The
founder of this school, Izumo, learned Chinese Kempo boxing. Today, some of this is still noticeable
within the techniques. The second soke,
Minamoto Hachiman Tamenari, is credited as being the official founder. At some point in his life he fled to Iga. This was possibly a result of being on the
losing side at the end of a battle.
One of the
secret attributes of the Shinden Fudo Ryu is the "Principle of
Nature". The school has two styles
of taijutsu: Dakentaijutsu and Jutaijutsu, each with its own sets of
techniques. In the Dakentaijutsu, there
are no stances- Shizen no kamae represents the 'natural posture' and holds no
fixed form. Hojojutsu, the art of tying
someone with a length of rope, is also taught in this Ryu-ha. Also taught are several different types of
yari (spear), Ono (war axe), O-Tsuchi (war hammer), and naginata.
Kuki Takei from the Kuki family of
Kukishin Ryu was also from the Shinden Fudo Ryu. Takenaka Tetsunoke, senior student of Jigano
Kano, the founder of Judo, was at one time a student at the Shinden Fudo Ryu
dojo.
The Bugei Ryuha Daijiten lists the soke
slightly differently from below, which is the list provided by Hatsumi Sensei,
and is missing the 17th and 18th soke.
Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu, the 24th soke, was a samurai, and a master in
the Bikenshin Ryu. He was also a sword
instructor to the Tokugawa Shogunate. He
was Takamatsu Sensei's grandfather, and operated a dojo that had a plaque above
the door which read: "Shinden Fudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu".
This was the first style that Takamatsu
Sensei learned from Toda Sensei.
A list of rules that was
written into the Densho:
1. Know that endurance
is simply a puff of smoke.
2. Know that the way of
men is justice.
3. Forget the heart of
greed, ease and relying on others.
4. One should regard
both sadness and malice as natural laws, and just gain
the enlightenment
of an unshakeable heart.
5. In your heart, never
leave the ways of loyalty and filial piety, and aspire
greatly for the
ways of the pen and the sword.
Observing the 5
rules above is the law of the dojo.
Written at New Year,
Meiji 23 (1891)
Toda Shinryuken
Masamitsu
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Headmasters
of Shinden Fudo Ryu
Ikai
Hogenbo, Tesshin
Sakabe, Tendo
1.Izumo, Kanja Yoshiteru
(Kumano) -Yeikyu era (1113)
2.Minamoto, Hachiman Tamenari -Genyei
era (1118)
3.Minamoto, Hachiro Tameyoshi - Hogen era (1156)
4.Mizuhara, Kuro Yoshinari -Genkyu era (1204)
5.Mugaibo, Shinnen -Tempuku era (1233)
6.Ohkuni, Zenhachiro Yoshinobu -Bunyie era (1264)
7.Hata, Saburo Sasukeyasu
8.Kotani, Yuhachiro Nobuchika -Geboko era (1321 or 1331)
9.Kaneko, Jinsuke Yoshikiyo -Shohei era (1346)
10.Tajima, Genkoro Nariyoshi -Genchu era (1384)
11.Kammon, Kokanja Yoshikane -Shocho era
(1428)
12.Kimura, Hozen -Kwancho era (1460)
13.Ibuki, Yoshihaha -Bummei era (1469)
14.Otsuka, Hakushi Nyudo Tadamori -Yeisho era (1504)
15.Otsuka, Daikuro Tadahide -Taiyei era (1522)
16.Abe, Muga -Tensho era (1573)
17.Koga, Taro Kyokokaku -Tensho era (1573)
18.Katayama, Hokinokami Mori
Hisayasu -Bunroku era (1592)
19.Shindo, Unsai - Kwanyei era (1624-1644)
20.Odagiri, Tohyoe Yoshihiso - Kwanyei era (1624-1644)
21.Iida, Jubee Tameyoshi -Meiwa era (1764)
22.Mori, Genroku Masahide -Bunkwa era (1804)
23.Toyota, Jubei Mitsuyoshi -Keiyo era (1865)
24.Toda, Shinryuken Masamitsu
(Kobe) -Meiji era (1824 - 1909)
25.Takamatsu, Toshitsugu (Nara) -Taisho era (1909) (b.1888 - d.1972)
26.Hatsumi, Masaaki (Noda) - Showa era
(1968) b.1931 - )