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Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū
is a Japanese sword art school and one of the most widely practiced schools of iai in the world. Often referred to simply as "Eishin-ryū," it claims an unbroken lineage dating back from the sixteenth century to the early 20th century. 17th undisputed headmaster, Oe Masaji, awarded at least 16 licenses of full transmission, Yamakoshi 2004 resulting in the school fracturing into multiple legitimate branches. The school takes its name from its seventh headmaster, Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Hidenobu (長谷川主税助英信), who had founded Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. Iwata 2002: 96 ‘Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū’ means ‘peerless, directly transmitted school of Eishin.’ ‘Eishin’ is an alternative pronunciation of ‘Hidenobu.’ History The founder of the earlier school Eishin-ryū was Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu (林崎甚助源の重信). Hayashizaki was born in Dewa Province, Ōshū (present-day Yamagata Prefecture). Kishimoto 2006: 14 He lived c. 1546–1621 ...
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Musha Shugyō
is a samurai warrior's quest or pilgrimage. The concept is similar to the Chinese Youxia, or Knight Errantry in feudal Europe. A warrior, called a ''shugyōsha'', would wander the land practicing and honing his skills without the protection of his family or school. Possible activities include training with other schools, dueling, performing bodyguard or mercenary work, and searching for a ''daimyō'' to serve. ''Musha shugyō'' ("training in warriorship") was inspired by Zen monks, who would engage in similar ascetic wanderings (which they called ''angya is a term used in Zen Buddhism in reference to the traditional pilgrimage a monk or nun makes from monastery to monastery, literally translated as "to go on foot."Baroni, 8-9 The term also applies to the modern practice in Japan of an unsui (nov ...'', "travelling on foot") before attaining enlightenment. Notes Japanese martial arts terminology Samurai {{Martialart-term-stub ...
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Battle Of Toba–Fushimi
The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa Domains clashed near Fushimi, Kyoto. The battle lasted for four days, ending in a decisive defeat for the shogunate. Background On 4 January 1868, the restoration of imperial rule was formally proclaimed. ''Shōgun'' Tokugawa Yoshinobu had earlier resigned his authority to the emperor, agreeing to "be the instrument for carrying out" imperial orders. The Tokugawa shogunate had ended. However, while Yoshinobu's resignation created a nominal void at the highest level of government, his apparatus of state continued to exist. Moreover, the Tokugawa family remained a prominent force in the evolving political order, a prospect hard-liners from Satsuma and Chōshū found intolerable. Al ...
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Hakama
are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from (), the trousers worn by members of the Chinese imperial court in the Sui and Tang dynasties, this style was adopted by the Japanese in the form of in the 6th century. are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are worn over a kimono specially adapted for wearing , known as a . There are two types of : divided and undivided . The type have divided legs, similar to trousers. Both of these types appear similar. A "mountain" or "field" type of was traditionally worn by field or forest workers. They are looser in the waist and narrower in the leg. are secured by four straps (): two longer attached on either side of the front of the garment, and two shorter attached on either side of the rear. The rear of the garment may have a rigid trapezoidal section, called a . Below that on the inside, there may be a (a spoon-shaped component sometimes referred to as a ) which is tucked ...
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Tosa Domain
The was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Tosa Province in what is now Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Kōchi Castle, and was ruled throughout its history by the ''tozama daimyō'' Yamauchi clan. Many people from the domain played important roles in events of the late Edo period including Nakahama Manjirō, Sakamoto Ryōma, Yui Mitsue, Gotō Shōjirō, Itagaki Taisuke, Nakae Chōmin, and Takechi Hanpeita. Tosa Domain was renamed during the early Meiji period until it was dissolved in the abolition of the han system in 1871 and became Kōchi Prefecture. History At the end of the Sengoku period, the Chōsokabe clan ruled Tosa Province. The Chōsokabe had briefly controlled the entire island of Shikoku under Chōsokabe Motochika from 1583 until he was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Invasion of Shikoku in 1585. Motochika fought for Hideyoshi in the Kyushu Campaign and the invasions of ...
