Shin-no-Shinkage heihō

真之神陰兵法

I studied several approaches to classical Japanese swordsmanship before moving to Seattle in 2016. Chief among them was an unofficial line of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū maintained at the Hōbyōkan following the teachings of Namiki Yasushi and Itō Masayuki. After moving to Seattle, I received a Hōbyōkan chuden license associated to my practice of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū and permission to work with a small number of people to keep my training alive.

Since that time I have continued traditional katageiko, conducted analyses of kata in a process called kuzushi and performed combative pressure testing called tameshi-ai. In doing this, my practice has become increasingly influenced by my continued study of internal martial arts. Time spent making pilgrimage to sacred sites in Japan has refined my thinking, to the point where I feel strongly my approach is something unique.

Training at the Seattle Budokan in 2021

The Gassankan (月山館) is the name I use to refer to this activity — it is an independent practice, as I have been influenced by more than one line of practice (including my study of internal martial arts) and it has been over nine years since I last trained under a teacher. I want to take responsibility for any weaknesses of this approach. In doing so, I often will speak of my swordsmanship in terms of the generic name Gassankan Kenpō instead of refering to a specific ryū.

Visiting sacred places has been an important component of my martial arts training over the years. In 2005, while visiting the Gassan Dai Jinja ( 月山大神社 ) shrine on Mt. Haguro in the Dewa Sanzan ( 出羽三山 ) area of Yamagata Prefecture, and the Hagurosan Kōtakuji Shōzenin ( 羽黒山荒沢寺正善院 ) in Haguro-machi, I decided to commit my full efforts towards learning Chinese Internal martial arts and classical Japanese swordsmanship. Almost twenty years later I spent time visiting Kyoto and Nara, including the seat of Honzan-ha Shugendō, not far from the Kyoto Budōkan (the site of the Meiji-era Butokukan), the shrines and temples at Kuramadera associated to historical figures such as Yoshitsune and Kiichi Hogen and the Todaiji in Nara. Doing so, I thought deeply about my continued martial practice — should it continue independently or should I try to rectify my Japanese swordsmanship with an existing tradition. I realized the defining aspect of my kenpō is the integration of internal martial arts principles into my practice and also that I was not willing to give up on that path.

So, after some thought, I have taken a step beyond speaking in general terms and have revived use of the name Shin-no-shinkage heihō 真之神陰兵法 to describe my ongoing Japanese martial arts practice. This is a variant of the name Ogasawara Genshinsai used to describe his swordsmanship after his return from Beijing, replacing the character for heart (心) with that for spirit (神). Ogasawara's time spent in China during the beginning of the Edo period had a profound effect on his swordsmanship. I am similarly influenced by teachings from Taoist martial arts.

Two works survive by Ogasawara Genshinsai and can be found in the Odawara City Library collection. Regarding the rise of his tradition, Genshinsai wrote:

I am calm and composed. Although I have tried various streams, I have not yet reached the deepest level of the art. Because I have crossed the river differently, people are in harmony with each other, and they are diligent in their studies. I am thinking about it with a sincere heart. [2]

One explanation, from Karukome and Sakai, is as follows:

The content of this record roughly says that he has studied various schools since he was young, but was unable to reach their profound meaning. However, by traveling overseas and learning from others, he reached the profound meaning, and after carefully thinking about these, he named it Shin-no-shinkage heihō.

The martial arts exchanges between China and Japan in the Ming Dynasty were certainly far more than the Kage-ryu crossing of the sea related to General Qi and the single-sword method related to Liu Yunfeng from Zhejiang. The example here can be called the second Kage-ryu crossing of the sea in terms of the inheritance of Kage-ryu. [2]

The first crossing of Kage-ryu described above, influenced the development of the Chinese martial arts I study. It is only fitting that when I practice Japanese martial arts, I practice content derived from the second, in terms of how I approach my continued practice.

The Quanzhen School (全真: Quánzhēn, "All-True", Complete Perfection, Integrating Perfection or Complete Reality) of Taoism:

is one of the two dominant denominations of Daoism in China. One of its founders was master Wang Chongyang (1113–1170). When the Mongols invaded China the Quanzhen Taoists exerted great effort in keeping the peace, thus saving most Han Chinese lives. Qiu Chuji, a major disciple of Wang, founded the Dragon Gate lineage (龍門派 Lóngmén pài), along with the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing. This tradition remains one of the largest Taoist sects in China. [1]

I think it is no accident Ogasawara returned from China using the character 真 to describe his heihō, given the strong influence Taoist concepts of yin and yang complementarity and five element theory continue to have on the practice, even over four hundred years later. Quanzhen Taoism is also the type of Taoism associated to the formal lineage in Chinese internal martial arts I am part of, so I feel a special connection to reviving the name Shin-no-shinkage.

