Toda Shigemasa

Toda Shigemasa (Eiroku 7 (1564) – Kan'ei 2 (1625)) was a warrior and swordsman who was active from the Sengoku period into the early Edo period. He served the Maeda clan, the lords of the Kaga domain. Known by the nickname "Meijin Echigo" ("Master Echigo"), he is renowned as a master of Chūjō-ryū.

Inheritance of Chūjō-ryū

Shigemasa was a native of Echizen, and his original surname was Yamazaki. As a child he studied Chūjō-ryū under his father, Yamazaki Kagekuni, who was a retainer of the Asakura clan. He entered the service of Maeda Toshiie. At the Battle of Suemori Castle in Tenshō 12 (1584), he earned the distinction of being the first to attack with a spear. He then took a daughter of Toda Kagemasa as his wife. Because Kagemasa's eldest son had died in battle, Shigemasa became an adopted son-in-law and inherited the Toda family and the lineage of Chūjō-ryū (Toda-ryū).

Chūjō-ryū was a school founded in the Muromachi period by Chūjō Nagahide. Its core was techniques with the short tachi, and it also transmitted spear techniques and other arts. Its techniques were called heihō.

Service in the Kaga Domain

Shigemasa served three generations of the Maeda clan: Maeda Toshiie, Maeda Toshinaga, and Maeda Toshitsune. He took part in the Odawara campaign, the Battle of Sekigahara, and the Osaka campaigns, building up military merit. He was valued both for his swordsmanship and for these achievements. Although he was a retainer, he received a stipend exceeding 10,000 koku, and he is known for attaining an unusually high position for a swordsman.

Later Reputation

Shigemasa, who was called "Meijin Echigo," became known as one of the foremost swordsmen of his era. It is also said that he answered a summons from the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and presented his views on swordsmanship. He died in Kan'ei 2 (1625).