Kitō-ryū Jūjutsu (起倒流柔術) was derived from Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu (良移心当流 柔術)

This article was published in 'Aiki Journal' on 7th December, 2002 and written by the Editor (believed to be the late Stanley Pranin)

“Sagoemon Hotta: reviver of Kito-ryu

Okunojo Yoshida, whose writings I have often used as a source for this series, was of retainer of the Tomiyama Domain and one of the most promising students of Tenshin Shirai-ryu founder, Toru Shirai. In addition to Shirai-ryu, however, he also practiced Kito-ryu jujutsu under Hanshiro Suzuki, a third-generation shihan in the lineage of Ukei Kato, who is considered one of the foremost shihan in the history of Kito-ryu.

The origins of Kito-ryu are so complicated that it is even difficult to pinpoint the style’s actual founder. The first important name connected with Kito-ryu is Shichirouemon Masakatsu Fukuno, a student of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu founder, Sekishusai Yagyu. Fukuno collaborated with one of his fellow students, Sensai Toshifusa Ibaraki, on jujutsu research and later created a style called Ryoishinto-ryu (also called Fukuno-ryu). He also studied Teishin-ryu under Heizaemon Yasusada Terada, and this style seems to have influenced his Ryoishinto-ryu a great deal. In addition to these, he incorporated principles and techniques from Chinese kempo learned from a Chinese individual by the name Gen-Pin Chin whom he encountered at Kokusho Temple in Edo.

Sensai Ibaraki, Fukuno’s fellow jujutsu researcher, called his own style Midare Kito-ryu. Ibaraki also received recognition (inka) in Zen from the monk Takuan.

Hachizaemon Yoroshige Terada learned jujutsu from both Fukuno and Ibaraki as well as from his older brother Heizaemon. The name Kito-ryu seems to have become formally used from around the time of Hachizaemon’s son, Kanemon Masashige Terada. Some sources suggest that Kanemon was actually Heizaemon’s son, and that after he entered the Matsue Han he began calling his style Jikishin-ryu Judo.

The lineage of Kito-ryu then continues through from Kanemon to Heisuke Suke-naga Yoshimura, whose students included Hayata Omori and Taemon Fukushima. One of Heisuke Yoshimura’s top students was Sagoemon Yoritsune Hotta (formerly Hanpei Hirano), a retainer in the House of Ako in the Banshu Domain. Hotta was a retainer of Asano Takumi no Kami, who drew his sword in anger and attacked Kira Kozukenosuke while in the shogunal castle, resulting in his own death by seppuku and the attainder of the House of Ako. Originally Hotta was among those who joined Kuranosuke Oishi in the plot to revenge their lord, however, in the end, he renounced his vow and took a new name.

Among the Ako retainers, the leader of the revenge, Kuranosuke Oishi, and eleven of his confederates, including Sanpei Kayano, are all said to have been awarded licenses in Kito-ryu by Hotta.

Hotta seems to have been outstanding among Yoshimura’s students. Okunojo Yoshida mentions in Kito-ryu Jujutsu Kirokit (“A Record of Kito-Ryu Jujutsu”) that in addition to what he had learned from Yoshimura, Hotta created seven additional forms, was highly praised by his teacher, and was acknowledged as an interim master of the style. Hotta apparently referred to his own style as Kito Jujutsu Shiyu Myojutsu.

Conceivably Hotta was excluded from the revenge plot out of fear that this talent would be lost. Also, although at that time it was not uncommon for ronin (lordless samurai) to fall into destitution, a talented jujutsu practitioner like Hotta would be able to make a reasonable living teaching his art, and this may have been taken into account as well.

However, because those former Ako retainers who had not participated in the plot were looked upon coldly by society, Hotta probably spent the remainder of his days under a cloud of social stigma. Incidentally, nowhere in the Record of Kito-Ryu Jujutsu does Okunojo Yoshida mention that Hotta had been an Ako retainer, referring to him only as “a ronin born in Tamba.” Hotta died at the age of 67 on March 22, 1724. His grave is at Honden Temple in Osaka.

