Lives of Master Swordsmen this facet of his personality. In his later years, when Musashi had found his spiritual home with the Hosokawa, he changed the name of his two-sword fencing style from “Nitd-ichi-Rya” (“two swords integrated into one style”) to “Niten-ichi-Ryo™ i (“two worlds integrated into one style”), a name full of CHAPTER THREE hidden connotations. With Musashi’s death, “Niten-ichi- Ryn” ceased to exist. None of his disciples, nat even Terao, } ) Nobuyuki, to whom Musashi had entrusted A Book of i Kamiizumi Nobutsuna | Five Rings, could grasp the entirety of Musashi’s swords- * manship. ‘A self-portrait of Musashi in his later years still remains. Progenitor of the In this portrait Musashi painted himself as a stern and } : 5 upright swordsman, prepared to face any obstacle includ- Yagyit Shinkage School ing death. Without doubt his posture is that of a master swordsman. In aocordance with the painting conventions of that time, the handsare slightly shorter and smaller than natural. Probably our impression of the faori-clad Musa- shi depicted in this portrait bears a resemblance to the vitality and strength he actually had. But from another angle, the neatness of this Musashi does not illustrate the Musashi of history. Here his hair line is receding but no eczema scars mar his forehead and his clothes are neat and tidy. Perhaps this was a portrait of what Musashi would have wanted to look like. NO JAPANESE would hesitate to call the Yagya Shinkage school the most illustrious of all fencing schools in the annals of swordsmanship. Although innumerable fencing, styles had been created, few have survived to the present with their structure intact and traditions historically verifiable. The highly reputed Y agya Shinkageschool was, from its very beginning, seemingly predestined to develop ‘a unique history based on an unbroken line of swordsmen related to one another by blood. ; ‘Tsukahara Bokuden and Miyamoto Musashi were known as incomparable swordsmen in theit times, but 86 87Rese Lives of Master Swordsmen their fencing styles were never transmitted to posterity. Both were lone wolves around whom numerous legends have been woven. The Yagyd, however, created a style still traditionally taught in Japanese fencing circles. Not only the history of th: school interesting but each person within the evolution of the school has his own story to tell. Kamiizumi Nobutsuna is the master swordsman who might be considered the progenitor of the Yagy® school. KAMIIZUMI ISENOK AMI NOBUTSUNA IN SERVICE TO A LORD ONE OF the turning points in Nobutsuna’s life evolved directly from the fluctuating power struggle between two illustrious warlords of the Age of Civil Wars(1477- 1573) ‘Takeda Shingen (1521-73) of Kai Province and Uesugi Kenshin (1530-98) of Echigo Provinee. Men of great capacity and high caliber, either of these warlords could have unified the entire country, a feat later performed by Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Separated by Shinano Province and other Kanto domains, their spheres of influence were unfortunately in the same region of Japan, They could, therefore, not extend their power as far as Kyoto, the political center of the Japan of that time, without contending with each other. They were constantly on the alert. History buffs lavish sympathy on these two strongmen, for they were doomed to represent the proverb: “Two master spirits cannot coexist.” Kenshin, confident of his fighting genius, intended to secure hegemony over the Kanto District before his rival To translate his plan into reality, however, he had to find some justification for his actions. in 1559, he went to Kyoto to obtain the Ashikaga Shogunate’s unofficial consent to his appointment as Kanto Kanrei, the supreme com- mander over the Kant District. Atthattime, this hereditary post was granted to members, of the Uesugi, descendants of a Court noble’s family and a branch family of the Ashikaga. Since they had lost all influence within the Kanto District, the Uesugi had 88 Kamiizumi Nobutsuna become mere figureheads. Situated in Kamakura, the center ofthe Kanto District, the Uesugi had started to have dificulty suppressing the Hojo, who were encroaching on Kamakura from Izu, the province immediately south of Kamakura, Since the Hojo influence had already spread as far as Odawara, the Uesugi asked for Kenshin’s help. In March, 1561, Kenshin, having taken the helm in this fluid Kanto situation by assuming the post of Kania Kanrei in Kamakura, was granted the name of Uesugi (his original family name was Nagao). His government, how- ever, was fraught with difficulties and after failing to manage the executive officials as per his reconstruction of the government, the upright Kenshin felt reluctant continuing in the post. Heresigned and returned to Echigo. Takeda Shingen had been keeping close tabs on Ken- shin’s activities. With Kenshin’s failure, Takeda, with the cooperation of the H3j6, decided to broaden his influence over the Kanto District. His first move, amassing control over Kozuke Province, would accomplish a double pur- pose; Kézuke could act as a foothold for his plans to dominate all of Kanto and it would also block his rival Kenshin from moving southwards. The army he sent into Kozuke had no difficulty reducing castles in quick succes- sion, but when they reached Minowa Castle (twelve kilo- meters northwest of the present Takasaki), asmall castle at the tip of the chain of hills which begin in the Kanto Plain and stretch as far as Mt. Haruna, they encountered an unexpected obstacle. This castle was strategically impor- tant for any troops trying to secure hegemony over the whole Kanto District. Defended by Nagano Narimasa, a brave pro-Uesugi warlord, Minowa Castle was resisting the repeated Takeda forays successfully, Each time the Takeda forces slashed their way to a position close to the castle, they were repelled. What a thorn in the side of the Takeda Minowa Castle was becoming! Tn the autumn of 1561, however, Nagano Narimasa died, Ieaving his seventeen-year-old son, Narimori, the new lord of the castle. To ensure the continuation of the spirited 89Lives of Master Swordsmen defense Narimasa’s death was kept strictly secret but spies under the pay of Takeda somehow got hold of the secret and spread the rumor that the new