is a Japanese
koryū martial art
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
founded in the late
Muromachi period
The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
c. 1550 by Yamamoto Hisaya Masakatsu.
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About
The system teaches
battojutsu using very long swords known as
choken.
The
kanji
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...
for Choken Battojutsu Kageryū (''景流'') means ''keshiki'', or a scene. This is the original name of a
ryū from Yanagawa fief in Kyushu and it has not been changed since inception in the mid sixteenth century. There are many ''
makimono'' (scrolls) and manuscripts and other evidence that contain the teachings of the school. The tradition also includes oral teachings (''kuden'') that have been handed down throughout the generations.
History
The founder of the Kageryū was Yamamoto Hisaya Masakatsu of
Akizuki domain. It is said that Yamamoto had observed a "scene" of a monkey reaching out with stick to retrieve a fruit from a tree. He then had the idea to use a longer weapon to "reach out". Others may hasten to add that a long blade is impractical. However, the added advantage is that, in learning to use a longer, heavier blade, a smaller, shorter one becomes even easier to wield.
The
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
standardized the size of swords in Japan to ''jo-sun''. This is written as ''tei-sun'' meaning designated length. This was 2 ''
shaku'' 3 ''
sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
'' (64.7 cm).
[one ''shaku'' is just under a foot, whereas one ''sun'' is just under one and a quarter inches]
The previous shihan Takamuku Mioji has died, also previous ''kaiin'' (members)
[The word ''kaiin'' means "member" ]f school
F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounce ...
in context of Kage-ryū. The ryū has only ''shihan'' and ''kaiin''; there are no dan ranks like in modern budo. have died or no longer studying. The new shihan who is still working to preserve living tradition is connected to the Tachibana clan and has ''kaiin'' in Canada, Japan and the U.S.A.
Another ryu practiced in the Yanagawa Fief is
Oishi Shinkage-ryū Kenjutsu Oishi may refer to:
* Ōishi (surname), a Japanese surname
* Oishi (Philippine brand), a snack company from the Philippines
* Oishi Group, a Thai food-and-drink company
* Ōishi Station
is a railway station on the Hanshin Electric Railway Main ...
. The founder,
Oishi Susumu
Oishi Susumu Tanetsugu (大石進種次, 1798–1863) was a Japanese kenjutsu practitioner. He was active during the Tenpō period in the first half of the nineteenth century. A retainer of the Tachibana clan, he was unusually tall for a Ja ...
, was a
Burakucho of Miike Han (三池) which is present day
Arao City, Kumamoto.
See also
*
Japanese martial arts terms
*
Tachibana clan (samurai)
The Tachibana clan (立花氏) was a Japanese clan of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) during Japan's Sengoku and Edo periods. Originally based in Tachibana castle in Kyūshū, the family's holdings were moved to the Yanagawa Domain in the far no ...
*
Miike coal mine
, also known as the , was the largest coal mine in Japan,Karan, P.P. & Stapleton, K.E. (1997) ''The Japanese city'p.181University Press of Kentucky Retrieved January 2012. located in the area of the city of Ōmuta, Fukuoka and Arao, Kumamoto ...
*
Oishi Shinkage-ryū Kenjutsu Oishi may refer to:
* Ōishi (surname), a Japanese surname
* Oishi (Philippine brand), a snack company from the Philippines
* Oishi Group, a Thai food-and-drink company
* Ōishi Station
is a railway station on the Hanshin Electric Railway Main ...
Notes
References
External links
* http://www.hyoho.com/Nkage1.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kage-ryu
Ko-ryū bujutsu
Japanese martial arts
Japanese swordsmanship