THE SWORD THROUGH THE MEIJI PERIOD
With the Meiji restoration in 1868, Japan embarked on a period of westernization, neglecting for many years its traditional culture.
As part of the process of dismantling the old bakufu the feudal families gave up their lands to the new government.
This meant that many of the old martial schools lost their financial support. As the samurai classes were absorbed into the new society and the nation looked to the west for inspiration the traditional budo went into decline.
Several factors combined to keep the arts alive through this period. The Dai Nippon Butokukai was organized in 1895 and in 1911 formed a specialty school which hired many of the budo experts of that generation. In the same year Kendo and Judo were introduced into the middle schools as compulsory exercise.
This resulted in the budo being taught to the general public which allowed some of the old teachers to make a new living.
During the same period the new conscript army needed to be trained. Schools like the Toyama Gakko which was organized in 1873 included the traditional martial arts as well as the western theories. The Toyama Ryu was developed in 1925 (Showa) and included Gunto Soho, Iai performed with the army sword. This school was based on the teachings of the Omori Ryu.
THE NATIONAL POLICE FORCES
The third factor in the preservation of budo was the police force, organized in 1874.
The police sword unit called the Batto- tai fought during the Satsuma rebellion (1877) when all available government forces were thrown into the effort. In one battle the police kenshi fought the Satsuma swordsmen of the Jigen Ryu to a standstill.
This was one of the main reasons that the sword was adopted by the police in 1879 and remained standard equipment until the end of the Second World War. The sword provided an alternative weapon which lay between the club and the gun in lethality.
The swordsmen assigned to instruct the forces developed the police sword forms called the Keishicho Ryu Gekken Kata in 1886. The following swordsmen were instructors during these years.
- Okumura Sakonda, Tokino Seikishiro (Jikishinkage Ryu)
- Ueda Umanosuke (Yoshin Meichi Ryu)
- Neigishi Shingoro, Shibae Umpachiro, Watanabe Noboru (Shindo Munen Ryu)
- Matsuzaki Namishiro (Shinkage Ryu)
- Shingai Tadatsu (Tamiya Ryu)
- Takao Tesso (Etchu Ryu) (Jojo–Etchu Ryu?)
- Mitsuhashi Kan'ichiro (Ogun Ryu)
The set of 10 katas developed by a committee of these instructors was the first standardized kendo kata in Japan.
The techniques represented 10 schools as follows:
1. Hasso:Jikishinkage Ryu
2. Henka: Kurama Ryu
3. Hachiten Giri: Hozan Ryu
4. Maki Otoshi: Rishin Ryu
5. Kadan no Tsuki: Hokushin Itto Ryu
6. A-un: Asayama Ichiden Ryu
7. Ichi-ni no Tachi: Jigen Ryu
8. Uchi Otoshi: Shindo Munen Ryu
9. Hasetsu: Yagyu Shinkage Ryu
10. Kurai Zume: Kyoshin Meichi Ryu
In the 1920s and 30s the swordsmen instructing the police included Hiyama Yoshihitsu, Hotta Shitejiro, Nakayama Hakudo (founded Muso Shinden Iai), Saimura Goro, and Shimizu Takaji (25th head Shindo Muso Ryu, head Ikaku Ryu).
With the prohibition of almost all martial arts practice in 1945 by the allied forces in Japan, the budo went through another period of decline. One exception to the ban was the police force which was allowed to continue training in budo for their practical and fitness aspects.
From the National Police Reserves came the National Safety Corps (1952), then the Self Defence Forces (1954) which is the modern Japanese armed forces.
Today the martial arts as practiced in the police academy are some of the strongest and roughest in Japan.
THE POLICE IAIDO TRAINING...KESHI RYU
The Iai kata described here date from the founding of the police forces in the early Meiji. The kata were developed to teach the fundamentals of Iai without the need for prolonged study of one of the Koryu.
In this respect it is similar in intent to the Seitei Gata Iai of the ZNKR or Iaido Toho of the ZNIR. In North America these techniques are taught by Takeshi Mitsuzuka Sensei.
The Iai set contains five techniques, each from a different style. The katas are designed to deal with an attack from the front, back, right and left sides and finally an attack from four directions at once.
The waza and their school of origin are as follows.
1. Mae Goshi: Asayama Ichiden Ryu
2. Muso Gaeshi: Shindo Munen Ryu
3. Migi no Tekki: Kyoshin Meichi Ryu
4. Mawari Gake: Tamiya Ryu
5. Shiho: Tatsumi Ryu
The Shindo Munen Ryu was founded by Fukui Yoshihira (Kahei) in the mid 1700s.
The Kyoshin Meichi Ryu was established in Kansei (1789-1801) by Momoi Hachirozaemon Naoyoshi and has roots in the Toda, Itto, Yagyu and Horiuchi Ryu. Momoi Shunzo Naoichi taught at the Kobusho military school. (f. 1854)
The Tamiya Ryu is a school founded by Tamiya Heibei Shigamasa who was born in the later part of the 1500s. He was a student of Hayashizaki Shiganobu Jinsuke and is accepted as the second headmaster of the Muso Jikiden Iaido lineage. From the Tamiya Ryu came the Shin Tamiya Ryu which was involved in the Mito Anti-Bakufu movement.
The Tatsumi Ryu was founded in the early 1500s, before the birth of Hayashizaki and included Iai training in its curriculum. It predates the Muso Jikiden lineage.