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Itō Ittōsai
was a Japanese swordsman originally named Itō Yagorō. He is attributed as the founder of the Ittō-ryū ("one sword" or "one stroke") school of sword fighting. According to legend, he floated across the Sagami Bay on a piece of driftwood from Ōshima Island, part of the Izu Islands. The trust of the local villagers was earned when Yagorō chased away a group of bandits that went around raiding and pillaging. As he desired to be a great swordsman, the villagers paid for Yagorō's travels in seeking out a master. On his journey, Yagorō reached Tsurugaoka Hachimangū Shinto shrine in Kamakura where he paid homage to the gods and practiced his swordsmanship. One particular day, an unknown assailant tried to attack Yagorō but he, unconsciously and without thinking, drew his sword and cut down his attacker in one swift stroke. Not understanding this technique, Yagorō would later describe it as ''Musōken'' (夢想剣), a fundamental aspect of his swordsmanship's philosophy. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ittō-ryū
, meaning "one-sword school", is the ancestor school of several Japanese Koryū kenjutsu styles, including Ono-ha, Mizoguchi-ha, Nakanishi-ha, Kogen, Hokushin, and Itto Shoden. The style was developed by Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa. Ono-ha Ittō-ryū is the oldest of the many Ittō-ryū styles which branched off from Ittōsai Kagehisa's original art. It continues to be one of the most influential of the traditional kenjutsu styles today, exerting a major influence, along with Hokushin branch, upon modern kendo's kata, tactics, and aesthetic. Ono-ha was founded by Ittōsai's immediate successor, Mikogami Tenzen (also known as Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki, 1565–1628), from whence the name of the art is derived. Oral tradition indicates that Ittosai made Tadaaki fight a serious duel with another student, Zenki, in order to establish a successor to the style. Serving as an instructor to both the second and third ''shōguns'', along with Yagyū Munenori of the rival school the Yagyū Shinkage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanemaki Jisai
was a master of the Chujō-ryū fighting style. He was a student of Toda Seigen and teacher to Itō Ittōsai (possibly also Sasaki Kojirō). Cultural Influence Kanemaki Jisai is a featured character within the Japanese manga series ''Vagabond Vagrancy is the condition of homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants (also known as bums, vagabonds, rogues, tramps or drifters) usually live in poverty and support themselves by begging, scavenging, petty theft, temporar ...'', in which he is a primary figure of the series' "Kojirō Arc", raising Sasaki Kojirō from his very birth and training him throughout the latter's early adulthood. References Japanese swordfighters 1615 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{japan-martialart-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryū (school)
is the Japanese term referring to a school in any discipline. The kanji itself is commonly used as a suffix. In English, the word is frequently used to refer to schools of Japanese martial art, although it can also be found used in other disciplines (for example Nihon- koryū and Sōgetsu-ryū in ikebana, Kantei-ryū in calligraphy, etc.). In the martial arts Japanese martial arts are often classified and codified into . Usually a given style will have its own curriculum, ranks and licensure system. These may be based on the parent style or a combination of sources that form the background of the system. The name of a style may have particular meaning or may simply be a location. Toyama-ryū established in 1925 by a committee of senior experts of several sword traditions for the curriculum of the Rikugun Toyama Gakkō. The special school for training army personnel founded in 1873, called Rikugun Toyama Gakkō or " Toyama Army Aca ... is named for the Toyama Military ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bokken
A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' and ''tantō''. Some ornamental ''bokken'' are decorated with mother-of-pearl work and elaborate carvings. Sometimes it is spelled "boken" in English. ''Bokken'' are traditionally composed of red oak or white oak, although any hardwood can be used. In comparison, practice swords made of flexible, soft wood such as bamboo are referred to as '' shinai''. History It is hard to determine precisely when the first ''bokken'' appeared due to secrecy in ancient martial arts training and loose record-keeping. While various mock weapons were surely used during the earlier periods of Japanese history, usage of ''bokken'' in their modern form first emerged during the Muromachi Period (1336–1600) for the training of samurai warriors in the va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Go-Toba
was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Toba". The Japanese word ''go'' has also been translated to mean the "second one"; and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Toba the Second" or as "Toba II". Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was . He was also known as Takanari''-shinnō'' He was the fourth son of Emperor Takakura, and thus grandson of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. His mother was Bōmon ''Shokushi'' (坊門殖子) (Empress Dowager Shichijō-in, 七条院), daughter of Bōmon Nobutaka (坊門信隆) of the Fujiwara clan. Consorts and children *Empress (''chūgū''): ''Fujiwara no Ninshi''/Takako (藤原任子) later Gishūmon-in (宜秋門院), K ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels (next is 33 by Itō Ittōsai). Musashi, as he was often simply known, is considered a ''Kensei'', a sword-saint of Japan. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū, or Nito Ichi-ryū, style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored and '' Dokkōdō'' (獨行道, ''The Path of Aloneness''). Both documents were given to Terao Magonojō, the most important of Musashi's students, seven days before Musashi's death. ''The Book of Five Rings'' deals primarily with the character of his Niten Ichi-ryū school in a concrete sense, i.e., his own practical martial art and its generic significance; ''The Path of Aloneness'', on the other hand, deals with the ideas that lie behind it, as well as his life ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takuan Sōhō
