The Lost Samurai School: Secrets of Mubyoshi Ryu

524 Pages·2016·16.52 MB·English

by  Antony Cummins

THE LOST SAMURAI SCHOOL
THE LOST SAMURAI SCHOOL
SECRETS OF MUBYŌSHI RYŪ
Antony Cummins
with Mieko Koizumi
Copyright © 2016 by Antony Cummins. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief
review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without written permission of the publisher.
For information contact Blue Snake Books c/o North Atlantic Books.
Published by Blue Snake Books, an imprint of North Atlantic Books Berkeley, California
Cover art or photo by unknown.
Cover design by Howie Seversan
The Lost Samurai School: Secrets of Mubyōshi Ryū is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study
of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley,
California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of
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PLEASE NOTE: The creators and publishers of this book disclaim any liabilities for loss in connection
with following any of the practices, exercises, and advice contained herein. To reduce the chance of injury
or any other harm, the reader should consult a professional before undertaking this or any other martial arts,
movement, meditative arts, health, or exercise program. The instructions and advice printed in this book are
not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental, or emotional counseling with a licensed
physician or healthcare provider.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cummins, Antony, author; Koizumi, Mieko, author.
Title: The lost samurai school : secrets of Mubyoshi Ryu / Antony Cummins.
Description: Berkeley, California : North Atlantic Books, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016017044 (print) | LCCN 2016030735 (ebook) | ISBN 9781623170875 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781623170882 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Swordplay—Japan. | Martial arts—Japan. | Samurai. |
BISAC: SPORTS & RECREATION / Martial Arts & Self-Defense. | HISTORY Asia Japan.
Classification: LCC GV1150.C86 2016 (print) | LCC GV1150 (ebook) | DDC 796.80952—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016017044
To the memory of Niki Shinjūrō and Hagiwara Jūzō, the core founders of
Mubyōshi Ryū, who collected these skills together in defense against their
enemies. Also to Kaneko Kichibei, who kept the school alive.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
1. An Introduction to the Lost School
2. Mubyōshi Ryū Lineage Chart
3. Keibukan, the Dōjō of Kaga Province
4. Training in Japan Today
5. The Mubyōshi Ryū Curriculum
6. The Inherited Tradition
7. The Origins of the School
8. The Martial Arts of Mubyōshi Ryū
9. The Sixteen Poems of Mubyōshi Ryū
10. The Scroll of the Mind
11. Lion Dance
12. Shinjin Ryū
13. The Art of Seppuku
14. Deep Secrets and the Arts of the Shinobi
15. Ritual Magic
16. Kuden—Oral Traditions
17. Mubyōshi Ryū Saved
18. Bonus Material: Chū-Kodachi and Shuriken Skills from the Uematsu Family
Appendix A. Measurements and Numbers
Appendix B. Subjects and Schools Taught at the Keibukan Military School of
Kanazawa
Appendix C. Keibukan Military School Lesson Timetable
Appendix D. Scroll List and Collection Record
Appendix E. Japanese Transcriptions
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the current grandmaster of Mubyōshi Ryū, Uematsu
Yoshiyuki Sensei, for his help and enthusiasm in this project. Also to Joe Swift,
his longtime student and core adviser on this venture; without him it would be all
the poorer. Also his colleague Kawasaki Yūki. Thanks to Hashimoto Yoshiyuki
for his help with acquiring some of the texts. Finally to Yoshie Minami, who
supplied many of the translations for this book, especially the shinobi teachings
and secret scrolls.
1
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LOST
SCHOOL
MUBYŌSHI RYŪ AT A GLANCE
Mubyōshi Ryū is a samurai warfare school from the Kaga domain from around
the time of the fourth lord of Kaga, Maeda Tsunanori (1643–1724), who is
sometimes also considered the fifth lord. The school appears to have been
established in the mid to late seventeenth century, with some of the earliest scroll
transcriptions dated to around the 1670s. The school itself contains a collection
of “civilian” samurai skills,1 concentrating more on personal protection than
battlefield warfare, including the arts of the shinobi and some esoteric magic.
The origins appear to center on a samurai named Hagiwara Jūzō and his
colleague Niki Shinjūrō, who as contemporaries appear on nearly all the school
scrolls. The name Mubyōshi Ryū (無拍子流), which can also be pronounced as
Muhyōshi Ryū, is best translated as “the school with no discernible rhythm” or
“the school that has no gap between event and reaction.”
無: without
拍子: rhythm
流: school
The name implies that a student of the school will be a samurai who has no
identifiable gaps in their skills and defenses, making their offensive and
defensive skills complete and whole. Furthermore, as discussed in the schools
original scrolls, the name implies that a student of the school shows no delay
between an event and the student’s reaction. According to the school’s
introduction within the Yawara Jo scroll, mubyōshi is the lack of distance
between the beat of a hand clapping and the echoing sound it produces. This