Toshitsugu Takamatsu
Encyclopedia
was born on 10 March 1889 (the 23rd year of Meiji) in Akashi
, Hyōgo Prefecture
, Japan
and died on 2 April 1972. He was a martial artist who taught future Bujinkan founder Masaaki Hatsumi
. He has been called "The Last Shinobi" by Bujinkan instructor Wolfgang Ettig.
, who founded the Bujinkan
system and it's art of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Takamatsu died in 1972 of illness.
but different pronunciation. His posthumous name is Junshokakuju Zenjomon.
). His dojo was named "Sakushin" (Cultivating Spirit). His house was in front of Kashihara Shrine in Kashihara, Nara
.
, was a well known martial arts instructor who owned a dojo and bone-setting (sekkotsu
) clinic in their home town. At 9 years old Takamatsu, often called a cry-baby by his peers, was sent to his grandfather in Kobe for strength training. By the age of 13 he had become a student without peer in Kobe. From his grandfather he learned several martial arts
According to a Video prduced by the Bujinkan's founder Hatsumi, Takamatsu traveled through Mongolia
to China
at the age of 21, taught martial arts and fought many life or death battles. He taught martial arts at an English school in China and had over 1000 students. He was the bodyguard of the last Chinese Emperor Puyi
. He became a Tendai
Buddhist priest in 1919. In 1921 he was permitted to copy the Kukishin-ryū and Amatsu Tatara scrolls of the Kuki family. He was also a good friend of Jigoro Kano (Kodokan Judo).
During the Second World War Takamatsu says that his original scrolls were destroyed. In 1949 he presented new scrolls to the Kuki family which he had rewritten based on his copies and memory. He was deaf in one ear also due to one of his fights. He said that a Shaolin
fighter and a Shorinji
boxer were the most dangerous enemies he ever met. He was buried on Kumedra cemetery in Nara
. He used to write articles for the Tokyo Times newspaper. He was well known in Japan
as a grandmaster of Ju-Jutsu and Bojutsu
.
In May 1950, Toshitsugu Takamatsu established Kashihara Shobukai in Nara prefecture. In the post-War era Takamatsu spent his time developing successors to his martial tradition. He often sponsored Magokuro-kai-musubi tsudoi meetings and lectures about Amatsu Tatara, especially Izumo Shinpo. He reared many martial artists and religious leaders.
indicates of Takamatsu's Togakure-ryu "this genealogy refers to various written records and oral transmissions and there are many points/places where embellishments have been added and people appearing in the genealogy are also made older than they actually are". In the words of martial arts author Donn Draeger:
Akashi, Hyogo
is a city located in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Seto Inland Sea west of Kobe.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 290,776, with 117,392 households, and a population density of 5,907.68 persons per km²...
, Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and died on 2 April 1972. He was a martial artist who taught future Bujinkan founder Masaaki Hatsumi
Masaaki Hatsumi
Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi (初見良昭 Hatsumi Masaaki, (born 2 December 1931) refers to himself (and is generally recognised) as the 34th Togakure-ryū ninpo Soke (Grandmaster), and is the founder of the Bujinkan Organization. He currently resides and teaches in the city of Noda,...
. He has been called "The Last Shinobi" by Bujinkan instructor Wolfgang Ettig.
History
Toshitsugu (Chosui) Takamatsu, also known as Moko no Tora (Mongolian Tiger), was a martial arts master. His inheritor was Masaaki HatsumiMasaaki Hatsumi
Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi Masaaki Hatsumi (初見良昭 Hatsumi Masaaki, (born 2 December 1931) refers to himself (and is generally recognised) as the 34th Togakure-ryū ninpo Soke (Grandmaster), and is the founder of the Bujinkan Organization. He currently resides and teaches in the city of Noda,...
, who founded the Bujinkan
Bujinkan
The Bujinkan is an international martial arts organization based in Japan and headed by Masaaki Hatsumi, it is best known for its association with ninjutsu. The system taught by this group, called Bujinkan Budō Tai jutsu, consists of nine separate martial arts traditions .-Origins:Hatsumi's...
system and it's art of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Takamatsu died in 1972 of illness.
