was a famous

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 ...

of the early

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

. He was described as a '' kensei'' (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of

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 ...

, and served as an instructor of

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Ashikaga Yoshiteru , also known as Yoshifushi or Yoshifuji, was the 13th '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1546 to 1565 during the late Muromachi period of Japan. He was the eldest son of the 12th ''shōgun'', Ashikaga Yoshiharu, and his mot ...

and

Ise Ise may refer to: Places * Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan * River Ise, a tributary of th ...

provincial governor ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' Kitabatake Tomonori.

Early life

Bokuden was born into the Yoshikawa family within the

Hitachi Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

. The family was one of four

Karō were top-ranking samurai officials and advisors in service to the ''daimyōs'' of feudal Japan. Overview In the Edo period, the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and anoth ...

families serving the Kashima clan; one of the cadet branches of the

Imperial House of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

(descendants of the ). Bokuden was adopted by the Tsukahara family, an offshoot of the Kashima clan; he was styled as Tsukahara Bokuden Takamoto. Earlier in his life, his name was ''Tsukahara Shin'emon Takamoto''.

Career

Bokuden learned the

Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū Written as 天眞正傳香取神道流 before adoption (1946) of Tōyō kanji. is one of the oldest extant Japanese martial arts, and an exemplar of '' bujutsu''. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū was founded by Iizasa Ienao, born in 13 ...

from his adopted father and later honed his skills by engaging in ''

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 ...

'' (warrior's ascetic training), traveling throughout Japan and training with most of the skillful and knowledgeable swordsmen of the day. Tsukahara Bokuden was the classic knight-errant; a rich nobleman, he travelled the Japanese countryside, often with a full entourage. He later systematized the teaching of the Kashima area's local martial arts, including such approaches to combat as ''Kashima no tachi'' and ''Ichi no tachi''. After allegedly receiving a divine inspiration from ''Takemikazuchi no kami'', the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

Kashima Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Kashima, Ibaraki in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It is dedicated to , one of the patron deities of martial arts. Various dōjō of '' kenjutsu'' and '' kendō'' often display a hanging scroll emblazoned ...

, he named his martial system as

Kashima Shintō-ryū is a traditional ('' koryū'') school of Japanese martial arts founded by Tsukahara Bokuden in the Muromachi period (c.1530). Due to its formation during the tumultuous Sengoku Jidai, a time of feudal war, the school's techniques are based on ...

. He also, for a brief period, called his system ''Mutekatsu-ryū'' ("winning without hands"). In one anecdote recorded in the ''

Kōyō Gunkan The is a record of the military exploits of the Takeda family, compiled largely by the Takeda vassal Kōsaka Danjō Masanobu, and completed in 1616 by Obata Kagenori. It provides some of the most detailed descriptions and statistics of warf ...

'', Bokuden was challenged by a mannerless ruffian. When asked about his style, Bokuden replied that he studied the "Style of No Sword". The ruffian laughed and insultingly challenged Bokuden to fight him without a sword. Bokuden then agreed to fight the man without his sword but suggested they row out to a nearby island on

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th ol ...

to avoid disturbing others. The ruffian agreed, but when he jumped from the boat to the shore of the island, drawing his blade, Bokuden pushed the boat back out, leaving the ruffian stranded on the island. Bokuden explained: "This is my no-sword school".

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

was so fond of this story that in '' Enter the Dragon (1973)'' he teaches a bully a lesson about "Fighting without Fighting" when he offers to leave a junk and sail to an island. Musashi vs

There is a fictional story that the young

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 ...

challenged Bokuden to a duel during a meal. When Musashi struck first, Bokuden parried the blade using the lid of an iron pot from the hearth as a shield (as depicted in a nishiki-e by

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi h ...

). As Tsukahara Bokuden had died in 1571, 13 years before Musashi's birth in 1584, the meeting is an apocryphal myth. According to modern Japanese author and practitioner of

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 ...

, Tokitsu Kenji, Tsukahara fought his first duel to the death at the age of 17. Through his lifetime, he fought another 19 duels and in 37 battles. He was wounded 6 times but only by arrows. His death toll is estimated to have been 212 kills.

Death and legacy

Bokuden died of natural causes in 1571. His grave at is in Kashima, Ibaraki. Those devoted to the art of Japanese sword-fighting, would make

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

s to the

because it is considered the spiritual home of

Subordinates

These are traditionally considered students of Bokuden: * Ujii Shouken * Morooka Ichiha/Ippa *

Makabe Ujimoto Makabe may refer to: *Makabe District, Ibaraki, a district in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Makabe, Ibaraki was a town located in Makabe District, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 19,368 and a densit ...

* Narita Nagayasu * Saito Denkibo * Matsuoka NorikataKenzo Hotate, Encyclopedia of Ibaraki Prefecture, edited by Ibaraki Shimbun, Ibaraki Shimbun, 1981, pp. 706-707. "Tsukahara Bokuden" * Hayashizaki Jinsuke *

* Kitabatake Tomonori *

Hosokawa Fujitaka , also known as , was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Fujitaka was a prominent retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the last Ashikaga shōgun. When he joined the Oda, Oda Nobunaga rewarded him with the fief of Tango and went on ...

Imagawa Ujizane was a Japanese ''daimyō'' who lived in the Sengoku through early Edo periods. He was the tenth head of the Imagawa clan, and was a son of Imagawa Yoshimoto and the father of Imagawa Norimochi and Shinagawa Takahisa. Biography Ujizane was ...

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, (上泉信綱), born Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Fujiwara-no-Hidetsuna, (c.1508 – 1572/1577) was a samurai in Japan's Sengoku period famous for creating the Shinkage-ryū school of combat. He is also well known as Kamiizumi Ise ...

* Yamamoto Kansuke

In popular culture

Books

* Shotaro Ikenami "The Last Journey of the Bokuden" Kadokawa Group Publishing, 1980 *Yo Tsumoto " Tsukahara Uden 12th Game " Kodansha, 1983 * Gishū Nakayama "Tsukahara Bokuden" Tokuma Shoten, 1989 *Ryuichiro Mine "Nippon Kenkiden Tsukahara Uden" Shodensha, 1993 *

Shotaro Ishinomori was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as '' Cyborg 009,'' the ''Super Sentai'' series (later adapted into the ''Power Rangers'' series), ...

"Tsukahara Bokuden" Shogakukan, 1996 *Yukio Yahagi "Undefeated Sword Saint Tsukahara Bokuden" Kodansha, 2011

Movies

*In

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

’s film, ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven ...

'', the scene in which the character Gorobei’s swordsmanship skills are tested is based on an episode from Tsukahara’s life.

TV

Tsukahara Bokuden was a famous swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was described as a '' kensei'' (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of kenjutsu, and served as an instructor of Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor ...

" (October 2nd to November 13th, 2011, NHK BS Premium Performance:

Masato Sakai is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 31st Yokohama Film Festival for ''The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio'' and ''The Chef of South Polar'' and the award for best supporting actor at the 2008 Nikkan Sports Film Award, at ...

. The original is the above-mentioned "Twelfth Game")

References

Bibliography

*Steven Turnbull: ''The Samurai Swordsman''. Tuttle Publishing 2008,
restricted online version (google books)
*Jinichi Tokeshi: ''Kendo: Elements, Rules and Philosophy''. University of Hawaii Press 2003, *Tsukahara Bokuden: ''The Hundred Rules of War''. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 2017, {{Authority control 1489 births 1571 deaths Samurai Japanese swordfighters Martial arts school founders