lord was unreliable, As soon as Shingen caught wind of this development, he launched new tactics. Maneuvering behind the scenes by causing disturbances in Echigo (the religious riots by a sect from the mid-fifteenth to the end of the sixteenth century were supposedly partially supported by the Takeda fac- tion), Shingen dispatched a large army of some 20,000 soldiers to reduce Minowa Castle once and for all The defenders of the castle under the young lord Nar- imori, although far fewer in number, were toa man true representatives of the bandomusha, samurai born and bred in KamtO and known for bravery and courage. With Kamiizumi Hidetsuna (later known as Kamiizumi Nobu- tsuna) as their tactical leader, the defending army could not be considered a common one by any standards. Kamiizumi Hidetsuna was born in 1508 in the town of Kamiizumi in Komuke. His father Noritsuna, a member of the Uesugi faction, was the lord of Ogo Castle at the foot of Mt Akagi in Kozuke. After his father’s castle was reduced bythe Takeda, Hidetsunaenlisted with Nagano Norimasa. As the leader of » company of sixteen skillful spearmen known as. “The Sixteen Spears of Nagano,” Hidetsuna performed brilliantly in battles. Itisno surprise that asthe product of sucha turbulentage he was so skilled with both spear and sword. Since hi childhood, he had had a passion for martial arts. When still young, he had practiced spear and sword techniques with ‘Aisu Koshichiro, a well-known master of the Kage (Shade) school from Tohoku and had learned Kashima- Shinto style fencing, By the time he was at Minowa Castle, he had already evolved his own epoch-making style of fencing called the Shinkage (New Shade) school. Now let us return to the scene of the battle. The front of Minowa Castle was defended by young Narimori, the rear by troops under Hidetsuna’s command. Fierce fights en- sued with the Takeda surging forth with sally after sally but 0 Kamiteumt Nobursuara still the defense held. Biding his time, Hidetsuna finally ordered his troops to attack the enemy. He himself entered the fray cutting backward and forward with his sharp sword. Takeda soldiers were stabbed or slain one after another, causing « large number of Takeda men tosacrifice their lives without any progress towards reducing the castle. Faced with such overwhelming evidence, Takeda Shingen could not help but admit that his foe was fighting valiantly. Half ofhim admired such courage in his foe, and the other half wasshamed athis own inability to overcome a force so few in number. There was no reason for this shame, for Takeda’s men were skilled in martial arts and would not hesitate to fight gallantly to the death in battle. ‘Yet, they were still no match for the uniformly excellent forces under Hidetsuna's command. ‘Takeda had sworn an oath to the deities that he would reduce the castle within ten days but already a month had passed and more than 1,600 of hismen had been killed. But suddenly what had seemed like a stalemate took an un- expected turn. Carried away by youthful ardor, Narimori, the lord of the castle, cut his way through the enemy lines only to be slain himself, Since samurai would fight only for their lord and no lord was left at Minowa Castle, the will to fight had dissipated. As soon as the Takeda forees were informed of Narimori’s death, they sent messengers under afiag of truce to sue for peace. Without any desire to defend the castle further, the army within the castle walls agreed to surrender on the spot. As was the custom, the family of the lord were beheaded. As per Shingen’s orders, some two hundred of the lnstsemen whe had defended the castle s0 bravely under Hidetsuna’scommand were put into custody with the intention of incorporating them into Shingen’s army. This was indubitably due to the high opinion Shingen had come to hold of Hideisuna throughout the siege. This attempt to integrate even former enemies into his army on the day after peace had been declared in the same way as those playing shogi (Japanese chess) can obtain and use opponent's pieces allows us to catch a or AEN| Lives of Master Swordsmen glimpse of Shingen’s leadership abilities. Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, the one soldier evaluated in terms more superlative than any of the others, however, shocked Shingen by petitioning him for permission to set out on a journey to improve his fencing skills. “Since Tam developing a new style of swordsmanship, 1 want to set out on a journey to train myself to the fullest degree. Would you deign to grantme permission todos?” asked Hidetsuna. Needless to say Shingen did not want the brave and talented Hidetsuna to leave his command and perhaps drop from his sigt forever. Even afier sincere entreaties to remain with the Takeda forces, Hidetsuna refused, saying, “How could I wko will not even serve the lord Shingen possibly serve any other lord. I have no other intention but to train myself further and perfect my swordsmanship.” Once Shingen heard Hidetsuna’s resolute words, he no longer tried to persuade Hidetsuna into staying with his forces. Instead Shingen ({8%) honored Hidetsuna by granting him one of the two characters in his first name. From then on Hidetsuna (3§ fi) was known as Nobutsuna (fil) and was allowed to follow his own path. Nobutsuna definitely wanted to set out on a journey to perfect his fencing skills. If he stayed with Shingen, he probably felt he would lose his identity by fighting inces- santly. Since he had already created his own unique school of swordsmanship, he indubitably wanted to perfect it by testing it against worthy opponents throughout the coun- ‘THE KAGE SCHOOi. AND MENTAL TRAINING ‘THIS ERA of Japanese history was filled with swordsmen taking the road to train themselves and polish their tech- niques, for those skillful in martial arts must have been well received in any domain embroiled in the civil wars. Some wandered with a flag boldly announcing the name of their fencing style or martial art, but many ofthe techniques they 2 cepa | esses NS SO Kamilzumi Nobuisuna espoused were unworthy of the very cognomen martial arts. Others clad in singular attire merely tried to attract | attention, Still others were spies who disguised themselves as swordsmen in order to collect information on enemy; domains. Nobutsuna, however, was