Takenouchi Ryū The Oldest Martial Art of Japan

Welcome to our exploration of Hainashita Torite Kaisen Takenuchi Ryu, one of Japan's oldest and most influential martial arts schools. Founded in the early 16th century by Takenuchi Hisamori, this ancient system has profoundly shaped the landscape of Japanese martial arts, including Jujitsu, Aikido, and Judo. In this video, we'll dive into the history, techniques, and enduring legacy of Takenuchi Ryu, uncovering how its practical combat methods and ethical teachings have withstood the test of time. Join us as we journey into the world of this legendary Koryu and discover its lasting impact on martial arts. Hainashita Torite Kaisen Takenuchi Ryu is widely recognized as one of the oldest and most influential martial arts schools in Japan. Founded in 1532 by Takenuchi Hisamori, this Koryu, ancient school, laid the groundwork for many modern Japanese martial arts, including Jujitsu, Aikido, and Judo. The art form was developed during a time when the samurai class was dominant, focusing on practical techniques that could be used in real combat situations. The foundation of Takenuchi Ryu is a combination of weaponry and empty-hand techniques, which were essential for survival in the feudal era of Japan. The technical curriculum of Takenuchi Ryu is both extensive and intricate, covering a wide array of combat scenarios. It includes techniques for handling various weapons such as the sword, staff, and dagger, as well as grappling techniques designed to subdue an opponent quickly and efficiently. A key element of the school is its emphasis on the concept of Torite, or arresting techniques, which are designed to control and immobilize an opponent without necessarily causing severe injury. This focus on subduing rather than killing reflects the moral and ethical considerations that were integral to the samurai code of conduct, or Bushido. What makes Takenuchi Ryu particularly remarkable is its adaptability and relevance through the centuries. Despite its ancient origins, the techniques and principles of Takenuchi Ryu remain applicable in modern martial arts practice. The school's emphasis on efficiency, leverage, and precise technique over brute strength makes it a system that can be practiced by individuals of all sizes and physical capabilities. This adaptability has allowed Takenuchi Ryu to endure through the centuries, influencing the development of other martial arts and maintaining its place as a respected tradition in the martial arts community. Haineshita Torite Kaisen Takenuchi Ryu is one of the oldest Jujutsu Koryu in Japan. It was founded in 1532, the first year of Tenban, on the 24th of the 6th lunar month by Takenuchi Chunagon Dejo Nakatsu Hisamori, the lord of Ichino's castle in Sekushu. Although it is famous for its Jujutsu, Takenuchi Ryu is actually a complete martial art, including armed grappling, Yoroi Kamiuchi, Staff, Bujutsu, Sword, Kenjutsu, Sword Drawing, Ayajutsu, Glaive, Najina Tejutsu, Iron Fan, Tessenjutsu, Restraining Rope, Hojojutsu, and Resuscitation techniques, Saketsuho. Its Jujutsu techniques have been influential in the founding of many other schools in Japan. Takenuchi Ryu is still actively transmitted today by members of the Takenuchi family, as well as by other groups both within and outside Japan. Together with the Yashin Ryu and the Ryoi Shinto Ryu, the Takenuchi Ryu was one of the three largest, most important, and influential Jujutsu schools of the Edo period Edo Jidai 1603 to 1868, before the rise of Judo. History According to the Takenuchi Keisho Kogodan, the document recording the establishment and development of the school, Takenuchi Hisamori retired to the mountains near the Sanomiya Shrine to train his martial skills. He practiced there for six days and six nights, wielding a bakken, wooden sword, two shaku and four san in length, about 2 feet 4 inches, or 72 centimeters, a relatively long weapon for his purportedly short stature. On the sixth night, he fell asleep from exhaustion using his bakken as a pillow. He was woken by a mountain priest with white hair and a long beard who seemed so fearsome to Hisamori that he thought it must be an incarnation of the god Eteigo. Hisamori attacked the stranger, but was defeated. The priest said to him, When you