Lineage
Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu lineage
About Daito-ryu and its masters
Minamoto Clan Kamon
MINAMOTO YOSHIMITSU (1056–1127) (Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu)
It is said in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Histories- Japan) that the origins of the Tegoi (hand-to-hand fighting art) was the origin of Sumo. This art was later transmitted down to protect the Emperor Seiwa (850-880) through the Seiwa-Genji clan. It was only with Emperor Seiwa that the teaching of Tegoi as a martial art (Bujutsu) were first recognized. Emperor Seiwa is therefore designated as the first person to develop and refine Tegoi (Aiki In-yo Ho) techniques, which is the basis or origin of “Aiki-no-jutsu” that form the inner (secret) teaching of Daito-ryu. These techniques were then passed down to the Minamoto family (who are descendants of Emperor Seiwa).
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Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (fifth generation successor of Emperor Seiwa) further refined these fighting techniques and is considered the founder of Daito-ryu. Yoshimitsu lived his whole life in the Daito castle (Ohmi region) and as a child was called “Saburo Daito”, from where the style (ryu) takes its name. Yoshimitsu would dissect the corpse of defected enemies from the battlefield to better understand the human body mechanics, which evolved into joint manipulation and/or breaking (kansetsu). He also spent hours observing spiders capture and kill their prey. Yoshimitsu incorporated all of this knowledge into the martial art he had been taught by his family and clan members, and in turn passed on this improved and expanded style/system to his sons. This style/system came to be known as the “Daito Ryu,” or “Great Eastern Style”.
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Yoshikiyo Minamoto, Yoshimitsu's (second son) became his successor, settling in the village of Takeda in Kita-Kyoma district in 1087 (region of Kai - present-day Yamanashi Prefecture). It was Yoshikiyo who took the name Takeda; thus, the Takeda branch of the Minamoto clan was born. This is the beginning of the Kai-Takeda domain. It is this domain in which one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history was born - Takeda Shingen (Known as the "Tiger of Kai").
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Daito-ryu continued to be handed down in complete secrecy through generations of the Takeda family/clan (each time the banner and the armor of the Minamoto clan were handed down to the successor). Near the end of the 16th century, the family shifted its main base to the Aizu district (present-day Fukushima Prefecture). There, the style/system became known as the “palace art” (o-shiki-uchi). The art was secretly transmitted to the samurai of the Aizu domain until the fall of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate in the Boshin War of 1868-1869.
Takeda Clan Kamon
TAKEDA SOKAKU (1859–1943)
Sokaku Takeda, Dai Sensei was born on October 10, 1859, at the Takeda Mansion in Oike, Aizubouge-cho, in present day Fukushima Prefecture. Sokaku was the second son of four children. As a child, Sokaku witnessed first-hand the battles of the Aizu War, many of which took place within walking distance from his home. He learned kenjutsu, bojutsu, sumo, and Daito-ryu from his father Takeda Sokichi. Sokichi was a prominent Aizu clan member and a samurai who was an expert in sword, staff, spear, blow-darts and shuriken (throwing blades). Sokaku’s father was also a well-known sumo wrestler (Title “Ozeki”).
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Sokaku declared that the art (Daito-ryu) was developed and passed down within the Aizu clan over a period of several hundred years (now over 1,000 years). The transmission scrolls (mokuroku) were inherited by Sokaku from his grandfather Soeman. Sokaku mastered many different martial arts during his lifetime, including Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, sword (katana and wakizashi), spear (yari), staff(bo), stick(Jo), dagger (shuriken), and others. He was awarded Menkyo Kaiden (mastery of the art) in Ono-ha Itto-ryu swordsmanship and Takada-ha Hozoin-ryu spear. Sokaku Takeda, Dai Sensei and Daito-ryu have directly influenced the development of many popular martial arts, such as Aikido, Shorinji Kempo, Hakko Ryu Jujutsu and Hapkido.
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Takeda Dai Sensei is referred to as the reviver (“chuko no so”) of Daito ryu. Reviver of the Aizu martial tradition and its widespread dissemination outside of the clan. It is documented that Sokaku taught more than 30,000 students during his life and the signatures and seals of whom are all entered in enrollment books that are preserved to this day.
Takeda Clan Kamon
TAKEDA TOKIMUNE (1916–1993) 36th Soke
In 1943, after the death of Sokaku, his third son Tokimune Takeda inherited art of Daito-ryu as the new successor and headmaster. Tokimune Takeda Soke opened Daitokan dojo in Abashri in 1953 and called the art of Daito-ryu Aikibudo. Tokimune also developed a dan ranking system. At the time of his death in December 1993, one of his daughters was to be named the successor, however his daughter refused to become the new headmaster upon the death of her father. It was said that the art be passed down to Sokaku’s grandson.
HORIKAWA KODO (1894–1980)
Horikawa Kodo (Kotaro), Sensei was born in Saiwai, Cho Kitami, Hokkaido in 1894 and lived his whole life in Hokkaido. Kodo Horikawa was the eldest son of Taiso Horikawa. Kodo first learned Daito-ryu from his father Taiso Kodo, Sensei while he was a teenager. Taiso received a teaching license (kyoju dairi) from Takeda Sokaku, Dai Sensei in 1913.
Kodo Horikawa, Sensei started his training of Daito-ryu with Takeda Sokaku, Dai Sensei on May 12, 1914, at the age of twenty-one and continued to teach him for many years until Sokaku’s death in 1943. Kodo Horikawa, Sensei was a short man just under five feet tall, and as a result Sokaku taught him according to his size with emphasis on “Aiki” techniques. Kodo received three scrolls of the inner mysteries (okugi) from Sokaku Sensei in 1931 at age 37, when received permission to become a Shihan. Horikawa Kodo Sensei received his fourth scroll (Menkyo Kaiden) from Takeda Tokimune, son of Takeda Sokaku, Dai Sensei and inheritor of the Daito-ryu.
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Horikawa Kodo also received the "Eisei Meijin" award for his long-distinguished service in the martial arts. Horikawa Sensei established the Kodokai in Kitami, Hokkaido in 1950 and became its president. In spite of his advanced age, he remained hale and hearty while teaching Aiki Jujutsu in Sapporo, Muroran, Takigawa, Yubetsu and Kitami up until to his death in 1980.
YONEZAWA KATSUMI, SOSHI SHIHAN (1937–1998)
Yonezawa Katsumi first met Kodo Horikawa, Sensei in 1965, when Horikawa Sensei was traveling about Hokkaido teaching Daito-ryu. Yonezawa was teaching Kodokan Judo and heard that a Daito-ryu master was coming to Hokubukan in Muroran City. Yonezawa observed Horikawa Sensei's instruction out of idle curiosity. He was expecting a fierce, muscular budo master and so the appearance of an old man only about four feet, eleven inches tall surprised him.
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Acting as one of the Kodokai's senior teachers, Yonezawa, Soshi Shihan was one of the first teachers to bring Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu to the USA, Canada, Mexico and eventually to Germany.
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Katsumi Yonezawa, Soshi Shihan founded his own Daito-ryu organization, the Bokuyokan. Yonezawa, Soshi Shihan passed away in 1998. The Bokuyokan is currently headed by his son, Yonezawa Hiromitsu (Dai Ni-Soke)