Martial names
's real first name was Hisatsugu but he changed it later to Toshitsugu using the same KanjiKanji
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...
but different pronunciation. His posthumous name is Junshokakuju Zenjomon.
Personal life
He was married to Uno Tane. They adopted a girl named Yoshiko. His father (Takamatsu Gishin Yasaburo) owned a match-factory and received Dai-Ajari (Master) title in Kumano Shugendo (a type of Shingon BuddhismShingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
). His dojo was named "Sakushin" (Cultivating Spirit). His house was in front of Kashihara Shrine in Kashihara, Nara
Kashihara, Nara
is a city located in Nara, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 125,547 and the density of 3,176.79 persons per km². The total area is 39.52 km²....
.
Martial arts training
Takamatsu's grandfather (on his mother's side), Toda Shinryuken MasamitsuToda Shinryuken Masamitsu
was a martial artist, and a samurai, who lived in the Meiji era . He is widely known to have been an instructor of the Shinden Fudo Ryu and also a direct decedent of the founder of Gyokko Ryu...
, was a well known martial arts instructor who owned a dojo and bone-setting (sekkotsu
Sekkotsu
is the Japanese skill of bone-setting. It is used in many martial arts and as a medical practice today....
) clinic in their home town. At 9 years old Takamatsu, often called a cry-baby by his peers, was sent to his grandfather in Kobe for strength training. By the age of 13 he had become a student without peer in Kobe. From his grandfather he learned several martial arts
According to a Video prduced by the Bujinkan's founder Hatsumi, Takamatsu traveled through Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
at the age of 21, taught martial arts and fought many life or death battles. He taught martial arts at an English school in China and had over 1000 students. He was the bodyguard of the last Chinese Emperor Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
. He became a Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
Buddhist priest in 1919. In 1921 he was permitted to copy the Kukishin-ryū and Amatsu Tatara scrolls of the Kuki family. He was also a good friend of Jigoro Kano (Kodokan Judo).
During the Second World War Takamatsu says that his original scrolls were destroyed. In 1949 he presented new scrolls to the Kuki family which he had rewritten based on his copies and memory. He was deaf in one ear also due to one of his fights. He said that a Shaolin
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
fighter and a Shorinji
Shorinji Kempo
was established by as a system for self-improvement and training in Japan in 1947 based on Shaolin kungfu ....
boxer were the most dangerous enemies he ever met. He was buried on Kumedra cemetery in Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
. He used to write articles for the Tokyo Times newspaper. He was well known in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as a grandmaster of Ju-Jutsu and Bojutsu
Bojutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bō which simply means "staff". Staffs are perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by humankind. They have been in use for thousands of years in Eastern Asia. Some techniques involve slashing,...
.
In May 1950, Toshitsugu Takamatsu established Kashihara Shobukai in Nara prefecture. In the post-War era Takamatsu spent his time developing successors to his martial tradition. He often sponsored Magokuro-kai-musubi tsudoi meetings and lectures about Amatsu Tatara, especially Izumo Shinpo. He reared many martial artists and religious leaders.
Ninjitsu lineage
Toshitsugu Takamatsu's claims to have a lineage related to the historical ninja in Japan are not supported by research independent of his student Hatsumi Masaaki's Bujinkan organization. Neither Takamatsu , nor Hatsumi have been recognized as having any historical relation to ninjas or ninja schools. The 1963 version of the Bugei Ryūha DaijitenBugei Ryuha Daijiten
The or "Encyclopedia of Martial art schools", originally Bugei Ryuha Jiten , is a catalog of Koryū Bujutsu and Gendai Budō of Japanese martial arts...
indicates of Takamatsu's Togakure-ryu "this genealogy refers to various written records and oral transmissions and there are many points/places where embellishments have been added and people appearing in the genealogy are also made older than they actually are". In the words of martial arts author Donn Draeger: