Chūya-ha Ittō-ryū

Chūya-ha Ittō-ryū (忠也派一刀流), also called Itō-ha Ittō-ryū (伊藤派一刀流), this is one of the direct lineages of the Ittō-ryū founded by Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa (伊藤一刀斎景久). Its founder, Itō Tenzen Tadanari (伊藤典膳忠也; who later styled himself Chūya), is recorded variously as the son or the younger brother of Ono Tadaaki (小野忠明; formerly Mikogami Tenzen), the second-generation master who founded the Ono-ha. Tadaaki is said to have designated Chūya as successor to the orthodox Ittō-ryū, granting him the founder’s Itō surname and the kamewari-tō (瓶割刀; “jar-splitting sword”) said to have been used by Ittōsai in some thirty matches; because Tadaaki’s own son Tadatsune (忠常) continued the Ono house, the Chūya / Itō line and the Ono-ha line diverged from this point. Chūya is described as headstrong, disliking official service, and living as a rōnin throughout his life. His students seeded several further branches, including Mizoguchi-ha and Mamiya-ha Ittō-ryū. The line is essentially of historical rather than living interest today.