meet the enemy, in that instant, life and death are decided. That is what is called hyōhō, military strategy. He then took Hisamori's bakken, told him that long weapons were not useful in combat, and broke it into two daggers one shaku and two san long. The priest told Hisamori to put these in his belt and call them kugusoku, and taught him how to use them in grappling and close combat. These techniques became called koshinomari, literally around the hips. The priest then taught Hisamori how to bind and restrain enemies with rope, using a vine from a tree. Then the priest disappeared mysteriously amidst wind and lightning. Takenuchi Hisamori's second son, Hitachinosuke Hisakatsu, became the second head of Takenuchi Ryu after his father formally passed him the tradition at the age of 64. He and his successor and son Kaganosuke Hisayoshi added their own techniques to the curriculum, extending it into a complete Sogo Bujutsu system. Curriculum Takenuchi Ryu is best known for its Jujutsu, over which it covers an extensive ground. Its unarmed Jujutsu techniques include Tihidoki, Grip Breaking, Yukimi, Tumbling, Neijuwaza, Throwing, Kansetsuwaza, Joint Dislocation, Atomi, Striking Weak Points, Shaimuaza, Choking, Nawaza, Ground Techniques, and Kappo, Resuscitation. These are combined to form Kata for the various sections of Jujutsu taught, including Toride, Capturing and Restraining, Heid, Attacking Vital Points Unarmed, and Kamiuchi, Grappling. These unarmed Kata are the best known of the Takenuchi Ryu Jujutsu, but they are not truly its foundation. As related in the establishment myth of the school, the central forms of Jujutsu in Takenuchi Ryu are the Kagusoku Koshi no Mari, techniques of armed grappling using the short sword Kagusoku against armed opponents. It is upon this foundation that the rest of the Jujutsu techniques were developed by Hisakatsu and Hisayoshi, the second and third heads of the school. Beyond the core of Jujutsu, many different weapons are taught. These include the sword, the staff, rope tying, the Najinata, and more. The staff is central to Takenuchi Ryu's study of movement, and as such forms an important part of the curriculum. Staff work addresses various lengths of staff, in particular Bujutsu for the 6-shaku staff and Shinbo for a slightly shorter staff. Other sizes taught include Jujutsu for the common 4-shaku 2-san staff, and Hanbo for shorter sticks around 3-shaku in length. Rope restraints are an important adjunct to the arresting arts of Toride, and the techniques of tying up opponents called Hojujutsu or Hobaku are taught using the Heian Nawa, which is a 2-shaku 5-san rope, traditionally of a purple color. Takenuchi Ryu is perhaps lesser known for its other weapons techniques, but as a true Sogo Bujutsu it retains a number of weapons for use both on and off the battlefield. The Najinata and Kuzurigama are covered, as well as the Jutti Truncheon, Shuriken throwing darts, and the Tessen Iron Fan. Some Kata feature rather peculiar weapons intended to show the use of everyday objects for defense against sword attacks. A Japanese-style umbrella and the Nibuta, a wooden lid for a cooking pot. Influence. Takenuchi Ryu has exerted a strong influence in the development of Jujutsu. The branches of the Takenuchi Ryu have subsequently have influenced schools directly or indirectly, and thus many techniques found in modern Judo and Aikido can be traced back to their roots in Takenuchi Ryu in one way or another. A number of important Jujutsu Koryu were founded by students of the school, such as the Rikishin Ryu, Fusen Ryu, Sosuishitsu Ryu, Takagi Ryu and its branches, such as Hantai Yashin Ryu, and Araki Ryu. These Ryuwa have incorporated many techniques from Takenuchi Ryu, either directly from the school or by analyzing the techniques of its exponents. Takenuchi Ryu has documents by its founder on the use and teaching of Rokushaku Bujutsu, 6 foot long, 1.8 M, stick. This makes it the oldest verifiable school to teach these skills, and it is believed to have had a great influence on other arts teaching Rokushaku Bujutsu. Other arts have long histories and claim to have been teaching Rokushakubo, but so far no documents from the period have been found. It may be that these other schools added it later on to their