Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin Ryu Bojutsu

By Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura

This training video contains the formidable techniques of Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin Ryu Bojutsu, which was one of the special schools passed down from Takamatsu Toshitsugu. Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura has created this video to bring these amazing techniques to the public. As a special addition, this video even contains footage of Kimura Masaji Masakatsu, the previous Grandmaster and one of Takamatsu’s top students!

Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin Ryu Bojutsu History

In the 1st year of the Engen era (1336) on August 28th, Yakushimaru Kurando Takamasa, who was the 37th generation from a famous bloodline starting with Fujiwara Kamatari, helped Emperor Godaigo escape from Kazan palace.
The Emperor had been trapped at Kazan by shogun Ashikaga Takauji. To gain entrance, Takamasa dressed as a woman, taking with him a traditional woman’s weapon, the naginata, so that the guards let him pass.

However, he was discovered escaping with the Emperor and he had to fight Satake Goromaru Takenobu, a retainer of Ashikaga Takauji. Goromaru cut the blade end off Takamasa’s naginata, but Takamasa used the metal bands on the bottom end of the remaining rokushaku bo, to strike a deadly blow to Goromaru’s head. He then fought the rest of Takauji’s guards, still using only his rokushaku bo and in the end was successful.

In December of the second year of the Engen era (1337), Takamasa was given the family name Kuki (Kukami) by Emperor Godaigo, for his loyalty and successful rescue mission. After that, Takamasa gave more credence to rokushaku bojutsu in his martial art Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin ryu.

On May 4th of the 3rd year in the Tensho Era (1534), daimyo Takeda Katsuyori’s army fought against the combined forces of daimyo Oda Nobunaga and daimyo Tokugawa Ieyasu, at Narashino, Aichi prefecture.
During this battle, Takeda’s retainer, Suzuki Tango Katsuhisa, fought with Kuriyama Ukon Nagafusa.
Kuriyama attacked Suzuki with his yari, but Suzuki countered with his tachi and cut the yari in two. Using the remaining sanjaku bo (hanbo), Kurimaya struck and killed Suzuki.

After this encounter, Kuriyama raised the importance of sanjaku bojutsu training within Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin ryu, as previously it had only included rokushaku bo.

Takamatsu Toshitsugu gave this ryuha (menkyo kaiden) to one of his highest students, Kimura Masaji. Kimura Masaji gave menkyo kaiden grandmastership and Souden-no-Maki (final teachings scroll) to Tanemura Shoto, on November 10th 1991.

The genealogy is as follows:

Yakushimaru Kurando Takamasa – Ohuchi Minbu Yoshikane – Ohuchi Goroumaru Katsushige – Hatakeyama Saburohyoe Masayoshi – Ohkuni Kawachinokami Yoshiie – Ohkuni Onihei Hisayoshi – Arima Daisuke Tadaaki – Arima Kawachinosuke Masayoshi – Kuriyama Ukon Nagafusa – Hosoya Shinpachiro Yukihisa – Kimura Ittosai Josui – Kimura Yoshinari Gessui – Ohkuma Shima Masanobu – Iba Toyotaro – Ishitani Matsutaro Tadaaki – Takamatsu Toshitsugu Kikaku – Kimura Masaji Masakatsu – Tanemura Tsunehisa Shoto

Requirements: Available only to Genbukan Members

Read more about the history of Tenshin Hyoho Kukishin-Ryu.