Musô Shinden Ryû

The roots of the Musô Shinden Ryû go back to the Sengoku-jidai (whole country at war era) in the 16th century. But, Musô Shinden Ryû itself is not too old. The credit for developing iaidô or iaijutsû is given to a samurai by the name of Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu or Jinsuke Shigenobu (both names were used by the same man) who lived 1546-1621. He developed the idea of using the drawing of the sword and cutting down an opponent in one moment as a form of swordsmanship in itself and not a minor adjunct to kenjutsû. The simple explanation of the difference between iaijutsû (iaidô is a much later term) and kenjutsû is that if the sword is still in its saya (scabbard) when you attack as opposed to having it already out, then it is iaijutsû. Iaijutsû would also be referred to as Battô-jutsû.

The teachings of Hayashizaki passed down through many masters who all added their own ideas and experience. There was, as is natural in the lives of men, many who split off and formed their own schools. By the 19th century there was several claimants to the legacy of Hayashizaki. The 20th century has not seen any improvement in this. But, most of the older generation of Japanese swordsmen does agree that Nakayama Hakudô was someone special—a kenshi of the highest skills. Nakayama Hakudô (Hiromichi is another way to say Hakudô) was born in Meiji 2 (1869) the cusp of the transfer of power from the bushi back to the kuge and ultimately to a modern form of government. When he was 7, the wearing of swords was banned and the samurai as a class disenfranchised. The decline in prestige and use for kenshi did not deter Nakayama. He studied with many different masters and became the master in several different Ryû-ha. He merged many different ideas into his own style, which he tended to call Nakayama-ryû and later was called Musô Shinden Ryû. He was a major link between the Edo-jidai kenshi and us. He passed on in 1958.

Once in the mid 50s, just after the Occupation ended, Nakayama Sensei gave a demonstration at a Kendô shiai. One witness to that demonstration was a young kendô-ka. He relates that he was amazed at how strong this little old man in his 80s was. That to this day he has but to close his eyes and he can still see that demonstration. When it was over, his own sensei remarked that Nakayama was not as strong as he used to be. The young kendô-ka could not imagine how he could have been stronger than what he saw that day.

Also about that time, a young policeman in Tôkyô asked to study with Nakayama Sensei. He was accepted and shown the first kata, shôhattô. Nakayama Sensei then read the newspaper for a year while the young policeman struggled with that kata. Nakayama Sensei then showed him a little more just before he died. That young policeman was named Mitsuzuka Takeshi. He went on to study with senior students of Nakayama Hakudô and to master the Musô Shinden Ryû. In August 1976, Mitsuzuka Sensei came to New York City for the first time and gave a 2-week seminar. He has done much to promote iaidô in America over the years through his many trips. It is now 25 years since that first trip—it seems like but a dream.