I want to draw a clear distinction between my own continued practice and the efforts of others who hold formal lineages of these and related arts. Shin-no-shinkage heihō importantly does not include the character for ryū (流) in its name – this is a personal practice and not a new line of transmission. I practice kenpō (劍法) as part of the cultivation of shugyō (修行) – mindful austerity.

In Jikishinkage-ryū, the use of term Kashima-shinden dates from 1765, over one hundred and fifty years after the founding of the art. Its use is due to the influence of Naganuma Shirōzaemon attributing the genesis of the art to Matsumoto Bizen no Kami, a retainer of Kashima shrine. His predecessors, Takahashi Danjozaemon and Yamada Heizaemon (Ippusai), regarded Kamiya Denshinsai as the originator of the art, and in writings by Heizaemon in 1708, no mention of Kashima-shinden is made.

So, in my mind, the concept of Kashima-shinden is not associated to historical Jikishinkage-ryū at the time of early masters like Okuyama and Ogasawara. It is also much more likely Matsumoto Bizen no Kami studied under Kamiizumi Ise no Kami, founder of Shinkage-ryū (all of whose variants credit him as their originator), than the other way around. The emphasis on Kashima-shinden was an Edo period innovation for that art and hides some of its earlier character – that change of emphasis has only increased in modern times with influences from state Shinto and militaristic Zen popular in the Meiji and Taisho periods.

Earlier writings on the art by Ogasawara instead cite a number of esoteric Buddhist guardian deities instead of Takemikazuchi-no-kami, the patron deity of Kashima, as providing protection to its adherents, including: Fudō-o (Acalanatha; 不動明王), the associated naga (divine serpent) Kurikara-ryū-o (倶利伽羅竜王) and Daitokuten (Mahākāla; 大黒天).

無想法身虚実同体—不動経 (Musō-hō mi kyojitsu dōtai) The oneness of reality and emptiness — the Acalanatha Sutra. [3]

In my own training, I emphasize Taoist aspects of the art, including complementarity (yin and yang) and five element theory and draw inspiration from esoteric Buddhism and Shugendō:

• I have evolved my practice to constrain my expression of kiai to be more akin to the vocalizations found in internal martial arts: flowing from, or aligned with, a movement, rather than driving a movement.
• I no longer forcefully coordinate breathing with each movement, but instead keep my breathing relaxed and steady and utilize sophisticated reverse breathing methods from Tàijíquán instead of the ibuki style of breathing often used during traditional aun kokyu.
• Emphasis is placed on developing a connected body that integrates force with each action in an optimal manner while remaining relaxed and able to adapt suddenly when needed.

In terms of a specific training curriculum, beyond those general emphases and qualities of movement:

1. I begin with formal katageiko (form practice) that includes methods of walking, cutting, breathing and foundational methods called hōjō that consist of paired partner practices introducing five element theory or onmyo-gogyō-setsu.
2. Once proficiency is developed with foundations, an austere set of tactical forms called to-no-kata are introduced. Analysis of kata called kuzushi and pressure testing called tameshi-ai are conducted.
3. The use of the small sword called kodachi is introduced and serves as a point of departure for grappling methods called kogusoku.
4. Older versions of foundational practice are then conducted with steel swords called habiki-to.
5. Armored teachings from related lines of practice are explored in a set of teachings I call hiko-goshin.
6. Finally, the curriculum is re-examined with a variety of traditional weapons as well as when unarmed to explore the concept of muto dori.

The core Shinkage-ryū kata called empi, said to be the essence of Kamiizumi Ise no Kami's Shinkage-ryū, is present in Ogasawara's writing, using the homophone 圓飛 instead of 燕飛. Ogasawara's writing also mentions the gokui practice of tengu-sho 天狗抄. These three sets of teachings are said to be the core of what Kamiizumi Ise no Kami received from Aisu Kage-ryu. Sangakuen, in contrast, which bears a resemblance to Hōjō (most clearly in the names of several of the kata within the set), is said to have been derived from enpi no tachi as a set of explanatory or introductory practices — the name Hōjō literally means "foundational practices" — the relationship in that case seems clear, although Sangakuen and Hōjō looks quite different in contemporary surviving lines of Shinkage-ryū and Jikishinkage-ryū.

Most lines of Jikishinkage-ryū no longer practice empi, kuka or tengu-sho. Ogasawara's practice and the earlier teachings of Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami are clearly connected in this manner, the latter which credits Aisu Kage-ryu as its inspiration:

また，流儀を興した経緯について，源信斎は，「予 自リ レ若，雖モ レ試ルト 二諸流ヲ一，未ダレ至ラ 二其奥儀ニ一，異朝ニ渡ル故，人ニ相応ズル之旨叶ヒ，忩テ勤メレ之ヲ， 倩々思レ之ヲ以テ真之心陰ト云 26）」（送り仮名，返り点，読点筆者）と述べている。[...] しかし，国郷以前の伝書に「鹿島神伝」と記 されることはなかったようである。 [3]

By practicing in a manner more compatible with internal martial arts (Taoist in origin) I hope to return to an earlier Jikishinkage-ryū than is commonly found today.