driven by the pure | motivation of propagating his own unique style of martial arts. When he set out he was accompanied by two disciples: Hikida Toyogor®, his nephew, and Jingo Muneharu, his most skillful follower. (Although some versionsclaim that Nobutsuna was also accompanied by his son, no docu- menis verify this facet of his journey.) Both Hikida and Jingo already recognized in the world of fencing later founded their own schools, the Hikida Kage-rya and the Jingo-ryil, respectively. In his later years, Hikida was even honored by the request to instruct Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Hideyoshi’s adopted son, in martial arts. Besides being an instructor of Shogun Ashikaga Y oshiteru, Jingo attracted many able discip.es throughout his life, Nobutsuna must truly have been boih a great swordsman as well as a tal- ‘ented instructor to have such stipetior disciples. _ ‘Nobutsuna’s first destination was Kyoto. Although few records about this journey have been passed down to posterity, the three swordsmen must have been challenged by many confident swordsmen along the road. Since none of these challenges have been reported, they must not have been interesting. None of the challengers were a match for the three. Even the duel between the renowned Yagya | Muneyoshi and two of these swordsmen was overwhelm- / ingly one-sided as we shall soon see. ‘Although few records exist about the three on their way to the capital, of those which we do have information about, one bears special notice since itgives usa clue about Nobuisuna’scharacter. One day when their path took them to Myoko Templein Owari Province, the three saw acrowd of villagers standing some distance from a solitary cottage They all seemed concerned about something and were deep in a heated discussion. When asked what had happened, 8 a | i : | || brutal gigantic Lives of Master Swordsmen | the villagers replied that a criminal had been holding a child hostage since early in the morning. Although the child’s parents had been desperately seeking help, no one | Knew what to do. All was confusion. ‘As soon as he understood the situation, Nobutsuna said {to the villagers, “Don’t worry. will rescue the child in the cottage.” Then he turned to a priest standing within the circle of villagers, and said, “Please shave my head and lend me your robe.” Even Nobutsuna’s companions were siruck dumb with amazement, Nobutsuna led the priest to an area that couldi’t be seen from the cottage. There he stuck out his head to have it shaved. Seeing a priest approaching the cottage, the criminal, a an, yelled in a thundering voice, “Don’ come any closer. Don't approach me or #11 kill this child.” Putting his left arm around the child’s neck, the criminal put his right hand on the hilt of the sword at his side. Without hesitating, Nobutsuna strode forward towards the cottage, saying, “I haverice balls for the child. He must bbe so hungry by this time. Since a priest's vocation is to serve people with compassion, he cannot be indifferent to people in situations like this.” Nobutsuna took a rice ball from his robe and threw it towards the child. Then he took out a second and said, “You must be hungry, too. You are, aren't you? Eat this and take a breather!" He rolled it towards the man, who reached for it without thinking. Just at the moment the criminal let down his guard for a second, Nobutsuna jumped. Holding the criminal’s right arm, Nobutsuna wrestled him to the floor. Then he grabbed the child and rushed out of the cottage. It was a feat done as quickly as lightning by aman completely alert. The villagersswooped down on the criminal as Nobutsuna returned the child to his parent’s arms and took off the priest's robe." "Kurosawa Akira incorporated thisepisode in one ofthe fs scones of Seven Samurai (Toho Co, Lid; 1954): Kurosawa adapted the episode to Hit his plot, thereby using it without any relation to Nobutsuna A wooden image of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, aise eee enmeers M2 SD IT ES UA Toe ger eee‘The site of Ogo Castle, which was built at the fa with his father, a castellan, resided in the castle, which was under threat of attack by the Takeda. fates which wasn PRINCIPAL PLACES IN NOBUTSUNA’S LIFE — Kansitzumt Nobuisuna Admiring Nobutsuna’s feat, the priest said, “You must | bea man who hasattained enlightenment through swords- | manship.” Then the priest offered the robe to Nobutsuna By offering the robe, the priest showed that he had per- ceived greatness in Nobutsuna’s character. A story about this robe has been passed down through many generations. Although the idertity of the priest is not known, the robe | he’offered Nobutsuna was later conferred upon Jingo, Nobuisuna’sdisciple, and then to Jingo'sablestfollowerin » the later years of Jingo’s life. ‘Through this incident in the small village, weean catch aglimipse of Nobutsune’s personality as well as of one of | the mysteries of the Shinkage school, the mystery ofhow to fight without a sword. ‘What was the Kageschool ofswordsmanship, theschool which was the progenitor of Nobutsuna’s and the Yagy styles. Until the establishment of this school, all theories about martial arts in the medieval ages were based on techniques only. The Kage schools pioneered a form of swordsmanship’ that actively incorporated mental ele~ menis into their martial arts theories. Even though many of the abstract aspects are hard to understand, the philosophy behind Kage swordsmanship still attracts attention today. Imamura Yoshio, a recognized authority on the subject, interpreted the Kage schools in his books. tis rom Yagyi? Tbun that I quote here. _-nalithemartialarts,inall the performing arts and still more in all the forms of human behavior, a_man’s postures or muves aie based on the movement in his mind. In other words, the movement of the mind is expressed in the postures or moves he takes. Kage (& “shade” or “yin principle”) of Kage-rya (Shade style of swordsmanship) indicates that one’s mind is invisible. ‘The postures and moves are visible, and, therefore, are the yang principle, Inthe Kage Style of swordsmanship, a swordsman reads his opponent’s minds through his postures or moves. More emphasis is, therefore, placed 95 SeLives of Master Swordsmen ‘on penetrating the opponent’s mind than on