#Swordmaster Roster — 30 Beyond the Main Text

Contents

Beyond the 12 of this volume's chronicle, the history of the Japanese sword holds many who shine by name alone. This roster, without sheets, inscribes their names even if only in a few lines each.

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#Scent — A Lineage Hard to Hold in One Volume

To hold only twelve in a single book means — that many names are left out. Among the names left out are some more famous than anyone in the main text, and some who faded away quietly.

This roster is their place. There are no sheets, but there are names. The school is written, the era is written, and the night-tales line by line. When you catch some name in passing during a session — may you be able to find that name here.

Figures centered on Spearmanship are excluded. This volume is the lineage of the sword (劍). The masters of the spear (槍), the bow (弓), and unarmed combat need a different page.

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#Late Heian (12th century)

#Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経, 1159–1189)

• School: the legendary Kurama Tengu Swordsmanship (鞍馬天狗剣術)
• Era: Late Heian
• One line: The archetype of Japanese swordmaster legend. The tale that he learned swordsmanship from tengu on Mount Kurama. He destroyed the Heike at the naval battle of Dan-no-ura.
• Night-tale: The story that he climbed Mount Kurama alone at night and contended with a lesser tengu (小天狗). His leap of eight ships (hasso-tobi · 八艘飛び) — the legend that he leapt among eight ships at Dan-no-ura.

#Musashibo Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶, ?–1189)

• School: naginata-centered · no school record (presumed to be of the warrior-monk line)
• Era: Late Heian
• One line: Yoshitsune's retainer. Strictly speaking not a swordmaster, but an archetypal figure of the Japanese warrior. He was defeated by Yoshitsune at the Gojo Bridge in Kyoto and served him for life.
• Night-tale: A giant of five shaku two sun. In his warrior-monk days on Mount Hiei he overturned temples. Protecting Yoshitsune at Dan-no-ura, he stood amid a rain of arrows and died standing (Benkei's standing death · 弁慶の立往生).

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#Late Muromachi (15th century)

#Aisu Iko (愛洲移香斎, 1452–1538)

• School: Kage-ryu (陰流) — the source of Shinkage-ryu. Not included in co · ex2 (an ancestor included in the Iizasa lineage).
• Era: Late Muromachi 〜 early Sengoku
• One line: Presumed to be of a distant disciple line of Iizasa Choisai. The teacher-ancestor of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. The shadow-source of Japanese swordsmanship history.
• Night-tale: The tradition that he trained alone for years in the cave of the Udo (鵜戸) Shrine in Kyushu and received the sword from a god. His "Kage-ryu" carries the meaning of the unseen sword.

#Matsumoto Bizen-no-kami (松本備前守尚勝, ?–c. 1549)

• School: Kashima Shinto-ryu (鹿島神當流) — the predecessor of Kashima Shinto-ryu.
• Era: Late Muromachi 〜 early Sengoku
• One line: A direct disciple of Iizasa Choisai. The teacher of Tsukahara Bokuden. A priest of the Kashima Shrine.
• Night-tale: When his disciple Bokuden surpassed his sword, he quietly withdrew and let the disciple carry on the school. He left the words "I have only walked the first step."

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#Mid-Sengoku (mid 16th century)

#Hosokawa Yusai (細川幽斎, 1534–1610)

• School: Shinkage-ryu
• Era: Mid-Sengoku
• One line: Politician · master of waka · swordmaster. A model of mastery in both the literary and martial ways. The one who laid the foundation of the Hosokawa house.
• Night-tale: A transmitter of the Kokin Wakashu (古今和歌集). The secret tradition of waka he was transmitting nearly perished with his death, but at the entreaty of the daimyo it was transmitted on the condition that his life be spared. He is more famous for poetry than for the sword — yet his sword too was first-rate.

#Marume Kurando (丸目長恵, 1540–1629)

• School: Taisha-ryu (體捨流)
• Era: Mid-Sengoku
• One line: One of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's 4 direct disciples (the Four Heavenly Kings). He founded his own school in Kyushu. Long-lived, he lived to 89.
• Night-tale: Hearing from Kamiizumi "You may cast aside my sword. Make your own sword," he founded Taisha-ryu (體捨流 · the school that casts aside the body). The school's very name is a record of that teaching.

#Okuyama Kyugasai (奥山休賀斎, 1526–1602)

• School: Okuyama Shinkage-ryu
• Era: Mid- 〜 late Sengoku
• One line: A disciple of Kamiizumi. The swordsmanship instructor of Tokugawa Ieyasu. A fellow disciple of Yagyu Muneyoshi, but connected to Ieyasu earlier.
• Night-tale: Ieyasu's swordsmanship teacher in his youth. The theory that when Ieyasu nearly died in the Mikawa Ikko-ikki, he survived thanks to Kyugasai's teaching.

