Yagyū Munetoshi Yagyū Sekishūsai Taira - no - Munetoshi ( 柳生石舟斎平宗厳 1529 - May 25 , 1606 ) was a samurai in Japan ’ s Sengoku period famous for mastering the Shinkage - ryū school of combat , and introducing it to the Tokugawa clan . Early life . Munetoshi was born Yagyū Shinsuke in 1529 in Yagyū Village ( present day Yagyū , Nara ) in Yamato Province . His father , Ietoshi , was a minor landed lord . When Munetoshi was 12 , Ietoshi joined a general named Kisawa Nagamasa in contesting the growing power of the warlord Miyoshi Chōkei . However , Kisawa was killed in battle , and the Yagyū found themselves on the defensive . With over half of Yamato Province under his control , Miyoshi left the rest of the conquest to his lieutenant , Tsutsui Junshō . The Tsutsui and the Yagyū had feuded previously , and Junshō wasted no time . In 1544 he attacked the Yagyū at Koyagyū Castle with some 10 , 000 men . According to the " Tamon - in Nikki " , a chronicle of the Kōfuku - ji temple , at first the Yagyū were caught by surprise , but Ietoshi rallied his troops for a defensive battle . Munetoshi , a young man of 15 , ably led a small troop of his own . The Tsutsui troops surrounded the castle , burned the surrounding houses and villages , took control of the outer castle and cut off the water supply , but the main castle still held out . The Yagyū held out or three days , but they were greatly outnumbered , and had no choice but to capitulate , and submit to the Tsutsui . The Yagyū served the Tsutsui for eight years . Munetoshi studied the martial and liberal arts , becoming proficient with the spear and sword , as well as studying Confucianism , Zen Buddhism , and Shingon Buddhism . Munetoshi soon gained notice as an able warrior and commander , and as many of orders were sent by Tsutsui to him , a young man in his 20s , as were sent to his father , still an active lord in his 50s . One message sent by Junshō ’ s son Fujikatsu to Ietoshi singles out Munetoshi in particular for praise . In 1559 , the warlord Matsunaga Hisahide decided to attack the Tsutsui and take control of Yamato Province . He sent a message to Munetoshi promising to restore their old lands and position to the Yagyū in exchange for their service . The Tsutsui were overthrown , and the Yagyū grew prominent under Matsunaga . In particular , Matsunaga gave Munetoshi a citation for valor for his performance in a battle at To ' unomine . Matsunaga ’ s attempt to take the mountain was repulsed , and Munetoshi fought in the rearguard as the army retreated . He was wounded , but fighting with a spear he killed several of the enemy . Munetoshi almost did not survive the battle , but a retainer named Matsuda Muneshige sacrificed his life to save Munetoshi ’ s . Munetoshi would later make mention of his extreme gratitude when he gave a Shinkage - ryū license to Muneshige ’ s son Genjirō . It is not entirely clear what school of combat Munetoshi studied , or who his teachers were . An Owari Yagyū family record suggests that he studied Shintō - ryū under a man named Kantori Shinjūrō . But “ Kantori ” may simply be a misreading of kanji meant to read “ Katori ” , thus signifying “ Katori Shintō - ryū ” . An Edo Yagyū family record suggests that he studied Toda - ryū , a branch of Chūjō - ryū . All family records and Munetoshi ’ s own surviving writings suggest that he was an enthusiastic student of the military arts from a young age , before he met Kamiizumi Hidetsuna . Encounter with Kamiizumi Hidetsuna . In 1564 , Kamiizumi Ise - no - kami Hidetsuna was travelling to Kyoto with his student and nephew Hikita Bungorō and his long - time student Suzuki Ihaku . While stopping in Ise Province , the group asked the governor , Kitabatake Tomonori , if he knew of any capable samurai nearby interested in a friendly match . Kitabatake recommended Munetoshi and Munetoshi ’ s friend Kakuzenbō In ’ ei , a monk and spearsman of the Hōzōin temple . Hidetsuna agreed , and a messenger was sent on ahead to Hōzōin temple to contact the two men . Munetoshi agreed , and met Hidetsuna at Hōzōin . Accounts differ on the specifics of the match : according to the Edo Yagyū family record " Kyū Yagyū - hanki " , Munetoshi faced Hikita Bungoro and was roundly beaten with a fukuro - shinai . An account by Munetoshi ’ s great - great - grandson Toshinobu says that Munetoshi faced Suzuki Ihaku three times . Based on family documents and oral history , Yagyū Toshinaga suggested that Munetoshi ’ s opponent was Hidetsuna