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Ōmori-ryū
is a iaijutsu koryū founded by Ōmori Rokurōzaemon Masamitsu (大森 六郎左衛門 正光), probably in the latter half of the seventeenth century. The techniques developed by Masamitsu were later incorporated into Hasegawa Eishin-ryū and continue to be taught to this day as the first series of ''kata'' in Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū and Musō Shinden-ryū. Development Ōmori Masamitsu first studied iaijutsu under the Hasegawa Eishin, the seventh headmaster of Shinmei Musō-ryū and founder of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū. He was later expelled due to personal reasons and started to develop his own style. Masamitsu disagreed in particular on the use of '' tate-hiza'' and ''tachi-ai'' as practical sword drawing postures. He thus based his ''kata'' on the ''seiza'' posture as he had learned it in the Ogasawara-ryū, a school of etiquette or '' reishiki''. Though the form of the ''kata'' themselves were taken from what he had learned with Hasegawa, they were modified to conform to ...
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Ogasawara-ryū
The is a traditional Japanese system of martial arts and etiquette, formalised and handed down by the Ogasawara clan. History The school was originally developed by Ogasawara Nagakiyo during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). It specialised in horsemanship ('' bajutsu''), archery ('' kyujutsu''), mounted archery (''yabusame'') and etiquette, with an emphasis on ceremonial and ritual practice. Nagakiyo was the first to be called Ogasawara after his own village and was from the Minamoto clan. His father, Minamoto Tomitsu was highly skilled in both literary and military arts. Due to his bravery during the suppression of the Taira Clan, he was given an honorary post. During the reign of Ashikaga Takauji, the first Ashikaga shōgun, Nagakiyo's descendant Ogasawara Sadamune (1292–1347) was given responsibility for maintaining correct etiquette at Takauji's court, giving the Ogasawara-ryū official sanction. Sadamune was a student of Seisetsu Shōhō (Ch'ing-cho Ch'eng-cheng) and i ...
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Shinkage-ryū
' meaning "new shadow school", is a traditional school ('' koryu'') of Japanese martial arts, founded by Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, later Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna Friday, Karl ''Legacies of the sword'', page 24. University of Hawaii Press, . (上泉 伊勢守 信綱, 1508–1578) in the mid-sixteenth century. Shinkage-ryū is primarily a school of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu'' and ''iaijutsu'') and is a synthesis of Nobutsuna's studies in the school of Kage-ryū (Aizu). Shinkage-ryu can also refer to Kashima-derived schools such as Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage Ryu and Kashima Shin Ryu. History Until the 16th century in Japan, martial techniques were concerned with effectiveness in real battle. At the time of the founder of Shinkage-ryū, Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, the superiority of a school was determined through duels. Basic postures were very distinct; very low, in the protection of the body. The idea of winning at any price was deeply ingrained in the ...
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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). Altho ...
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Seiza
): "proper/correct sitting", seiza ( ja, , link=no): "quiet sitting" , Jing zuo '' Seiza '' ( or , literally "proper sitting") is the formal, traditional way of sitting in Japan. Form To sit ''seiza''-style, one must first be kneeling on the floor, folding one's legs underneath one's thighs, while resting the buttocks on the heels. The ankles are turned outward as the tops of the feet are lowered so that, in a slight "V" shape, the tops of the feet are flat on the floor and big toes overlapped, the right always on top of the left, and the buttocks are finally lowered all the way down. Depending on the circumstances, the hands are folded modestly in the lap, or are placed palm down on the upper thighs with the fingers close together, or are placed on the floor next to the hips, with the knuckles rounded and touching the floor. The back is kept straight, though not unnaturally stiff. Traditionally, women sit with the knees together while men separate them slightly. Some martial ...
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Katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old ''tachi'' were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into ''katana''. The specific term for ''katana'' in Japan is ''uchigatana'' (打刀) and the term ''katana'' (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world. Etymology and loanwords The word ''katana'' first appears in Japanese in the '' Nihon Shoki'' of 720. The term is a compound of ''kata'' ("one side, one-sided") + ''na'' ("blade"), in contrast to the double-sided '' tsurugi''. See more at the Wiktionary entry. The ''katana'' belongs to the ''nihontō'' family of swords, and is distinguished by a blade length (''nagasa'') of more than 2 ''shaku'', approximately . ' ...
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