Yagyu Munenori

Tazima-no-kami / Master

Famous samurai sword master, instructor to the Tokugawa shoguns, and author of Heiho Kadensho (1632).

Quick Facts

Date of Birth1571

Date of Death5/11/1646

Era17th century

Country of OriginJapan

Rank / TitleSword Master to Tokugawa Shoguns

Active Years1600–1646

Biography

Yagyu Munenori served as official sword master and advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu and Iemitsu. His classic treatise Heiho Kadensho (The Life-Giving Sword) merged Zen and Kenjutsu.

Associated Martial Arts

Yagyu Shinkage-ryuMaster→

The most famous Japanese school of swordsmanship. It arose by adding a family name to Shinkage-ryū, and its Edo branch served the Tokugawa shogunate.