Yagyu style

One of the mainstream swordsmanship styles in the Edo period. Originally called Shinkage-ryu, the correct name is Shinkage-Yagyu-ryu, and Yagyu-ryu is a common name. It was founded by Yagyu Shinzaemon-no-jo (Sekishusai, Tajima-nyudo) Muneyoshi. It spread to various feudal domains throughout the country, centering on two major branches: the Edo Yagyu family, whose first head was Muneyoshi's fifth son, Mataemon Munenori, who served as a military tactics instructor to successive shoguns, and the Owari Yagyu family, whose first head was his eldest grandson, Hyogonosuke Toshitoshi, who devoted himself to protecting the tradition of Shinkage-ryu martial arts.

Sogan was born into a small local lord in Soekami County, Yamato Province (now Nara Prefecture), and had traveled west with the aim of spreading the Shinkage-ryu school. He was so impressed by the swordsmanship of the school's founder, Kamiizumi Ise no Kami Hidetsuna, that he asked to learn from him. After training day and night for two years, in 1565 (Eiroku 8), he received the seal of approval of one person per province, and the following year he was awarded four volumes of the secret illustrated catalog (Enbi, Nanatachi, Sangaku, and Kuka). During this time, the situation in Yamato was dire, and Muneta devoted himself to life on the battlefield, but with the serious injury of his eldest son Toshikatsu, the invasion of Oda Nobunaga, and the defeat and death of Matsunaga Hisahide (1577), he decided to give up his dream of becoming a military commander and to become a military strategist, retiring to seclusion in Yagyu Valley, and setting his lifelong goal as the master of "Mutou" (no sword), which his teacher had imposed upon him, he devoted himself to both mental and technical ingenuity. By the time he became a monk under the name Sekishusai in 1593 (Bunroku 2), at the age of 65, he had almost completed his studies in the art, and moved from Shinkage in Kamiizumi to Shinkage in Yagyu, and many people came to him, admiring his swordsmanship. The following year, Tokugawa Ieyasu invited Munenori and Munenori to demonstrate their sword-less techniques, which led to Munenori being employed as a samurai and eventually becoming a military instructor for the Shoguns Hidetada and Iemitsu, teaching them "The Art of War for Governing the Nation and Peace", and securing the position of the Yagyu school as the Shogun's school. In 1651 (Keian 4), Munenori's eldest son, Jubei Mitsuyoshi, and his third son, Naizen Munefuyu, both demonstrated their skills in front of Iemitsu and were praised, but Munefuyu took over as head of the family after Mitsuyoshi's sudden death and became the military instructor for the fourth Shogun, Ietsuna. Many daimyo and their children joined the school, and the Yagyu school reached its golden age with the placement of his disciples among the various daimyo. However, in 1675 (Enpo 3), Munefuyu's eldest son Muneharu suddenly died before his father, and Muneari, who succeeded him as the fourth head of the Yagyu clan, also passed away in 1689 (Genroku 2) at the age of 36. Muneharu's eldest son Toshikata succeeded him as the fifth head of the Yagyu clan, but the era was one in which there was a strong tendency towards civil rule, and the authority of the Yagyu school gradually began to fade. Toshikata was also blessed with no sons, and thus the lineage from Muneo to the present was cut off, and Toshihira, the fourth son of Matsudaira Ecchu no Kami Sadashige, succeeded him as the sixth head of the Yagyu clan. From then on, due to the misfortune of successive generations of adopted sons, the family maintained its title as the head family of the Edo Yagyu clan, but was unable to adapt to the changing times and entered the late Edo period and the Meiji Restoration.

On the other hand, Hyogosuke Toshigane, the founder of the Owari Yagyu clan, was the eldest son of Munenori's eldest brother, Toshikatsu, and received a rigorous education under his grandfather Munenori. He was a talented man who was taught the secrets of Shingogoken and other techniques in 1604 (Keicho 9) in his final years. He was welcomed by Tokugawa Yoshinao of Owari to become a military tactics instructor, and his sons Toshikata and Toshikane (Renyasai) continued to serve as instructors for successive generations. However, the 7th generation, Iwayuki, and the 8th generation, Iwahisa, died young, and by the time Iwayuki's younger brother, Toshimasa, succeeded him as the 9th generation, the clan had entered a period of complete stagnation, just like the Edo clan. At this time, Nagaoka Fusanari (Tourei, 1764-1849) from a branch of the family worked tirelessly to preserve the tradition, studying ancient sword techniques and leaving behind many writings, including the "Sword Technique Record." Later, Sangoro Toshichika, who succeeded him as head of the family in 1864 (Genji 1), worked hard to overcome the hardships of the Meiji Restoration and restore the tradition. Later, thanks to the efforts of the father and son Toshichika and the family member Yagyu Kazuyoshi, the tradition has been preserved to this day.