Yuken Takino

Succeeding Hotta as the next individual to disseminate Kito-ryu jujutsu in Edo was Yuken Takino. Born in 1695 in Tamba, Yuken began learning jujutsu from an early age. He met Hotta and became his student in 1714 after being impressed by his skill. Eventually he received his license and on the recommendation of his teacher took a position as a jujutsu instructor in the Imperial Court. He retired in 1744, at the age of fifty, and went to disseminate Kito-ryu in Edo.

Yuken seems to have been regarded as a cunning individual, although since most of these stories originate in the literature of the Sekiguchi-ryu (a rival jujutsu school) it is difficult to substantiate their validity.

Yuken had left Kyoto to make his way in Edo, where he opened a dojo near Shiba Nishikubo Tentoku Temple. Over 5,700 students passed through this dojo at one time or another, with licenses awarded to 170 of these. Such numbers suggest that Yuken, like Hokushin Itto-ryu founder, Shusaku Chiba, possessed considerable business acumen in addition to his talent as a martial artist.

Attesting to Yuken’s skill we have the following story of how Lord Nagato, a daimyo from Sesshu, became Yuken’s student. Nagato had been learning Shibukawa-ryu under Bangoro Shibukawa. Unusual for a daimyo at that time, he was a man of enormous strength and martial skill, so much so, in fact, that even Shibukawa found him difficult to manage. After receiving his license, he began making a nuisance of himself by engaging in excessively rough practice sessions with his retainers, many of whom ended up with sprained wrists, dislocated or broken arms, and all manner of other injuries.

Nagato had heard rumors of Yuken’s skill and, confident enough to want to test his own mettle even further, he dispatched a messenger to request a match. As it happened, Yuken had just spent over three months ill in bed and was still far from recovered. He sent a reply explaining that he would go as soon as he felt completely well again.

Thinking it more likely that Yuken was simply afraid of him, Nagato repeated his request several times. Realizing there was not much he could do about it (Nagato was, after all, a daimyo), Yuken forced himself out of bed and went to explain his refusal in person. When he met Nagato he said, ‘As I am in rather poor health just now, I think it will be impossible for me to have the honor of a contest with you at this time.”

But Nagato was not to be dissuaded and continued insisting on the match until Yuken finally gave in and agreed. Before the bout began, however, he reminded the daimyo carefully, “During matches like these I sometimes have occasion to employ means that may be considered disrespectful; I would ask that you forgive me should such a thing occur.” Nagato, eager to get on with the contest, replied that Yuken was free to do whatever he liked.

The match began and Nagato rushed in to catch Yuken in his powerful grip. But Yuken was no longer there, for he had sunk down to avoid the attack, leaving his opponent to stumble past out of control, carried forward on his own momentum. He reappeared behind him and with a kick to the buttocks sent the unfortunate daimyo sprawling headlong off the edge of the veranda.

When Nagato managed to stand up again he was bleeding from a scrape on his forehead and shaking with rage. Turning to face Yuken, he grasped the hilt of his short sword and screamed, “What impudence! How dare you place you’re feet on a daimyo! If that’s your game, then let’s have a real match!” Yuken, however, remained placid. He said, “I believe that but a moment ago I reminded your Lordship that I may occasionally need to employ means that may otherwise be considered disrespectful. Supposing your Lordship were now to insist we continue the match with a naked blade, I would, of course, be obliged to participate, but I wonder, would it not be the greater dishonor for you, a daimyo, to have your fine blade taken by an unarmed mere ronin like myself?”

Nagato considered this for a moment. Then, obviously impressed, he replied, “It is as you say. Wait here for a moment,” and disappeared into the back for a while. When he emerged he was wearing a simple linen outfit. In a respectful tone he said, “I am certainly impressed with Sensei’s skill. From this day I shall call myself your student.” The two exchanged vows to seal their new relationship as student and teacher and from then on Lord Nagato busied himself with diligent training in Kito-ryu and stopped abusing his beleaguered retainers, to everyone’s great relief.

Yuken was obviously skilled in his art and many of his students became well-known. Among these, however, one of the most outstanding was Ukei Kato.

