Kage-ryū

Kage-ryū (影流) is a Japanese koryū martial art founded in the late Muromachi period c. 1550 by Yamamoto Hisaya Masakatsu.

About

The system teaches battojutsu using very long swords known as choken.

The kanji for Choken Battojutsu Kageryū (景流) means keshiki, or a scene. This is the original name of a ryū from Yanagawa fief in Kyushu and it has not been changed since inception in the mid sixteenth century. There are many makimono (scrolls) and manuscripts and other evidence that contain the teachings of the school. The tradition also includes oral teachings (kuden) that have been handed down throughout the generations.

History

The founder of the Kageryū was Yamamoto Hisaya Masakatsu of Akizuki domain. It is said that Yamamoto had observed a "scene" of a monkey reaching out with stick to retrieve a fruit from a tree. He then had the consideration to use a longer weapon to "reach out". Others my hasten to add that a long blade is impractical. But also the added advantage is that in learning to use a longer heavier blade and smaller shorter one becomes even more easy to wield.

Kage-ryū (Aizu)

Kage-ryū (陰流) is a traditional school (koryū) of swordsmanship (kenjutsu) founded by Aizu Hyūga-no-Kami Iko (c.1452–1538) in c.1490. This school is also sometimes called Aizu Kage-ryū after the name of its founder. The founder was also known as Aizu Ikōsai Hisatada, and his surname is sometimes written as "Aisu" instead of "Aizu."

Legacy

Aizu had two primary students, his son Aizu Koshichiro, and Kamiizumi Hidetsugu. Kamiizumi Hidetsugu would go on to teach Kage-ryū to his son Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna, a famous swordsman and founder of Shinkage-ryū (新陰流) (which would be renamed Yagyū Shinkage-ryū by Nobutsuna's equally famous student Yagyū Sekishūsai Muneyoshi.

Modern practice

Today, the Kage-ryū of Aizu Hyūga-no-Kami Iko exists only through its influence of later schools of swordsmanship, such as Yagyū Shinkage-ryū and Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū, and the many schools that they in turn influenced.