|  | Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami was born in 1508 as the son of the lord of Kami-Izumi castle (located in present day Kami-Izumi , Maebashi city, Gunma Prefecture). This period of Japanese history is referred to as the 'Sengoku-Jidai' or 'The Era Of Warring States' which prevailed from the year 1480 to 1570.
As the son of a lord of a castle born into such turbulent times, from early childhood his time was devoted not only to academic studies but also to the rigorous practice of Zen and the martial arts. Having mastered the military arts of the Ogasawara school which were based on the teachings and tactics of the great Chinese military strategist and philosopher Sunzi, he earned a reputation as the greatest spear man in Gunma Prefecture (then called Kozuke-no-kuni), he showed particular interest in the study of swordsmanship (kenjutsu), and later evolved the style known today as Shinkage-Ryu.
His training in swordmanship or Kenjutsu was largely based in Katori-Shinto-Ryu and later, on the two other major schools of the day, Nen-Ryu and Kage-Ryu. In particular, he used the principle of Marobashi-no-Michi from Kage-Ryu as the cornerstone of Shinkage-Ryu.
It is said that Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami gained full enlightenment of the principle of Marobashi upon the realization, during his study of the Enkai-no-Tachi techniques of Kage-Ryu, that the principles of Zen, in which he had immersed himself from his youth, and that the philosophy of Sunzi as manifested in the Ogasawara school, blended and became a perfect whole in this technique of Enkai-no-Tachi.
As a warrior, Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami was opposed to involving his subordinates, or those belonging to one of his fiefs, in battles in which it was probable that they would lose their lives and, whenever possible, avoided such futile and profitless conflict, thus displaying an attitude unusual among members of the warrior class of those times. It is almost certain that such thinking was born of long years of Zen discipline.
Even so, in an attempt to prevent the fall of Minowa castle, Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami, with only a small number of men under his command, invaded the enemy encampment, although vastly outnumbered and in the knowledge of almost certain death. However, Takeda Shingen, who valued and respected Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami, ordered his forces to retreat. Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami, who thus escaped what had seemed to be certain death, abandoned the life of a warrior and set out on a journey to spread the teachings of Shinkage-Ryu.
Normally, in swordsmanship, one is taught techniques for defeating and killing one's enemy with the sword, however, during his travels, Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami preached a somewhat different approach. He taught that 'the techniques of Shinkage-Ryu are unbeatable; this arises not from the needless taking of life, but from the true courage required to avoid unnecessary conflict.'
Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami taught and spread these principles to his followers around the country in the belief that an increase in the number of those who adhered to these principles would herald the end of warfare and the beginning of a peaceful society. Many of his followers understood these principles and, in turn, did their best to further spread the teachings of their master.
Eventually, these concepts came to bear fruit under Yagyu Munenori, master swordsman to the Tokugawa Shogun, and were established as the basis of the 300 years of the Tokugawa era.
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The theory of Shinkage-Ryu can be divided into theory concerning actual technique and spiritual theory. However, it must be remembered that the two form a whole and, traditionally, have always been thus regarded.
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The following is a short translation of Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami's explanation of the principle of Marobashi. 'The concept of offense and defense lies in adapting one's action to one's enemy, much in the way a sailor will raise the sail when the wind rises, or a hunter will release the hawk on sighting a rabbit'.
It is usual to think of offense purely in terms of offense and defense purely in terms of defense: however, there are elements of defense in offense and offense in defense.
The practitioner of Shinkage-Ryu should fully understand the meaning of the line from the Chinese poem about the 'cat sleeping under the peonies' (i.e. apparently asleep, but always aware)'.
The term 'Marobashi' is usually taken to mean 'the way of nature, freedom and the energy of life'.
However 'Marobashi' has a dual meaning, being used as a term representing the inner truths of the philosophy of the Chinese military strategist Sunzi, and also as a term for divine enlightenment in Zen Buddhism.
In terms of actual combat, one must know the enemy and oneself; one must make the enemy conform to one's own will. When one makes one's move and the 'lion' comes to take the bait, respond with all one's power, like an avalanche of rocks down the mountainside into the valley, or water gushing out of a burst dam.
At the same time, the swordsman's spiritual state should encompass both the benevolence preached by Zen (the philosophy of peace, none-aggression and love for one's fellow man) and constant flexibility, enabling one not to become totally absorbed or attached to anything in this world.
Accordingly, the practitioner of Shinkage-Ryu should purge evil from his heart, deepen his understanding of humanity and confront the forces of evil with the courage born of truth. At the same time showing benevolence to his fellow man, constantly striving to deepen his knowledge of mankind and rid the world of evil, working toward this end through rigorous training and self-discipline.
In the history of Japanese martial Arts, Kami-Izumi-Ise-no-Kami was the first to apply such Zen Buddhist philosophy to swordsmanship. It was in this spirit that he developed techniques for taking one's attacker's sword away from him unarmed, without needlessly taking life. This approach exerted a considerable influence over other schools of swordsmanship of the day.
In Shinkage-Ryu, there are a wealth of sword techniques and it is through the study and rigorous practice of these techniques that one can learn not only the movements themselves, but also the underlying philosophy and spiritual significance. It is essential that these two aspects of, the physical and the spiritual, blend to become one.
KATAS:
JUN-NUKI
MUKO-NO-KATANA
YOKEMI
MUNE-NO-KATANA
HIRAKI-NUKI
YOKO-GUMO
HIKIMI
ZENGO-NO-TEKI
UCHI-DOME
SAGARI-FUJI
TSURE-ASHI
nb: Texte from FURYO.COM
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