himself in three matches over three days . In any event , the common point of all the accounts is that Munetoshi lost , and became Hidetsuna ’ s disciple . Munetoshi invited Hidetsuna to his land in Yagyū Village , where they trained for the better part of a year . Hidetsuna then went on to Kyoto , giving Munetoshi an assignment . He asked him to research the concept of " Mutō - dori " ; facing an armed opponent while unarmed . While Hidetsuna was away Munetoshi devoted himself to this study , and upon Hidetsuna ’ s return he successfully demonstrated it on Suzuki Ihaku . Hidetsuna , pleased by this innovation , gave Munetoshi an " inka - jō " , signifying the highest attainment in Shinkage - ryū and permission to teach it . A year later , Hidetsuna gave Munetoshi the " Kage - mokuroku " , a selection of four scrolls detailing the kata of Shinkage - ryū with commentary and drawings by Hidetsuna himself . In the " Yagyū Kaken " , the Yagyū family constitution , Munetoshi wrote that he ’ d loved the military arts since he was a youth , and studied many ryū , but did not know victory until he met Kamiizumi Hidetsuna . Munetoshi ’ s service to Matsunaga , and later to Oda Nobunaga would keep him busy following Hidetsuna ’ s visit in 1567 , Munetoshi and Hidetsuna both found themselves living and working in Kyoto in the waning years of the Ashikaga Shogunate , from 1570 to 1572 . In 1572 Hidetsuna traveled to Yagyū Village for the last time , staying there an indefinite length of time before heading east to Kōzuke Province , where he was last seen in 1577 . Career as a general . Munetoshi served Matsunaga with distinction . The battle at To ’ unomine , for which Munetoshi received a citation of valor , was either just before his encounter with Hidetsuna or shortly after . In 1568 , Oda Nobunaga entered Yamato Province with overwhelming force and subjugated the Matsunaga and Tsutsui , ending their skirmishing . It is likely that around this time Ietoshi retired , and passed on the leadership of the Yagyū to Munetoshi . Nobunaga ordered Munetoshi to go to Kyoto and attend to the new Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki . With the passing of a few years , however , Yoshiaki began forming alliances to overthrow Nobunaga , among them the Yagyū ’ s old lord and present commander Matsunaga Hisahide and the warlord Takeda Shingen . In 1571 , attempting to secure control once more over Yamato Province , Matsunaga sent the Yagyū in an attack against Tsutsui Junkei at Tatsuichi , a town in Nara . The attack was a total failure , and in the course of the battle Munetoshi ’ s oldest son , Toshikatsu , was shot in the hip . This compounded an earlier injury he had received in his first battle , and made him an invalid for life . Yoshiaki ’ s coalition made its move against Nobunaga in 1573 , but despite early success the death of Takeda Shingen weakened it . Nobunaga drove Yoshiaki out of Kyoto in August , and Matsunaga rejoined Nobunaga to fight the other members of the coalition . It is likely that Munetoshi took part in these battles . However , by 1577 Matsunaga again turned on Nobunaga , who then finally defeated his wayward vassal . It is not clear when , but around this time Munetoshi withdrew from the world of battle , and secluded himself in Yagyū Village . Seclusion and focus on Shinkage - ryū . Sometime in the late 1570s , Munetoshi gave up all aspirations of being a general or warlord , and retired to Yagyū Village , where he devoted himself to teaching and training in Shinkage - ryū . It is not exactly clear why , as he was only in his late - 40s . The death of Hidetsuna , his teacher , around this time may have been a factor , as well as the fall of the Ashikaga and Matsunaga . Poetry that Munetoshi wrote during this time express doubt and a lack of confidence in anything beyond Shinkage - ryū , and even this skill is compared in utility to a “ stone boat ” . Munetoshi spent most of his time teaching Shinkage - ryū to his sons and other men . Licenses given out by him that date back to 1580 survive today . In 1589 he wrote the " Yagyū Kaken " 柳生家憲 , a memoir and treatise on proper conduct meant for his descendents . In 1593 he became a Buddhist lay priest , taking the name “ Sekishūsai Songon ” . This same year , he wrote the " Heihō Hyakka " 兵法百歌 , “ One - hundred Songs of Strategy ” , a collection of mostly original poetry on such subjects as the usefulness , training , and goals of the martial arts . 