School #9 of 10 in our series. Ono-ha Ittō-ryū is the oldest surviving branch of Ittō-ryū — official sword school of the Tokugawa shogunate, founded by a man who won a duel to the death to inherit it. Still teaching in Tokyo under its 18th headmaster, in an unbroken line, today.
School #8 of 10 in our series. Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū’s 8th headmaster, Naganuma Kunisato, pioneered the first standardized bōgu armor and shinai in Japanese martial arts history — the direct ancestor of every piece of kendō equipment used today. The gravestone inscription proves it.
School #6 of 10 in our series. Miyamoto Musashi fought over 60 duels and never lost. He built a two-sword school that defied every convention of Japanese swordsmanship — and wrote The Book of Five Rings while dying of cancer in a cave. Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū carries that legacy today, four centuries later.
School #5 of 10 in our series. Founded by Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa after 33 undefeated duels, Ittō-ryū became one of two official sword schools of the Tokugawa shogunate — and the direct ancestor of modern kendō.
School #4: Yagyū Shinkage-ryū | KenjutsuWorld 柳生新陰流 KenjutsuWorld Original Series School #4 of 10 — The Lineages That Shaped the Sword ⸻ ✦ ⸻ Yagyū […]
KenjutsuWorld Original Series School #3 of 10 — The Lineages That Shaped the Sword ⸻ ✦ ⸻ Shinkage-ryū 新陰流 “The School of the New Shadow” […]
School #2: Kashima Shintō-ryū | KenjutsuWorld 鹿島新當流 KenjutsuWorld Original Series School #2 of 10 — The Lineages That Shaped the Sword ⸻ ✦ ⸻ Kashima […]
School #1: Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū | KenjutsuWorld 香取神道流 KenjutsuWorld Original Series School #1 of 10 — The Lineages That Shaped the Sword ⸻ ✦ […]
KenjutsuWorld Podcast/Video/Blog #1 Introduction and interview with Sang W. Kim Sensei, owner and founder of the New York Byakkokan Dojo (Newyorkbattodo.com) and president of the […]
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