Tenshin Ryu Kenjutsu : one origin of Yoshukai Iai

In 2014 I spent 2 hours at Mr Culbreth's residence with Soke Yamamoto to discuss Yoshukai Iai with him.

Soke showed me some bunkai for several of the waza and we also discussed the origin of Yoshukai Iai which he had not learned Iai from Dr Chitose but from 2 different masters from Kyushu. 

Although I am not exactly sure I fully understood Soke Yamamoto, I believe he had been training in Kumamoto in the 2 styles of Tenshin Ryu and Jigen Ryu, until one of the masters he was training with quit teaching.

In this Tenshin Ryu video, you can see where some of the Yoshukai Iai moves probably come from.

Although Tenshin Ryu Nodachi is much longer than the regular Katana used in Yoshukai iai, the waza at 1:40 is very close to the Yoshukai Waza #8, and the next one at 2:00  is very similar to our #7. 

Also, Chiburi and Noto are the same. 

I teach Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu at the Yoshukai Karate Dojo in Dothan , Alabama. You can contact me at 334 798 1639 or by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com

Jigen-ryu Kenjutsu

Jigen-ryu Hyoho Kenjutsu (示現流兵法剣術) was founded at the end of the 16th century  in Satsuma Province (now Kagoshima prefecture in Southern Kyushu) by a man named Togo Chui.

Jigen-ryu Kenjutsu is known for its emphasis on the first strike (during practice, a long wooden stick is used to hit a vertical pole or tree). During a hard practice, the wood is said to give off the smell of smoke. During the Edo period, at the height of its popularity, adepts of Jigen-ryū were said to practice striking the pole 3,000 times in the morning, and another 8,000 times in the afternoon... Can you imagine how your hands would be after just 100 full power hits with a big wooden stick against a much bigger pole...

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To illustrate the power of the Satsuma warriors, it is said that after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi which opposed forces loyal to the Shogunate to forces loyal to the Emperor in 1863, the heads of many dead samurai of the shogunate forces were found with the back of their own swords driven into their foreheads. It seems they had a hard time defending against the attack of a Jigen-ryu samurai.

But Jigen ryu also had some influence on Okinawan Karate. 

In 1609, Shimazu Tadatsune, Lord of Satsuma, together with his 2500 well-trained samurai had invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom and forced King Sho Nei to surrender.

During the 19th century, Sokon (Bushi) Matsumura (1797-1889), a renowned Martial Artist and Dignitary of the Ryukyu government, traveled and sojourned several times in Satsuma.

According to Soshin Nagamine's Tales of Okinawa's great Masters, he was one of the few if not the only one among the inhabitants of Okinawa to be allowed to study and become skilled in Jigen-ryu kenjutsu. 

Bushi Matsumura taught shuri-te to Itosu Anko (1831-1915). He also was the maternal grandfather of Tsuyoshi Chitose, founder of Chito Ryu Karate, himself Teacher of Katsuoh Yamamoto, founder of Yoshukai Karate.