Regardless of what Japanese sword style any given person studies, nobody can deny the influence that the Yagyu ideal had on bugeisha of the time, nor that those influences haven’t had a major impact today.
Feudal Japan and Nobutsuna
Two major factors helped create the Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu:
- Feudal Japan’s relative cohesion
- A man named Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
Feudal Japan, especially later on during and after the Edo period, ties that bugeisha held to their masters as acting samurai were weakening, speaking relatively to centuries past. Fearsome wars between daimyo also left retainers homeless. In either case, bugeisha would leave, becoming ronin, or wandering warriors.
Dueling was popular, and these duels helped shape a man’s skill and reputation. Dojo arashi, or “dojo storming”, was the practice of challenging entire schools at a time. It was a ronin’s hope to gain fame and hidden insight into his technique in his challenges.
By the time Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (1508 – 1578) was famous, a man with decent reputation named Yagyu Muneyoshi challenged him to a duel. Beaten badly, Muneyoshi asked to become his disciple. He would train under Nobutsuna for two years, and eventually the style that Nobutsuna had created, “Shinkage-Ryu” would be passed on to him in title.
Muneyoshi and Tokugawa
Muneyoshi returned to his farming village in the Nara precinct, nestled in the mountains in southern Japan. He attached the family name to his style, and began to add in more than just the sword into his style. Disarming and some grappling techniques were introduced.
Many years later, Muneyoshi visited the emperor with his youngest son, Munenori. They performed a demonstration for emperor Tokugawa, which culminated in Muneyoshi defeated Tokugawa in a duel. Tokugawa offered for Muneyoshi to become the personal trainer of the royal palace. Muneyoshi suggested his son should take the position due to his old age.
Accepting his offer, Tokugawa placed Munenori in one of the greatest positions a bugeisha could hope for. Along with the position came wealth. “Koku” was paid to retainers for their work, and is equal to the amount of rice that the average person would eat in one year’s time. Munenori had acquired enough food to feed his village and then some, which meant the men in the Yagyu village could concentrate on swordsmanship instead of farming.
It was year 1600 when Munenori went to Tokugawa’s palace to sign the written pledge that would bind the village’s fate.
Yagyu Village’s Fame
1603 would see the start of the Edo period, which presented much of Japan with a strong central government. The purpose of the samurai was diminished, and more ronin appeared. Munenori’s training style at the Yagyu school was fierce, and people began to come from all over Japan to duel members of the school. More duelists meant more experience, and before long the Yagyu swordsmen were legendary. Rumors included their knowledge of the sword being passed down from mountain spirits.
One of the greatest changes made by the little village was their emphasis on one and one duels. Nobutsuna’s work was tweaked again and again, and through constant dueling, the Yagyu family would lower stance, place emphasis on protecting the body, and posture would become simplified.
Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu also outlined the importance of mental strategies, such as moving with the opponent, using the terrain to your advantage, and using body language to gain an advantage. These one on one dueling skills would be incorporated by legend ronin Miyamoto Musashi, who would make these techniques the subtext for Kendo.
References
http://www.pref.nara.jp/english/
Lowry, Dave. Autumn Lightning Shambhala, 1985
http://www.yagyu-ryu.org/history.shtml
http://www.samurai-archives.com/hideyoshi.html
