Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group
TAISHA-RYŪ HISTORICAL RESEARCH GROUP
Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group
The THRG studies the documents
and the traditions of Taisha-ryū
to understand its history and preserve
its legacy for future generations.
Hyōhō Taisha-ryū (兵法タイ捨流) is a swordsmanship (kenjutsu; 剣術)- oriented traditional Japanese school (ko-ryū; 古流) founded in the latter half of the 16th century by Marume Kurando-no Suke Nagayoshi (丸目蔵人佑長) – one of the best students of Kamiizumi Ise-no Kami Nobutsuna (上泉伊勢守信綱) – a legendary swordsman and philosopher of the Warring States Period. Taisha-ryū spread throughout the island of Kyūshū, becoming prominent not only in Marume Kurando’s home domain of Sagara (相良), but also spreading throughout the provinces of Higo (肥後), Hizen (肥前), Satsuma (薩摩) and Chikuzen (筑前). Over its 450-year history the masters of Taisha-ryū’s more than 12 lines left their mark on the history of Japan.
The THRG aims to study, systematise and make that history available to all who are interested in traditional Japanese martial arts, philosophy and culture.
Under the supervision of the 15th school head (sōke) Uehara Eriko and licensed instructor (shihan) Yamamoto Takahiro, the Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group will aim to study and preserve the heritage and history of all lines of Taisha-ryū. This includes, but is not limited to:
Since historical research activities and especially the rescue of valuable historical documents, their preservation and study require financial backing, we provide interested parties with the opportunity to support THRG’s activities by means of an annual subscription service in the form of a donation. You are free to contribute as little or as much as you choose.
If you make a donation of more than €60 within one year you will receive a copy of the current issue of the Annual Bulletin free of charge as a gesture of thank you for supporting our historical research!
The subscription can be made at any time during the calendar year and is valid for that year. As a non-profit venture, any and all funds will be used exclusively towards the above-listed objectives. If you are interested in previous issues of the bulletin and not the current one – please notify us.
Please note that when you donate, you will have to provide an address in the donation form. It will be stored and used only for shipping your copy of the Annual Bulletin and no personal information shall be given to third parties or used for other purposes.
Please note that all contributions are non-refundable.
Contact
taisharyu.history@gmail.com
As of 2023, the Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group publishes an Annual Bulletin, detailing curated pieces of the research carried out in the previous year.
ISSN: 2815-4789
For the foreseeable future, the bulletin shall be produced in English and published in physical form. All contents of the Bulletin shall be subject to copyright and cannot be redistributed publicly without permission. Commercial use is also prohibited without permission. The copyright holders of cited material (text, images, etc.) remain the same. However, use of the material within the copyright purview of the THRG for educational purposes may be permitted upon request.
II. (2024)
The second edition of the Annual Bulletin of the Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group is concerned with with the feudal lord of the Yanagawa Domain – Tachibana Muneshige (立花宗茂; 1567 – 1643), who was a licensed student of Marume Kurando, and follows him, Kurando and other historical figures related to Taisha-ryū through the period of the Imjin War (1592-1597). It also deals with other traditions related to Taisha-ryū which found fertile ground in Yanagawa during later centuries and even had an influence on the development of modern kendō.
ISBN: 978-619-92488-1-2
Keywords: Tachibana Muneshige, Taisha-ryū, Yanagawa, Imjin War
I. (2023)
The first edition of the Annual Bulletin of the Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group is concerned with a particular line of the school which finds its origins in Sagara Seibei Yorimori – a senior retainer of the Sagara domain – and with tracing other possible connections to the school in the area of Hirosaki, northern Honshu, where Seibei was sent into exile in 1641.
ISBN: 9-786-199-248805
Keywords: Sagara Seibei, Taisha-ryū, Sagara, HItoyoshi, Tsugaru
Unknown but to a few scholars until recently, the Taisha-ryū “Unravelling the Cords” is an early Edo period Japanese treatise on the Art of War completed in 1710 by Nakano Jinuemon Shūmei (1653–1730) – chief retainer to the feudal lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. A native of Saga in Northern Kyushu, Nakano Shūmei was a swordsmanship master of the Taisha-ryū tradition, reviver of that school in Hizen and instructor to many retainers of the Nabeshima clan, not least among them Yamamoto Jōchō – author of the famous Hagakure. This volume contains the first complete annotated translation of the original text of the Taisha-ryū Kaichū (タイ捨流解紐), as well as a document penned by Taisha-ryū’s founder – Marume Kurando (1540–1629) – containing an original text by Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (ca. 1508–1577) – the renowned founder of the Shinkage-ryū school and Kurando’s own swordsmanship master.
© 2024 Taisha-ryū Historical Research Group – All Rights Reserved.