is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of

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 ...

founded in the early 16th century by Tatsumi Sankyo.

History

Tatsumi Sankyo was born in what is now

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, on

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

island. He is thought to have been active as a warrior ('' bushi'') in the Eishō Era (1504–1520). Tatsumi trained in the

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 ...

s from an early age. As a result, he was never defeated, either on the battlefield or in single

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

. As a young man, Tatsumi was dissatisfied with mere technical proficiency, or even victory in combat, and secluded himself in prayer to the mountain deity (''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'') Tsumayama Daimyojin. Through intense , Tatsumi gained enlightenment (''

satori ''Satori'' () is a Japanese Buddhist term for " awakening", "comprehension; understanding". The word derives from the Japanese verb '' satoru''. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, ''satori'' refers to a deep experience of '' kenshō'', "seeing ...

'') in the sword arts going beyond superficial levels of purely physical achievement. He then formulated the Tatsumi-ryū as a result of his experiences in light of his new understanding.

Curriculum

Tatsumi-ryū is a , encompassing many of the classical martial and strategic skills of the . The central weapon of Tatsumi-ryū is the

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

, and training to use the sword in combat constitutes the largest part of the curriculum. The use of other weapons, such as the

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

(''

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 ...

''), glaive (''

naginata The ''naginata'' (, , ) is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades ('' nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...

''), long staff ('' rokushaku-bō''), and short staff (''

hanbō The ''hanbō'' (半棒, "half-staff") is a Stick fighting, staff used in martial arts. Traditionally, the ''hanbō'' was approximately three ''Shaku (unit), shaku'' or about long, half the length of the usual staff, the ''rokushakubō'' ("six ' ...

''), is undertaken with the aim of enabling the swordsman to defeat such weapons. Indeed, the studies of ''naginata'', ''rokushaku-bō'', and ''hanbō'' are classified as part of the swordsmanship (''

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 ...

'') curriculum and are not considered as separate areas of study. Therefore, in the practice of pre-determined exercises with partners (''

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 ...

'') these weapons always "lose" to the sword. The school also contains a large curriculum for unarmed grappling arts (which Tatsumi-ryū refers to as '' yawara'', rather than

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 ...

). The ''yawara'' syllabus includes training for combat both in and out of armour, and covers a wide range of techniques and situations. Also included in the ''yawara'' syllabus are the and the art of restraining a person with rope-tying techniques ('' hojōjutsu''). The curriculum includes also a number of weapons for which there are no kata, but which are referred to in Tatsumi-ryū's scrolls ('' makimono''). This includes the baton ('' jutte''), throwing blade (''

shuriken A is a Japanese concealed weapon used by samurai or ninja or in martial arts as a hidden dagger or '' metsubushi'' to distract or misdirect. History The origins of the ''bo-shuriken'' in Japan are still unclear, despite continuing researc ...

''), iron fan ('' tessen''), and weighted chain ('' manriki-gusari''). These scrolls also include a number of "case studies" of various situations,

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

charms, , and , as well as an array of other teachings about different aspects of warrior culture and philosophy.Skoss and Skoss (1999), p. 70

Authorized teachers

During the

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 ...

, Tatsumi-ryū was widely practiced among the

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 Hotta clan's domain, which is centered on present day

Sakura, Chiba is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km2 (4300 per sq. mi.). The total area of the city is . Geography ...

. Today Hiroshi Kato (''Kato Hiroshi'', born 1944) is recognized as the 22nd grandmaster (

sōke , pronounced , is a Japanese term that means "the head family ouse" In the realm of Japanese traditional arts, it is used synonymously with the term '' iemoto''. Thus, it is often used to indicate "headmaster" (or sometimes translated as "head o ...

) of Tatsumi-ryū. Outside Japan, Liam Keeley, of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, is the only individual who both holds advanced teaching licenses ('' mokuroku'') for Tatsumi-ryū as well as being an authorized teacher for Tatsumi-ryū. Pierre and Claire Simon (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) and Jaime Gamundi (

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) are also authorized to teach the Tatsumi-ryū curriculum.

Notes

References

*Bexis, Dennis (2007) "Budo in the 'Burbs: Liam Keeley, student of the Koryu martial arts"
''Blitz''
21(8), pp. 58–62. *Keeley, Liam (1997) "Kato Takashi: Reflections of the Tatsumi-ryu Headmaster" in Diane Skoss (ed.

(Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Koryu Books), pp. 143–153. *Keeley, Liam (1999) "The Tojutsu of the Tatsumi-ryu, Murphy's Law, and the K.I.S.S. Principle" in Diane Skoss (ed.

(Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Koryu Books), pp. 111–149. *Skoss, Meik and Diane Skoss (1999) "Field Guide to the Classical Japanese Martial Arts" in Diane Skoss (ed.

(Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Koryu Books), pp. 59–87.

External links

Tatsumi-ryu websites
Tatsumi-ryu Japanese Homepage

Liam Keeley Sensei - Tatsumi-ryu in Australia at the Melbourne Koryu Kenkyukai

Pierre & Claire Simon - Oshinkan
Translating in progress Online articles
Liam Keeley's thoughts on practicing two classical traditions: Chen Style Taijiquan and Tatsumi-ryu heiho

More information on Tatsumi-Ryu from The International Hoplology Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatsumi-Ryu Ko-ryū bujutsu Japanese martial arts Prefecture designated intangible cultural property