was a Japanese

swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

who also served as a martial arts instructor of

Tatsumi-ryū is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of Japanese martial arts founded in the early 16th century by Tatsumi Sankyo. History Tatsumi Sankyo was born in what is now Ehime Prefecture, Japan, on Shikoku island. He is thought to have been active as ...

and

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The serves as the prefectural police department of Tokyo Metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission, and approved by the Prime Minister. The Tokyo Metro ...

Biography

Henmi was known to be born in 1843 as a son of , a clansman of the

Sakura Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Shimōsa Province (modern-day Chiba Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Sakura Castle in what is now the city of Sakura, Chiba. It was ruled for most of its hi ...

and the 17th head family of

. Tatsumi-ryū is a

Traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

. During

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

when the use of protective gears became popular, the

allowed its clansmen to contest with different schools such as and from 1850. Henmi was given lessons from of . In 1860, Henmi was given which served as a license of the

from his father. In the next year, Henmi obtained a permission from

to study in Edo. He studied in Shigakukan

Dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

for 1 year, and was awarded a title of

Shihan is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...

as soon as he returned to his hometown. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, Henmi worked as a

tillage Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoein ...

r in Yachimata. In 1879, he was hired by the

as a martial arts instructor. He established there, and became the leading figure of martial arts at Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He is briefly described in F.J. Norman’s ''Fighting Man of Japan'' (1905), as possibly the best swordsman he had met in Japan.

References

*Shin-Jinbutsuoraisha (2002) "剣の達人111人データファイル" *Shimizu, Noboru. Gakken Publishing. (2010) "幕末維新剣客列伝" *Domoto, Akihiko. (2007) "高野佐三郎剣道遺稿集"

External links

Tatsumi-ryu Japanese Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henmi, Sosuke 1843 births 1894 deaths Japanese swordfighters of the Edo period Japanese police officers People from Chiba Prefecture Japanese kendoka Japanese jujutsuka

Biography

See also

References

External links