techniques. What mind can penetrate his opponent's mind? It isa ‘mind that has been trained and cultivated to the point of detachment with perfect freedom. Itisasclear asa mirror that can reflect the motions within the opponent’s mind. Only with that kind ofmindcan aman respond accurate ly to the motions of his opponent’s mind and body. In the art of fencing, a mind that moves aiming at victory is called fa, kage, while the motion of one’s body wielding a sword is called IB, hi ‘When one stands face to face with his opponents, his anind roust not be revealed in the form of moves. Instead his mind should reflect his opponent's mind like water teflecting the moon. Thus, he can win. As this abstract explanation shows, the Kage style of swordsmanship was unprecedented in that it incorporated the penetration of the motion of an opponent's mind. The ‘Yagyd Shinkage-rya developed from the Kage-ryi and the Shinkage-ry0 and then was connected with Zen Buddhism Even other martial arts which later cameto beat a spiritual character owe a great deal to the original philosophy of the Shinkage-rya founded by Nobutsuna. NOBUTSUNA AND THE YAGYO. [Nopurstna’s GOAL in his journey was to propagate his | style of swordsmanship by showing thoseconfident in their ‘own ability that their techniques and skill were not sullicient, Without doubt he also wanted to initiate prom- ising swordsmen into the secrets of the Shinkage style so that they, too, could spread the philosophy. On their way to Kyoto, Nobuisuna and his disciples visited Kitabatake Tomonori, the influential governor of Ise Province who was so keenly interested that he took lessons from Nobutsuna. Understanding the purpose of Nobutsuna's journey, the impressed Kitabatake wrote him | an introduction to H6zdin In-ei, a renowned spear wielder 96 _match; he Kumiicumi Nobuisuna in Nara. Despite being the head priest of Hozin Temple in Nara, In-ei had created his own unique spear wielding, technique. ‘As soon as the three arrived in Nara via Ueno in Iga} Province, they went to Hozoin Temple. Having already | heard of Nobutsuna and then seeing his superior ability in ‘martial arts, the priest sent. an express messenger to his | friend Y agya Muneyoshi in Yagya Valley to informhimot | ‘Nobutsuna’s visit. Since Yagy Muneyoshi was known as the best swordsman in the Kinki District (Osaka-Nara- Kyoto), the priest thought that a duel with Nobuisuna would interest him. Muneyoshi had heard of Nobutsuna’s style and thus hurried off to the temple in Nara. Without having a duel with him directly, though, Muneyoshi could never judge if Nobutsuna’s reputation was deserved or not. | Having devoted himselfto sword and spear techniquesand | consequently attracted many disciples from many prov- inces to the village of Yay, Muneyoshi was full of confidence. Nobutsuna was fifty-five years old while | Muneyoshi was in the prime of life at thirty-five. Paying. due respects to the older man, Muneyoshi humbly asked Nobutsuna for instruction. A duel was slated for the precincts of Hozoin Temple. Contrary to Muneyoshi’s expectations, however, his opponent would not be Nobu- tsuna himseif but his disciple Hikida Toyogoro. But since Muneyoshi had only asked for instruction, he could not reject this turn of events. With a spirited fervor in his heart, | ‘Muneyoshi appeared in the temple's precinetson theday of| the match, Nobutsuna and In-ei were also present as; observers. = Hikida was not carzying the usual wooden sword.to the, | fukuro-shinai, several bamboo sticks tied together and then inserted in a long, narrow leather bag. Designed by Nobutsuna, this type of sword does not have a sword guard. When a wooden sword was wielded in an tunckiliful way. an opponent could be seriously wounded or even killed. To avoid possible accidents, a rule recog nized by fencers stipulated that swordsmen using wooden 97Lives of Master Swordsmen swords had to bring the motion of their weaponsto.a dead: stop immediately before a stroke would touch their oppo- nents. This technique, called tsumeru in Japanese, is very difficult to perfect, especially since they must tsumert in the midst of a hotly contested duel. Fencers, therefore, had to become masters of this technique as well as the orthodox, postures needed for the duel. The episode told about | Musashi cutting grains of boiled rice in half on a page’s forehead illustrates how Musashi had mastered this | difficult art. The expression “He really did ésumeru well!” | was one of the most laudatory remarks that could be given to the winner of a fencing match. Thinking that having to isumeru did not belong in a fencing match, Nobutsuna devised the fukuro-shinai, so that fencers could exchange | jows in ama ithout injuring gach other. Hikida with his fukuro-shinai and Muneyoshi with his wooden sword stood face to face in the courtyard of the temple. Asthey circled, each stared at the other to try to find an unguarded moment in his defense when suddenly Hikida plunged forward. Crying out gustily, he brought, down his sword. Hikida’s fukuro-shinai hit Muneyoshi's, forehead with a snap. The match was over. How easily Muneyoshi had teen defeated! Not believing that he had been defeated, Muneyoshi, brandishing his sword, attempted to counterattack but no sooner had he moved than Hikida once again let outa yell and brought his sword down sharply on Muneyoshi's shoulder. Petrified, Muneyoshi was white. With his sword lowered, he groaned, “I've been beaten.” Nobuisunia had watched the match with deep concentra tion and now stared at Muneyoshi in his defeat. After a short silence, Nobutsuna called out, “Now Muneyoshi, I'll be your opponent.” Why did Nobutsuna say this to a man who had already been defeated by his disciple? What did the founder of the Shinkage style of fencing see in the defeated swordsman? Encouraging Muneyoshi to take the beginning posture again, Nobutsuna took Hikida’s fukuro-shinai and held it pointed towards his opponent’s 98 Kamiisumt Nobutsuna face. j ‘Suddenly Muneyoshi’s pale cheeks flushed. Making a! quick bow, he once again took up his position. The two | locked eyes. Branches of the big zelkova tree in the pre- cincts rustled in the autumn breeze. Leaves danced around their feet. All of a sudden, Muneyoshi threw his sword | down, fell on his knees and placed the palms of his hands | on the ground as he bowed deeply. Secing Muneyoshi kneeling this way, In-ei rushed to his side and took the same position. “Master Nobutsuna, would you deign to allow me to | become one of your disciples?” asked Muncyoshi in a reverent, almost weeping tone. This moment marks the | birth of the Yagya Shinkage style of swordsmanship, a | style that would give glory to the pages of the history of | Japanese swordsmanship. ! 