Hontai Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu - History
本體高木揚心流柔體術
歴史 REKISHI
In 1569 during the Yeiroku era (1568-1579) in the Funagata Yama area of Miyagi, a mountain priest from the Abe family, called Unryu (Cloud dragon), who was an expert in the Shuriken, Bojutsu, Yari, Naginata and Taijutsu from the "Amatsu Tatara Rinpo Hiden Makimono. Unryu was a wandering Taoist monk, living in Rikuzen Funagawa, not far from Sanroku mountain. Some historians have said the Unryu came from Hieizaenji Yama (Hieizaen temple) in Kyoto.
The first Soke Takagi Shigenobu's father was called Sanzaemon Inatobi, and was a retainer of the Katakura Kojuro the Daimyo of the Tohoku-Shiraishi han. Shigenobu was his second son.
Takagi Umannosuke, is apart from being the 2nd Soke of Takagi Yoshin Ryu,
accredited with being the 1st Soke of Takagi Ryu, Muken Ryu, and Kakugai Ryu. He fought and lost a friendly fight with the Soke of the Takenouchi Ryu, Takenouchi Hisamori (founder, and 1st Soke of this Ryu), and was taken on as a student by his son Takenouchi Hisakatsu the 2nd Soke. He received his Menkyo from the 3rd Soke Takenouchi Hisayoshi. He then added many new techniques from the Takenouchi Ryu to the Takagi Yoshin Ryu teachings. He however, taught the school as "Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu, Bojutsu, Sojutsu, Naginatajutsu, and Senban Nage (it was also to be known as Dakenjutaijutsu).
Takagi Gennoshin Higeshige was the son of Umannosuke. He taught in Hyogo
province (near Osaka, and birth place of Takamatsu Sensei). He was good at the Dakentaijutsu, but changed the name again to Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu.
October 1841, Yagi Jigero Hisayashi, a retired Samurai from Akoh castle in Hyogo province, became a Ronin. He later settled down, and opened a Dojo in Akashi, Hyogo. Yagi taught many Samurai and passed the next generation to three students giving each the Menkyo Kaiden. They were Ishitani Takeoi (Hon Tai Takagi Yoshin Ryu), Ishibashi, and Fujita Togoro (Takagi Yoshin Ryu). Fujita taught Mizuta Yoshitaro one of the three teachers of Takamatsu Sensei. Hatsumi sensei received from Takamatsu sensei the Mizuta Den Takagi Yoshin Ryu.
The information on this page has been edited from the book – Introductory History to the Schools of the Bujinkan by Paul Richardson
This book can be ordered from Http://www.budoya.org