was the founder of the

Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hyōhō (北辰一刀流兵法) is a koryū (古流) that was founded in the late Edo period (1820s) by Chiba Shusaku Narimasa (千葉周作成政, 1794–1856). He was one of the last masters who was called a Kensei (swor ...

Hyōhō (北辰一刀流兵法) and one of the last masters who was called a Kensei (sword saint).

Early life

Chiba Shūsaku was the son of the swordsman Chūzaemon, who was originally from Miyagi Prefecture. He was born as the second son of his family in Kesen-Mura. His father Chūzaemon studied Kenjutsu under Chiba Kōemon Narikatsu (founder of the Hokushin Musō-ryū). There has been some confusion about Chiba Shūsaku’s ancestry and birthplace. Shūsaku’s father Chūzaemon had moved his family to

Mito Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...

Chiba prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

, and demonstrated his swordsmanship skill at the end of the 19th century. Afterwards, Chūzaemon was adopted by Chiba Kōemon Narikatsu and given the new name Chiba Chūzaemon Naritane. Shūsaku originally studied the family martial art, the Hokushin Musō-ryū, of the Chiba clan, first from his father and later directly from his grandfather, Chiba Kōemon Narikatsu. In 1809, Chiba Chūzaemon moved with his family to

Matsudo 260px, Matsudo City Hall is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 498,575 in 242,981 households and a population density of 8100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsudo is loca ...

, near Edo. In

Shūsaku studied the

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 ...

under Asari Yoshinobu Matashichiro and Nakanishi Chubei Tanemasa. Shūsaku married Asari Yoshinobu Matashichiro’s daughter, changed his name to Asari Shusaku Narimasa, and took charge of the Asari dojo. After a falling out with his father-in-law, Shūsaku changed his name back to Chiba and began his

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 ...

, visiting many Dōjō and dueled many famous swordsmen of ryūha like the Shinto Munen-ryū, Jikishinkage-ryū Maniwa Nen-ryū, different Ittō-ryū lines and many other.

Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hyōhō

After studying several styles of martial arts, Shūsaku created his own style in the 1820s, and called his school

Hyōhō (北辰一刀流兵法). The name is a combination from Hokushin Musō-ryū and the

lines he studied. In some ways the

Hyōhō is a simplification of the

forms, but one that concentrates on the essentials. Shūsaku’s teaching methods were seen as revolutionary and influenced other styles.Threadgill, Tobin & Ohgami, Shingo (2019). Shindō Yōshin Ryū, Evergreen, CO. In the Bakumatsu-period there was a saying, "If someone needs 6 years of training to master a ryuha, he will only need half the time in the

". The curriculum of the school contains mainly

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 ...

, Battojutsu,

Naginatajutsu is the Japanese martial art of wielding the . The naginata is a weapon resembling the medieval European glaive and the Chinese guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a ''gendai budō'', in which competitions al ...

and

Jūjutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

References

External links

Official website of the Hokushin Ittô-ryû Hyôhô (Hombu-Dôjô Japan)

Official website of the Hokushin Ittô-ryû Hyôhô (Hombu-Dôjô Europe)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiba, Shusaku Narimasa 1792 births 1856 deaths Martial arts school founders Japanese swordfighters of the Edo period 19th-century philanthropists