99.CHAPTER FOUR Yagyii Muneyoshi Swordless Swordsman ‘THE DUEL betweea Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, reputed a great master of swordsmanship in the Kanto District, and Yagyo Muneyoshi, well known as the best swordsman in the Kinki District, wasa landmark in the history of martial arts in Japan. As soon as one of Nobutsuna’s disciples had defeated Muneyoshi, Nobutsuna took his stance against ‘Muneyoshi in a match thatwastotally unnecessary in terms of judging which man was superior. Nobutsuna had chal- lenged Muneyoshi simply because he had penetrated through to Muneyoshi’s core and seen there an extraordi- nary talent in swordsmanship, a talent that could be Yagyia Muneyoshi compared to a rough jewel only needing to be polished to sparkle brilliantly. Muneyoshi had heard of Nobutsuna, the founder of the Shinkage school of swordsmanship, before the match, but now he fully appreciated Nobutsuna’s skill, a capability far beyond expectations. His easy defeat at the hands of a disciple had shown thisto him. Hismaster could beno one but Nobutsuna. There was no need toexchange many words. On the spot, Nobutsuna accepted Muneyoshi’s request to become a Ie, After the match, Muneyoshi ied Nobutsuna and his two disciples to his fief, the village of Yagya. ‘Yagyii is situated in a picturesque little valley. Here, along the Kydto-Nara border, runs the Kizu River. On the southern side of the Kizu rises Mt. Kasagi, famous as the mountain where Emperor Go-Daigo hid himself in 1331 when the death knell ofthe Kamakura Shogunaie tolled in the form of the Genkd Rebellion. Nara Prefecture claims the southern foot of Mt. Kasagi, which isdotted with many villages worthy ofthe name kakure-zato (hidden villages) And here is Yagyi. Today there are three routes to Y agy0: the road running southward from Kasagi Station (Kansai Line) of the Japan National Railways, theroad running westward from Ueno, Station (Iga Line) of the Kintetsu Railway, or the so-called ‘Yagya Road, which terminates at Yagya afier winding eastward from Nara some sixteen kilometers. ‘THE BACKGROUND OF THE YAGYU FAMILY SOME CLANS already dwelled in the area centering around the hidden village of Yagyd at the time of the Taika Reforms in 645. From that time onward, these valleys produced a number of excellent swordsmen, including members of the Yagy0 family, The Yagy® themselves can be traced back as far as an ancestor who lived in the eleventh century. In the Kamakura Period (1192-1333), the family beganLives of Master Swordsmen to call itself the Yagy0 and were appointed supervisors of ‘Yagyd village within theestate owned by Kasuga Shrinein Nara. Later, the Kamakura Shogunate stripped Kasuga Shrine of this village, granting it to the Yagyii as their private fief About two hundred years passed. Peace turned to unrest and unrest to civil war. Not even this hidden village was spared. Turbulent billows of fierce battles surged through- out the country and ultimately found their way to Yagyi ‘As the waves came closer, Muneyoshi and his father Jeyo- shi found themselves drawn into the combat. And it is here that we can first discover the Kernel that would ignite Muneyoshi’s devotion to swordsmanship. {After the Onin War (1466-77), the ruling Ashikaga | Shogunate rapidly declined in power. No steadying hand could stabilize the land which was now overwhelmed by } the stronger preying on the weaker. Inevery province clans | competed with each other for hegemony over that particu- \ Jar area. In 1541, the Miyoshi led by Miyoshi Chokei, one of the influential clans in Awa Province, declared war on Kizawa Nagamasa, a warlord with influence over Yamato and Kawachi Provinces. Since the Yagy were within Kizawa’s sphere of influence, they banded together under Jeyoshi to fight at Kizawa’s side in a fortress on Mt. Kasagi ‘The enemy under Tsutsui Junshd, Miyoshi’sally, attacked Although they tried to repulse their enemy, the Kizawa forces could not scage a unified defense. The battle tilted more and more in Tsutsui’s favor. In the midst of the struggle, Kizawa Nagamasa fell, fatally wounded. How ‘merciless are battles! ‘Without his leader, leyoshi grimly resolved to turn to his last resort — he would repulse the enemy at his own stronghold (Koyagyd Castle) in his home village, Before he had completed his fortifications, however, the enemy forces, an army of some ten thousand soldiers, surged against him, With high spirits, they came, wave after wave. It was July 27, 1544. Muneyoshi, but sixteen at the time, participated in the battle at his father’s side. Yagya Muneyoshi ‘The Yagyd only had some one thousand soldiers at their disposal. Inferior in number, they bravely repulsed attack afier attack. But, by the third day ofthe battle, they had no alternative but to capitulate to the enemy, continually swirling down on them like incessant snow in a blizzard. After the battle, the Yagyt, against their will, placed themselves under Tsutsui's command. Their intrepidity and valor in the defense of their castle were, however, praised throughout the Kinki District, But only the fitestcould survive during the upheavals of the age. In 1559, Matsunaga Hisahide, Miyoshi Chokei’s retainer, suddenly launched an attack against Tsutsui’s forces. Not having particularly high regard for Tsutsui, the Yagyn joined the Matsunaga in the revolt. Victorious, Matsunaga gradually widened his sphere of influence. In January, 1563, Matsunaga attacked Buddhist soldier- monks at Tonomine in the present-day Sakurai, Nata Prefecture. Muneyoshi had so proven himself with his outstanding achievements during this battle that he was rewarded with a letter of appreciation in Matsunaga’s hand. During the height of the battle, however, he had narrowly escaped death. Valiantly standing against the enemy hordes, he held his weapon firmly before him ready to strike. Just then an arrow struck him, but instead of piercing his chest, it merely penetrated his fist outstretched before him. Tt was a time when anything might happen at any moment. The country could turn in any one of a dozen directions. Every single person had to be constantly on his guard. Where could Muneyoshi, now the leader of hi small fief, turn in times like these? He turned to swordsman- ship, a skill he had been developing since early in his childhood, for spiritual relief. lavingalready mastered the Tomita style of swordsmanship founded by Tomita in Echigo Province, Muneyoshi gained the reputation of the best swordsman in Kinki. He was not, however, satisfied with his ability but continued to seek ways to further develop histalent. And so he became Nobutsuna’s disciple. 