Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū
Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū, often referred to simply as Jikishinkage-ryū or Kashima Shinden, is a traditional school of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship. The school was founded in the mid-16th century, based upon older styles of swordsmanship, and is one of the few ancient Japanese martial arts schools still existing today.
Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū can be translated as the "divinely transmitted, honest reflection of the heart, school of Kashima".
By repetitive practice, one maintains a constant connection with the cosmos by aspiring to jikishin unwavering intention and seimeishin perfect clarity of mind, just like a cloudless sky on a brilliant sunny day. A practitioner who has attained heightened jikishin and seimeishin is said to have fudōshin immovable heart.
History
The Jikishinkage-ryū style descends from the kenjutsu styles developed in the late Muromachi period which overlaps the early Sengoku period, or better dated as late 15th or early 16th century, at the Kashima Shrine by the founder, Matsumoto Bizen-no-Kami Naokatsu. The direct predecessors of the Jikishinkage-ryū style are the Shinkage-ryū and the Kage-ryū styles.The Jikishin Kage-ryū Kenjutsu comes from a previous school, Kage-ryū Kenjutsu. A samurai called Aisu Iko founded Kage-ryū in 1490. He perfected, and taught his style around Japan. There are evidence from 1525, that another samurai, Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna is teaching his own style, a form of Kage-ryū kenjutsu. He called it Shinkage-ryū. Jikishin Kage-ryū means 'the newest school of the ancient shadow'. He was denoting with the name, to the ancestors, and expressing respect to his former masters. Matsumoto Bizen no Kami Naokatsu was a famous master of this school, he also founded his own school first called Kashima Shin-ryū, then Kashima Shinden Jiki Shinkage-ryū. These schools can be found even today all around the world. There are more variations like Jikishin Kage-ryū, Seito Shinkage-ryū, etc.
During the 19th century, Jiki Shinkage-ryū was one of the most popular schools of combative swordsmanship in eastern Japan, especially in the Edo area. The 14th headmaster or sōke of Jikishin Kage-ryū Kenjutsu—Sakakibara Kenkichi—was one of the most well-known swordsmen of his time, and the personal bodyguard of the Shōgun.
Sakakibara had hundreds of students during his lifetime, many of them rising to the "rank" of menkyo kaiden and shihan, thus able to pass on the full tradition. At least 20 menkyo kaiden can be found in official listing of successors. Some of them derived their own branch lines. His most talented disciple was Yamada Jirokichi from whom the Seito-ha, which means main line system or traditional school.
A less well-known, but highly skilled, menkyo kaiden ranked student was Matsudaira Yasutoshi, who, like Yamada Jirokichi, studied the more traditional ways of Jikishin Kage-ryū. The best apprentice of Yasutoshi was Makita Shigekatsu, a young man from a samurai family from Hokkaidō. His name, and Jikishin Kage-ryū became famous on the northern island in the times of the Japanese civil war in 1868. By sword fighting, he was an expert in kyūdō, Japanese archery. He was the heir of the title of shihan of Jikishinkage-ryū, but unfortunately he was fighting a losing battle against the Emperor in the revolution. The cast of the samurai was disbanded, and he had to run. Later, he returned to Hokkaidō, and opened his own dōjō, called Jikishin Kan Dōjō. He was teaching various martial arts, not just kenjutsu. His dōjō was popular, in spite of the prohibition of the katana in 1876.
After Shigekatsu's death, the village of Atsuta raised a black granite obelisk in his memory. This memorial can be seen today. The family tradition has been taken by his grandson, Kimiyoshi Suzuki. Suzuki sensei is also a master of Gōjū-ryū karate and Jikishin Kage-ryū Kenjutsu. Suzuki Kimiyoshi earned his menkyo kaiden at the Naganuma-ha. But he regards his work as a teacher as the continuation of his grandfather’s, Makita Shigekatsu legacy, so he named his school "Makita-ha". This is why he shows up twice. His school, founded in 1992, Hungary is named Shinbukan Dojo.
Suzuki Kimiyoshi received the state award Hungarian Bronze Cross of Merit, acknowledging his activity in popularizing the Far-Eastern martial arts and introducing the Japanese kenjutsu fencing in Hungary. The award, proposed by Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Orbán, on the occasion of state holiday 20 August was granted to sensei Suzuki at the end of July by the President of Republic, Mr. János Áder. The award was presented on the 18th of August, 2017 by the Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Zoltán Balog in the great hall of the Budapest Vigadó.
