Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu

高木揚心流柔体術 (水田伝）

According to legend there was a mountain priest in the Funakata mountain of Miyagi Area in 1569. His name was Unryu. He was from the Abe Family line and was a expert in Taijutsu, Bojutsu and Shuriken. Unryu taught Ki-i No Kami Suketada was. Suketada made up a new Ryu-Ha, called Kenko Ryu. He was very famous as a Sojutsu (spear techniques) expert. In 1645, Takagi Oriemon Shigenobu was taught by Ito Suketada from the age of 16.

The founder of Takagi Yoshin Ryu was Takagi Oriemon Shigenobu. Born of high warrior cast, Takagi was the second son of Inatobi Sanzaemon. Inatobi Sanzaemon was a high level retainer of Katayama Kojuro, the warlord of the Oshu Sendai, Shiraishi domain.

Oriemon left for neighboring domains of Ushu and Hitach, and became a student of Muto Daemon, a high level strategist of warlord Yoshihide. As Muto Danuemon’s pupil, Umon learned Muto Ryu Kodachi and Kyochi Ryu Sojutsu  and received Kaiden for both. Takagi’s father Sanzaemon, who at the time served as a master teacher of the Shiraishi domain. He name the Ryu ha based on a Kuden his father taught him. Takagi received instruction from an inhabitant of Oshu, Ito Ki No Kami. Takagi studied hard, mastering the techniques of Yari, Naginata, Shuriken and Taijutsu. Following his fathers footsteps he took up position as a main instructor I the Shirashi Domain.

In 1671, Takagi Umanosuke Shigesada had studied from the age of 16 under Oriemon and received Menkyo Kaiden. He taught this for his students as “Takagi Yoshin Ryu Taijutsu, Bojutsu, Sojutsu, Naginatajutsu and Shuriken. In 1695,Umanosuke was recognized as by the Emperor’s government. He died on the 26th of April 1746. Gennoshin Hideshige was a son of Umanosuke. Gennoshin was very skillful and strong with Dakentaijutsu and he changed the name to “Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu”. He taught in Hyogo Prefecture and died on the 2nd of October 1702.

Ohkuni Onihei Shigenobu was an expert of Kukishin Ryu. He stayed in Gennoshin’s Dojo as a special guest and taught Kukishin Ryu for Gennoshin’s students. Gennoshin was heavy with sickness, so that he asked for Onihei to keep the next generation of Takagi Yoshin Ryu and died. Another story, Onihei and Gennoshin taught to decide which was the best Ryu-Ha for Jujutsu and Bojutsu. As a result, Onihei’s Bojutsu (Kukishin Ryu) was better and Gennoshin’s Jujutsu (Takagi Yoshin Ryu) was better than the latter. So that, Jujutsu remained as Takagi Yoshin Ryu and Bojutsu remained as Kukishin Ryu with Naginatajutsu and Sojutsu. Ohkuni Onihei was the fourth generation Grandmaster of both Ryu-Ha and he called these Ryu-Ha “Hontai Takagi Yoshin Ryu” and “Hontai Kukishin Ryu”.

In October 1841, the 13th generation Grandmaster Yagi Ikugoro Hisayoshi, a retired Samurai from Akoh Castle (Hyogo Prefecture), opened a Dojo of Takagi Yoshin Ryu in Akashi of Hyogo. He gave Menkyo Kaiden to three masters Fujita, Ishibashi and Ishitani Takeo Masatsugu. Fujita’s next generation was Mizuta Yoshitaro Tadafusa. Ishibashi had no students. Ishitani’s next generation was his son Ishitani Matsutaro Takakage. Matsutaro was taught and received Menkyo Kaiden for Kukishin Ryu and Shinden Tatara Ryu from Akiyama Yotaro too.

About from 1903 to 1911, Takamatsu Toshitsugu Yokuoh was taught and got the next generation from both Ishitani Matsutaro and Mizuta Yoshitaro.  Takamatsu taught both systems to Masaaki Hatsumi and made him the next generation grandmaster in Mizuta Den.

Mizuta line has 9 parts:

1. Kihon Gata – 基本型
2. shoden kata omote/ura: 初伝の型
3. erishime kata: 襟締の型　
4. chuden sabaki kata: 中伝の捌型
5. chuden tai no kata: 中伝体の型
6. okuden no kata: 奥伝の型
7. moguri no kata: 潜の型
8. mutoudori kata: 無刀捕の型
9. daishou sabaki: 大小捌の型
10. yurushi no den: 許の伝