Kukishin-ryū
A comprehensive Japanese martial art with a legendary 14th-century origin.
Kukishin-ryū is a Japanese sōgō bujutsu, a comprehensive martial art encompassing multiple weapons and disciplines, including taijutsu, bōjutsu, naginatajutsu, kenpō, hanbōjutsu, sōjutsu, and heiho. It is listed in the Bugei Ryūha Daijiten, the encyclopedia of both modern and classical Japanese martial schools. The school is traditionally said to have been founded in the 14th century CE by Kuki Yakushimaru Ryūshin.
Quick Facts
- Nationality
- Traditional Japanese martial art
- School
- Kukishin-ryū (九鬼神流)
- Founder
- Ryūshin Yakushimaru Kuki
- Founder dates
- born 1 January 1318, date of death unknown
- Period founded
- Nanboku-chō period
- Date founded
- c.14th century
- Headmaster dates
- Several branches
- Ancestors
- Shinden Fujiwara Musō-ryū, Takenouchi-ryū
Facts from the source article.
The Legend of Kukishin-ryū
Ryushin Yakushimaru was born on January 1, 1318, to Dōyu Shirōhōgan at Kumano-Hongu in Wakayama prefecture, into a powerful clan descended from the Fujiwara who served as bettō, or Shrine Supervisors. His mother, Chigusa-hime, after difficulty conceiving, prayed to the Yakushi Buddha at Enryaku-ji temple on Mt. Hiei and soon gave birth, naming the boy Yakushimaru after the deity. Ryushin learned the Shinden Fujiwara Musō-ryū martial arts from his grandfather Dōjitsu and Shingu-Bettō Ariie, and shugendō from his father Dōyu. He later studied esoteric Buddhism under the monk Jōkai at Sanmaku-in temple in Kyoto and trained at Mt. Kurama, mastering Kuji-hihō and Onmyo-do. In 1335, he joined the Northern Court under Takauji Ashikaga against the Southern Court. In June 1336, his vanguard attacked the Southern Court's fort on Mt. Hiei, capturing Emperor Go-Daigo. Disturbed by the harsh treatment of the prisoners, Ryushin conspired with Ooe Gyōbu Daiyu Kageshige, Bessho Saburō Takanori, Hiyoshi Iga Nyudō, and Kisshuin Sōshin Hōgen to break into the palace of Kazanin and escape with the emperor to Yoshino.
About the Name
The name Kukishin-ryū uses the kanji 九 (ku, nine), 鬼 (ki, demon), 神 (shin, god or spirit), and 流 (ryū, school). The character 鬼 is actually an incorrect substitution for an older, now-obsolete Chinese kanji meaning kami or god. Over time, the original character was lost during simplification and unification of Chinese characters in Japanese writing, and the similar character 鬼 (oni or demon) replaced it. This changes the modern reading to Nine Demons, though the original meaning was closer to holy spirit. The name was originally Ku-kami but has been pronounced as Kuki since the Edo period. The character 神 translates as god or spirit, and 流, when appended to a martial style, means school.
Techniques
The teachings of Kukishin-ryū are recorded in the Kukishin Densho scrolls, covering six main disciplines: Taijutsu, Bōjutsu, Kenpō, Naginatajutsu, Hanbōjutsu, and Sōjutsu, complemented by Heiho (military strategy). Practitioners may also learn secret weapons, hidden teachings, and Onakatomi shinto practices. The art includes locks, entanglements, strangling, striking, kicking, and the use of small weapons such as shuriken. The Taijutsu techniques were altered by the seventh head, Kiyotaka Kuki, and organized by his son Sumitaka, as the original Atekomi (striking) techniques from the age of armor had become outdated. In the late Edo period, the twenty-fifth Soke, Takatomo Kuki, devised the Kihongata, eight basic techniques for beginners, modifying them to reduce brutality and prevent injuries. Takatomo served at Nijō Castle in Kyoto and demonstrated his new methods to the emperor on February 28, 1864. There is a strong relationship between Kukishin-ryū and Takagi-Yōshin-ryū taijutsu. During a journey, Kihei met Umanosuke, son of Gennoshin Takagi, and they agreed to exchange techniques: Kukishin-ryū adopted Takagi-ryū taijutsu, while Takagi-ryū received Kukishin-ryū bōjutsu, spear, and naginata techniques.
Kukishin-ryū Today
Today, several older and modern branches of Kukishin-ryū remain active. These include Kukishin-ryu Bojutsu under 19th Soke Fumon Tanaka, Hontai Yōshin-ryū under 19th Soke Kyoichi Inoue, Motoha Yoshin Ryu under Soke Yasumoto Akiyoshi, and Takagi Ryu under 19th Soke Kusuhara Juhei.
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