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#Late Sengoku 〜 Azuchi-Momoyama (late 16th century)

#Yagyu Toshitoshi (柳生利厳 · Hyogonosuke, 1579–1650)

• School: Owari Yagyu Shinkage-ryu (a branch from the Edo Yagyu)
• Era: Late Sengoku 〜 early Edo
• One line: A grandson of Yagyu Muneyoshi. The founder of the Owari domain (Nagoya) Yagyu. A counterpart to the Edo Yagyu (the Munenori line).
• Night-tale: Because his father (Muneyoshi's eldest son) died young, he learned directly from his grandfather. He is regarded as the one who inherited Sekishusai's true secret tradition. An instructor to the Owari Tokugawa house.

#Hon'ami Koetsu (本阿弥光悦, 1558–1637)

• School: no swordsmanship school (a Tatsujin of sword appraisal)
• Era: Late Sengoku 〜 early Edo
• One line: Strictly speaking not a swordmaster but an appraiser and artist of the sword. Yet his eye knew the sword better than any swordmaster. An all-around artist also skilled in tea ceremony, pottery, and calligraphy.
• Night-tale: The tradition that once he looked at a sword, he could discern even the character of that sword's previous owners. He opened an artistic community called Koetsu Village (光悦村) and made an era of the Japanese Way of the Arts.

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#Late Sengoku 〜 early Edo (early 17th century)

#Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu (林崎甚助重信, c. 1542–c. 1621)

• School: Shin-Muso Hayashizaki-ryu (神夢想林崎流) — the founder of iaido (居合道)
• Era: Late Sengoku 〜 early Edo
• One line: The founder of iaido (the art of drawing the blade). He opened the tradition of "iai (居合)," in which the moment of drawing the sword is itself the moment of the cut.
• Night-tale: At 14 his father was killed. The founding legend that, after 100 days of prayer at the Hayashizaki Shrine, he received the secret of drawing the blade from a god and avenged his father. Thereafter, the root of all the branches of iai, including Muso Shinden Eishin-ryu.

#Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi (柳生十兵衛三厳, 1607–1650) ★

• School: Yagyu Shinkage-ryu (Edo Yagyu)
• Era: Early Edo
• One line: The eldest son of Yagyu Munenori. A former instructor to Shogun Iemitsu. The one-eyed sword-saint. The king of Japanese night-tales — a real figure, but most of the anecdotes are later embellishment.
• Night-tale: The circumstances of his losing one eye have several theories — an accident during training with his father Munenori, or an enemy's surprise attack. In his 20s he was suddenly dismissed from direct shogunal service, then spent 12 years in seclusion and wandering. The deeds of those 12 years are an inexhaustible source of imagination for Japanese period drama.

#Araki Mataemon (荒木又右衛門, 1599–1638)

• School: Shinkage-ryu
• Era: Early Edo
• One line: The protagonist of the duel at the Kagiya (鍵屋) (1634). The legendary revenge tale that "he cut down 36 men alone."
• Night-tale: When his brother-in-law was killed, he resolved on revenge. He ambushed the enemy band at the Kagiya crossroads in Iga Province. In reality he cut down three or four, and the rest were shared with his subordinates, but in popular tradition it expanded into "Mataemon alone, 36 men." A representative motif of Japanese revenge tales.

#Yagyu Renyasai Toshikane (柳生連也斎厳包, 1625–1694)

• School: Owari Yagyu Shinkage-ryu
• Era: Early 〜 mid Edo
• One line: The 2nd head of the Owari Yagyu (the son of Yagyu Toshitoshi). A swordsman who never lost once in his whole life.
• Night-tale: His father Toshitoshi named him successor, saying "You are already complete; there is nothing more to teach." Thereafter he was undefeated in dozens of duels and matches. In old age he immersed himself in Buddhist practice.

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#Mid-Edo (mid 17th 〜 18th century)

#Nakanishi Chuzo (中西忠蔵, ?–c. 1801)

• School: Nakanishi-ha Itto-ryu (中西派一刀流) — a branch of Itto-ryu
• Era: Mid-Edo
• One line: A pioneer in establishing modern training methods using the bamboo sword (竹刀) and protective gear (防具). Thereafter the foundation of modern kendo.
• Night-tale: Until then, swordsmanship training was limited by the great danger of actual combat. Nakanishi systematized protective gear, making training where one strikes with full force possible. This was the first step in the modernization of Japanese swordsmanship.