Ukei Kato

Ukei Kato was born in Tamba and later went to Kyoto where he became a student of Yuken Takino. Ukei followed Yuken when he relocated to Edo and took up residence in the Shitaya Izumibashi Dori section of town. Eventually he counted numerous daimyo and shogunal retainers among his students.

In Kito-Ryu Jujutsu Senshigata no Hana-shigikisho (“Collected Tales of Kito-Ryu Jujutsu Teachers”) Okunojo Yoshida mentions Ukei as a master jujutsuka with skills far exceeding those of his teacher. He writes, “This sensei was honest, open, and utterly lacking in self-interest. He was a master who’s skills far surpassed those of Yuken Sensei, who found him quite unmanageable.” Several anecdotes, related below, corroborate this view in the most straightforward and concrete terms.

Banished from practice

Another of Yuken’s students once paid Ukei a visit, announcing upon his arrival that he had recently received a license in a certain style of kenjutsu. Ukei politely expressed his congratulations, after which the man asked, “Sensei, is it really possible to do mutodori against someone who has a license in kenjutsu?” Ukei replied simply that disarming anybody, kenjutsuka or not, would be no different. Annoyed with this seeming dismissiveness, the man pressed further: “Do you not think it disrespectful to suggest that a licensed kenjutsuka could have his sword taken from him as easily as a rank amateur? How could that possibly be? How would you do that?” he asked. ‘All I have to do,“ replied Ukei, “is shout ‘Eiya!’, spread my arms like this and take the man’s sword.”

This, of course, was the last straw, and the man insisted that Ukei give him a demonstration to backup such a fantastic claim. Ukei did his best to convince the fellow of the pointlessness of such a demonstration, but he was so persistent that Ukei finally gave up and handed him a shinai. “Go ahead and strike, then,” he said. As the shinai came down to strike him, Ukei gave a sharp shout, spread his arms, and easily extracted the weapon from the attacker’s grip, exactly as he had described. Three times the man tried to strike and each time was relieved of his weapon. Only after the third attempt did he realize the level of skill he had come up against, and he prostrated himself deeply before the jujutsu master.

Upon his return to his dojo the student reported the details of the encounter to Yuken. He then added, “I think he must have attained such strange and amazing skills through some sort of special training. However, if the other students see him doing such techniques and attempt to imitate them, their merely ordinary skills will fail them, and this, in turn, would reflect poorly on the name of Kito-ryu. We cannot let this sort of thing go unchecked.”

Yuken agreed and thereafter banned Ukei from coming to the training hall.

Yuken was fully aware that Ukei’s skills were superior to his own and undoubtedly regarded this fact as a hindrance to his own career. Thus, he did not hesitate to sever relations with his superior student as soon as he found an opportunity to do so. Later he even went so far as to create a new technique, which he called kachikake, and let it be known among his students thereafter that “even Ukei has not received this technique.” In any case, Ukei had already learned all he needed to from Yuken, and after that continued teaching Kito-ryu on his own.

The accounts in Collected Tales of Kito-Ryu Jujutsu Teachers probably need to be taken with a largish grain of salt since their compiler and author, Okunojo Yoshida, was a direct-line student of Ukei and hardly immune to some degree of favoritism. Still, other evidence suggesting that Yuken was not thought of particularly well even by his own students, not to mention practitioners of other styles, indicates that there was indeed something problematic about his personality.

Collected Tales of Kito-Ryu Jujutsu Teachers contains a number of other vignettes that provide us with vivid portrayals of Ukei’s superior skills and colorful, stylish personality.

A challenge from “Odeko”

A certain powerfully built individual from Kaga, known only as “Odeko” (“Mr. Forehead”) came to Ukei’s dojo to ask that he be taken on as a student, to which Ukei agreed. After five or six lessons, however, this Odeko decided to challenge his new teacher to see what he was really made of. He seized Ukei roughly by the lapels and said, “Now, let’s see how good you really are! Let’s see what you’ve got!” There was a moment of stillness and then Odeko was thrown so powerfully that his head smashed right through the paneling at the base of the dojo wall, leaving his face protruding outside.