There were many other famous practitioners of Jiki Shinkage-ryū under Sakakibara who did not reach the highest levels of the system and consequently were not named as successors. Perhaps the most famous of these was Sōkaku Takeda, founder of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. In contrast, some writers have claimed that other famous historical personages such as Musō Gonnosuke were in the line of transmission of Jiki Shinkage-ryū. However, Gonnosuke was never in the direct lineage of Jiki Shinkage-ryū.
Characteristics
The Jikishinkage-ryū style has many differences when compared to modern kendō, especially in its footwork and breathing techniques.The unpō is the footwork used in the Jikishinkage-ryū style and can be translated as law, rule or method transporting, conveying or carrying . Unlike the suriashi of modern kendo, it is stressed that both feet stay firmly planted on the ground at all times. The kiai consists not only of the shouting, like most martial arts, but of the proper way of inhaling and state of mind as well. This is even more reflected in the synchronous deep breathing called Aum with one's partner which accompanies most movements.
Every kata has two distinct roles called uchidachi the striking/attacking sword and shidachi the doing/receiving sword. Some parts of the kata are identical for both roles, like the kamihanen upper semicircle and shimohanen lower semicircle. These are unconventional waza techniques and characteristic for this style. Roughly, the swordsman draws a semicircle with both his right hand, and his left hand. He finishes the movement with his arms extended, the sword pointing upwards, and the free hand's index finger pointing downwards. These movements can be considered as a greeting and a form of meditation, and are usually executed in the beginning and end of a kata or suburi session. They represent all the things in heaven and all the things in earth, and the practitioner in the center of everything.
Another typical technique is the morōde both arms movement in which uchidachi raises with both arms the sword of shidachi to jōdan and receives the subsequent uchikomi with the side of the blade. This results in thrusting the left arm forwards and turning both arms outwards to allow to absorb shidachi's cut which is in kiritsuki style like performed by a kaishakunin.
Jikishinkage-ryū exponents train with both ōdachi and kodachi .
Clothing
Kenjutsu was practiced in a thick kimono in the old times. It was needed for protection, though it was sometimes still not enough. Practices are far less dangerous nowadays, the standard clothes in kenjutsu are normal keikogi and hakama. Preferably all pieces are in the same colour of dark blue or, when one seriously dedicates the practice to the kami, in white. To prevent treading on the hakama when moving in a low position, the hakama is raised a bit by neatly folding the left and right outside front pleats up under the straps which are tied around the waist, before training commences. It is possible to wear tabi when necessary.For outdoor practice, jika-tabi are worn. As uchidachi always faces sun, this role can be very blinding, but it is not allowed to wear sunglasses or hats. However, in extremely cold conditions one can wear a hat and other extra protective clothing. When one has not enough hair or eyebrows or in extreme hot conditions, one can wear a tenugui or hachimaki to prevent sweat irritating the eyes or to keep hair out of the face. Note that tabi and jiki-tabi should preferably match the colour of the hakama.
It is prohibited to wear jewellery and the like as is custom in many martial arts. This rule is to prevent injuries to oneself and practicing partner as it is to prevent excessive display of ego and unneeded distractions.
Some practitioners wear aikidogi or karategi. In some groups beginners wear white obi, intermediates wear blue and brown obi and advanced wear black obi with hakama. Others practice in hakama without colored obi.
Ranks
The following licenses exist the Seito-ha.| rank | level | requirements |
| shomokuroku | – | disciple must show competence in Hōjō no kata |
| jomokuroku | – | disciple must show competence in Tō no kata |
| reikenden | – | disciple must show competence in Kodachi no kata |
| kyuri-no-maki | kyōshi | disciple must show deep understanding of the nature of Jikishinkage-ryū and show competence in Habiki no kata |
| goku-i | shihandai | disciple has been initiated in Marubashi no kata |
| menkyo | shihan | disciple has mastered the system |
Over the years the trainee should begin showing competence in leading/teaching the system. Consequently, usually, but not always, the student receiving kyuri-no-maki is at the level of kyoshi ; the student receiving goku-i is at the level of shihandai ; and the recipient of menkyo is at the level of shihan. However, according to Yoshida Hijime, the current headmaster of the Seito-ha, only a shihan may teach independently of the headmaster. A restriction not necessarily followed in other lines.
For Shinbukan, the following applies:
In some groups, hakama can only be worn by those who successfully completed their 1st dan exam. This is mainly done for practical reasons. One is that the teacher can see how the student positions his or her legs and feet. Another reason is that the teacher and students can quickly see whom to call upon for assistance. In more traditional groups, everyone wears hakama.
