was a Japanese martial artist and teacher of

Bujinkan The is an international martial arts organization based in Japan and headed by Masaaki Hatsumi. The combat system taught by this organization comprises nine separate ryūha, or schools, which are collectively referred to as ''Bujinkan Budō Tai ...

founder

Masaaki Hatsumi , formerly Yoshiaki Hatsumi, is the founder of the Bujinkan Organization and is the former Togakure-ryū soke ( grandmaster). He no longer teaches, but currently resides in Noda, Chiba, Japan. Early life Masaaki Hatsumi was born in Noda, C ...

. He has been called "The Last Shinobi" by Bujinkan instructor Wolfgang Ettig.

Biography

Toshitsugu (Chosui) Takamatsu was born on 10 March 1889 (the 23rd year of Meiji) in

Akashi Akashi may refer to: People *Akashi (surname) Places *Akashi, Hyōgo *Akashi Station, a Japanese railroad station on the Sanyō Main Line *Akashi Strait *Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, crossing the former *Akashi Castle *Akashi Domain * Akashi, the name ...

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

. Also known as Mōko no Tora (蒙古の虎 ''Mongolian Tiger''), he is attributed as a martial arts master by members of the Bujinkan organization. Hatsumi reports that Takamatsu traveled through Mongolia to China at the age of 21, teaching martial arts and fighting a number of life or death battles. He was married to Uno Tane. They adopted a girl named Yoshiko. His father (Takamatsu Gishin Yasaburo) owned a match-factory and received Dai-Ajari (Master) title in Kumano Shugendo (a type of

Shingon Buddhism Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. K ...

). His dojo was named "Sakushin" (Cultivating Spirit). His house was in front of Kashihara Shrine in

Kashihara, Nara is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 124,829, with 52,034 households. Population density is around 3,176.79 persons per km2, and the total area is 39.52 km2. The city was founded on Februa ...

. Takamatsu died on 2 April 1972 of illness. His inheritor was

who founded the Bujinkan system and its art of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.

Ninjutsu lineage

Takamatsu's claim to lineage in ninjutsu has been disputed by a few individuals. The 1963 version of the Bugei Ryūha Daijiten indicates of Takamatsu's Togakure-ryu: "this genealogy refers to various written records and oral transmissions and there are many points/places where embellishments have been added and people appearing in the genealogy are also made older than they actually are. Thus the genealogy can be considered to be something that akamatsu's teacher TodaShinryūken newly arranged around the end of the Tokugawa shōgunate." The

Iga-ryū Ninja Museum The situated in a forested location in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan, is a museum dedicated to the history of the ninja and ninjutsu. It was established in 1964 and is located near Iga Ueno Castle. Jinichi Kawakami, who serves as the honorary dire ...

lists Jinichi Kawakami as the only legitimate inheritor of authentic ninjutsu although this is likely to be a biased opinion as Jinichi Kawakami is also the honorary director of the Iga-ryū Ninja Museum, a commercial enterprise and tourist attraction. According to martial arts author

Donn Draeger Donald Frederick "Donn" Draeger (April 15, 1922 – October 20, 1982) was an internationally known teacher and practitioner of Japanese martial arts. He was the author of several important books on Asian martial arts,Modern Bujutsu & Budo: M ...

"The late

Fujita Seiko , born , was a prominent Japanese martial artist, researcher and author. Regarded as the 14th and final heir to the Kōga-ryū Wada-ha Ninjutsu tradition, he was highly respected by his peers and a core member of Japan's classical martial arts com ...

was the last of the living ninja, having served in assignments for the Imperial Government during the Taisho and Showa eras. Modern authorities such as T. Hatsumi are responsible for most research being done on ninjutsu."Donn Draeger, ''Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts'', p130, 1969

References

External links

The Takamatsu-sensei Photo PageToshitsugu Takamatsu is the 33rd Togakure-ryu Patriarch of Ninjutsu and master of as many as 8 styles of Bujutsu and Ninjutsu.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takamatsu Toshitsugu 1889 births 1972 deaths Sportspeople from Hyōgo Prefecture Japanese ninjutsu practitioners People from Akashi, Hyōgo