was a Japanese Buddhist prelate during the Sengoku and early Edo Periods of Japanese history. He was a major figure in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Noted for his calligraphy, poetry, tea ceremony, he is also popularly credited with the invention of the ''takuan'' pickled radish. Biography Takuan Sōhō was born as the second son of Akiba Tsunanori, a samurai and senior retainer of the Yamana clan in the town of Izushi, in Tajima Province (present-day Toyooka, Hyōgo). When he was eight years old, the Yamana clan were defeated by the forces of Oda Nobunaga led by Hashiba Hideyoshi, making his father a '' ronin''. In 1582 Takuan entered the temple of Shōen-ji in Izushi as an acolyte, and in 1586 he was sent to the temple of Sōkyō-ji, also in Izushi, to further studies. In 1591, Maeno Nagayasu, the lord of Izushi Castle during this period, invited Kaoru Sotada a disciple of Daitoku-ji's Shunoku Sōen to administer Sōkyō-ji and Takuan became his disciple. When Kao ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zen Buddhism
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and later developed into various sub-schools and branches. From China, Chán spread south to Vietnam and became Vietnamese Thiền, northeast to Korea to become Seon Buddhism, and east to Japan, becoming Japanese Zen. The term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (''chán''), an abbreviation of 禪那 (''chánnà''), which is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word ध्यान ''dhyāna'' ("meditation"). Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint, meditation-practice and the subsequent insight into nature of mind (見性, Ch. ''jiànxìng,'' Jp. '' kensho,'' "perceiving the true nature") and nature of things (without arrogance or egotism), and the personal expression of this insight in d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 978.Nussbaum"''Edo-jidai''"at p. 167. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars of the Sengoku period following the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate. Ieyasu became the ''shōgun,'' and the Tokugawa clan governed Japan from Edo Castle in the eastern city of Edo (Tokyo) along with the ''daimyō'' lords of the ''samurai'' class.Nussbaum"Tokugawa"at p. 976. The Tokugawa shogunate organized Japanese society under the strict Tokugawa class system and banned most foreigners under the isolationist policies of '' Sakoku'' to promote political stability. The Tokugawa shoguns governed Japan in a feudal system, with each ''daimyō'' administering a '' han'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ono Tadaaki
or Ono Jiroemon Tadaaki was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period, who was renowned as a swordsman. He founded the Ono-ha Ittō-ryū style of swordsmanship after his teacher made him head master of the Ittō-ryū. He was one of two official sword masters for Tokugawa Ieyasu and his style, along with Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who ... became one of the official ryūha of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Tenzen (典膳), meaning assistant cupbearer (for the Emperor) seems to have been a court title under Ritsuryō system, Tadaaki got as an honorific from the Bakufu. In Eiji Yoshikawa's book ''Musashi'', Tadaaki appears as an aging samurai, instructor to the Shogun. He faces Sasaki Kojiro and gives up when realizing that he is now too old to fight pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bugō
are nicknames used in the Japanese martial arts. The word is composed of the symbols 武 (bu, meaning "martial") and 号 (gō, meaning "name"). In English, the term is sometimes translated as "martial name" or "warrior name" with similar equivalents in other languages. Cultural origin As James George Frazer demonstrated in The Golden Bough, using someone's real name is a taboo common to many countries throughout history, and to circumvent this taboo, pseudonyms are often used. For example, in Japan, the word for true name ( 諱, imina) is derived from 忌み+ 名 (also imina), meaning "name to be avoided due to death or other taboos": after death, people are given posthumous names ( 諡, okurina) to avoid "calling" them via their true name. In China's Southern Song period, Neo-Confucianism combined concepts of reclusion, self-denial and self-effacing humility from Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, and these thoughts found fertile ground in Japan.The practice of 実名 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenjutsu
is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword". This is opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword ( shinai) and protective armour ( bōgu). The exact activities and conventions undertaken when practicing ''kenjutsu'' vary from school to school, where the word school here refers to the practice, methods, ethics, and metaphysics of a given tradition, yet commonly include practice of battlefield techniques without an opponent and techniques whereby two practitioners perform '' kata'' (featuring full contact strikes to the body in some styles and no body contact strikes permitted in others). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
