Part 2: Early History
MINAMOTO YOSHIKIYO the eldest son of YOSHIMITSU moved to KAI prefecture and founded a new branch of the MINAMOTO. He founded the KAIGENJI TAKEDA; KAI being the province, GENJI the root name for the MINAMOTO and TAKEDA the new family name, thus the art of MINAMOTO AIKIJUJUTSU was passed down through the TAKEDA clan and taught only to the elite among these warriors and renamed TAKEDA AIKIJUJUTSU
Without doubt the most famous all TAKEDA warriors was the redoubtable TAKEDA SHINGEN. This man could have gone on to become SHOGUN since he held the pedigree and was the most powerful DAIMYO in the KANTO. His generals and warriors were the elite in all of Japan. The FURIN KAZAN banners of the TAKEDA bore the legends:
SWIFT AS THE WIND
SILENT AS THE FOREST
ATTACK LIKE FIRE IMMOVABLE AS A MOUNTAIN
In 1573 SHINGEN was mortally wounded by arquebus fire and the TAKEDA lost their most potent leader. Two years later in 1575 at the battle of NAGASHINO the TAKEDA were all but obliterated by the combined forces of TOKUGAWA, ODA and HIDEYOSHI the three great unifiers of Japan. In 1573 ,two years before NAGASHINO ,TAKEDA KUNUTSUGU went to take SHINGEN 'S last will and testament to ASHINA MORIUJI master of AIZU where he found a welcome, was given a mansion and took up a post as martial arts instructor to the AIZU samurai. His mansion was named DAITO KAN
In 1674 a training hall was built and named the NISSHIKAN. Here the martial arts were taught. In true samurai tradition the warriors of AIZU had to study all of the available arts such as KENJUTSU the way of the sword, YARI the spear, NAGINATA which the female samurai of the AIZU were to make their own. Also included were a number of secret fighting arts which were taught only to the elite. Among these was TAKEDA AIKIJUJUTSU. Known as GOSHIKIUCHI it was forbidden upon pain of death to reveal these arts outside of the clan.
Thereafter the art was handed down through the AIZU TAKEDA until TANOMO SAIGO taught it to SOKAKU TAKEDA who was to be responsible for its spread throughout Japan. Japan was in turmoil as it entered the modern era. The shogunate had held ultimate power but there were those who wished to return power to the Emperor. The AIZU being samurai sided with the shogunate and found themselves facing the Imperial army. There was no resisting progress and the AIZU led by TANOMO SAIGO were defeated. During the battles a group of women led by TAKEKO NAKAMURO fought like demons. Perhaps the most tragic incident of the whole affair was the fall of the BYAKKO TAI. A group of young samurai aged between fourteen and fifteen who, when they saw AIZU ablaze went to a mountain top and committed suicide. One youngster was too young to join them; his name was TAKEDA SOKAKU.
SOKAKU TAKEDA was born in AIZU province in 1860. As a child he was taught TAKEDA AIKIJUJUTSU by his grandfather SOEMON TAKEDA and BO JUTSU by his father. Even from an early age he was obsessed with martial arts. As a teenager he studied JIKI SHINKAGE RYU. He also gained a licence in ONO HA ITTO RYU. This school of swordsmanship would have appealed to young TAKEDA as it was founded by ITO ITTOSAI and the motto of the school was ONE CUT ONE KILL. In 1880 SOKAKU TAKEDA was initiated into the secret teachings of TAKEDA AIKIJUJUTSU which included all of the weapons systems and the unarmed arts. For the next eight years he entered into MUSHA SHUGYO the austere training in Budo which saw him wandering the length and breadth of Japan engaging in contests with other martial arts masters often using their weapon of choice. NEVER ONCE DID HE FACE DEFEAT.
There are many legends about TAKEDA which are couched in ambiguities such as the time when a certain area of Japan was infested with bandits and SOKAKU was sent to "investigate". The day after TAKEDA left the area the bandit leader was found dead from a broken neck. It seamed that he had fallen from his horse.
One incident is far from ambiguous. One day while on his way to the training hall TAKEDA became the butt of jokes and insults from a group of construction workers. In the ensuing confrontation TAKEDA drew his sword and although hopelessly outnumbered fought until mounted police came to rescue him.. The police found nine dead and many more seriously wounded. At the trial SOKAKU was told that the day of the sword was over. He had his weapon confiscated and was released without charge. Incidentally the judge was of samurai stock.
The day of the sword may have been over for TAKEDA but he continued to teach TAKEDA AIKIJUJUTSU teaching many thousands of pupils until his death in 1943. The most famous of all of SOKAKU TAKEDA'S thousands of pupils was MORIHEI UESHIBA.
| previous page | next page |
|