103 a 9 ER A NSPE SU a RENN Ts hes ACTER CastellLives of Master Swordsmen MUNEYOSHI INITIATED AS NOBUTSUNA'S SUCCESSOR NOW MUNEYosuI devoted himself with fresh determination to the severe training required of him day in and day outas Nobutsuna’s disciple. He exerted every ounce of energy to master Nobutsuna’s Shinkage style of swordsmanship. ‘Two years passed. Under Nobutsuna’s guidance, Muneyo- shi had made surprising progress. Not only deeply impres- sed by his master’s technique, Muneyoshi wasalso strongly attracted to Nobutsuna’s modesty. Later in his life, Muneyoshi would found the Yagy Shinkage school of swordsmanship. He would be known not merely as an excellent swordsman but also asa ran who had attained a higher perception of life. Much of this was due to the influence Nobutsuna had had upon him In Aprils 1565, two years after he had beguit to train Muneyoshi, Nobuisuna said: “I no longer have anything to teach you. You havemastered each and every mystery of my Shinkagestyleof swordsmanship. Itismy desireto have ‘you succeed asthe master of the Shinkage style.” Smiling, he took outa writing brush and skillfully wrote the words “Certificate of Initiation into All the Mysteries” and then gave the document to Muneyoshi who had been solemnly listening to his master. ‘This certificate has traditionally been the way the founder ofhis own artstyle — not only swordsmanship but almost every art requiring special training and talent to master — has transmitted the secrets of his craft. In some areas, this method of initiating only a limited number of select disciples, one of whom will inherit the master's position, is still quite vital in Japan. ‘Anyone who masters a particular art wants to initiate ‘others into the secrets which, attained only after extraordi- nary effort and talent, cannot be easily understood by all. ‘Any shallow comprehension can easily cause misunder- standing. When a person who has not truly mastered an art has inherited the leadership of the founder’s group, the highly developed style might find survival unlikely. To 104 Yagya Muneyoshi transmit and maintain refined styles as originally con- ceived, Japanese have traditionally initiated only a few in all the secrets of an art. This initiation method is called hiden. Although strange to modern man, this method was very appropriate for the Japanese society of olden days. Without doubt, hiden contributed to the transmission of various refined art styles intact until today. In accordance with hiden, founders of an art would confer certificates upon certain individualsto theeffect that only these men were acknowledged successors to their master’s art. The form of these certificates was not fixed. ‘Some were-very simple: just a brief sentence with the name of the master, the name of his disciple and the artstyleto be inherited. Others described the art in great detail. But whatever form the certificate took, only those actually initiated in the secrets of the art could ever hope to fathom. the intricacies properly, for even when the certificates explain the secreis, they are couched in phrases impossible for the layman to understand. These certificates, therefore, ‘were, in asense, cryptographsonly understandableto these actually receiving them. Despite the contribution hiden made to allowing vari- ousstyles of the arts to be transmitted almost intact, in such fields as swordsmanship hiden itself has been the very custom that has hidden the true secrets of old superior swordsmanship from the eyes of modems. Because of hhiden, we of the cwentieth century cannot grasp the true facets of early fencing styles. The words on old certificates cannot effectively explain the special techniques of such arts as swordsmanship, which requires practical training and quick motion. ‘Afler two years’ training, Muneyoshi was granted the certificate to inherit the Shinkage school of swordsman ship. Nobutsuna had made this decision after evaluating Muneyoshi’s personality and ability. The founding of the ‘Yagyt Shinkage style of swordsmanship dates from the day Muneyoshi received the hiden from Nobutsuna. Needless to say, Muneyoshi was pleased with his tong, 105 esLives uf Muster Swordsmen efforts having reached fruition. Without doubt, Nobu- tsuna also felt satisfied with the realization that he had found a competent swordsman to inherit his school. Nobutsuna’s selection of Muneyoshi was justified by the glorious history of the Yagya Shinkage school. Soon after Muneyoshi received the certificate, Nobu- tsuna left the village of Yagya. He probably had no reason to stay any longer. The course he followed afier leaving Yagyi isnot clear. Some say he headed for Kyoto where he was honored with a request to demonstrate his fencing abilities before Yoshiteru, the thirteenth shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Others claim that he set out on a heroic journey covering the length and breadth of the country. Neither of these suppositions, however, seems credible. Even though a stone monument for the repose of Nobutsuna’s soul stands in the graveyard at Hotoku ‘Temple, it is not a grave. Nobutsuna’s grave is within the precincts of Scirin Temple in Kamiizumi, Maebashi City, ‘Gumma Prefecture. More persuasive than the theory that Nobutsuna went to Yagyi to die is the hypothesis that he ultimately returned to his hometown and founded Seirin Temple, where he died. Considering his renown as a swordsman, it is certainly unusual to have so few reliable episodes or records about him. The story about his evalua- tion of Muneyoshi as his incomparably