Kamiizumi Nobutsuna

Lore & Background

Kamiizumi Hidetsuna met Yagyū Munetoshi at Hōzōin temple in 1564. Accounts differ on the specifics of the match: according to the Edo Yagyū family record Kyū Yagyū-hanki, Munetoshi faced Hikita Bungoro and was roundly beaten with a fukuro-shinai. An account by Munetoshi's great-great-grandson Toshinobu says that Munetoshi faced Suzuki Ihaku three times. Based on family documents and oral history, Yagyū Toshinaga suggested that Munetoshi's opponent was Hidetsuna himself in three matches over three days. The common point of all accounts is that Munetoshi lost and became Hidetsuna's disciple. Hidetsuna then went to Yagyū Village, where they trained for the better part of a year. He gave Munetoshi an assignment: research the concept of Mutō-dori, facing an armed opponent while unarmed. Upon Hidetsuna's return, Munetoshi successfully demonstrated it on Suzuki Ihaku. Pleased, Hidetsuna gave Munetoshi an inka-jō, signifying the highest attainment in Shinkage-ryū and permission to teach it. At the same time, Hidetsuna also gave Munetoshi the Kage-mokuroku, four scrolls detailing the kata of Shinkage-ryū with commentary and drawings by Hidetsuna himself. Hidetsuna and Munetoshi both lived and worked in Kyoto from 1570 to 1572. In 1572 Hidetsuna traveled to Yagyū Village for the last time, staying there an indefinite length of time before heading east to Kōzuke Province, where he was last seen in 1577.

In Their Own Story

In 1564, Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami Hidetsuna was traveling to Kyoto with his student and nephew Hikita Bungorō and his long-time student Suzuki Ihaku. While stopping in Ise Province, the group asked the governor, Kitabatake Tomonori, if he knew of any capable samurai nearby interested in a friendly match. Kitabatake recommended Yagyū Munetoshi and Munetoshi's friend Kakuzenbō In’ei, a monk and spearsman of the Hōzōin temple. Hidetsuna agreed, and a messenger was sent on ahead to Hōzōin temple to contact the two men. Munetoshi agreed and met Hidetsuna at Hōzōin. Accounts differ on the specifics of the match: according to the Edo Yagyū family record Kyū Yagyū-hanki, Munetoshi faced Hikita Bungoro and was roundly beaten with a fukuro-shinai. An account by Munetoshi's great-great-grandson Toshinobu says that Munetoshi faced Suzuki Ihaku three times. Based on family documents and oral history, Yagyū Toshinaga suggested that Munetoshi's opponent was Hidetsuna himself in three matches over three days. In any event, the common point of all the accounts is that Munetoshi lost, and became Hidetsuna's disciple. Munetoshi invited Hidetsuna to his land in Yagyū Village, where they trained for the better part of a year. Hidetsuna then went on to Kyoto, giving Munetoshi an assignment: research the concept of Mutō-dori. While Hidetsuna was away Munetoshi devoted himself to this study, and upon Hidetsuna's return he successfully demonstrated it on Suzuki Ihaku. Hidetsuna, pleased by this innovation, gave Munetoshi an inka-jō, signifying the highest attainment in Shinkage-ryū and permission to teach it. A year later, Hidetsuna gave Munetoshi the Kage-mokuroku, a selection of four scrolls detailing the kata of Shinkage-ryū with commentary and drawings by Hidetsuna himself.

Reader's Guide

Kamiizumi Hidetsuna is the founder of the Shinkage-ryū school of combat. He is best known for defeating Yagyū Munetoshi in a friendly match at Hōzōin temple in 1564, after which Munetoshi became his disciple. Hidetsuna trained with Munetoshi in Yagyū Village for the better part of a year. He assigned Munetoshi to research the concept of Mutō-dori, facing an armed opponent while unarmed. When Munetoshi successfully demonstrated it on Suzuki Ihaku, Hidetsuna gave him an inka-jō, signifying the highest attainment in Shinkage-ryū and permission to teach it. A year later, Hidetsuna gave Munetoshi the Kage-mokuroku, four scrolls detailing the kata of Shinkage-ryū with commentary and drawings by Hidetsuna himself. Hidetsuna and Munetoshi both lived and worked in Kyoto from 1570 to 1572. In 1572 Hidetsuna traveled to Yagyū Village for the last time, staying there an indefinite length of time before heading east to Kōzuke Province, where he was last seen in 1577.

Did You Know?

• Kamiizumi Hidetsuna founded the Shinkage-ryū school of combat.
• He defeated Yagyū Munetoshi in a friendly match at Hōzōin temple in 1564, after which Munetoshi became his disciple.
• Hidetsuna gave Munetoshi an inka-jō and the Kage-mokuroku simultaneously, signifying the highest attainment in Shinkage-ryū and permission to teach it.
• He personally drew and wrote commentary for the Kage-mokuroku, four scrolls detailing the kata of Shinkage-ryū.
• Hidetsuna was last seen in Kōzuke Province in 1577.