Yagyu Shingan-ryu Heihojutsu
柳生心眼流兵法術Sendai branch of the old Japanese school Yagyu Shingan-ryu, which preserves armored combat. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, it has been a cultural property of Miyagi since 1981.
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About Yagyu Shingan-ryu Heihojutsu
Yagyu Shingan-ryu Heihojutsu is the Sendai branch of the old Japanese school Yagyu Shingan-ryu. The Nihon Kobudo Kyokai association of old schools lists it under number 068 as Yagyu Shingan-ryu Kacchu Heiho in the taijutsu section and names Takenaga Hayato, a samurai of the Sendai domain, as founder. According to the association, Takenaga studied various martial arts before serving under Yagyu Munenori, martial arts teacher to the shogunate. Miyagi Prefecture gives it as tradition that he attained deep secrets under Munenori and was allowed to use the name Yagyu. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai traditionally dates the school to around 1640, when the name Yagyu Shingan-ryu was granted. English Wikipedia gives the year 1600. According to the association, the school systematically preserves armored combat from the period before the Sengoku era and spread across the Sendai domain, especially in northern Miyagi and southern Iwate. The association regards Koyama Samon, fourth in the succession, as the reviver of the school. Its headquarters is now in Ichinoseki in Iwate Prefecture.
History
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai lists fourteen holders of the school in succession, beginning with Takenaga Hayato. The fourth is Koyama Samon, whom the association venerates as the reviver of the school, and the last five names belong to the Hoshi family. Miyagi Prefecture writes that in the late Edo period the school reached the Nitta area in Tome district, where a member of the Hoshi family from the Sendai domain school Yokendo spread it. English Wikipedia states that the birth and death dates of Takenaga Hayato are unknown and attributes the main line to the founder around 1600. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai gives 1640 as the traditional dating of the granting of the name.
How it differs
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai lists the Sendai and Edo branches separately and assigns each a different founder: Takenaga Hayato to the Sendai branch, Araki Mataemon to the Edo branch. According to English Wikipedia, the branches also differ on who granted the right to use the name Yagyu. The Sendai line names Yagyu Munenori, the Edo line Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi. We have not found a documented comparison of the content of Yagyu Shingan-ryu and Yagyu Shinkage-ryu.
Technique
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the core of the curriculum is 21 basic articles focused on a clear mind and on adapting the body to an attack. According to the association, the school systematically preserves armored combat, including the use of everyday objects in a surprise attack. Miyagi Prefecture states that the content includes kenjutsu, bojutsu, kacchujutsu with 21 forms and kacchu-jujutsu with 28 forms, among them omote, kime and otoshi. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai explains the name thus: Yagyu reflects the philosophy of the sword that gives life, and Shingan denotes body movements devised by the founder.
Ranks and progression
Nihon Kobudo Kyokai names three transmitted scrolls, among them the license for armored combat (kacchu menkyo). We have not found the number of grades or the full licensing system.
Today
According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the school's headquarters is in the Chuo-cho district of the city of Ichinoseki in Iwate Prefecture, with branches in Minamikata, Sendai and Gunma Prefecture. According to the association, the current head of the headquarters is a member of the Hoshi family, successor to his grandfather, who died in 2005. English Wikipedia states that Hoshi Kunio II. leads the line as the 15th soke. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, the school became an intangible cultural property of Miyagi Prefecture in 1981, and in 1990 the Minamikata branch was registered as an intangible property of the town. Miyagi Prefecture lists the property as kacchujutsu and kacchu-jujutsu of Yagyu Shingan-ryu in Tome and names as holder the school that English Wikipedia calls Ryushinkan.
Did you know
English Wikipedia lists two offshoots of the school outside Japan. Chikuosha was founded by Shimazu Kenji (1938 to 2024) and its branches are especially in Australia and Sweden. Dawado was founded by Sato Kinbei (1925 to 1999).
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Yagyu Shingan-ryu?
The founder of the Sendai branch is, according to both Nihon Kobudo Kyokai and Miyagi Prefecture, Takenaga Hayato, a samurai of the Sendai domain. The association attributes the Edo branch to Araki Mataemon.
Why is the school called Yagyu Shingan-ryu?
According to the Sendai tradition, Takenaga Hayato was allowed to use the name Yagyu thanks to Yagyu Munenori. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai explains Yagyu as the philosophy of the sword that gives life and Shingan as body movements devised by the founder.
Is Yagyu Shingan-ryu a cultural property?
Yes. According to Nihon Kobudo Kyokai, it has been an intangible cultural property of Miyagi Prefecture since 1981, and the Minamikata branch has been a property of the town since 1990.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.