* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Danno Gennoshin
団野源之進
Twelfth Headmaster of Jikishin Kage-ryū, Teacher Who Trained Otani Seiichirō in Bakumatsu Swordsmanship
Description
Twelfth Headmaster of Jikishin Kage-ryū
Danno Gennoshin (Yoshitaka, art name Mahosai) was a swordsman who succeeded to the twelfth generation headship of Jikishin Kage-ryū, a school descended from the Shinkage-ryū tradition. In the mid-Edo Period, Naganuma Shirōzaemon Kunitomo of this school perfected improvements to protective armor and the bamboo shinai, shifting training from primarily kata practice to direct sparring. This development is regarded as one of the origins of modern kendo.
Training Otani Seiichirō
In 1817, Otani Seiichirō (Nobutomo) entered the school of Danno Gennoshin and is said to have received full mastery certification in just four years. Otani later became a swordsmanship instructor at the shogunate's Kōbusho military academy and grew into a swordsman so accomplished that he was even called 'the Sword Saint of the Bakumatsu Period.'
Connection to Katsu Kaishū
Katsu Kaishū, a cousin of Otani Seiichirō by marriage, also studied Jikishin Kage-ryū. The teachings passed down through Danno Gennoshin's lineage thus reached the Katsu family as well.
Later Assessment
Few historical sources record Danno Gennoshin's own deeds. However, as the teacher who trained Otani Seiichirō, one of the foremost swordsmen of the late Bakumatsu Period, he holds an important place in the history of Jikishin Kage-ryū swordsmanship.