Hōten-ryū

Hōten-ryū is a Japanese martial art founded in 1600 CE. It is a school based on the use of the sword; however it has several different in its curriculum. It is also notable for its hidden weapons or items that appear to hide among everyday things.

History

According to legend, Hōten-ryū was created by a Takizawa Minokami Hōten in the Kii mountain range of Japan at the end of the Sengoku era. Takizawa was a bushi of the Tachibana family and allegedly a friend of Sesshusai Yagyū of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū fame. Takizawa had learned the martial arts taught in his han and then went to Mount Kiso Ontake to better study himself. He made a pilgrimage to Ontake Shrine and Ontake waterfall in an attempt to purify his spirit and body. At Ontake it is believed that Takizawa decided to become a mountain priest. He then created the techniques for Hōten-ryū based on Shintō teachings and Shugendō practices, conforming his methods to the "laws of nature" to which the mountain ascetics adhered. The school was taught privately in a shrine near the Kiso-Ontake until the 13th inheritor Totsugawa Hōten made his way to Kyōto and found a student in a very young Kazuo Taniguchi. Totsugawa, the 13th Sōke, became frail with age and Kazuo succeeded him as the 14th Sōke when he was 19 years old, just before being conscripted into the Japanese military during World War II. As the Sōke of Hōten-ryū, Kazuo took on the name Tachibana Kujuuin Hoten and resided in Kyōto, Japan where he had been teaching Hōten-ryū and Shodō since the end of World War II until his death in May 2013.

Curriculum and weaponry

Hōten-ryū first focuses on training with the sword, but there are many and . There are several primary categories which introduce multiple sub-categories and in effect creates a large curriculum. However, the techniques for each "sub-category" weapon are simple and interchangeable because the of the is transmitted with each primary weapon. A short list of the armament techniques include: Jo, Ken, Kusari, Kusarifundo, Jutte, Tessen, Sasumata, Nagehari, Sōjutsu, Kusarigama, Tekken and Taijutsu, among others. A notable category is the sanki or "three tools" which are generally affiliated with the early Japanese police.

Training

The training methods for Hōten-ryū focus on striking and mechanics of the weapons, which is done in solo practice at first, utilizing natural targets. Afterwards, the kata themselves are then done in pairs as an extension of the solo practice. There are 10 steps in teaching, each based on the progression of the weapons and the skill level of the practitioner with them.
The hidden weapons of Hōten-ryū are concealable and tough, generally handmade out of rough iron or natural materials. So, the creating of weapons is in fact part of the training and tradition of the ryū. For example, the jō is made using tree branches, which makes it different from most other ryūha that use milled or machine-made versions. That is to say, the jo is rough, and usually bent; the curvature of the wood is part of the techniques used within the school, so there is a unique shape that is sought after, one that is found in nature. Many other weapons made of wood require flexibility/pliability so there is a method to finding the right wood and creating them. The use of natural rope is also a part of the ryū, so skill in finding materials and making it is required. A basic understanding of traditional iron working is necessary; however the advent of modern machinery has sped up the process. Filing and other methods are still taught and used, and traditional tools are also taught, though modern methods are faster and get better results. Many of the weapons are concealed as everyday objects so the altering and use of "existing" objects is also important.
Shōdo is also part of the training regimen and the writing and understanding of old kanji is essential. This coincides with of the ryū and it is essential to transmit the within the school.

Documents and scrolls

Hōten-ryū is and was a private school. None of the previous headmasters felt the need to list their names in encyclopedias of the martial arts or to join large martial arts organizations in the mid-twentieth century. Therefore, not much was known or recorded about the school outside the school itself until the 1940s, when the 14th Sōke began teaching publicly and accepting more than the customary handful of students at any one time. Most of the techniques of Hōten-ryū are simple and conform to the mechanics of the weapon being used. Therefore, no major Densho were clearly recorded. The use of the weapons is handed down orally, in the form of kuden. Despite this tradition, there are three primary scrolls concerning Hōten-ryū: Hōten Ryū Yuraisho, Nancho Hokucho, and Gōdaigen. In the Gōdaigen, the majority of the techniques are encrypted for the ryū, naming and outlining basic principles that are taught along with the oral teachings.

Weapons

There are a number of weapons taught in the school. The primary weapon is the sword, but there are many other weapons. In particular, the curriculum includes a large number of flexible weapons.
A partial list of weapons includes:

Bladed Weapons
# Katana
Blunt weapons
# Tsue or Jo
# Rokushakubo
# Tetsujo
# Tessen
# Te-Sasumata
# Tekken
Flexible weapons
# Nichokusari
# Himofundo
# Momiji
# Nichojobin
# Nikon
# Tebyou
# Bo-Kusari
# Shakuri
# Kusarigama
Thrown Weapons
# Nagebari