, also known as Ono Tetsutarō or Yamaoka Tetsutarō, was a famous samurai of the Bakumatsu period, who played an important role in the Meiji Restoration. He is also noted as the founder of the ''

Itto Shoden Muto-ryu is a school of Japanese swordsmanship ''(kenjutsu)'' created by Yamaoka Tetsutaro Takayuki, more commonly known as Yamaoka Tesshū. He studied a number of ryu over the years, most notably Jikishinkage Ryu, Hokushin Ittō-ryū and Nakanishi-h ...

'' school of swordsmanship.

Early life

Yamaoka was born in

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 ...

(present-day Tokyo) as Ono Tetsutaro, where his father was a retainer of the Tokugawa shogunate and his mother was the daughter of a

Shinto priest A , also called , is a person responsible for the maintenance of a as well as for leading worship of a given .* ''Kannushi'' (in Japanese), Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version The characters for are sometimes also re ...

from

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 with ...

. Yamaoka practiced swordsmanship from the age of nine, starting in the '' Jikishinkage-ryū'' tradition. After that he learned '' Hokushin Ittō-ryū'' from Inoue Hachirō, who was asked by Yamaoka Tesshū's father to teach his son. Later his family moved to Takayama where he began the '' Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū'' style of fencing. When he was seventeen, he returned to Edo and joined the government's ''Kobukan'' Military Institute and the Yamaoka School of Spear Fighting under Yamaoka Seizan. Not long after Yamaoka had joined the ''

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

'', Seizan died, Yamaoka went on to marry Seizan's sister in order to carry on the Yamaoka name. From an early age, Yamaoka showed dedication and talent in the practice of

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

. As he grew up, he became well known for several things: his swordsmanship,

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

, drinking and sleeping.

Career

In 1856, he became supervising instructor of swordsmanship at the ''Kobukan''. In 1863, he became supervisor of the ''Roshigumi'' (a force of '' rōnin'' or "masterless samurai" serving as a mercenary auxiliary force to the Shogunal army). In 1868, he was appointed chief of the ''Seieitai'', an elite bodyguard for the 15th Shōgun

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

. He went to Sunpu to negotiate with Saigō Takamori, and brought about Saigō's meeting with Katsu Kaishū, thereby contributing to the surrender of

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established the ...

to imperial forces. After the Meiji Restoration, he became an official of the Shizuoka Domain, followed by a posting as governor of the short-lived Imari Prefecture. Later, he served in the court of

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

as a chamberlain and close aide. Yamaoka died at the age of fifty-two on July 19, 1888 of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

. Before his death, he is said to have composed his death poem first, then sat formally and closed his eyes, slipping into death.

Enlightenment

Yamaoka studied the art of swordsmanship thoroughly until the morning of March 30, 1880, at the age of 45, when he became

enlightened Enlightened may refer to: * ''Enlightened'' (TV series), an American comedy-drama * ''Enlightened'' (album), 2007, by Dynamic Duo * The Enlightened, a faction in ''Ingress'' (video game) See also * Enlightened self-interest, a philosophy in et ...

while in meditation. From this point on, Yamaoka worked to maintain a ''dojo'' for his style of combat known as "no-sword" — the point in which a samurai realizes that there is no enemy and that purity of the style is all that is needed. He is famous for his range of Zen art works.

Appearance in Koan

Although he lived well after the "Golden Age of Zen", Yamaoka appears in a handful of modern '' kōan''. Three popular ''koan'' featuring Yamaoka are listed below. * Nothing Exists, featuring a young and precocious Yamaoka * Children of His Majesty, featuring Yamaoka as the Emperor's teacher * Storyteller's Zen, showing Yamaoka using

skillful means Upaya (Sanskrit: उपाय, , ''expedient means'', ''pedagogy'') is a term used in Buddhism to refer to an aspect of guidance along the Buddhist paths to liberation where a conscious, voluntary action "is driven by an incomplete reasoning" ...

Awards

* Yamaoka posthumously was a recipient of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

, 2nd class.

References

External links

Zenshōan
(Buddhist temple established by Yamaoka Tesshū in 1883. Preserves numerous materials related to Yamaoka Tesshu and his personal items) Language: Japanese {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaoka, Tesshu 1836 births 1888 deaths People from Tokyo Deaths from stomach cancer Japanese calligraphers Japanese kendoka Japanese military leaders Meiji Restoration Samurai Bushido Governors of Ibaraki Prefecture People of the Boshin War Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class Deaths from cancer in Japan