* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Marume Kurandosuke Nagayoshi
丸目蔵人佐長恵
Founder of Taisha-ryū and Disciple of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
Description
Meeting with Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
Born in Tenmon 9 (1540) in Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture), Marume Kurandosuke Nagayoshi was a master swordsman who greatly contributed to the establishment of sword culture in Kyushu as one of the finest disciples of Kamiizumi Ise no Kami Nobutsuna, founder of Shinkage-ryū. Nagayoshi entered under Kamiizumi Nobutsuna during the Eiroku era (1558–1570), and while accompanying Kamiizumi on his warrior training journeys, he received direct transmission of the mysteries of Shinkage-ryū. Kamiizumi Nobutsuna was the supreme swordsman of his time, recognized even by powerful figures such as Matsunaga Danjo and Ashikaga Yoshiteru, and Nagayoshi, having received this teaching directly, possessed unquestionable technical mastery.
Founding of Taisha-ryū
After receiving full transmission of Shinkage-ryū from Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Nagayoshi founded "Taisha-ryū" by adding his own unique sword principles based on those techniques. There are various interpretations of the characters "Taishi" (捨), but it is most commonly understood to express a state of selflessness in which one "abandons the body, abandons the mind, and entrusts all to the sword." Alternatively, it can be interpreted as the sword philosophy expressing "Taisuru" (対捨)—casting aside the opponent—meaning to transcend the very concept of an adversary. In either interpretation, at the heart of Taisha-ryū flows a spirituality of swordsmanship that transcends the distinction between self and other, which can be said to inherit the Zen-like spirituality inherent in the Shinkage-ryū of his teacher, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.
Propagation of Swordsmanship in Kyushu
After returning to his native Higo Province, Nagayoshi undertook vigorous efforts to spread Taisha-ryū throughout Kyushu. Retainers of powerful daimyo such as Shimazu, Sagara, and Katō came to study the sword techniques of Taisha-ryū under Nagayoshi. Particularly in Higo Province, Nagayoshi's influence was profound, and he came to be known throughout later generations as a "Higo swordmaster," forming the foundation of the region's sword culture. Kyushu was a fierce arena of sword schools where many traditions—Shinkage-ryū, Ittō-ryū, Shintō-ryū, and others—competed vigorously, yet within this environment Taisha-ryū established its own distinctive position and developed as a major school of Kyushu swordsmanship throughout the Edo period.
Beloved Swords and Combat Experience
Nagayoshi's swordsmanship was not merely the product of ascetic training but a practical martial art honed through actual combat experience during the Sengoku period. The Sengoku age in Kyushu was an era of fierce conflict among the three powers of Shimazu, Ōtomo, and Ryūzōji, and Nagayoshi refined his sword amid this turmoil. The swords that Nagayoshi favored are said to have been practical tachi and katana made by sword smiths of Chikuzen and Higo, regions centered in Kyushu. The sword smiths of Kyushu, influenced by the Sōshū and Yamato traditions, developed their own distinctive style, and Nagayoshi mastered the techniques of Taisha-ryū on both the battlefield and in training while wielding these swords.
Exchange with Yagyū Muneyoshi
Nagayoshi's reputation as a swordsman extended beyond Kyushu to Edo. It is recorded that there was mutual respect between Nagayoshi and Yagyū Muneyoshi of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, and that Muneyoshi, as a junior of the same school, held Nagayoshi's martial skill in high regard. Both were swordsmen who traced their lineage to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's Shinkage-ryū; while Muneyoshi claimed orthodoxy of Shinkage-ryū in Edo as sword-master to the shogun's house, Nagayoshi established a distinctive development called Taisha-ryū in Kyushu. Through this regional division of roles, the spirit of Shinkage-ryū took root at both the eastern and western ends of the Japanese archipelago.
Longevity and the Ultimate Principle of the Sword
Nagayoshi passed away in Kan'ei 6 (1629), at the remarkable age of eighty-nine. This can be said to testify to how Nagayoshi practiced sword training not merely as the refinement of a fighting technique but as a method of health that unified mind and body. In the training of Taisha-ryū, maintaining spiritual tranquility alongside vigorous practice was emphasized. Nagayoshi's longevity was passed down through successive generations of disciples as proof of the correctness of his sword principles, further elevating the authority of Taisha-ryū. Nagayoshi's life embodied the essence of Japanese sword philosophy—that swordsmanship is not a technique for killing people, but a way of enabling people to live more richly.
Notable Swords
- Sword transmitted from Kamiizumi Nobutsuna — the blade passed to Nagayoshi along with the full transmission of Shinkage-ryū, the direct link between Taisha-ryū and its illustrious ancestor school
- Kyushu battle sword — a practical uchigatana from the smiths of Chikuzen or Higo province, shaped by the fierce military culture of Sengoku Kyushu and suited to the direct, body-committing techniques of Taisha-ryū