While researching my first book, I became intrigued by the late Edo period Kōbusho, the martial academy of the Tokugawa that several prominent Jikshinkage-ryu swordsmen taught at. I began researching the institution, its figures both teacher and students, and started working my way through the transition from the Edo to Meiji period and beyond. This wound up growing to become a substantial part of this site.
I examine details of many late Edo practitioners of Jikishinkage-ryū, the bakumatsu Kōbusho many of them taught at, and important traditions that had lasting impact as Japan modernized, including important 19th and 20th century Japanese martial figures. The Kōbusho itself ran roughly a decade. Preparations began in 1854 (Ansei 1) under the rōjū Abe Masahiro after Perry; it was formally opened as the Kōbusho in the 4th month of 1856 (Ansei 3) at Tsukiji Teppōzu, with master-instructors and kyōju-kata appointed in swordsmanship, spearmanship and gunnery, and with archery, jūjutsu and swimming also being taught. Kōbusho trainees were selected from skilled martial artists drawn from the hatamoto, gokenin, and the domains.
There is existing scholarship available from practitioners and researchers interested in Kendo and I attempt to complement that work rather than repeat it.
From the Kōbusho to the Butokukai
Some people still enjoy reading physical books, and if this research is of interest to you, and you would like to have a printed copy, please consider purchasing one in order to help support the maintenance of this site:
- From the Kōbusho to the Butokukai: Japanese Swordsmanship in Transition (opens in a new tab), Inner Dharma, 2026. 317 pages.
The chapters below follow the order of the book. Swordsmen are listed under the era they belong to; for a single alphabetical list of everyone in the register, see the index of swordsmen; schools have their own index. Entries marked ↗ are maintained at jikishinkageryu.org (opens in a new tab) and open there.
The Bakumatsu
Overview of the Kōbusho · Name Shadowing · A Kōbusho roster from 1898
Bakumatsu Units — The Yūgekitai · The Seieitai · The Shōgitai
Notable Figures — Amano Hachirō (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Amano Shōshō (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Chūjō Kinnosuke ·Fujita Taiichirō · Fukuda Hachinosuke · Honme Yarijirō (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Iba Sōtarō ·Imahori · Inoue Hachirō · Kobayashi Sadayuki · Kondō Yanosuke · Matsudaira Chikaranosuke · Matsushita Seiichirō · Matsuoka Yorozu · Mitsuhashi Torazō · Monna Tadashi · Nakayama Tatsusaburō · Odani Seiichirō (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Okumura Sakonta (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Shimada Toranosuke (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Takahashi Deishū · Toda Hachirōzaemon · Ueda Umanosuke · Yamaoka Tesshū · Chiba Shūsaku
Kenjutsu - Ittō-ryū · Chūya-ha Ittō-ryū · Hokushin Ittō-ryū · Jikishinkage-ryū · Tamiya-ryū · Tatsumi-ryū · Kyōshin Meichi-ryū · Musashi-ryū · Ryūgō-ryū · Shingyōtō-ryū · Shintō Munen-ryū
Sōjutsu — Hōzōin-ryū · Jitokuin-ryū
Jūjutsu — Contrasting Modern and Classical Mindsets · Kitō-ryū · Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū · Totsuka-ha Yōshin-ryū
The Meiji Transition
Gekken-kōgyō · The Battōtai · The Keihōkan and Keishichō
Notable Figures — Henmi Sōsuke · Kajikawa Yoshimasa · Kawaji Toshiyoshi (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Sakakibara Kenkichi (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Shibata Emori · Shimoe Hidetarō · Shingai Tadaatsu · Takayama Minesaburō (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Tokunō Sekishirō (opens in a new tab) ↗ · Yamada Jirokichi (opens in a new tab) ↗
The Butokukai
The Dai Nippon Butokukai · The Budō Senmon Gakkō
Notable Figures — Matsuzaki Namishirō · Mitsuhashi Kan’ichirō · Mochida Moriji · Naitō Takaharu · Saimura Gorō · Takahashi Hatsuji · Takano Sasaburō · Umezaki Yaichirō
Kobudō Preservation
Kobudō Preservation — Kobudō Preservation
Notable Figures — Awa Kenzō · Kunii Zen’ya · Nakayama Hakudō
