Biographies

Yahagi Kunikazu, the second headmaster (soke) of Ryushin Shouchi Ryu, was born in Kastsushika-ku, Tokyo in 1948. As a child, Yahagi was inspired by his grandfather, whom he visited regularly,…

Togo Shigekata (東郷 重位) was born in 1560 in Satsuma, Japan (current day Kagoshima Prefecture). He had his first battlefield experience in 1577 at the Battle of Mimigawa when he…

Terasaka Yakuro Masatsune (赤坂 弥九郎 政雅, 1567- 1594) was a direct student of Kaneko Shinkuro Morisada the second headmaster of the Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu. Terasaka is better known by his…

Kaneko Shinkuro Morisada (金子 新九郎 盛貞, c. 1520- c. 1585) was a direct student of Tose Yosazaemon Osamune the founder of the Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu. Kaneko later succeeded Osamune in…

Tose Yosazaemon Osamune was born in c. 1540 in Hitachi province, Japan (current day Ibaraki Prefecture). He was a land-holding samurai, known as a goshi. While in his early twenties,…

Kawabata Terutaka was born in Tokyo in 1940. His interest in Japanese swordsmanship began in his early childhood when his grandfather gave him a sword he had purchased in San…