is a Japanese martial art founded in 1600 CE. It is a school founded on the use of the sword, however it has several different kobuki (old weapons) in its curriculum. It is also notable for its hidden weapons (hibuki) 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

Kii Peninsula

The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. The area south of the “Central Tectonic Line” is called Nankii , and includes the most poleward living coral reefs in the world due to the presence of the warm Kuroshio Current, though these are threatened by global warming and human...

 mountain range (Nanzen) 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

Yagyu Shinkage-ryu

is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship . Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who added his own name to the school. Today, the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū remains...

 fame. Takizawa had learned the martial arts taught in his han (prefecture) and then went to Mount Kiso Ontake-san to study better 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 Shinto teachings and Shugendo practices; conforming his methods to the "laws of nature" that mountain aesthetics adhere to. The school was taught privately in a shrine near the Kiso-Ontake until the 13th inheritor Totsugawa Hōten made his way to Kyōtō and found a student in a very young Kazuo Taniguchi. Totsugawa, the 13th Soke, became frail with age and Kazuo succeeded him as the 14th soke when he was 19 years old, just before being conscripted into the Japanese military during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. As the soke of Hōten Ryū Kazuo he took on the name Tachibana Kujuuin Hoten and today he resides in Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

, Japan where he has been teaching Hōten Ryū and Shodō

Shodo

"Shōdō" is the fortieth single by B'z, released on January 25, 2006. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon charts. This song was the opening theme of Case Closed.- External links :*...

 since the end of World War II.

Curriculum and weaponry

Hōten Ryū first focuses on training with the sword, but are many kōbuki (old weapons) and hibuki (hidden weapons). 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 heiho (strategy) of the ryu is transmitted with each primary weapon. A short list of the armament techniques include: Jo

Jo

JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...

 (short staff), Ken

Tachi

The is one type of traditional Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-History and description:With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature on the tang...

 (sword), Kusari

Chain weapon

A chain weapon is a weapon made of one or more heavy objects attached to a chain, sometimes with a handle. The flail was one of the more common types of chain weapons associated with medieval Europe, although some flails used hinges instead of chains....

 (chain- flexible weapons), Kusarifundo (weighted chain-flexible weapons), Jutte (truncheon), Tessen (iron fan), Sasumata

Sasumata

The is a Japanese mancatcher and firefighting tool. Historically, it was usually around 2 meters in length, with a U-shaped head. This head looks similar to a koto bridge, so it is sometimes called a kotojibō. The pole is often sturdy wood, reinforced with iron. Small spikes or other sharp...

 (two-horned polearm), Nagehari

Shuriken

A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...

 (thrown weapons), Sōjutsu

Sojutsu

, meaning "art of the spear" is the Japanese martial art of fighting with the Japanese .-Origins:Although the spear had a profound role in early Japanese mythology, where the islands of Japan themselves were said to be created by salt water dripping from the tip of a spear, as a weapon the first...

 (spear), Kusarigama

Kusarigama

The is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period...

 (sickle and chain), Tekken ("iron fist" similar to Western brass-knuckles) and Taijutsu

Taijutsu

is a Japanese blanket term for any combat skill, technique or system of martial art using body movements that are described as an empty-hand combat skill or system. The term is commonly used when referring to a traditional Japanese martial art but has also been used in the naming of modern martial...

 (unarmed defense), among others. A notable category is the sanki or "three tools" (also called sandogu) 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

Kata

is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....

 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 hand made (outside of the sword and tessen) 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

Jo

JO, Jo or jo may refer to:*Jō, a ~4-foot-long wooden staff used in some Japanese martial arts*Cho , , also spelled Jo, a common Korean family name*Jo , a 1971 French comedy...

 (short staff) 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, 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 (such as design) are still taught and used; traditional tools are also taught, but it follows the same route as modern methods are faster and get better results. Many of the weapons are concealed as everyday objects (or resembled the everyday objects of their era) 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

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

is essential. This coincides with okuden (verbal teachings) of the ryū and it is essential to transmit the heiho (strategy) within the school.

Documents and Scrolls

Hōten Ryū is and was 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 where the 14th Soke began teaching publicly and accepting more than a handful of students at any one time. Most of the techniques of Hōten Ryū are simple and conform to mechanics of the weapon being used. Therefore, no major Densho (scrolls describing the techniques) were clearly recorded. The use of the weapons is handed down verbally, in the form of kuden (oral teachings). However, there are 3 primary scrolls concerning Hōten Ryū which are: Hōten Ryū Yuraisho (Hōten Ryū founding and history), Nancho Hokucho (secrets of the imperial family/history of the Southern and Northern court wars) and Gōdaigen (strategy and philosophy of the ryū); The last of these documents Gōdaigen is where the majority of the techniques are encrypted for the ryu, naming and outlining basic principles that are taught along with the oral teachings.