was the founder of the

Hokushin Ittō-ryū is a that was founded in the late Edo period by . He was one of the last masters who was called a . Curriculum and Characteristics The curriculum of this (martial arts style) contains mainly , and , but the main weapons used are the long ...

Hyōhō (北辰一刀流兵法) and one of the last masters who was called a Kensei (sword saint).

Early life

Chiba Shūsaku was the son of the swordsman Chūzaemon, who was originally from Miyagi Prefecture. He was born as the second son of his family in Kesen-Mura. His father Chūzaemon studied Kenjutsu under Chiba Kōemon Narikatsu (founder of the Hokushin Musō-ryū). There has been some confusion about Chiba Shūsaku’s ancestry and birthplace. Shūsaku’s father Chūzaemon had moved his family to Mito,

Chiba prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

, and demonstrated his swordsmanship skill at the end of the 19th century. Afterwards, Chūzaemon was adopted by Chiba Kōemon Narikatsu and given the new name Chiba Chūzaemon Naritane. Shūsaku originally studied the family martial art, the Hokushin Musō-ryū, of the Chiba clan, first from his father and later directly from his grandfather, Chiba Kōemon Narikatsu. In 1809, Chiba Chūzaemon moved with his family to

Matsudo file:Matsudo City Hall 2.jpg, 260px, Matsudo City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 499,533 in 242,918 households and a population density of 8,138 persons per km2. The total are ...

, near

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 ...

. In

Shūsaku studied the

Ittō-ryū , meaning "one-sword school", is the ancestor school of several Japanese Koryū kenjutsu styles, including Ono-ha, Mizoguchi-ha, Nakanishi-ha, Kogen, Hokushin, Itto Shoden and even Mugai Ryu. The style was developed by Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa. ...

under Asari Yoshinobu Matashichiro and Nakanishi Chubei Tanemasa. Shūsaku married Asari Yoshinobu Matashichiro’s daughter, changed his name to Asari Shusaku Narimasa, and took charge of the Asari dojo. After a falling out with his father-in-law, Shūsaku changed his name back to Chiba and began his Musha shugyō, visiting many Dōjō and dueled many famous swordsmen of ryūha like the Shinto Munen-ryū, Jikishinkage-ryū, Maniwa Nen-ryū, different Ittō-ryū lines and many other.

Hokushin Ittō-ryū Hyōhō

After studying several styles of martial arts, Shūsaku created his own style in the 1820s, and called his school

Hyōhō (北辰一刀流兵法). The name is a combination from Hokushin Musō-ryū and the

lines he studied. In some ways the

Hyōhō is a simplification of the

forms, but one that concentrates on the essentials. Shūsaku’s teaching methods were seen as revolutionary and influenced other styles.Threadgill, Tobin & Ohgami, Shingo (2019). Shindō Yōshin Ryū, Evergreen, CO. In the Bakumatsu-period there was a saying, "If someone needs 6 years of training to master a ryuha, he will only need half the time in the

". The curriculum of the school contains mainly

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 o ...

, Battojutsu,

Naginatajutsu is the Japanese martial art of wielding the . The naginata is a weapon resembling the European glaive and the Chinese Guandao, guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a ''gendai budō'', in which competitions also ...

and

Jūjutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

References

External links

Official website of the Hokushin Ittô-ryû Hyôhô (Hombu-Dôjô Japan)

Official website of the Hokushin Ittô-ryû Hyôhô (Hombu-Dôjô Europe)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiba, Shusaku Narimasa 1792 births 1856 deaths Martial arts school founders Swordfighters of the Edo period 19th-century philanthropists