From: byoung@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Brian P Young)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Daito Ryu history I
Date: 9 Oct 1992 02:20:40 GMT
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Summary: Long

I got some response through the mail about Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu history.
I will post it in two parts, ancient to about 1868 and from 1868 to present.

1100 years ago during the reign of Emperor Seiwa, 56th emperor of Japan,
legend has it, Price Teijun, emperor Seiwa sixth son, discovered the
principle of aiki.  He passed the secret along to his descendants.

Tsunamoto, Prince Teijun's eldest son, was given the name Minamoto and his 
descendants, who are known as the Seiwa Genji, kept aikijutsu as their
secret family art.  These were all men of historical importance in Japan.
They traditionally held the post of Shinjufu Shogun, the general in charge of
the Northern Army.

Although there are those who regard this story as mere legend, it is an 
undeniable fact that the Weiwa Minamoto went from nothing to becoming the 
most powerful warriors in Japan.  And, they did this in only four
generations, even though there were other families which were older,wealther,
and had more combat experience.  It seems only logicl to attribute the sudden
rise of the Minamoto to their hijutsu(secret art).

Minamota Yoshiie was born in the fifth generation of the Seiwa Genji, during
the Heian period (about 1100 ad).  He was known as Hachiman Taro, the "eldest
son of the god of war", and is widely considered to be the single greatest
warrior in the history of Japan.  His youngest brother, also a great general,
was named Yoshimitsu.

Shinra Saburo Minamota Yoshimitsu was a master of many arts.  Poet, warrior,
physician, and historian, he is regarded as the actual founder of the Daito
Ryu.  It is said that he greatly advanced the art of atemi (striking vital
points) and kansetsu (joint locks) by dissecting the bodies of criminals and
war dead.  He is also said to have devised many new methods of restraining
a prisoner by observing the action of a spider weaving a web about its prey.

The name "Daito" is commonly said to have come from the name of Yoshimitsu's
mansion.  However, this story may be an error resulting from a mistranslation
of the Japanese character for "house".  That character may also be read as
"family".  In other words, when the old books talk about the "Yoshinmitsu
house they are not talking about a building but about the family itself.
Because the Minamoto were the most powerful family in eastern Japan, it seems
only logical that their family art shuld be referred to as the Daito Ryu, the
"great eastern style".

Yoshimitsu's grandson, Yoshikiyo, settled in the town of Takeda in the Kai
area and his decendants are known as the Kai Takeda.  They were quite wealthy
and held positions of political power.

Near the end of the 16th century when Takeda Shingen chose to fight against
the formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which was destined to rule Japan for
the next 300 years, the position of the Kai Takeda became untenable.

This forced Takeda Kunitsugu to move his family nothe and take up service in
the Aizu Han (present day Fukushima area).  This branch of the family is
known as the Aizu Takeda and they held the position of Shinamban, clan
fencing masters, and tought their art to the most senior members of the clan,
shose with an annual income of over 500 koku.  (One koku is the amount of
rice it took to feed one man for one year, about five bushels)
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