Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi (辻月丹資茂) (sometimes read as Shukeshige) (1648–1728) was a Japanese swordsman who founded the

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 ...

Mugai-ryū or "Outer Nothingness School" is a Japanese '' koryū'' martial art school founded by on 23 June 1680. Its formal name is Mugai Shinden Kenpō (無外真伝剣法). History The founder of Mugai-ryū, Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi (辻月丹資茂) ...

in 1695. Tsuji Gettan was born in Masugimura,

Omi is a hereditary noble title (''kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period. ...

(

Shiga is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Pr ...

prefecture) as the second son to a local samurai. At the age of 13, Gettan was sent to

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

to train under the revered sensei

Yamaguchi Bokushinsai Yamaguchi may refer to: People * Yamaguchi (surname), the 14th most popular Japanese surname. Places *Yamaguchi Prefecture, the westernmost prefecture of Honshū island of Japan ** Yamaguchi (city), capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture *** Yamaguchi ...

's Yamaguchi-ryū. Gettan trained with Yamaguchi for thirteen years, receiving ''Menkyo Kaiden'', full-transmission, of Yamaguchi-ryū at the age of twenty-six, in 1674.

Inception of swordplay

Tsuji Gettan went on a

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 ...

, warrior's pilgrimage, confining himself at Mt. Atago in

and Mt. Aburahidake in the

. Having pursued time as a Shugyōsha, Gettan traveled to

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

where he decided to open up his own dojo in the Kojimachi district. While he was incredibly talented with the sword, there were no būshi enrolled at his school.

References

External links

Suimokai's article on Tsuji Gettan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsuji, Gettan Sukemochi 1648 births 1725 deaths Samurai Japanese swordfighters Martial arts school founders