When he came to, Odeko bowed low before Ukei, utterly shocked by the skill and force with which he had been thrown. Ukei looked down at him and said, with no trace of ill will in his voice, “You know, 1 don’t think I have the strength to break that paneling, it must have been you.” Odeko apologized profusely and thereafter became Ukei’s devoted student.

Encounter with a pickpocket

Ukei was examining some colorful woodblock prints in a shop in the Ryogoku district of Edo when a pickpocket attempted to remove his purse. With the subtlest of movements, Ukei captured the thief’s hand in a locking technique and continued browsing as if nothing had transpired. The man struggled desperately to free himself, but Ukei’s jujutsu held him fast. Ukei turned to him calmly and said, “You are a wicked rascal. It is very poor of you to steal from someone like me who has only recently arrived here from Kyoto and is not yet even familiar with these parts. I think we need to go back to my place to have a little talk.” With that, Ukei escorted the hapless thief back to his house. Naturally, the thief struggled to escape all along the way, but Ukei kept up the skillful grip and pulled him along easily as if he were nothing more than an unruly child.

Once in the house, Ukei scolded him roundly for his criminal behavior. That said, he continued, “But since you were after what I have in my purse, I shall give it to you,” and he emptied the contents of his purse into the man’s hand — a total of one bu two shu (about a quarter ryo). Then he asked, “Are you fond of liquor? What say we have a drink?” to which the astonished thief managed to reply, “Uh, well, perhaps just a little.” Ukei sent him out to a nearby liquor shop and when he returned the two of them drank together for a while. Then Ukei sent him on his way.

Thus we can see Ukei’s relative indifference to material gain and attest to his decidedly waggish, playful nature.

Ukei survives an ambush

Among Ukei’s students was an individual by the name of Scan Yagi. On one occasion this Scan and three or four of his fellow students decided to plot a bit of mischief against their teacher. “Let us all lie in wait in the shadows behind the door and ambush Sensei when he comes in,” someone suggested. “I bet we can give him a good whack on the head with our shinai!” Soan pointed out that there was not much chance that they would succeed, for Ukei was the kind of man who used to lock himself in an eight-mat room and have three or four of his students attack him. “It was like clutching at lightning or some fleeting mirage,” he said. “The moment you thought you had him you were in the air being thrown. We were completely helpless against him.” He added, “Whenever Sensei is passing by he always stops to call out, Soan, are you home? and tap his bamboo walking stick on the thick plank over the ditch. The sound of his stick on the plank is clear and high-pitched, but when anyone else tries it the sound is nothing but a low, dull thudding. I tell you, he’s got this uncanny ability and I doubt very much that this prank of ours will meet with any success at all.”

Nonetheless, a messenger was sent to invite Ukei to a small get-together that evening. Ukei said he would be delighted to attend and set off at the appointed time for Soan’s house. The pranksters concealed themselves as planned, their shinai held ready to strike, in the shadows just inside the door to the gate of Soan’s house. Eventually they could hear Ukei approaching, his stick tap, tap, tapping as he walked. As he opened the door and stepped inside, they all let loose with their attacks in a flurry of motion and excitement, but when the dust settled they were surprised to hear Ukei laughing outside: “Really now,” he said, “how can you expect to strike me when I can hear you breathing in anticipation all the way down the block!?” Taking a closer look, the would-be assailants realized what they had struck was nothing but Ukei’s head kerchief that he had thrust through the door on the end of his walking stick. Ukei stepped inside, still chuckling and not upset in the least, and they all went into the house for drinks and conversation.

No specific mention is made of Ukei’s age at the time of this last episode, but from the description of his outfit including the walking stick and kerchief we can assume that he was already well into his later years. That he could still outwit his strong, young students even at that advanced age attests to his true mastery of jujutsu.”

The accompanying illustrations are from the:

'Kitō Yushin Jūjutsu Hiden Kai' (起倒雄心柔術秘傳解)

An Explanation of the Secret Techniques of the Kitō Yushin School by Tahara Shūme (田原主馬) in Meiji (明治) 38 (1905)