The Kitō-ryū (起倒流) is a derivative school of the Ryōi Shintō-ryū. In his book ‘Kōdōkan Jūdō’, Jigoro Kano states the following, in relation to the Koshiki no Kata (which is the ‘Jin no Maki ‘人之巻 - scroll of man from the Kitō-ryū):

“The techniques in this kata were designed for armour-clad warriors of the Kitō School, and it is essential while performing the techniques in the form of this kata to imagine oneself wearing heavy armour.”

Shinohara Shinin’chi (篠原信一) - (2005) in his article ‘Ryōi Shintō-ryū Wajutsu’ (良移心当流和術) states that:

“Kumiuchi reflects the social background around the time the style was created and places focus on the fundamentals of essential grappling on the battlefield, and it is clearly understood that this is the foundation of randori.”

Further references to Kumiuchi as a external descriptor for the Ryōi Shintō-ryū can be found in the following two  detailed below:

In the Shūkaroku (拾華録) by Kiyoshi Watatani (綿谷雪) - (1970), he states that:

“The Ryōi Shintō- ryū  makes use of Kumiuchi , Atemi and Tantō (短刀 – short blade) techniques”

In the ‘Budō no densho’ – (武道の傳書Handbook of martial arts) Watanabe Ichirō (渡邉一郎) - (1978) comments that:

“The ‘Jigo Tenshin-ryū densho states that: “For Yoroi Kumiuchi (grappling on the battlefield) Ryōi Shintō is unequalled.””

Various Ryōi Shintō-ryū Mokuroku make specific reference to Kumiuchi and amongst these are the documents of the Nagahama (長浜) line of the Ryōi Shintō-ryū such as the:

• Shintō-ryū Yawara Kumiuchi Mokuroku (心當流和組打目録)
• Shin to Yawara Kumi Dai (神富柔え組大)

Derivative schools from the Ryōi Shintō-ryū have also used Kumiuchi as a general and transmission level descriptors. Examples of this are:

The (undated) article by Yamamoto Yoshiyasu (山本義泰) entitled:

 ‘The Kumiuchi of the Jigō Tenshin School’ (自剛天真流組討について)

and various Kitō-ryū documents such as the:

• Kitō-ryū Jūdō Yoroi-Kumiuchi Ai Maki (起倒柔道鎧組討合巻)

• Kitō-ryū Jūjutsu Yoroi-Kumiuchi No Densho (起倒柔術鎧組討之伝書)

• Kitō-ryū Jūjutsu Yoroi Kumiuchi Hontai no maki (起倒柔術 鎧組打 木體之卷)

The accompanying pictures are of Sekiguchi-ryū (関口流) from the book:"Nihon Budō Taikei (日本武道大系 - Japanese Budō Compedium) Dairokukan (第六巻 - Volume 6)"

(See previous post on 8th December 2020 about the Ryōi Shintō-ryū - Miura-ryū, Sekiguchi-ryū & Shibukawa-ryū connection)