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Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, (上泉 信綱), born Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, (c.1508 – 1572/1577) was a samurai in Japan's Sengoku period famous for creating the Shinkage-ryū school of combat. He is also well known as Kamiizumi Isenokami (上泉 伊勢守) which was his name as a samurai official (武家官位, Bukekani) for a period of time. Early life Kamiizumi was born as Kamiizumi Hidetsuna in his family castle in Kōzuke Province (modern day Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture). His family were minor landed lords in the service of the Yamanouchi branch of the Uesugi clan.Yagyū, Toshinaga (1957, 1989) ''Shōden Shinkage-ryū''. Kōdansha, reprinted by Shimazu Shobō, . At the time of his birth, Kōzuke Province was being contested by the Uesugi, the Hōjō, and the Takeda clans. His family was originally a branch of the Ōgo clan that moved to nearby Kaigayagō Kamiizumi and took its name for their own. When the main Ōgo clan moved to Musashi Province, the Kamiizu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kōzuke Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the 30 "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital is located in what is now the city of Maebashi; however, its exact location remains uncertain. The ichinomiya of the province is located in what is now the city of Tomioka. History During the 4th century AD, ( Kofun period) the area of modern Gunma and Tochigi prefectures were known as , literally "hairy field", but used as ateji for or "food field" in reference to an imperial agricultural area. At some unknown point in the 5th century, the area was divided at the Kinugawa River into ("Upper Keno") and ("Lower Keno"). Per the Nara period Taihō Code, these pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū
Written as 天眞正傳香取神道流 before adoption (1946) of Tōyō kanji. is one of the oldest extant Japanese martial arts, and an exemplar of '' bujutsu''. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū was founded by Iizasa Ienao, born in 1387 in Iizasa village (modern Takomachi, Chiba Prefecture), who was living near Katori Shrine ( Sawara City, Chiba Prefecture) at the time. The '' ryū'' gives 1447 as the year it was founded, but some scholars state that it was about 1480.The year 1387 is given as Iizasa's birth year in ''Deity and the Sword'', Vol 1 pp. 16–17. Watatani (1967) speculates that 1417–1420 is correct. History Foundation Iizasa Ienao (飯篠 長威斎 家直 ''Iizasa Chōi-sai Ienao'', c.1387 – c.1488) was a respected spearman and swordsman whose ''daimyō'' was deposed, encouraging him to relinquish control of his household to conduct purification rituals and study martial arts in isolation.Amdur, Ellis (2002). ''Old School: Essays on Japan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minowa Castle
was a "hirayama"-style ( castle located in the Misato neighborhood of the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The ruins have been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1987. Background Minowa Castle is located on a 30-meter high hill at the end of long ridge which extends from Mount Haruna southwest towards former Misato town in the northwestern part of Takasaki. This area was located on the Nakasendō highway towards Shinano Province to the west and also on the Mikuni Kaidō towards Echigo Province to the north. The castle, protected on one side by a deep valley created by the Shirakawa River and on its long, narrow hill, commanded both strategic roads. The castle extends over an area 1200 meters long by 400 meters wide orientated north and southward, having two small ridges at its south end. Roughly the castle consists of three concentric layers of enclosures. The main gate of the castle originally existed at southwestern edge of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uesugi Kenshin
, later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known as the "Dragon of Echigo", while chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield as a military genius, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade and his rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin is famed for his honourable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous defensive campaigns to restore order in the Kantō region as the '' Kanto Kanrei'', and his belief in the Buddhist god of war— Bishamonten. Many of his followers and others believed him to be the Avatar of Bishamonten, and called Kenshin the "God of War". Name His original name was Nagao Kagetora (長尾景虎). He changed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hōjō Ujiyasu
was a ''daimyō'' (warlord) and third head of the Odawara Hōjō clan. Known as the "Lion of Sagami", he was revered as a fearsome warrior and a cunning man. He is famous for his strategies of breaking the siege from Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. The son of Hōjō Ujitsuna (北条 氏綱), his only known wife was Imagawa Yoshimoto's sister, Zuikei-in. Among his sons are Hōjō Ujimasa and Uesugi Kagetora. Early years and rise Born in 1515, his childhood name was Chiyomaru (千代丸). He fought his first battle when he was fifteen years old, facing Uesugi Tomooki of the Ōgigayatsu Uesugi clan (扇谷上杉家) at the Battle of Ozawahara in 1530. Upon his father's death in 1541, a number of the Hōjō's enemies sought to take advantage of the opportunity to seize major Hōjō strongholds. Faced with almost endless warfare, Ujiyasu was compelled to reorganize the administration of the Hōjō lands. He had already ordered a series of aggressive cadastral surveys between 15 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marume Nagayoshi
