was a swordsman of the early Sengoku period. He was described as a '' kensei'' (sword saint). He was the founder of a new Kashima style of

kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms o ...

, and served as an instructor of

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Ise provincial governor ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' Kitabatake Tomonori.

Early life

Bokuden was born into the Yoshikawa family within the

Hitachi Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

. The family was one of four Karō families serving the Kashima clan; one of the cadet branches of the Imperial House of Japan (descendants of the ). Bokuden was adopted by the Tsukahara family, an offshoot of the Kashima clan; he was styled as Tsukahara Bokuden Takamoto. Earlier in his life, his name was ''Tsukahara Shin'emon Takamoto''.

Career

Bokuden learned the Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū from his adopted father and later honed his skills by engaging in '' musha shugyō'' (warrior's ascetic training), traveling throughout Japan and training with most of the skillful and knowledgeable swordsmen of the day. Tsukahara Bokuden was the classic knight-errant; a rich nobleman, he travelled the Japanese countryside, often with a full entourage. He later systematized the teaching of the Kashima area's local martial arts, including such approaches to combat as ''Kashima no tachi'' and ''Ichi no tachi''. After allegedly receiving a divine inspiration from ''Takemikazuchi no kami'', the

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

of Kashima Shrine, he named his martial system as Kashima Shintō-ryū. He also, for a brief period, called his system ''Mutekatsu-ryū'' ("winning without hands"). In one anecdote recorded in the '' Kōyō Gunkan'', Bokuden was challenged by a mannerless ruffian. When asked about his style, Bokuden replied that he studied the "Style of No Sword". The ruffian laughed and insultingly challenged Bokuden to fight him without a sword. Bokuden then agreed to fight the man without his sword but suggested they row out to a nearby island on

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...

to avoid disturbing others. The ruffian agreed, but when he jumped from the boat to the shore of the island, drawing his blade, Bokuden pushed the boat back out, leaving the ruffian stranded on the island. Bokuden explained: "This is my no-sword school".

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

was so fond of this story, that in '' Enter the Dragon (1973)'' he teaches a bully a lesson about "Fighting without Fighting", when he offers to leave a junk and sail to an island. Musashi vs

There is a fictional story that the young

Miyamoto Musashi , was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...

challenged Bokuden to a duel during a meal. When Musashi struck first, Bokuden parried the blade using the potlid from the meal as a shield (as depicted in a nishiki-e by

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi ha ...

). As Tsukahara Bokuden had died in 1571, 13 years before Musashi's birth in 1584, the meeting is an apocryphal myth. According to modern Japanese author and practitioner of

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

, Tokitsu Kenji, Tsukahara fought his first duel to the death at the age of 17. Through his lifetime, he fought another 19 duels and in 37 battles. He was wounded 6 times but only by arrows. His death toll is estimated to have been 212 kills.

Death and legacy

Bokuden died of natural causes in 1571. His grave at is in Kashima, Ibaraki. Those devoted to the art of Japanese sword-fighting, would make

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

s to the Kashima Shrine because it is considered the spiritual home of

Subordinates

These are traditionally considered students of Bokuden: * Ujii Shouken * Morooka Ichiha/Ippa * Makabe Ujimoto * Narita Nagayasu * Saito Denkibo * Matsuoka NorikataKenzo Hotate, Encyclopedia of Ibaraki Prefecture, edited by Ibaraki Shimbun, Ibaraki Shimbun, 1981, pp. 706-707. "Tsukahara Bokuden" * Hayashizaki Jinsuke * Ashikaga Yoshiteru * Kitabatake Tomonori * Hosokawa Fujitaka * Imagawa Ujizane * Kamiizumi Nobutsuna * Yamamoto Kansuke

In popular culture

Books

* Shotaro Ikenami "The Last Journey of the Bokuden" Kadokawa Group Publishing, 1980 *Yo Tsumoto " Tsukahara Uden 12th Game " Kodansha, 1983 * Gishū Nakayama "Tsukahara Bokuden" Tokuma Shoten, 1989 *Ryuichiro Mine "Nippon Kenkiden Tsukahara Uden" Shodensha, 1993 * Shotaro Ishinomori "Tsukahara Bokuden" Shogakukan, 1996 *Yukio Yahagi "Undefeated Sword Saint Tsukahara Bokuden" Kodansha, 2011

Movies

*In

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

’s film, '' Seven Samurai'', the scene in which the character Gorobei’s swordsmanship skills are tested is based on an episode from Tsukahara’s life.

TV

*" Tsukahara Bokuden" (October 2nd to November 13th, 2011, NHK BS Premium Performance: Masato Sakai. The original is the above-mentioned "Twelfth Game") Video Games * In the video game Nioh 2, Tsukahara makes an appearance as a combat teacher. The player must beat him to unlock new skill tiers

References

Bibliography

*Steven Turnbull: ''The Samurai Swordsman''. Tuttle Publishing 2008,
restricted online version (google books)
*Jinichi Tokeshi: ''Kendo: Elements, Rules and Philosophy''. University of Hawaii Press 2003, *Tsukahara Bokuden: ''The Hundred Rules of War''. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 2017, {{Authority control 1489 births 1571 deaths Samurai Japanese swordfighters Martial arts school founders People from Kashima, Ibaraki