Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru
Semi-legendary figureSemi-legendary first soke of the Shinden Fudo-ryu school, which he reportedly founded around 1113; tradition credits him with secret spear techniques from the tengu.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
According to the English Wikipedia, Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru is the founder of the Shinden Fudo-ryu school, which he is said to have founded around 1113 in the Eikyu era, and is regarded as the first soke of this line. The source kogakure.de gives a different account: it says the school was founded in the mid-12th century by Genpachiro Temeyoshi and its roots reach back to the koshi jutsu introduced by Izumo Kanja Yoshiteru. We have been unable to find anything in the sources about his birth, death or life beyond founding the school.
According to tradition, the tengu taught him spear (yari) technique, and these techniques are said to remain secret to this day. It is not certain whether he is identical with the Izumo of the Kukishinden-ryu school.
The school has no formal stances; all techniques derive from the natural free stance shizen no kamae. Training takes place mostly outdoors and uses nature; according to kogakure.de it begins with strengthening the legs and hips, then the fists, including strikes against trees. The English Wikipedia describes the curriculum as entirely unarmed and the school as a blend of Japanese and Chinese styles with the Japanese predominating, but kogakure.de names jujutsu, iainuki, yari, ono (war axe), otsuchi (war hammer), naginata and hojo jutsu (binding).
According to the source, his successor was Minamoto Hachiman Tamenari, followed by an unbroken line of 26 soke, including Takamatsu Toshitsugu and Hatsumi Masaaki; the English Wikipedia names Nagato Toshira as the current head. Genbukan, Jinenkan and Bujinkan derive from the school's line. According to the English Wikipedia, the school is unrelated to the Shinden Fudo ryu kempo system studied by Edward William Barton-Wright.