is a traditional school ('' koryū'') 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 ...

founded in the early 16th century by Tatsumi Sankyo.

History

Tatsumi Sankyo Tatsumi is a Japanese name. It may refer to: People Surname * Daiyū Tatsumi (born 1940), Japanese former sumo wrestler *Juri Tatsumi (born 1979), Japanese synchronised swimmer *Naofumi Tatsumi (1845–1907), Japanese general of the Imperial Army ...

was born in what is now

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

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 ...

, on

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

island. He is thought to have been active as a warrior ('' bushi'') in the Eishō Era (1504–1520). Tatsumi trained in the

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

s from an early age. As a result, he was never defeated, either on the battlefield or in single

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

. As a young man, Tatsumi was dissatisfied with mere technical proficiency, or even victory in combat, and secluded himself in prayer to the mountain deity (''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'') Tsumayama Daimyojin. Through intense , Tatsumi gained enlightenment (''

satori is a Japanese Buddhist term for awakening, "comprehension; understanding". It is derived from the Japanese verb satoru. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, ''satori'' refers to a deep experience of ''kenshō'', "seeing into one's true nature". ' ...

'') in the sword arts going beyond superficial levels of purely physical achievement. He then formulated the Tatsumi-ryū as a result of his experiences in light of his new understanding.

Curriculum

Tatsumi-ryū is a , encompassing many of the classical martial and strategic skills of the . The central weapon of Tatsumi-ryū is the

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 training to use the sword in combat constitutes the largest part of the curriculum. The use of other weapons, such as the

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

(''

yari is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...

''),

glaive A glaive (or glave) is a European polearm, consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata, the Chinese guandao, the Korean woldo, and the Russian sovnya. Overview Typically, the blade is arou ...

(''

naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...

''), long staff ('' rokushaku-bō''), and short staff (''

hanbō The ''hanbō'' (半棒, "half-staff") is a staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the ''hanbō'' was approximately three ''shaku'' or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the '' rokushakubō'' ("six ''shaku'' staff"). Diameter wa ...

''), is undertaken with the aim of enabling the swordsman to defeat such weapons. Indeed, the studies of ''naginata'', ''rokushaku-bō'', and ''hanbō'' are classified as part of the swordsmanship (''

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 ...

'') curriculum and are not considered as separate areas of study. Therefore, in the practice of pre-determined exercises with partners (''

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

'') these weapons always "lose" to the sword. The school also contains a large curriculum for unarmed grappling arts (which Tatsumi-ryū refers to as ''

yawara The ''yawara'' is a Japanese weapon used in various martial arts. Numerous types of jujutsu make use of a small rod, made of wood, that extends somewhat from both ends of a person's fist which is known as a ''yawara''. The ''yawara'' likely orig ...

'', rather than

jujutsu 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 ...

). The ''yawara'' syllabus includes training for combat both in and out of armour, and covers a wide range of techniques and situations. Also included in the ''yawara'' syllabus are the and the art of restraining a person with rope-tying techniques (''

hojōjutsu or or just , is the traditional Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord or rope (called in Japanese), as a precursor to modern-day handcuffs. Encompassing many different materials, techniques and methods from many different sch ...

''). The curriculum includes also a number of weapons for which there are no kata, but which are referred to in Tatsumi-ryū's scrolls ('' makimono''). This includes the

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conductin ...

(''

jutte 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 ...

''), throwing blade (''

shuriken A ''shuriken'' ( ja, 手裏剣; literally: "hidden hand blade") is a Japanese concealed weapon that was used as a hidden dagger or metsubushi to distract or misdirect. They are also known as throwing stars, or ninja stars, although they were ...

''), iron fan ('' tessen''), and weighted chain (''

manriki-gusari ''Kusari-fundo'' ( 鎖分銅) is a handheld weapon used in feudal Japan consisting of a length of chain (''kusari'') with a weight (''fundo'') attached to each end of the chain. Various sizes and shapes of chain and weight were used as there was ...

''). These scrolls also include a number of "case studies" of various situations,

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

charms, , and , as well as an array of other teachings about different aspects of warrior culture and philosophy.Skoss and Skoss (1999), p. 70

Authorized teachers

During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, Tatsumi-ryū was widely practiced among the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

of the Hotta clan's domain, which is centered on present day

Sakura, Chiba is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Sakura is located in northeastern C ...

. Today Hiroshi Kato (''Kato Hiroshi'', born 1944) is recognized as the 22nd grandmaster (

sōke , pronounced , is a Japanese term that means "the head family ouse" In the realm of Japanese traditional arts, it is used synonymously with the term ''iemoto''. Thus, it is often used to indicate "headmaster" (or sometimes translated as "head of t ...

) of Tatsumi-ryū. Outside Japan, Liam Keeley, of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, is the only individual who both holds advanced teaching licenses (''

mokuroku Mokuroku ( ja, 目録) is a term in Japanese martial arts, used by koryu, for a "catalog", referring to a catalog of the level of ability of the instructor of the martial arts that has received a catalog as a sign of level or initiation. Moku ...

'') for Tatsumi-ryū as well as being an authorized teacher for Tatsumi-ryū. Pierre and Claire Simon (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) and Jaime Gamundi (

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) are also authorized to teach the Tatsumi-ryū curriculum.

Notes

References

*Bexis, Dennis (2007) "Budo in the 'Burbs: Liam Keeley, student of the Koryu martial arts"
''Blitz''
21(8), pp. 58–62. *Keeley, Liam (1997) "Kato Takashi: Reflections of the Tatsumi-ryu Headmaster" in Diane Skoss (ed.

(Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Koryu Books), pp. 143–153. *Keeley, Liam (1999) "The Tojutsu of the Tatsumi-ryu, Murphy's Law, and the K.I.S.S. Principle" in Diane Skoss (ed.

(Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Koryu Books), pp. 111–149. *Skoss, Meik and Diane Skoss (1999) "Field Guide to the Classical Japanese Martial Arts" in Diane Skoss (ed.

(Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Koryu Books), pp. 59–87.

External links

Tatsumi-ryu websites
Tatsumi-ryu Japanese Homepage

Liam Keeley Sensei - Tatsumi-ryu in Australia at the Melbourne Koryu Kenkyukai

Pierre & Claire Simon - Oshinkan
Translating in progress Online articles
Liam Keeley's thoughts on practicing two classical traditions: Chen Style Taijiquan and Tatsumi-ryu heiho

More information on Tatsumi-Ryu from The International Hoplology Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatsumi-Ryu Ko-ryū bujutsu Japanese martial arts