The Yagyu Bushido Experience -Discover the True Wisdom of the Samurai—Strength from Within.-
The Yagyu area known as a “home of sword masters(Samurai)” is located approximately 30 minutes by car from Nara City.
Though it is a small village with a population of about 1,200, it is the birthplace of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu—one of Japan’s most prominent and internationally renowned martial arts schools—as well as Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu, a spear technique that employs the cross-shaped spear. Both of these martial arts boast a history of more than 400 years.
When Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, the founder of Shinkage-ryu—often called the “sacred sword”—visited Nara, Muneyoshi Yagyu and Kakuzembo In’ei Hozoin both became his disciples and studied Shinkage-ryu under him. Subsequently, Muneyoshi established Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, while In’ei incorporated Shinkage-ryu into spear techniques and founded Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu.
I would like to introduce these two martial arts, both of which originated in Yagyu.
Yagyu Shinkage-ryu
A defining feature of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu is its integration of Zen teachings into martial arts, making it especially well known for the practice of “Mutodori.”
Mutodori refers to a spiritual state in swordsmanship; it is a phrase that symbolizes overcoming one’s opponent not by relying on the sword, but through inner strength. This embodies the true spirit of Bushido.
The teachings emphasize closing the distance without fear of the opponent’s attack, calmly entering their space, and gaining control—quite distinct from the sword-on-sword clashes commonly depicted in films.
At the time, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu took a keen interest in the Mutodori technique. On one occasion, Muneyoshi Yagyu and his son Munenori demonstrated Mutodori before Tokugawa Ieyasu. Deeply impressed by their skill, Ieyasu appointed the Yagyu family as the Tokugawa clan’s official instructors in martial arts.
With the spirit of Mutodori, Munenori Yagyu achieved victory in numerous battles earning the shogun’s trust, and ultimately became the feudal lord governing the Yagyu territory.
Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu
Hozoin-ryu is distinguished by its use of the “kama-yari,” a spear with a characteristic cross-shaped blade, and by the way it fuses offensive and defensive techniques. During the Edo period, it flourished as the largest school of spear techniques.
Hozoin-ryu considers “Taietsugan” to be its foremost secret principle. Taietsugan literally means “smiling eyes.” Even though combat or true matches are affairs of utmost seriousness, the greater the seriousness, the more tension accumulates in the entire body, including the eyes. Such tension makes it difficult to react swiftly and opens gaps in one’s defense.
For this reason, by smiling, one removes all unnecessary tension from the body. This relaxation allows for smooth, flexible, and agile movement when executing techniques.
Even in modern times, Yagyu is recognized as the “home of sword masters(Samurai)” where both Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu originated. It seems that the defining characteristic of both is not so much the technical aspect of martial arts, but rather the emphasis on attitude and mental discipline. Indeed, it could be said that this is where the samurai spirit was truly born.
Travelaction provides a martial arts experience at Masakisaka Dojo, a training hall with ties to the Yagyu family, located in the Yagyu area. Through both kendo and Zen, participants can cultivate their minds.
If you are interested in samurai or Bushido, we invite you to stay in Nara and visit the land of Yagyu.