1594 would prove to be an eventful year . Despite his seclusion in Yagyū Village , Munetoshi ’ s prowess in Shinkage - ryū and Mutō - dori was known by Tokugawa Ieyasu , at that time still Toyotomi Hideyoshi ’ s loyal general . Ieyasu was highly interested in the martial arts , and he arranged for a meeting with Munetoshi at Takagamine , north of Kyoto . Munetoshi brought his fifth son , Munenori , with him to demonstrate . After explaining the philosophy of Shinkage - ryū , they demonstrated some of the kata of the ryū , as well as Mutō - dori . However , Ieyasu wished to see for himself , so he took up a " bokutō " , a wooden sword , and requested that Munetoshi demonstrate Mutō - dori on him . Munetoshi successfully did so , sending Ieyasu ’ s bokutō flying away and knocking Ieyasu onto his back . Impressed , Ieyasu asked Munetoshi to teach him Shinkage - ryū . Munetoshi refused , citing his advanced age , and recommended his son Munenori . Ieyasu agreed , and signed an oath to learn Shinkage - ryū , and to treat the Yagyū with favor . Munenori went with Ieyasu , and was given the post of hatamoto , or standard bearer . That same year , a census of the Yamato Province revealed hidden , non - taxed rice fields in Yagyū Village . As punishment , Munetoshi ’ s lands were taken away by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . Munetoshi continued to teach Shinkage - ryū , in particular to his grandson Hyōgonosuke Toshitoshi , and Takeda Ujikatsu , the head of the Konparu - ryū school of Noh theater . Final years and death . The Yagyū family suffered a major loss in 1597 , when Munetoshi ’ s oldest grandson and ostensible heir , Sumitoshi , was killed in battle in Korea . In 1599 , Munetoshi wrote out a will . Demonstrating the dire situation his family was in , he ordered that his tea ceremony equipment be sold to pay for his funeral . But Munetoshi would live to see a final reversal of fortune , and his long dedication to Shinkage - ryū finally secure the success of his family for generations . In 1600 , the armies of Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu began moving against each other to determine who would rule after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi . Ieyasu was attempting to put down an uprising by the Uesugi clan in Shimotsuke Province ( present - day Tochigi Prefecture ) when he learned that Mitsunari was moving against him . He dispatched Munenori back to Yagyū Village , to ask his father to raise forces in the Yamato region . At the age of 71 , Munetoshi was too old to lead the forces himself , so Munenori led them to Ieyasu ’ s position , arriving a day before the battle . Ieyasu ’ s army carried the day , and among the rewards given to the Yagyū was the return of their ancestral lands to their control . Munetoshi ’ s fourth son , Gorōemon Muneaki , had served under Kobayakawa Hideaki until Hideaki ’ s death in 1602 . Muneaki became a " rōnin " , and was taken in by Yokota Muraaki , the chamberlain of Nakamura Kazutada , lord of Yonago . In 1603 , Nakamura killed Yokota , believing that the chamberlain was plotting against him . Yokota ’ s family , including Yagyū Muneaki , started an uprising , which was ruthlessly put down . Muneaki fought bravely , reportedly cutting down 18 men before he was shot and killed . He was 35 years old . In 1604 , Munetoshi ’ s grandson , Toshitoshi , left Yagyū Village to serve the great general Kato Kiyomasa . Toshitoshi was in Kiyomasa ’ s service only a year before trouble with older retainers forced him to leave . Toshitoshi used the opportunity to do " musha shugyō " , testing himself against and learning from different teachers . In 1606 , Munetoshi urgently summoned Toshitoshi back to Yagyū Village . When Toshitoshi returned , Munetoshi , now in ill health , bequeathed to his grandson all of his Shinkage - ryū materials , including the license of transmission and illustrated scrolls he received from Hidetsuna . In 1606 , Yagyū Sekishūsai Taira - no - Munetoshi died at age 78 in Yagyū Village . Legacy . After his death , his son Munenori took possession of the family lands in Yagyū Village , and ordered that Hōtokuji Temple be built in Munetoshi ’ s honor . Munenori ’ s son Retsudō was made the chief priest . The temple remains today , on the grounds where Munetoshi ’ s manor once stood . With the patronage of the Tokugawa family , the Yagyū family was finally secure , enjoying peace and prosperity until the end of the Tokugawa era . Munenori , initially only