Yakumaru Jigen-ryū
| Yakumaru Jigen-ryū (薬丸自顕流) | |
|---|---|
| Ko-ryū | |
| Foundation | |
| Founder | Yakumaru Kenchin 薬丸 兼陳 |
| Period founded | 17th century |
| Arts taught | |
| Art | Description |
| Kenjutsu | Swordsmanship |
| Ancestor schools | |
| Jigen-ryū | |
Yakumaru Jigen-ryū (薬丸自顕流) is a traditional school (koryū) of Japanese swordsmanship founded in the 17th century by Satsuma retainer Yakumaru Kenchin as a branch of high-speed Jigen-ryū. It integrates the Yakumaru family's nodachi techniques into Jigen-ryū.[1]
Originally called Nodachi Jigen-ryū (野太刀自顕流), the name of the school was changed in the 19th century.[2]
Summary
Yakumaru Kenchin's grandfather, Yakumaru Kaneshige, was a retainer of Shimazu Yoshihiro.[3] Kaneshige fought in the Japanese invasions of Korea and was one of the roughly 80 Shimazu samurai who survived the Battle of Sekigahara by plunging through the center of Tokugawa Ieyasu's battle lines.
Like its parent school Jigen-ryū, Yakumaru Jigen-ryū is characterized by the repetition of a simple, powerful strike with the sword toward the opponent's head from hassō stance accompanied by a high-pitched battle cry. Yakumaru Jigen-ryū is the simplest of all schools of kenjutsu, containing no moral or philosophical theories and even fewer techniques than Jigen-ryū. It includes no defensive techniques.
The battle cry uttered during the strikes is called the Enkyō (猿叫; lit. 'monkey's scream') and has been compared to "the sound of a chicken being strangled" (鶏の絞められる声). Because of this, those unfamiliar with the Yakumaru school sometimes find demonstrations of the technique disconcerting to witness. Upon observing a Yakumaru practice session, Shimazu Narioki is said to have remarked, "This is nothing but the swordsmanship of a madman" (まるでキチガイ剣術じゃ) and left the room.
The main lineage of Yakumaru Jigen-ryū became extinct when Lt. Col. Yakumaru Kanenori died in the Battle of Okinawa.[4]
References
- ^ "Yakumaru Jigenryu - Traditional Satsuma Swordsmanship". 薬丸自顕流顕彰会 Yakumaru Jigen-ryū Memorial Association. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "野太刀自顕流 Nodachi Jigen-ryū". デジタル大辞泉+Plus. 小学館 Shogakukan. 2015.
- ^ "野太刀自顕流剣術". 日本古武道協会 Nihon Kobudō Association. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ 秦 Hata, 郁彦 Ikuhiko (2005). 日本陸海軍総合事典 第2版 (in Japanese). Japan. p. 601. ISBN 9784130301350.
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Bibliography
松永 Matsunaga, 守道 Morimichi (1975). 薩摩の秘剣 薬丸自顕流 Satsuma no hikken — Yakumaru Jigen-ryū. Japan: Published privately.