#Shirai Toru (白井亨, 1783–1843)

• School: Itto-ryu (the Nakanishi line)
• Era: Mid-Edo
• One line: He proclaimed himself "unrivaled under heaven" and proved it. The protagonist of the strongest-in-mid-Edo theory.
• Night-tale: In his youth he traveled the whole country dueling regardless of school. The record that he never lost once in over 200 contests. Masters of other schools also acknowledged his skill.

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#The 3 Great Bakumatsu Dojo · Renowned Swordsmen (mid 19th century)

#Momoi Shunzo (桃井春蔵, 1825–1885)

• School: Kyoshin Meichi-ryu (鏡新明智流)
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: The 3 great Edo dojo of the Bakumatsu — "Momoi of Rank (位)." He taught dignity rather than Technology. The Bearing of a great swordsman.
• Night-tale: His dojo, the Shigakukan (士学館), was attended by many sons of high-ranking warriors. Momoi began his lessons with "Before you learn the sword, become a person." A gentleman of the swordsmanship world.

#Saito Yakuro (斎藤弥九郎, 1798–1871)

• School: Shinto Munen-ryu (神道無念流)
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: The 3 great Bakumatsu dojo — "Saito of Strength (力)." A sword of strong force. He raised many Restoration shishi.
• Night-tale: His dojo, the Renpeikan (練兵館), was the cradle of the Restoration shishi. Katsura Kogoro and other leading figures of the Meiji Restoration were his disciples. The name "of Saito's school" alone inspired Fear.

#Yamaoka Tesshu (山岡鉄舟, 1836–1888)

• School: Itto Shoden Muto-ryu (一刀正傳無刀流) — founded by himself.
• Era: Bakumatsu 〜 Meiji
• One line: "Tesshu of No-Sword (無刀)." A trinity of sword, Zen, and calligraphy. The behind-the-scenes figure of the bloodless surrender of Edo (1868).
• Night-tale: He went alone, on a single horse, to Saigo Takamori of the new Meiji government to negotiate the terms of the shogunal army's surrender. This negotiation prevented the burning of Edo. Tesshu's idea of No-Sword (無刀) — winning without taking up the sword — was realized here.

#Sakakibara Kenkichi (榊原鍵吉, 1830–1894)

• School: Jikishinkage-ryu
• Era: Bakumatsu 〜 Meiji
• One line: One of the finest swordsmen of late Edo. As the founder of gekiken kogyo (撃剣興行) — public demonstration performances of swordsmanship after the Meiji era — he played a large role in the Survival of kendo.
• Night-tale: After the Meiji Restoration, when the samurai class was abolished, countless swordsmen lost their livelihood. Sakakibara began demonstration performances before the public and turned swordsmanship into a sport and performance art. This was the beginning of modern kendo.

#Shimada Toranosuke (島田虎之助, 1814–1852)

• School: Jikishinkage-ryu
• Era: Late Edo
• One line: A master of Bakumatsu Jikishinkage-ryu. The teacher of Katsu Kaishu.
• Night-tale: He taught Katsu Kaishu (later the protagonist of the bloodless surrender of Edo) "Train the sword and Zen together." A decisive influence on the formation of Kaishu's philosophy.

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#Shinsengumi — Swordsmen Beyond the Main Text (1863–1869)

#Saito Hajime (斎藤一, 1844–1915)

• School: Mugai-ryu (無外流)
• Era: Bakumatsu 〜 Meiji
• One line: Captain of the Shinsengumi 3rd unit. One of the 3 great Shinsengumi swordsmen, together with Okita and Nagakura. The longest-lived of the Shinsengumi — he lived until 1915 and saw the Japan of the Meiji era and after.
• Night-tale: A man of few words and a dark impression. Left-handed. Unlike Okita and Hijikata of the main-text chapter, after the Boshin War he survived alone and served as a Meiji police officer. His last activity as a swordsman was the suppression of the Satsuma Rebellion (1877).

#Nagakura Shinpachi (永倉新八, 1839–1915)

• School: Shinto Munen-ryu
• Era: Bakumatsu 〜 Meiji
• One line: Captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd unit. One of the 3 great swordsmen, together with Okita and Saito. He too survived into the Meiji era and beyond.
• Night-tale: When Okita coughed up blood and collapsed at the Ikedaya Incident, he guarded the staircase alone. He left behind the memoir "Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki," becoming the most accurate historical witness of the Shinsengumi.