Marume Nagayoshi (丸目 長恵, 1540–1629) was a retainer of the Sagara clan in the Sengoku period and a swordsman in the early Edo period. He was considered one of the best pupils of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, and went on to found the Taisha ryū school. He was sometimes known as Kurandonosuke and also as Ishimi Mamoru, but was best known as Marume Nagayoshi, which he was called in kōdan. His original name was Fujiwara, and his art name was Tessai. In his later years he shaved his head and went by the name of Ishimi Nyūdō Tessai. Life Marume was born in 1540 in Yatsushiro District, Higo Province (modern-day Hitoyoshi, Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture). His father was Marume Yozaemon and it is said that his mother was a woman from Akaike Izu. When the Satsuma army attacked Ōhata in 1555, he fought alongside his father, earning recognition for his military prowess in his first battle. They both received the name ''Marume'', their former one said to have been ''Yamamoto''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 added his own name to the school. Today, the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū remains one of the most renowned schools of Japanese swordsmanship. Its name roughly means ''Yagyū New Shadow School''. Feudal Japan and birth of the Shinkage school At the time of the school's founding by Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, the superiority of a school was determined through duels. Basic postures were distinct; a very low stance was maintained, in the interest of protecting the body. The idea of winning at any price was deeply ingrained in the schools of the time, as were the concepts of ''Isatsu-no-tachi'' (the school of the sword that kills only once) or ''Ichi-no-tachi'' (the sword of only one cut). A great deal of importance was placed on the technology of swords an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aisu Iko
Aisu Iko, a.k.a. Aizu Hyūga-no-Kami Iko, Aisu Hisatada (1452 - 1538) was a Japanese martial artist and the founder of the Kage-ryū school of sword fighting. Aisu was originally a pirate based in Kumano, who raided Japanese and Chinese shipping and whose travels took him on occasion as far as the Chinese mainland. After suffering a severe shipwreck off Kyushu, of which he was the only survivor, Aisu abandoned his life as a pirate and entered into seclusion at the Udo caves in Miyazaki Prefecture. Here he purportedly had a dream in which a monkey deity taught him the secrets of swordsmanship. He named the new style he developed the Kage ("Shadow") School, which based its movements on natural phenomena such as wind and waves. Aisu's student, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, (上泉 信綱), born Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, (c.1508 – 1572/1577) was a samurai in Japan's Sengoku period famous for creating the Shinkage-ryū school of combat. He is also well ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karl Friday
Karl F. Friday (born 1957) is an American Japanologist. Friday earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese at the University of Kansas in 1979, followed by a master's degree in East Asian languages and culture from the same institution in 1983. He then attended Stanford University to pursue graduate study in history, earning a master of arts degree in 1986, followed by a doctorate in 1989. Friday began his teaching career as an assistant professor at the University of San Diego. In 1990, he joined the faculty of the University of Georgia, where he was successively promoted to associate professor in 1993, and full professor in 1999. Upon retiring in 2012, Friday was granted emeritus status. He later served as Director of the IES Abroad Tokyo Center, and as professor, and currently professor emeritus, at Saitama University, in Japan. Friday specialized in the study of samurai history and culture, including Japanese martial arts. Friday also holds ''menkyo kaiden is a Japanese term me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matsumoto Masanobu
was a semi-legendary Japanese warrior and founder of the Kashima Shin-ryū school of swordsmanship and a member of the noble lineage of the ancient Ki clan (Ki no Miyatsuko 紀伊国造). Matsumoto Masanobu's (Bizen no Kami was a court title) birth date is uncertain, but is believed to have been around 1467. His family was one of four families, the Kashima Shiten'ō (litt. the 4 Deva Kings), whose hereditary duties included the upkeep of the Kashima Shrine in Kashima, Ibaraki. The three others were called Ogano, Gakuga and Yoshikawa. He remained in the Kashima area for his whole life, which may explain his lack of fame compared to that of his students Tsukahara Bokuden and Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, both of whom travelled extensively. According to one legend, Matsumoto received the secrets of swordsmanship in a dream from the Kashima Shrine's tutelary deity, Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto. Another legend tells that he learned his sword techniques from Iizasa Ienao, founder of the Tenshin Sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū
, often referred to simply as Jikishinkage-ryū or Kashima Shinden, is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). The school was founded in the mid-16th century, based upon older styles of swordsmanship, and is one of the few ancient Japanese martial arts schools still existing today.Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, volume 1 by Skoss, Diane (Editor). New Jersey Koryu Books 1997. . 2002. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsukahara Bokuden
was a famous swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was described as a '' kensei'' (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of kenjutsu, and served as an instructor of Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor ''daimyō'' Kitabatake Tomonori. Early life Bokuden was born into the Yoshikawa family within the Hitachi Province of Honshu. The family was one of four Karō families serving the Kashima clan; one of the cadet branches of the Imperial House of Japan (descendants of the ). Bokuden was adopted by the Tsukahara family, an offshoot of the Kashima clan; he was styled as Tsukahara Bokuden Takamoto. Earlier in his life, his name was ''Tsukahara Shin'emon Takamoto''. Career Bokuden learned the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū from his adopted father and later honed his skills by engaging in ''musha shugyō'' (warrior's ascetic training), traveling throughout Japan and training with most of the skillful and knowledgeable swordsmen of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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