Yagyu Munenori
柳生宗矩
Japanese swordsman and daimyo (1571–1646), son of Yagyu Munetoshi, sword teacher to two shoguns, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and author of Heiho Kadensho.
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Yagyu Munenori was born in 1571 in the family village of Yagyu in the Nara region as the son of Yagyu Munetoshi (Sekishusai) and died on 11 May 1646. He bore the title Tajima-no-kami and was a fudai daimyo. He founded the Edo branch of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school, later called Edo Yagyu-ryu, which became one of the two official swordsmanship schools of the Tokugawa shogunate.
In 1594 he entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu with an income of 200 koku. In 1600 he fought at Sekigahara and won back 2000 koku of his father's territory. From 1601 he taught swordsmanship to the future second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, and at the battle of Osaka in 1615, according to Japanese sources, he repelled seven enemies who threatened the shogun. From 1621 he taught swordsmanship to Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun, whose chief adviser he became. In 1632 he was appointed the first chief inspector (sometsuke) and in 1636 promoted to daimyo with an income of 10,000 koku.
Around 1632 he completed the work Heiho Kadensho (Book of the Life-Giving Sword), which links Zen and kenjutsu and describes practical Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship and its application in life and politics. In it he elaborates the concepts katsujinken (the sword that gives life), satsujinto (the sword that takes life) and mutodori (fighting without a sword). The Zen master Takuan Soho addressed to him letters known as the Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom.
His student Takenaga Hayato founded the Yagyu Shingan-ryu school, and his sons Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi and Yagyu Munefuyu were also famous swordsmen. In swordsmanship he was, according to one source, considered weaker than Ono Tadaaki of the Ono-ha Itto-ryu, who, however, because of his strict character enjoyed less favour.