Kihon
Basic technique and movements are shown in the table below.| category | basic | other |
| te no uchi grip | ||
| kamae posture |
| |
| ashi sabaki foot work | unpō | |
| seme-waza | ||
| uke-waza | ||
| kiai |
Traditional kata
The following five classical or orthodox kata are the only ones practiced in Japan today and were established in this order by the time of Yamada Heizaemon Ippusai in the late 17th century. Instead of the extension 'no kata', the kata in Yamada's book have the extension 'no bu', which means section . Kimiyoshi Suzuki's students in Shinbukan also practice these classical katas and this lineage practises its own set of katas preparing for the classical ones.Hōjō
The Hōjō no kata is the first classic kata of the Jikishinkage-ryū style and can be translated as laws, rules or methods definitive, crucial or stable or fundamental principals, i.e. the basics. Both the shidachi and the uchidachi usually use wooden swords, bokken or bokutō, although real swords, shinken, can be used as well.The Hōjō no kata is composed of four stages which are named after the four seasons, namely haru spring, natsu summer, aki autumn and fuyu winter in order of execution. Each season contains from six to eight waza. Before each season is executed the kamihanen, and after each season, the shimohanen.
Each season has a respective pace, kōan theme, footwork, breathing, kiai, and other features reminiscent of the perceived characteristics of that season. Spring has waza which are executed in a smooth and fast manner, accompanied by loud kiai. The kōan of spring is eight-directions explosive-blast which can be translated as all directions. Summer has movements that are explosive and intense. The kōan of summer is one-sword both-cut which can be translated as cutting your ego. Autumn has a varied pace, symbolizing change. The kōan of autumn is right-turn left-turn which can be translated as times of change. Winter movements are slow, reserved but firm and efficient. This is even more accentuated on the footwork of each season. The kōan of winter is long-short one-body. The following example is an illustration of this principle. Imagine a situation where one person has a yari or naginata, which stands for long, and the other a has sword, which stands for short, but the situation is as such that there is no more discussion, any discussion at this point would be superfluous. This metaphor tries to explain the meaning behind this kōan that in this season life and death are one.
The themes of the four seasons refer to universal principles which also express themselves in other manifestations. Some of these are listed in the table below.
| stage | name | kōan | tempo | stage of life | time of day | temperature |
| ipponme 1st stage | haru no tachi spring sword | hassō happa eight-directions explosive-blast | acceleration | childhood | morning | warming |
| nihonme 2nd stage | natsu no tachi summer sword | itto ryōdan one-sword both-cut | fast | adolescence | afternoon | heat |
| sanbonme 3rd stage | aki no tachi autumn sword | uten saten right-turn left-turn | deceleration | maturity | evening | cooling |
| yonhonme 4th stage | fuyu no tachi winter sword | chotan ichimi long-short one-body | slow | old age | night | cold |
Both uchidachi and shidachi take on a stance in spring and autumn which is called nio dachi. This refers to the pair of guardian deities of Buddhism called niō, which can be found as large statues at entrances of some of the ancient Japanese temples and shrines. The right statue is called Misshaku Kongō who has his mouth opened, this represents vocalization of "a." The left statue is called Naraen Kongō who has his mouth closed, represents the vocalization of "um."
It is said that these two characters together symbolize the birth and death of all things, like we are born with "a" and our mouth open and we die with "um" and our mouth closed. This is similar to "Alpha and Omega" or "A to Z" signifying "beginning and end", "everything" or "all creation." The contraction of both is Aum, which is an important concept in Sanskrit. The stances and expressions of the statues, the sounds "a" and "um" and the symbolism behind this are very import in the Hōjō no kata.
The 15th headmaster wrote this on the meaning of the Hōjō no kata:
Fukuro Shinai no kata (Tō no kata)
The Fukuro Shinai no kata, or Tō no kata as it is also named, is the second kata of the Jikishinkage-ryū style. The kanji 韜 is rare and old and is able to read as "tō" but has the meaning of fukuro.This kata is composed of fourteen stages, divided in six groups. Each stage has about four movements. This kata is characterized by very fast waza. Both the uchidachi and the shidachi use fukuro shinai which explains the origin on the name.
