Takenouchi Ryu
- Disciplines: Kogusoku Koshi No Mawari, jujutsu (torite & hade), bojutsu, kenjutsu, iaijutsu, tessenjutsu, juttejutsu, naginatajutsu, sojutsu, hojojutsu, shurikenjutsu and kacchu bujutsu.
- Founder: Takenouchi Nakatsukasadaiyū Hisamori (竹内中務太夫久盛)
- Date Founded: 1532 (天文元年) (Muromachi Period)
Foundation of the Ryuha
Takenouchi-ryû (or Takeuchi-ryû) is the oldest documented koryu bujutsu ryuha that contains a systemized form of unarmed combat. This ryuha is renowned for it's unarmed combat techniques and being the influence and even the progenitor of a plethora of other koryu bujutsu ryuha.
The Takenouchi family were bushi descended from the Minamoto family and originally resided in Kyoto, owning land and estates in Mimasaka province. During the upheavals of the Sengoku Period Takenouchi Hisamori became the lord of Ichinose castle in Mimasaka (美作国), which is now modern day Okayama Prefecture. The castle later fell to an offensive by Ukita Ienao's (One of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's generals) forces, inducing the Takenouchi family to flee to the countryside of Mimasaka.
According to the Takenouchi Hisamori retreated to Sannomiya shrine and stayed there for six days in order to develop his family's school swordsmanship via training and prayer. Takenouchi Hisamori was a relatively small person even for Japanese people, but used a training sword of two shaku and four sun in length. On the sixth night of shugyo as he slept, Hisamori was approached by a mountain ascetic or yamabushi who Hisamori promptly attacked.
The yamabushi controlled and restrained the enraged Hisamori with comparative ease until he calmed and then taught him elements of unarmed combat, restraint methods using cord (hojojutsu) and finally the yamabushi broke Hisamori's training sword in half, making two short swords which later became known as kogusoku koshi no mawari or close combat grappling techniques, armed with a shortsword.
The techniques Hisamori learned either via dream, vision or direct teaching from an outside source unspecified, formed the basis of the Takenouchi-ryû bujutsu curriculum which continually evolved via the experiences of subsequent generations of Takenouchi family descendants into a comprehensive system of martial sciences (sōgō bujutsu 総合武術)containing at present, over 500 techniques.
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