suitable successor, therefore, attracts our attention all the more. Nobutsuna ‘must have been naturally modest, for in poems composed by Muneyoshi in his late years, he reflected on his master’s great influence on him: from Nobutsuna, he learned that swordsmanship is not for killing people but for sustaining one’s. vigor and that a swordsman should always be \ modest, ‘THE FAME OF THE YAGYO SHINKAGE SCHOOL SPREADS ONCE MUNEYOSHI had succeeded to the Shinkage school, Muneyoshi naturally wanted to further pursue the way of swordsmanship. He could not put all of his energy into his 106 YAGYU AND VICINITY ‘RINCIPAL PLACES IN MUNEYOSHI’S LIFE SPEARSHotoku-ji, the YagyO family temple, has numerous memorabilia of the Family, ‘The ¥agya family cometery. Gravestonesrepresenting the successive generations of the Yagyil stand side by side. Yagyat Muneyochi fencing until sometea years|ater, however, forthecontinu- ‘ous battles of his times forced him to leave Yagy®. In 1567, the Matsunaga cian, to whom the Yagyt owed allegiance, fought with the Miyoshi clan, battles that, incidentally, destroyed the hall housing the great Buddha image at Todai-ji temple in Nara by fire. The following, year Oda Nobunaga, a warlord from Owari Province, ‘extended his influence as far as Kyoto with lightningspeed. ‘The Ashikaga Shogunate fell in 1573. Matsunaga Hisa- hide, the head of the Matsunaga and ioyal to Nobunaga, raised a rebellion against his lord in 1577 but, defeated, he ‘was forced to kill himself. Five years later, Nobunaga was ~ killed by his retainer Akechi Mitsvhide, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi stepped into the limelight. During these turbu- lent years, Maneyoshi and his sons were obliged to partici- pate in many battle. ‘The villagers of Yagy0 all thought that Muneyoshi had a model wife who had borne eleven children: five sons and. six daughters. The eldest son, Yoshikatsu, was grievously ‘wounded in a battle fought in Tatsuichi (Yamato Prov- ince in 1571. Records ell us that his next two sous became priests, Since many families of that time who were not particularly wealthy tended to have their children enter the priesthood, we can assume that the ¥ agya family was not necessarily’ in casy circumstances. Tt was Muneyoshi's youngest son Munenori, now inhis boyhood, who warmed his father’s heart. From early in his childhood, Munenori showed a special fondness for swordsmanship. His genius and dexterity in wielding a sword were probably inherited from his father. The Vagy® Shinkage schoo! was inherited by Yoshikatsu and Munenori, and has continued to the present as two schools, Hideyoshi’s unification of the country brought a sem- lance of peace to it. Around this time, Muneyoshi began to devote himself to completing his own unique brand of swordsmanship. His goal: to integrate the three representa tive styles of swordsmanship (Shinto, Nen aud Tomita) into the Shinkage style, thereby creating the Yagyd Shin- 107 mae On ene rcLives of Master Swordsmen ‘Kage style. How the quiet Yagy Valley must have echoed and re-echoed with the clashing sound of shinai (bamboo swords for practice) vigorously slashing and parrying. Day in and day out Muneyoshi and his disciples devoted them- selves to hard training with their hearts and souls in the fencing school in Yagy0. Muneyoshi set himself the task of ‘completing the perfect mastery of fencing techniques io defeat opponents who held swords while he did not Nobutsuna had assigned Muneyoshi this task which he was now close to completing. Many stories of heroism revolve around this technique of the Yagyti Shinkage school called -ntaso-4e Jj-(swordlessnéss), which is of course one of the mysteries of this style of fencing. As we shall soon see, yaw#9 dictates that one held the hilt of the ‘opponent's sword or the sword blade itself between the palms. Obviously this is a very difficult technique to master. ‘As time passed, the renown of the great Muneyoshi and hisstyle of swordsmanship spread far and wide throughout the land. Despite the seeming tranquility under Hideyo- shi’s government, the political structure was not really constructed on a stable foundation. Daimyos throughout the country continued to reinforce their armaments in preparation for war. Naturally, their interest in excellent swordsmen remained unabated. Muneyoshi’s meeting Tokugawa Ieyasu, an incident which would alter the destiny of the Yagydl forever, was probably not mere chance but an inevitability of the history of that day. In 1594, Teyasu invited Muneyoshi to his villa in Ta- kagamine, Nishiyama, Kyoto. Having heard of Muneyo- shi’s fame as the founder of the Yagya Shinkage, Ieyasu ‘wanted to meet the sixty-six-year-old master. The twenty.) ‘four-year-old Munenortaccompanied his father to Kyoto. So impressed was leyasu by the muto technique exhibited by Muneyoshi and Munenori in a demonstration duel that he himself reached for a wooden sword to try his hand against the swordiess master. The Seiden Shinkage Ryit 108 Yagya Muneyoshi (The Orthodox Style of the Shinkage School}, records of the Yagyd fencing style, describes the event as follows: Muneyoshi bent himself forward, letting his arms hang as far as his knees. While swinging his arms from side to side, he stared at Ieyasu. Aiming at Muneyoshi’s fore- head, leyasu raised his sword high overhead and then forcefully broughtit down. Atjustthat second, Muneyo- shi dodged and deflected the sword by grabbing the hilt. The very next moment saw the sword flying through the ait, Holding Ieyasu with his left hand, Muneyoshi light- ly hit Ieyasu’s chest with his right fist leyasw, attired in a finbaori (a battle surcoat], staggered backwards. Frowning, he said, “Admirabiet You win!” ‘The ultimate ideal of the YagyO Shinkage school sup- posedly was the realization that a sword should never be used to kill but should rather sustain a person's vigor. The ‘very quintessence of this concept was represented by the mut6 technique. During his match with Muneyoshi, Teyasu witnessed thiscore of the Yagy0 Shinkage style with his own eyes and, through experience, fully realized its, uniqueness. Teyasu was not only moved by Muneyoshi’s technique but also attracted to his personality. After the match, Ieyasu granted Muneyoshi the well-known pledge (a kind of personal contract) that