| stage | name |
| ipponme 1st stage | ryubi hidari dragon tail left |
| nihonme 2nd stage | ryubi migi dragon tail right |
| sanbonme 3rd stage | omokage hidari face left |
| yonhonme 4th stage | omokage migi face right |
| gohonme 5th stage | teppa iron breaking |
| ropponme 6th stage | teppa iron breaking |
| nanahonme 7th stage | teppa iron breaking |
| hachihonme 8th stage | teppa iron breaking |
| kyūhonme 9th stage | matsukaze hidari the wind through pine trees left |
| jūpponme 10th stage | matsukaze migi the wind through pine trees right |
| jūipponme 11th stage | hayafune hidari early boat left |
| jūnihonme 12th stage | hayafune migi early boat right |
| jūsanbonme 13th stage | kyoku-shaku carpenter's square |
| jūyonhonme 14th stage | enren circle take/bring |
Kodachi no kata
The third kata in the ryū, the Kodachi no kata has six stages. Shidachi uses a large heavy wooden kodachi, and uchidachi uses a standard kendo style bokuto or a fukuro shinai. All the three stages of this kata have shidachi running into "combat" with uchidachi. Jikishinkage-ryū is unique because the kodachi is used with two hands on the tsuka.| stage | name |
| ipponme 1st stage | husei |
| nihonme 2nd stage | suisei |
| sanbonme 3rd stage | kissaki kaeshi |
| yonhonme 4th stage | tsuba-tori |
| gohonme 5th stage | toppi-ouhi |
| ropponme 6th stage | enkai |
Habiki no kata
The fourth kata is called Habiki no kata or Koryū kata and it is a blend of concepts from Hōjō no kata and Fukuro Shinai no kata. Both shidachi and uchidachi use habiki in this kata set. In several places both shidachi and uchidachi end up on one foot after cutting. There are four kata in Habiki no kata, and they are the old version of Hōjō no kata.| stage | name |
| ipponme 1st stage | hassō happa |
| nihonme 2nd stage | itto ryōdan |
| sanbonme 3rd stage | uten saten |
| yonhonme 4th stage | chotan ichimi |
Marubashi no kata
The Marubashi no kata is the most advanced kata, it focuses on very difficult kiai and subtle movement. To the casual observer it looks as though nothing is happening in the kata at all. Shidachi uses kodachi and uchidachi uses odachi. Like the last set of kata both use shinken.This kata used to be a secret. It is not clear when the secrecy was lifted but the kata is, like the other five, described with text and photographs in the book of Yamada Jirokichi that was published in the early 20th century.
| stage | name |
| ipponme 1st stage | hassōken eight directions sword |
| nihonme 2nd stage | teiken carry sword |
| sanbonme 3rd stage | suishaken water wheel sword |
| yonhonme 4th stage | enkaiken comfortable circle sword |
| gohonme 5th stage | marubashiken circle sword |
List of representatives
The table below depicts the Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū kenjutsu lineage which spans over five centuries.Present day practice
The table below lists places where groups currently are practicing Jikishinkage-ryū Kenjutsu can be found.| continent | country | city | kata | lineage |
| Asia |  Japan | Tōkyō | all classical | Yoshida Hijime |
| Asia | Japan | Tōkyō | Naganuma curriculum | Shinbukai - Tokyo |
| Asia | Japan | Kōbe | all classical | |
| Asia | Japan | Yokohama | all classical | |
| Europe |  Czech Republic | Prague | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe |  Germany | Berlin | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Germany | Röblingen am See, Saxony-Anhalt | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Germany | Reutlingen, Baden Wurttemberg | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe |  Hungary | Budapest | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Hungary | Gödöllő | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Hungary | Pécs | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Hungary | Kecskemét | Naganuma curriculum | Shinbukai - Tokyo |
| Europe |  Italy | Turin | Hōjō, Tō | Namiki Yasushi via Hideki Hosokawa |
| Europe | Italy | Imperia | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Hideki Hosokawa |
| Europe | Italy | La Spezia | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Hideki Hosokawa |
| Europe |  Macedonia | Skopje | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe |  Netherlands | Utrecht | Hōjō, Tō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Netherlands | Amsterdam | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Hideki Hosokawa |
| Europe |  Serbia | Beograd | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Serbia | Novi Sad | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Serbia | Vršac | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Serbia | Niš | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe |  Slovakia | Sereď | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Slovakia | Bratislava | Hōjō | Namiki Yasush via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe |  Switzerland | Aarau | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Switzerland | Basel | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Switzerland | La Chaux-de-Fonds | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Switzerland | Neuchâtel | Hōjō, Tō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Switzerland | Zürich | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe | Switzerland | Winterthur | Hōjō | Namiki Yasushi via Masatomi Ikeda |
| Europe |  Poland | Gryfice | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| Europe | Poland | Toruń | classical and Shinbukan katas | Shinbukan |
| North America |  USA | Rockville, Maryland | classical | Namiki Yasushi |
| North America | USA | Chicago, Illinois | Hōjō | Ōmori Sōgen |
| Central Pacific | USA | Honolulu, Hawaii | Hōjō | Ōmori Sōgen |
| continent | country | city | kata | lineage |