#Todo Heisuke (藤堂平助, 1844–1867)

• School: Hokushin Itto-ryu
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: Captain of the Shinsengumi 8th unit. A former disciple of Chiba Shusaku. He split from the Shinsengumi together with Ito Kashitaro.
• Night-tale: Opposing the Shinsengumi's political line, he left together with Ito Kashitaro → and organized the Goryo Eji (御陵衛士). In 1867 he was assassinated by the Shinsengumi at the Aburanokoji (油小路) Incident. Cut down by former comrades.

#Inoue Genzaburo (井上源三郎, 1829–1868)

• School: Tennen Rishin-ryu
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: Captain of the Shinsengumi 6th unit. A founding member of the Shieikan dojo. The quiet comrade of Kondo, Hijikata, and Okita.
• Night-tale: An inconspicuous figure — he operated behind the three of the main text. He was also the oldest. He died in battle at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi (1868). The first loss of the Shinsengumi command.

#Ito Kashitaro (伊東甲子太郎, 1835–1867)

• School: Hokushin Itto-ryu
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: A Shinsengumi staff officer → split off. An intellectual and cultured swordsman. He founded the Goryo Eji together with Todo Heisuke and others.
• Night-tale: Through sonno-joi thought he came into conflict with the Shinsengumi → split off in 1867. But he was assassinated in November of the same year (the Aburanokoji Incident). The theory that the sword marks engraved on his corpse were those of Saito Hajime.

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#Restoration Shishi — Shishi of the Sword (1860s)

#Sakamoto Ryoma (坂本龍馬, 1836–1867)

• School: Hokushin Itto-ryu (the Chiba Shusaku dojo · Licensed full transmission)
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: The architect of modern Japan. A swordsman and a politician. He mediated the Satcho Alliance and conceived the return of power to the emperor.
• Night-tale: A master who received full transmission license at the Chiba dojo. Yet he chose politics over the sword. The remark, "What can be achieved by the sword is small. What can be achieved by words is great." In 1867, at the Kyoto inn Omiya (近江屋), he was assassinated by the Kyoto Mimawarigumi (京都見廻組) — at 31.

#Katsura Kogoro / Kido Takayoshi (桂小五郎/木戸孝允, 1833–1877)

• School: Shinto Munen-ryu (the Saito Yakuro dojo)
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: One of the 3 Great Nobles of the Restoration. The top disciple of Saito Yakuro. "Kogoro the Fleer" — a swordsman who survived by avoiding fights rather than fighting.
• Night-tale: When pursued by the Shinsengumi in Bakumatsu Kyoto, he disguised himself again and again and fled. The tradition that once he hid for 3 days under a bridge. His sword skill was first-rate, but not using the sword was his way of the sword.

#Takechi Hanpeita (武市瑞山, 1829–1865)

• School: Kyoshin Meichi-ryu
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: The head of the Tosa Kinno-to (土佐勤王党). A senior of Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa domain. The weight of political decision.
• Night-tale: A leader of the sonno-joi movement. The mastermind behind the assassination of Sansei (參政) Yoshida Toyo of Tosa domain. In 1865 he committed seppuku. His death poem (辞世) — the sorrow of "I was born having set a single resolve, yet that resolve was not fulfilled."

#Okada Izo (岡田以蔵, 1838–1865)

• School: record unknown (presumed Kyoshin Meichi-ryu influence — since he was an aide of Takechi)
• Era: Bakumatsu
• One line: "Hitokiri Izo (人斬り以蔵)" — the dread assassin of Bakumatsu Kyoto. The most famous of the 4 Hitokiri (四人斬り) of the Restoration.
• Night-tale: By Takechi's orders, he assassinated numerous shogunal officials and spies in Kyoto. By his blade, someone died night after night. After his arrest, succumbing to torture, he informed on his comrades → which became the clue to Takechi's arrest. At 27 he was beheaded. One of the most complex figures in Japanese history — first-rate with the sword, his character a matter of dispute.

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#Boshin War (1868–1869)

#Iba Hachiro (伊庭八郎, 1844–1869)

• School: Shinmeiken-ryu (心明見流)
• Era: Bakumatsu 〜 Boshin War
• One line: "One-Armed Iba (片腕の伊庭)." A swordsman who fought even after losing one arm in the Boshin War. One of the last flames on the shogunal side.
• Night-tale: He lost one arm at the Battle of Hakone, but after treatment he returned to the battlefield once more. Following the shogunal fleet, he went as far as Hokkaido and died in battle at the Battle of Hakodate. At 25. His technique of "the sword wielded with one arm" is itself a legend. He was also called "the Yagyu Jubei of the Bakumatsu."

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#The 30 at a Glance

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#Scent — In One Sentence

The history of the sword holds many who shine by name alone. This roster is a place for those names.