read: (1) [Jeyasu has. been] initiated into the secrets of the ‘Yagyd Shinkage school of swordsmanship. (2) Without [Muneyoshi’s] permission, [Teyasu] will never reveal the secrets even to his sons. (3) [leyasu] will never neglect you [Muneyoshi] If Lever should break the above three promises, may [T] be punished by all the deities in the country. Although Ieyasu incorporated an article about having been initiated into the secrets of the Y agy Shinkage style 109 ee sa BaancoccnenLives of Master Swordsmen into the “contract,” it was merely for the sake of form and far different from the hiden certificate, like the one Muneyoshi received from Nobutsuna, that initiates a person into the true secrets ofa school. Even though it was only a formality, this initiation clause made Teyasu ever so proud. The third article granting the Y agy® the privilege of Tokugawa support was included as a recompense for the first article. That this third article would prove particularly important and significant will be seen in the continuing history of the Yagyt. In addition to this document, Ieyasu requested Muneyo- shi to serve him as a swordsmanship instructor. Muneyo- shi, however, refused on the grounds that he was too advanced in years to be able to comply. Instead he asked Teyasu to employ his son Munenori as leyasu’s retainer. A man of excellent fencing skill, Muneyoshi was also talented in penetrating the trends of the times, for it seemed as though he had already perceived Teyasu’s successfully assuming the helm of the nation. Having settled his son’s future favorably, Muneyoshi took the tonsure and led a secluded life in the village of Yagya. Although Yagyai was a calm and peaceful “hid- den” village, as long as Muneyoshi lived, this little village had a special significance. Warlords with keen insight were far from indifferent towards the band of superior fencers nourished in this village. In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara, the largest of all encounters during the Civil Wars Period, was fought in Mino Province between pro-Toyotomi and pro- Tokugawa forces. Involving almost every feudal lord inthe country, it was a battle upon which men staked their destiny and was, therefore, called the Fortune Deciding Battle, The Yagya contributed to the Tokugawa victory: the role of the villagers in espionage operations ultimately affected the outcome of this decisive battle. I will discuss this at length later. Muneyoshi lived in comfortable retirement after the battle. Free from all worldly cares, he composed many 210 Yugya Muneyushi poems with motif about the mental attitude required of swordsmen. He passed away in April 1606 in the village of Yagyd, but even in his last years he retained the quick refiexes and keen mind of a master swordsman, To illus- trate this sixth sense he had acquired, I would like to end this chapter with the story ofa man who tenaciously sought to assassinate Muneyoshi. Since Muneyoshi was almost always accompanied by his disciples, the assassin had difficulty finding an opening. One day, the assassin trailed Muneyoshi and two disciples to Arima Spa in Settst. Province. During Muneyoshi’s stay at the spa for treat- ment, the assassin found a golden opportunity: Muneyoshi was resting in a room, alone but for his favorite falcon on his left arm. The swordsman could not see Muneyoshi’s companions anywhere, and Muneyoshi’s sword was onthe rack in thetokonoma. The only protection Muneyoshi had was the short sword at his side. Judging the time was ripe the swordsman drew his sword and suddenly rushed into the room, Aiming at Muneyoshi’s head, he brought down the sword. But when the dust had settled, there was the intruder flat on the floor, with blood gushing out of his side. Muneyo- shi’s short sword was thrust deep within the man’s ribs. ‘And what of Muneyoshi? He was sitting with his falcon still on his wrist. His eyes sparkled more calmly than even the falcon’s. And the expression radiating from those eyes ‘was sorrow and rage, the sorrow and rage ofa greatswords- ‘man who has attained the summit of his art.CHAPTER FIVE Yagyit Munenori Zen Aposile ‘THEEMPLOYMENT of Munenori by Ieyasu wasso significant that it determined the fate of the Yagy0 Shinkage school. Young Munenori, however, would have w wail six more years to perform conspicuous acts for Ieyasu in war. For these, Munenori would be justly rewarded with recogni- tion. Before tracing Munenori’slifestory, letuslook firstat his master Ieyasu, pethaps the most clever political tactician and strategist known in Japanese history. The six years intervening between Munenori’s acceptance as a retainer and his first major service to his lord were important years Munenort'® ‘THE BATTLE OF SEKIGAHARA AND THE FOUNDATION HE TOKUGAWA SHOGUNATE ToyoTOM! HIDEYosHt had assumed hegemony over the nation in 1585, nineycars before Icyasu and the Yagydi met. To administer the country, Hideyoshi had formulated his own political system: five influential daimyos’ were appointed éairs (chief ministers) to serve as the highest council in the Toyotomi regime and as guardians of Hideyori; five principal retainers? were appointed bugyé (magistrates), one each in charge of the Kyoto municipal government, law, pablic works, lawsuits, and finance. Teyasu was the most influential of the go (five) fairo, for he owned a vast fief in the Kant District (Edo and its environs). Since he had been an ally of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi’s former master, Ieyasu was accorded preferen~ tial treatment over the other (airJand the go (five) bugyo. No “ordinary” retainer of the Toyotomi was leyasu. As long as Hideyoshi lived, Japan remained unified without any outbreaks of civil war. Even though he had to remain in the Kydto-Osaka area because of his official position, leyasu prudently administered his Kanto head- ‘quarters in preparation for the future. In 1598, Hideyoshi was taken ill, so ill that he knew he was at death’s door From his sickbed, he summoned his principal retainers to ask them earnestly to care for his only son, Hideyori. Thi dying wish was especially focused at leyasu, who suppos- edly swore an oath to protect Hideyori with tears in his eyes 5. Ukita ideie, and wa was suceeded by ari, Asano Nagamasa, Maeda Gen’, Mashita Nagamori, and Natauka Masa, .