Shinkage-ryu

It is one of the main styles of swordsmanship in the early modern period and was founded by Kamiizumi Ise no Kami Hidetsuna (later known as Musashi no Kami Nobutsuna) during the Eiroku period (1558-1570). Hidetsuna was the son of Kamiizumi Hidetsugu, lord of Ogo Castle in Kozuke Province, and from an early age he was fond of sword and spear techniques. In his youth he learned the ancient Minamoto school of military law and defeat from Ogasawara Miyauchi no Daifu Ujitaka, and further studied Zen, calligraphy, painting, and other subjects. In particular, in swordsmanship, he mastered the mysteries of the Nen-ryu, Shinto-ryu, and Aisu-kage-ryu schools, and daily recited the secret techniques of Marishiten, repeatedly innovating and training himself, and especially extracted the strange aspects of the Kage-ryu, which he named Shinkage-ryu. In 1563 (Eiroku 6), he set out on a journey of training to Kamigata, visiting Okuyama Kyugasai Kinshige in Mikawa and Kitabatake Tomonori, the provincial governor in Ise, and further teaching to Hozoin In'ei, Yagyu Sekishusai Muneyoshi, and others in Nara. He eventually entered Kyoto and posted signs at three locations, Atagoyama, Seiganji, and Kiyomizu, announcing that he was the number one in Shinkage-ryu martial arts.

After that, from around 1569, he formed a friendship with the Gon Dainagon (primary minister), Yamashina Tokitsugu, and gave lectures on military strategy to nobles, etc., but in 1571 (Genki 2), he suddenly decided to return to Japan and asked Tokitsugu for prescriptions for Aisuyaku, Kojusan, and other medicines that were commonly kept on hand by military strategists, as well as a letter of introduction to the Yuki clan of Shimousa Province. After receiving these, he is thought to have set off on his journey home, but his whereabouts after that are unclear.

The following points can be cited as reasons why Kamiizumi's teachings, which he bestowed on Yagyu and other senior disciples, are recognized as having played a pioneering role as a school of swordsmanship in the early modern period. First, he established the method of swordsmanship transmission, that is, he divided the sword techniques into three categories: (1) those handed down from the original Kage-ryu and Shinto-ryu schools (Sarutobi and Shichi-tachi), (2) those devised by Hidetsuna himself (Sangaku-endachi), and (3) those selected by analyzing the secret sword techniques of other schools (Kutsutsu and Tengu-sho), and made Sangaku-endachi the basis for all techniques. Secondly, he used Zen phrases selected from the Hekiganroku and other sources to explain the characteristics and qualities of sword names and terms, which had previously been merely slang or codes, and used them in the form of an illustrated catalog. Furthermore, while previous kaisha (armored) swordsmanship focused on arm strength and stance, he defined daily training as "Keitai Omote Ura no Gyo" (practice of facing, standing ... As for the Shinkage schools, Yagyu Sekishusai Munenori's son Munenori became the military tactics instructor for the Tokugawa Shoguns Hidetada and Iemitsu, and played a mainstream role in early modern swordsmanship. Other schools that were distributed throughout the country included Hikitakage-ryu (Hikida Toyogoro), Kamigo-ryu (Kamigo Izunokami), Matsuda school (Matsuda Oribesuke), Sagawa school (Sagawa Kainokami), Taisharyu (Marume Kurandosuke), Shinkage-ryu (Okuyama Kyugasai), Shinkage-ryu, Shinbuki-ryu, and Shinshinkage-ryu.

[Ichiro Watanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近世剣術の一主流で永禄(えいろく)年間（1558～70）上泉伊勢守秀綱(かみいずみいせのかみひでつな)（のち武蔵守(むさしのかみ)信綱(のぶつな)）の創始。秀綱は上州の大胡(おおこ)城主上泉秀継(ひでつぐ)の子で、幼少より刀槍(とうそう)の術を好み、青年時代には小笠原宮内大輔氏隆(おがさわらくないたいふうじたか)に源家古流の軍法軍敗(ぐんぱい)の術を学び、さらに禅・書・画などの教養を積んだという。なかでも剣術では念(ねん)流、新当(しんとう)流、愛洲陰(あいすかげ)流などの奥儀を究め、日々摩利支天の秘法を勧修して、自ら工夫鍛練を重ね、とくに陰(かげ)の流に奇妙のあるところを抽出して、新陰流と称した。1563年（永禄6）上方(かみがた)への廻国(かいこく)修業の旅に出立し、三河(みかわ)で奥山休賀斎公重を、伊勢(いせ)で国司北畠具教(きたばたけとものり)を訪ね、さらに奈良で宝蔵院胤栄(いんえい)、柳生石舟斎宗厳(やぎゅうせきしゅうさいむねよし)らに教授した。やがて京都に入り、愛宕山(あたごやま)・誓願寺・清水(きよみず)の3か所に、新陰流兵法根本天下一の高札を打った。

　その後1569年ころから、権大納言(ごんだいなごん)山科言継(やましなときつぐ)と親交を結び、公卿(くぎょう)たちに兵法の講義などをしていたが、71年（元亀2）突如として帰国を決意し、言継に兵法家としての常備薬である愛洲薬、香薷散(こうじゅさん)などの処方と、下総国(しもうさのくに)結城(ゆうき)氏あての紹介状を懇請し、これらを入手すると、帰国の途についたとみられるが、その後の動静は明らかではない。

　上泉が、柳生ら高弟に授与した伝書には、近世の流派として先駆的な役割を果たしたと認められるものとして次の諸点をあげられる。まず剣法相伝の方式を確立したこと、すなわち、(1)源流である陰流、新当流から伝承したもの（猿飛・七太刀）、(2)秀綱自身が工夫考案したもの（参学円太刀）、(3)他流の秘伝の太刀を分析し選び出したもの（九筒・天狗抄）の三つに分け、かつ参学円太刀をもってすべての技法の大前提としたこと。次に従来の隠語や符牒にすぎなかった太刀名や用語に、『碧巌録(へきがんろく)』などから選んだ禅語などを用いて、その性格や特質を示し、「絵目録」をもって援用したこと。さらに、これまでの介者(かいしゃ)（甲冑(かっちゅう)）剣術が臂力(ひりょく)や構えに重点を置いたのに対し、日常の稽古(けいこ)を「懸待表裏の行」と定め、眼意身手足の五つ、すなわち人体自然の動きによって「円転(まろばし)」することが、すなわち活人剣の極意とした。そして、稽古の安全性を確保するために「ふくろしない」を考案し、これを普及させたことなどがあげられる。なお、新陰の門流としては、柳生石舟斎宗厳の子宗矩(むねのり)が、徳川将軍秀忠(ひでただ)・家光(いえみつ)の兵法師範となって、近世剣術の主流的役割を担ったほか、疋田(ひきた)陰流（疋田豊五郎(ぶんごろう)）、神後流（神後伊豆守）、松田派（松田織部助）、狭川(さがわ)派（狭川甲斐守(かいのかみ)）、タイ捨流（丸目蔵人佐(くらんどのすけ)）、神陰流（奥山休賀斎）、心陰流、心抜流、真真陰流などが全国に分布した。

［渡邉一郎］

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