Iba Sōtarō

The Kōbusho’s Iba Sōtarō (伊庭惣太郎) is the ninth head of Shingyōtō-ryū, formally Iba Gunbei Hidetoshi (伊庭軍兵衛秀俊, 1822–1886; sobriquet Jōshinshi, 常心子). Originally a disciple named Haga Sōtarō (垪和惣太郎), he so excelled among the students at the Renbukan that the eighth head, Hidenari, named him heir over his own son, Iba Hachirō, in keeping with the school’s practice of merit-based adoption; he duly succeeded as the ninth head and served as a Kōbusho kenjutsu master-instructor. He should not be confused with the tenth head, the homophonous Iba Sōtarō (伊庭想太郎, 1851–1907), who was Hidenari’s fourth son. Hidenari’s biological son, the celebrated one-armed swordsman Iba Hachirō Hidesato (伊庭八郎秀穎, 1844–1869), fought with the yūgekitai (遊撃 隊; commando corps) and died in the Boshin War at Hakodate; he is thus the (adoptive) junior of the ninth head rather than his predecessor.