 to 1561 and names the opponent twice differently, Saka Unsai and Sakagami Shuzen, and neither Japanese biographical dictionary mentions the revenge. Rennis Buchner wrote in 2000 that many legends exist about him and few hard facts. Jack James states that after 1617 we know nothing of his fate and that neither his place of death nor his grave is known, while Japanese Wikipedia gives his death as 1621.
Legacy
Nipponica names four students who founded their own schools: Takamatsu Kanbei Nobukatsu (Ichinomiya-ryu), Azuma Shimotsuke-no-kami Mototsugu (Shinmei Muso Higashi-ryu), Tamiya Heibei Shigemasa (Tamiya-ryu) and Katayama Hoki-no-kami Hisayasu (Hoki-ryu). Japanese Wikipedia also lists Sekiguchi Ujimune among the students. According to Jack James, a wooden tablet stands in Kawagoe at the place where he stayed in 1616. The Hayashizaki shrine in Murayama in Yamagata Prefecture is dedicated to him, and a tourist portal describes it as the only iai shrine in Japan.