teachings. Lineage. As with any Koryu, the lineage of Takenuchi Ryu is a matter of importance and pride to its members. Since the tradition was maintained in the family, a careful account of the successive leaders of the school has been kept over the centuries. After the 8th headmaster, Takenuchi Tonuro Hisayoshi, the lineage was split into two branches called the Soke and Sodenklines. This was done to ensure that the bloodline and tradition would be preserved. Bichuden. Besides the two divisions of the school given above, there are multiple groups claiming lineage of Takenuchi Ryu. Among them, one group is called the Bichuden Takenuchi Ryu. The group claims that they directly originate from Bichu Takenuchi Ryu, a branch of Takenuchi Ryu that spread at the early 17th century. The Bichu Takenuchi Ryu lineage was developed through Takeuchi Saidayu Masatsugu, a disciple of the third headmaster of the family line of Takenuchi Ryu, who moved to Okayama, the capital of Bichu province, now western Okayama prefecture. Bichuden Lineage. 4. Takeuchi Saidayu Masatsugu. 5. Yamamoto Kazumin Hisayoshi. 6. Shimizu Kichimen Kayonobu. 14. Takeuchi Tsunechi Mazutori. Head of Nishinkan Dojo. 15. Nakayama Kazuo Toramesa. Current head of Nishinkan Dojo, second head of Okayama Daigaku College Kabudo Section. 16. Ono Yutaro Masahito. Head of Chifukin Dojo and Dashisha Daigaku College Kabudo Section. The Bichuden lineage has its own curriculum with variations and the addition of techniques in certain areas. Takeuchi Santoryu. The Takeuchi Santoryu or Takenuchi Santoryu was founded in the Higo domain by mixing three Takenuchi lineages influenced by Araki Ryu. This school is extinct, but the writings of its last master Hideki Shimada are studied by the Bichu-Denver, international branches of Takenuchi-Ryu Bichuden. Two varieties of training groups are authorized, dojo and study circles. Authorized dojo are usually headed by someone ranked Daigiko or higher, have full teaching authority and limited authority to award rank. Study circles train with the permission of the head of Chifukin Dojo, have limited teaching authority and no authority to award rank. As of May 2023, there are four international dojo and several study circles. Dojo, a Chifukin, run by Anna Seaborne, located in West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. A Gyofukin, run by Anthony Avery, located in Mexico City, Mexico. A Seifukin, run by Wayne Muramoto, located in Hawaii. A Chifukin, run by Alex Kask, located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Study circles. A Ryufukai, run by Andrew Antais, located in Michigan. A Mashinkai, run by Marek Motajka, located in Prague, Czech Republic. A Joseph Fichter teaches in southern Oregon. A Graham Pluck teaches in Quito, Ecuador. Takenuchi-Ryu's historical significance extends beyond its technical curriculum. The school represents a direct link to the martial culture of Japan's feudal era, preserving not just techniques, but also the philosophies and strategies that guided samurai warriors. The transmission of these teachings from generation to generation within a strict lineage ensures that the art remains true to its origins. In a time where martial arts are often commercialized and adapted for entertainment, Takenuchi-Ryu stands as a bastion of traditional martial values and methods. In conclusion, Haineshita Toraikaisen Takenuchi-Ryu is more than just a martial art. It is a living historical tradition that has shaped the development of martial disciplines in Japan and beyond. Its blend of practical combat techniques with ethical considerations has provided a template for martial arts that emphasize both skill and character development. As practitioners continue to study and preserve this ancient art, Takenuchi-Ryu remains a vital link to Japan's martial heritage, offering valuable insights and techniques that are as relevant today as they were over 400 years ago. Thank you for joining us on this journey into the world of Haineshita Toraikaisen Takenuchi-Ryu. We hope you gained a deeper understanding of this ancient and influential martial art. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more content on the rich history and traditions of martial arts. Stay curious, keep training, and we'll see you in the next video.