was known as the founder of a school of
jujutsu
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 ...
known as
Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
, originally called , is a Japanese martial art that first became widely known in the early 20th century under the headmastership of Takeda Sōkaku. Takeda had extensive training in several martial arts (including Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ry� ...
. His nickname was The Little Tengu of Aizu and he was known as Minamoto no Masayoshi (源正義).
Life
Born in the
Aizu
is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princ ...
domain (
Fukushima Prefecture),
Sōkaku grew up in the time of the
Boshin War
The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...
. The second son of Takeda Sōkichi, a
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
of the
Takeda clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...
who worked his farm and taught at a local school in a Buddhist temple. His mother, Tomi Kurokochi, was a daughter of Dengoro Kurokochi, a
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 ...
and
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 ...
master. It is believed that Sōkaku received his first
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
training from his father who had a
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� ...
on their property.
Sōkichi was apparently expert in the use of both sword and spear, and had once been a
sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
wrestler of
ozeki rank. It is believed that Sōkaku was exposed to the teachings of
Hōzōin-ryū
is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of Japanese martial arts that specializes in the art of spearmanship (''sōjutsu''). Hōzōin-ryū was founded by Hōzōin Kakuzenbō In'ei (宝蔵院 覚禅房 胤栄, 1521–1607) in c. 1560. In'ei was ...
Takada-ha and
Ono-ha Ittō-ryū, schools of spear and swordsmanship respectively.
Sōkaku then left to go on a period of austere training where he travelled, fought and trained at the schools of many teachers, a not uncommon practise of the time. Reputedly, Sōkaku spent some time as a live-in student of Kenkichi Sakakibara, headmaster of the
Jikishinkage-ryū and considered to be one of the most famous and skilled swordsmen of the era.
Unfortunately there exist no known historical documents to confirm this relationship and so it is a matter of debate. What is known, however, is that Sōkaku engaged in many matches and duels with both
shinai
A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in '' kendō''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendō shinai'', and represented with different characters. ...
and live blades and was considered a swordsman of great skill in a period of time when such things were beginning to be forgotten.
With the outlawing of the samurai class and the prohibition against carrying swords (
Haitōrei Edict) apparentally Sokaku decided to emphasize the empty handed, jujutsu oriented, techniques of his ancestor's art. These apparently were 'oshiki-uchi', or secret teachings of the Aizu clan, up to that point. These, along with other skills he had acquired, were combined to create an art which he named first '
Daitō-ryū jūjutsu' and later 'Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu'.
In about 1875, rumor reached Sōkaku that
Saigō Takamori
Saigō Takamori (; 23 January 1828 – 24 September 1877) was a Japanese samurai and politician who was one of the most influential figures in Japanese history. He played a key role in the Meiji Restoration, which overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate ...
had launched his rebellion in Satsuma against the forces of the new Meiji government. He decided immediately that he would go to lend his support. He made it as far as Kyushu but was unable to reach his destination, so he returned to Osaka where he spent the next ten years as a guest in the
Kyōshin Meichi-ryū dojo of swordsman Momonoi Shunzō.
Sōkaku lived a somewhat itinerant life, travelling the length and breadth of the country giving seminars in martial arts to military officers, police officers and martial arts enthusiasts, often of high social standing. He left extensive records of those he taught in his ''eimeiroku'' and ''shareikoku'' - attendance and fee ledgers.
Important students
Taking over the role of headmaster of the art was Sōkaku's son, Tokimune Takeda, who established the Daitokan school in
Hokkaidō
is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.
The ...
to promote the art and renamed it 'Daitō-ryū Aiki Budō'. Tokimune is said to have contributed much of the teaching system which exists for the art today; naming and classifying the techniques and further simplifying the weapons component of the system. He emphasized the Ona ha Itto-ryu portion of the weapons curriculum over other elements that Sōkaku taught to some advanced students.
Sokaku's highest ranking students were
Hisa Takuma and Masao Tonedate, both high executives of the ''Asahi'' newspaper in Osaka, whose own students established the Takumakai and the Daibukan.
Other important students of Sōkaku's were Yukiyoshi Sagawa, who some believe was the most talented of his early students, Kodo Horikawa (Kotaro), whose students established the Kodokai and the Roppokai,
Kōtarō Yoshida, Hosaku Matsuda and Tomekichi Yamamoto.
Sōkaku's far-reaching influence

His most famous student was the founder of
aikido
Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...
,
Morihei Ueshiba
was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art, martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher".
The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Wakayama, Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of ...
and it is the popularity of this modern martial arts form that is responsible for much of the interest in Daitō-ryū today.
Hosaku Matsuda was taught by Sōkaku, who in turn taught Yoshiji Okuyama, who in turn founded the
Hakkō-ryū
Hakkō-ryū () or Hakkō-ryū Jūjutsu () is a school or 'style' of jujutsu descended from Daito-ryu founded in 1941 by Okuyama Ryuho (1901–1987) a student of Sokaku Takeda and a practitioner of shiatsu. This style of self-defense focuses o ...
Jujutsu school. Okuyama taught Michiomi Nakano, who later as
Dōshin Sō, founder of Nippon
Shorinji Kempo
is a Japanese martial arts, Japanese martial art. The name ''Shōrinji Kempo'' is the On'yomi, Japanese reading of ''Shàolínsì Quánfǎ''. It was established in 1947 by orn a Japanese martial artist and former military intelligence ...
.
Choi Yong-Sool, the founder of
Hapkido
Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do'' is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. ...
was adopted by Sokaku and trained with him as well.
The influence of the teachings of Sokaku Takeda are readily discernible in the physical techniques of aikido, Hakko Ryu, Nippon Shorinji Kempo,
hapkido
Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do'' is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. ...
and
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
's
goshin jutsu self-defense
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...
(via
Kenji Tomiki
was a Japanese martial artist who specialized in aikido and judo family of martial arts. Habersetzer, Gabrielle; Habersetzer, Roland (2004) 000
Triple zero, Zero Zero Zero, 0-0-0 or variants may refer to:
* 000 (emergency telephone number), the Australian emergency telephone number
* 000, the size of several small List of screw drives, screw drives
* 0-0-0, a Droid (Star Wars)#0-0-0, dro ...
(In French) Tomiki Kenji: (Jap.) 1900-1979. Expert de Judo* et d'Aikido* qui fut élève des deux ...
) today.
["Bugei Ju-Happan. The Spirit of Samurai", Nakajima Masayoshi Sugiyama Publishing 1983]
References
Notes
Further reading
* Pranin, Stanley (Editor). ''Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu; Conversations with Daito-ryu Masters''. Aiki News, Tokyo, Japan 1996.
* Pranin, Stanley. ''The Aiki News Encyclopedia of Aikido''. Aiki News, Tokyo, Japan 1991.
* Kondo, Katsuyuki. ''Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu; Hiden Mokuroku''. Aiki News, Tokyo, Japan 2000.
External links
Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takeda, Sokaku
Takeda clan
Japanese jujutsuka
Japanese swordfighters
Martial artists from Fukushima Prefecture
1859 births
1943 deaths
People from Aizu Domain
People of the Edo period
People of the Meiji era
Samurai