Tōgō Shigekata

Togo Shigekata (1561–1643) was a samurai warlord of Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture) and a sword sage. He is recorded in the history of Japanese swordsmanship as the founder of Jigen-ryu. After studying Tenshin Sho Jigen-ryu, he established his own principles of the sword and founded Jigen-ryu. Jigen-ryu later became an otome-ryu of Satsuma Domain, a school that was forbidden to be taught outside the domain.

Shigekata was born as the third son of Setoguchi Shigetame, and in his youth he studied Taisha-ryu. When he accompanied Shimazu Yoshihisa to Kyoto, he is said to have studied Tenshin Sho Jigen-ryu under Zenkichi, a monk of Tenneiji. After returning to Satsuma, Shigekata established Jigen-ryu and became the sword instructor to Shimazu Iehisa (first lord of Satsuma Domain). Afterward, the Togo family passed Jigen-ryu down from generation to generation, and in the late Edo period the domain lord Shimazu Narioki called it a go-ryugi.

The greatest feature of Jigen-ryu is its distinctive stance called the "tonbo stance" (tonbo no kamae) and its teaching that stresses the first strike, expressed as "Ichi no tachi o utagawazu" (do not doubt the first strike) and "Ni no tachi irazu" (no second strike is needed). The sword is held high overhead and brought down in one rush toward the opponent's head. This first strike is considered the most important, and a second strike is deemed unnecessary. To train this fierce opening blow, the school transmits an important practice called "tategi-uchi" (striking an upright post), in which the student repeatedly strikes a standing tree from left and right with a wooden sword made of yusu (isu) wood. Satsuma samurai of the Bakumatsu period were feared as swordsmen, and this is attributed to training in Jigen-ryu and in Yakumaru Jigen-ryu, which descends from it.

Shigekata's swordsmanship philosophy deeply permeated the spirit of Satsuma warriors and shaped the image of the fierce and valiant "Satsuma hayato," the bold warriors of Satsuma. The Satsuma samurai who received his teachings played a major role in the Meiji Restoration. Jigen-ryu continues to be passed down today, centered in Kagoshima, as a school that embodies the practical combat use of the Japanese sword.