Negishi Shorei
19th-century Japanese swordsman and founder of Negishi-ryu Shurikenjutsu, who enlarged the shuriken and became famous for throwing with both hands.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Negishi Shorei was a Japanese swordsman and founder of the Negishi-ryu Shurikenjutsu school. In 1857 he was 25 years old, so he was born around 1833. From birth he was raised as the successor to his father Negishi Sentoku.
At the age of 14 he began studying Hokushin Itto-ryu under its founder Chiba Shusaku Narimasa. He also excelled in jujutsu, spear work and the chain sickle kusarigama. In 1857 he became the fourth head of Araki-ryu kenjutsu in Annaka-han and the region's official swordsmanship instructor. For his success in duels he was known as Joshu Kotengu, the little tengu of Joshu province.
He became famous for accurately throwing shuriken with both hands. After refining his training within Ganritsu-ryu, he enlarged the shuriken to give it greater weight and effect, keeping its octagonal, bulging head. He developed throwing methods for distances of roughly 2 to 12 meters that do not depend on the projectile's rotation.
He passed on his art to Tonegawa Magoroku, founding a lineage that continues to this day. We have not been able to verify the date of his death.