was a Japanese

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 ...

who also served as a martial arts instructor of

Tatsumi-ryū is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of Japanese martial arts founded in the early 16th century by Tatsumi Sankyo. History Tatsumi Sankyo was born in what is now Ehime Prefecture, Japan, on Shikoku island. He is thought to have been active as ...

and

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The , known locally as simply the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), is the prefectural police of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Founded in 1874, the TMPD is the largest police force in Japan by number of officers, with a staff of more than 4 ...

Biography

Henmi was known to be born in 1843 as a son of , a clansman of the Sakura Domain and the 17th head family of

. Tatsumi-ryū is a

Traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

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 ...

. During

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

when the use of protective gears became popular, the Sakura Domain allowed its clansmen to contest with different schools such as and from 1850. Henmi was given lessons from of . In 1860, Henmi was given which served as a license of the

from his father. In the next year, Henmi obtained a permission from Sakura Domain to study in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

. He studied in Shigakukan

Dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

for 1 year, and was awarded a title of Shihan as soon as he returned to his hometown. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, Henmi worked as a

tillage Tillage is the agriculture, agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical wikt:agitation#Noun, agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of manual labour, human-powered tilling methods using hand tools inc ...

r in Yachimata. In 1879, he was hired by the

as a martial arts instructor. He established there, and became the leading figure of martial arts at Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He is briefly described in F.J. Norman’s ''Fighting Man of Japan'' (1905), as possibly the best swordsman he had met in Japan.

References

*Shin-Jinbutsuoraisha (2002) "剣の達人111人データファイル" *Shimizu, Noboru. Gakken Publishing. (2010) "幕末維新剣客列伝" *Domoto, Akihiko. (2007) "高野佐三郎剣道遺稿集"

External links

Tatsumi-ryu Japanese Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henmi, Sosuke 1843 births 1894 deaths Swordfighters of the Edo period Japanese police officers People from Chiba Prefecture People from Sakura, Chiba Japanese kendoka Japanese jujutsuka

Biography

See also

References

External links