[Ichiro Watanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の剣術の一主流。本来は新陰流(しんかげりゅう)で、正しくは新陰柳生流、柳生流は俗称。始祖は柳生新左衛門尉(しんざえもんのじょう)（石舟斎(せきしゅうさい)、但馬入道(たじまにゅうどう)）宗巌(むねよし)。宗巌の五男又右衛門宗矩(またえもんむねのり)を初代として歴代将軍の兵法指南役を勤めた江戸柳生家と、嫡孫兵庫助利巌(ひょうごのすけとしとし)を祖として新陰流兵法の道統護持に尽くした尾張(おわり)柳生家の二大宗家を中心に、全国諸藩に広がりをみせた。

　宗巌は大和国(やまとのくに)添上(そうのかみ)郡（奈良県）の小土豪の出身で新陰流の弘布を目ざして西上した流祖上泉伊勢守秀綱(かみいずみいせのかみひでつな)の剣技に心服してその教えを請い、日夜修練して2年後の1565年（永禄8）一国一人の印可を得、翌年奥秘の絵目録4巻（燕飛(えんび)、七太刀(ななたち)、三学(さんがく)、九箇(くか)）を授与された。この間大和の国情は急迫し、宗巌も戦陣生活に明け暮れたが、長男巌勝(としかつ)の重傷、織田信長の侵攻、松永久秀(まつながひさひで)の敗死（1577）などを機に、武将への夢を捨てて兵法家としてたつことを決意し、柳生谷に陰棲(いんせい)し、師から課せられた「無刀(むとう)」の完成を生涯の目標に掲げ、心技両面の工夫(くふう)に精進した。1593年（文禄2）65歳、入道として石舟斎と号するころには、その道の研究もほぼ大成して、上泉の新陰から柳生の新陰へと進み、彼の剣名を慕って入門する者が相次いだ。翌年徳川家康に招かれ、宗巌・宗矩父子で無刀の妙技を披露したのを機縁に、宗矩はその旗本に採用され、やがて将軍秀忠(ひでただ)・家光(いえみつ)の兵法指南役となり、「治国平天下(ちこくへいてんか)の兵法」を教授して、将軍家御流儀(ごりゅうぎ)の地位を確保するに至った。1651年（慶安4）宗矩の長子十兵衛三巌(みつよし)と三子内膳宗冬(ないぜんむねふゆ)はともに家光の御前で演武し嘉賞(かしょう)されたが、三巌の急死によって宗冬が家督を継ぎ、4代将軍家綱(いえつな)の兵法師範となり、大名やその子弟の入門も多く、また高弟らを諸大名に配置して、まさに柳生流の全盛を迎えた。しかし1675年（延宝3）宗冬の嫡子宗春(むねはる)が父に先だって急逝し、4代を継いだ宗在(むねあり)も1689年（元禄2）36歳でこの世を去り、宗春の嫡子俊方(としかた)が5代を継いだが、時代は文治的傾向が強く、御流儀の権威もしだいに翳(かげ)りをみせるようになった。この俊方も男子に恵まれず、ここに宗巌以来の血統は断絶し、松平越中守定重(まつだいらえっちゅうのかみさだしげ)の四男俊平(としひら)が6代を継いだ。以後、代々養子が続く不運もあって、江戸柳生の宗家としての名目は保持されたが、時代の変化には対応できずに、幕末・維新期を迎えた。

　一方、尾張柳生の祖兵庫助利巌は宗矩の長兄巌勝(としかつ)の嫡子で、祖父宗巌の膝下(しっか)で厳しい教育を受け、最晩年の1604年（慶長9）に真五合剣(しんのごごうけん)などの極意を皆伝された逸材で、尾張の徳川義直(よしなお)に迎えられて兵法師範となり、その子利方(としかた)・巌包(としかね)（連也斎(れんやさい)）以降も代々師範に任じたが、7代巌之(としゆき)・8代巌久(としひさ)2代が相次いで早逝し、巌之の弟巌政(としまさ)が9代を継ぐころには、江戸家と同様にまったくの沈滞期に入っている。このとき道統の護持に努めたのが別家の長岡房成(ふさなり)（桃嶺(とうれい)、1764―1849）で、精力的に古法の研究に努め、『刀法録』など多くの著述を残している。その後、幕末1864年（元治1）家督を継いだ三五郎巌周(としちか)は、よく維新期の苦難を克服して再興に尽力し、その後、巌周・巌長(としなが)父子および一族の柳生一義(かずよし)らの努力により、道統を守って今日に及んでいる。

［渡邉一郎］

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