, which can be loosely translated as "the school of the strategy of two heavens as one", is a koryū (ancient school), transmitting a style of classical

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

swordsmanship 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 ...

conceived by the warrior

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 a ...

. Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū is mainly known for the two-sword—

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 fa ...

and

wakizashi The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. History and use The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:

—

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 ...

techniques Musashi called ''Niten Ichi'' (二天一, "two heavens as one") or ''Nitō Ichi'' (二刀一, "two swords as one").

Origin

Musashi originally studied Enmei Ryū and Tōri Ryū, which were ryūha founded by his grandfather

Miyamoto Musashi no Kami Yoshimoto Miyamoto (written: 宮本 lit. "base of the shrine") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ariana Miyamoto, beauty queen * Fumiaki Miyamoto, oboist *, shogi player *Kanako Miyamoto, (born 1989) voice actress and singer * ...

and his father

Miyamoto Muninosuke , also called Miyamoto Muninosuke, was a martial artist, expert in using the sword and the jutte. He was also the father of the samurai named Miyamoto Musashi. He was the son of Miyamoto Musashi no kami Yoshimoto, a vassal of Shinmen Iga no Kami ...

respectively. Musashi eventually focused in the kenjutsu and nitōken and developed his own style. Around 1640, Musashi intended to pass on his art to three successors from among his thousand students; specifically, to

Terao Magonojo is a Japanese former sumo wrestler. He was born in Tokyo, but brought up in Kajiki, Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan. He fought out of Izutsu stable. The highest rank he reached was ''sekiwake.'' Despite his relatively light weight he had an ex ...

, his younger brother

Kyumanosuke was a famed swordsman during the Edo period (17th century) of Japan. Motomenosuke would become rather famous for being the first successor to the School of Musashi that had been established by the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. When Musashi was awa ...

and to

Furuhashi Sozaemon Furuhashi (written: 古橋) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese anime director and screenwriter *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese footballer {{surname Japanese-lang ...

. He considered Magonojo to excel in technique but to lack in reflection, while Furuhashi excelled at reflection but lacked technique. Magonojo received the treatise, the ''

Go Rin no Sho is a text on ''kenjutsu'' and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi around 1645. Many translations have been made, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than other martial artists and people ac ...

''.

Hosokawa Mitsuhisa Hosokawa (typically ja, 細川, meaning "narrow river" or "little river") is a Japanese surname. People with the name include: *Bill Hosokawa (1915–2007), Japanese American author and journalist *Chieko Hosokawa (born 1929), a Japanese manga a ...

made two copies—one for Furuhashi and one for himself, which he transmitted under the name of ''Ihon go rin no sho''. The best known edition today is this Hosokawa copy. Magonojo then yielded the role of successor to his younger brother Kyumanosuke who had received the ''Hyoho San-jugo'' from Musashi. It was Kyumanosuke who transmitted this document to his students with seven added instructions called the ''Hyoho shiji ni kajo''. Shortly before his death, Musashi also wrote the '' Dokkodo'' ("Going My Way"). It seems to be a list of rules that one should try to follow in life steeped in Buddhist precepts.

Succession

Terao Kyumanosuke (Motomenosuke) had received the complete transmission of the School of Musashi, with certification and Musashi's two swords. He at first refused to teach and sent what he had received to Musashi's adopted son, Iori. Iori refused the succession, since the honor had not been bestowed upon him. With this, Kyumanosuke then agreed to take over as head—both his and Iori's actions were manifestations of their respect for Musashi. Succession in the Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū (the name given by Musashi towards the end of his life) does not follow a hereditary pattern. It is attested to by the bestowing of two artifacts: a scroll on which is written the name of the techniques and the approach to them that must be transmitted if the school is to be perpetuated truly, and a wooden sword that Musashi made himself, with which he trained and used as a walking stick during the last years of his life, today in possession of the city of Usa's Shinto Shrine.

Dispute

The Gosho-ha Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū disputed the lineage claiming that Iwami Toshio Gensho is the sole legal representative of Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū until 2007. Miyagawa Yasutaka established a line of Niten Ichi-ryū that continues to practice and thrive in the Kansai region of Japan. Miyagawa Yasutaka and Kiyonaga Tadanao were both students of Aoki Kikuo during the same period. This "Kansai" line, currently under 10th Headmaster Miyagawa Morito, is an alternate but equal lineage to the main line.

Lineage

The lineage to date is as follows: # Shinmen Miyamoto Musashi-No-Kami Fujiwara no Genshin 新免宮本武蔵守藤原玄信 # Terao Motome-no-suke Nobuyuki 寺尾求馬助信行 # Terao Goemon Katsuyuki 寺尾郷右衛門勝行 # Yoshida Josetsu Masahiro 吉田如雪正広 # Santo Hikozaemon Kyohide 山東彦左衛門清秀 # Santo Hanbe Kiyoaki 山東半兵衛清明 # Santo Shinjuro Kiyotake 山東新十郎清武 # Aoki Kikuo Hisakatsu 青木規矩男久勝 # Kiyonaga Tadanao Masami / Miyagawa Yasutaka # Imai Masayuki Nobukatsu / Miyagawa Morito (Current) # Iwami Toshio Gensho/ Kiyonaga Fumiya / Chin Kin (

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

) # Kajiya Takanori (successor of Iwami Toshio Gensho) / Yoshimochi Kiyoshi (successor of Kiyonaga Fumiya) Yoshomochi Kiyoshi died on 4 January 2020 leaving no successor as stated on his own home page. 後継者の指名はなかった。

Techniques

Today the following sets of techniques and

forms Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data * ...

are transmitted: 1) Tachi Seiho (太刀勢法) Twelve techniques with long sword: # 指先 Sassen # 八相左 Hasso Hidari # 八相右 Hasso Migi # 受流左 Uke Nagashi Hidari # 受流右 Uke Nagashi Migi # 捩構 Moji Gamae # 張付 Haritsuke # 流打 Nagashi Uchi # 虎振 Tora Buri # 数喜 Kazuki # 合先打留 Aisen Uchidome # 余打 (アマシ打）Amashi Uchi 2) Kodachi Seiho (小太刀勢法) Seven techniques with a short sword: # 指先 Sassen # 中段 Chudan # 受流 Uke Nagashi # 捩構 Moji Gamae # 張付 Haritsuke # 流打 Nagashi Uchi # 合先 Aisen 3) Nito Seiho (二刀勢法) Five techniques with two swords corresponding to the five forms in the Water Scroll: # 中段 Chudan # 上段 Jodan # 下段 Gedan # 左脇構 Hidari Waki Gamae # 右脇構 Migi Waki Gamae 4)

Bōjutsu , translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve s ...

—Twenty techniques with a long staff bō(including techniques Bō Vs Bō and Bō Vs sword). 5) Aikuchi roppo, both. 6)

Jitte A is a specialized weapon that was used by police in Edo period Japan (1603 – 1868). History In feudal Japan, it was a crime punishable by death to bring a sword into the ''shōgun''s palace. This law applied to almost everyone, including the ...

to jutsu—Five techniques against a sword.

References

External links

Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu in Nihon Kobudo Kyokai

Hyoho Niten Ichiryu information-portal run by Hyakutake Colin

Site of Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu under Yoshimoti Kiyoshi

Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu in KoryuWeb

Miyamoto Musashi; his Swordsmanship and Book of Five Rings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niten Ichi-Ryu Ko-ryū bujutsu Japanese martial arts Japanese swordsmanship Miyamoto Musashi