a hatamoto and sword instructor , became a trusted aide to the third Tokugawa Shōgun , Iemitsu . Yagyū Village and the surrounding area became Yagyū - han , with Munenori as its first lord . Munenori and his son Jūbei were known for their skill with the sword , and they had a number of students , some of who would go on to found their own styles . Munenori ’ s line is known as the Edo Yagyū . Munetoshi ’ s oldest son , Toshikatsu , remained in Yagyū Village until his death , his disability preventing him from being employed by a lord . But his sons would go on to become renowned sword instructors in their own right . His youngest , Kenzaemon , became the sword instructor to Date Masumune , the lord of Sendai - han . Toshikatsu ’ s second son , Toshitoshi , eventually became the sword instructor to the Owari Tokugawa , in Nagoya . Toshitoshi ’ s line , the Owari Yagyū , continued to teach and pass down Shinkage - ryū throughout the Edo Period , to the present day . The current sōke , Yagyū Kōichi , is a direct 13th generation descendant of Munetoshi via Toshitoshi ’ s line . Name . Munetoshi is often referred to in popular works as “ Muneyoshi ” , and likewise his grandsons Jūbei and Hyōgonosuke are referred to as Mitsuyoshi and Toshiyoshi , respectively . However , in the Yagyū family , they are known as Munetoshi , Mitsutoshi , and Toshitoshi . The character 厳 has been passed down in the family since Ietoshi ’ s time , always with the reading “ toshi ” . In the Edo Yagyū line of Munenori , only Jūbei Mitsutoshi was given the 厳 character , but from the 5th head of the family on , the character 俊 was used , also read “ toshi ” . When historians first came across the name 宗厳 they had no way to be sure how the name was read . The only suggestion for pronunciation in Yagyū family records was " Songon " , the Chinese - reading of the characters , which Munetoshi took upon taking the name “ Sekishūsai ” . One late 18th century record of family lineages , the " Kansei Choshu Shokafu " , noted “ Muneyoshi ” as the pronunciation . In the Daikanwa Jiten , the largest Chinese character dictionary for the Japanese language , 厳 is given " kane " , " tsuyo " , and " yoshi " as possible readings used in names . So in early modern histories , this reading was used . Some books still use it today . However , historian Imamura Yoshio posits that even the kana characters indicating the " Muneyoshi " pronunciation in the " Kansei Choshu Shokafu " may actually be indicating " Munetoshi " . The kana よ ( yo ) was derived from 与 , which also can be read as " to " . Starting with the release of " Shōden Shinkage - ryū " , by Yagyū Toshinaga , in 1955 , the Yagyū family pronunciation has become more common than before . Fiction and Legend . Like many other great figures in Japanese history , Munetoshi has become a popular figure in literature , movies , video games and other media , and has accumulated a number of exaggerated tales and legends about him . In Yagyū Village , near the Yagyū family burial ground , is a large rock called Itto - seki , which has been split in half . Though it was most probably split by lightning or earthquake , legend says that Munetoshi cleaved it himself with his sword . Munetoshi is a prominent character in Eiji Yoshikawa ' s " Musashi " , a fictionalized telling of the life of Miyamoto Musashi . In that story a young and still wild Musashi seeks out Munetoshi , seeking to make a name for himself by defeating the famous swordsman . By that time however , Munetoshi is already old and ailing , and instead of dueling , the encounter turns into a learning experience for Musashi , who is awed by the spiritual power of Munetoshi , and makes him aware of his shortcomings as a person . These encounters are also portrayed in the manga series " Vagabond " , based on Yoshikawa ' s novel . In the Onimusha video game series , Munetoshi , by taking the title of Jubei , was the main character in Onimusha 2 : Samurai ' s Destiny . After Nobunaga destroys the Yagyū Village , Jubei goes off on a journey to avenge them . He also appears in Onimusha Blade Warriors and is in hiding in Onimusha 3 : Demon Siege . In Onimusha : Dawn of Dreams , he retires and gives the Jubei name to his granddaughter , Akane . He is referred to Sekishusai as a result . His son , Yagyū Munenori became a servant of the evil Toyotomi Hideyoshi , and for this , he sent Akane to kill him . In the " Fatal Fury " video game series , the character Jubei Yamada is based on him .