Conclusions

The formal kata of Jikishinkage-ryū serve as a foundational practice and frame of reference from which we can begin to understand the core principles of swordsmanship and develop our skill. Jikishinkage-ryū has had its curriculum pared down over time, especially in lines (such as our own) that descend from the famous Sakakibara Kenkichi, bodyguard to the last Tokugawa Shogun in the late 19th century. So, it is useful to examine its teachings from the perspectives of other lines of Shinkage-ryū that retain some of these earlier teachings.

However, the advantages to the development of posture, distance, timing, body alignment, awareness of angle and centerline, balance, root (stance), power generation, and resolve (spirit) provided by a study of Jikishinkage-ryū can in turn serve to amplify the other approaches. Sometimes, we find, beyond what is even possible in the related arts.

This is one reason why practitioners of Jikishinkage-ryū will regard their art as the "true" or "correct" Shinkage-ryū, and will sometimes simply refer to their practice only as Shinkage-ryū.

Having developed a foundation and then explored variation, we are then in a good position to begin a free practice of sparring called tameshi ai, where students can test themselves in order to bring out the spontaneous and intuitive mindset necessary for developing higher levels of skill. Jiki Shinkage-ryū was famous for its strength in shiai, and I aim to preserve that aspect of the tradition.

Ultimately, our practice is a form of austerity called shugyō that develops the body, mind, and spirit. Because Jikishinkage-ryū is organized around Taoist principles but winds up being a very hard practice at times, I find utility in and embrace the idea of balancing its practice with elements drawn from the classical internal martial arts (Bagua, Xingyi, and Taiji). This is in keeping with advice my teacher was given when he was learning the art, and the fact that Jikishinkage-ryū's fourth headmaster spent an extended period of time in China in the early 17th century, which had a profound impact on Jikishinkage-ryū compared to other surviving Shinkage-ryū traditions.

While my practice is quite orthodox (not having substantially changed its kata, despite the emphases described above) our goals are broader than simple historical preservation, as hard as that may be in of itself. I do not believe myself to simply be a caretaker of an art for some future generation. Others have that responsibility, when they inherit an art. Instead, I simply strive to maintain my practice, and eventually surpass the skill of those who have come before me. I believe each art lives or dies in a single generation and we must all work to keep our practice alive in each moment, never taking our knowledge for granted, no matter where we train. That is why I speak in terms of heihō and shugyō instead of ryūha.

Because I do not have full transmission or mastery of what I practice, I am not in a position to issue ranks or licenses in the arts I have learned. In addition, strictly speaking, our practice is a superset of Jikishinkage-ryū, due to the related teachings we examine, and the influence that Chinese internal martial arts have had on my practice over time. I do want to recognize progress within the curriculum of my school, and when I do so, it will be in terms of the name Gassankan or Shin-no-shinkage heihō, not Jikishinkage-ryū.

I acknowledge and embrace my status as leading a small independent training activity that is not part of a larger organization inside or outside of Japan. I want to put my practice in proper context within the larger martial arts community, while providing proper recognition to those who are authorized to continue arts in a lineal fashion. Koryu are social organizations designed to transmit martial teachings, and not simply a collection of forms.

Being independent has both advantages and limitations, beyond the issue of license or rank. I am, on the one hand, more free to explore and see the connections between different arts and discern underlying patterns or truths that might drive one (I am hopeful) to a higher level of skill. But, almost by definition, my knowledge of any one art I have learned is incomplete. However, it is often the case that in traditional schools, even with full transmission of an art, teachers do not test themselves internally or against other groups, for fear of losing social status were they to struggle or be defeated. That rigid hierarchy can sometimes prevent the fullest expression of an art's potential, even among senior practitioners. It is my intent to do my best to avoid that affliction.

End Notes

1. Quanzhen Taoism, Wikipedia.
2. 小笠原源信斎『真之心陰兵法目録』寛文 10 年, 真之心陰兵法免状』寛文 13 年，小田原市立図書館蔵
3. Karukome Yoshitaka, Sakai Toshinobu: An analysis of the formation of Jikishinkage-ryū in relation to its lineage and transmission. 武道学研究 47―3: 119―138, 2015. 原著.
4. Ishigaki, Y., 1992. Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū Gokui Denkai 鹿島神伝直心影流極意伝開. Shinjusha.