Asayama Ichiden-ryū

Asayama Ichiden-ryū (浅山一伝流) is a Japanese koryū martial art founded in the late Muromachi period by Asayama Ichidensai Shigetatsu 浅山一伝斎重晨}.

There are often conflicting stories among Martial art schools that have many branches about who actually founded the school and how. In some cases this stems from Japanese Samurai being fond of changing their names. Asayama Ichiden Ryu Taijutsu is one of those schools. The founder went by many names and there are many different and conflicting stories about the founder and school. Several website discuss the same figure but with a different given names.

Asayama Ichiden Ryu Taijutsu was founded by Asayama Mitsugoro Ichidensai in 1566. He was the third son of a military expert (gunshi) who was named Asayama Genban Minamoto no Yoshitada Ichiyosai. His father was in the employ of Akai Aku Uemon Kageto, who was the Lord of the Amada and Hikami Districts. The story goes that at the age of 12, Ichidensai had a dream with Fudo Myo Oh, which resulted in enlightenment for him and the subsequent founding of Asayama Ichiden Ryu. This is not the only story other traditions state that the Ichiden Ryu lineage begins with Marume Mondonoshô Norikichi,a student of his Kuniie Yauemon, instructed Asayama Ichidensai Shigetatsu. Ichidensai then spread his tradition across the country. Another tradition claims that he learned from a variety of teachers, including Kamiizumi Hidetsuna, Okuyama Saemondayu Tadanobu, Nakamura Senjurô, and the Yoshioka family in the capital there also may be a connection with Tamiya Ryu. Ichidensai died on the 5th day of the first month of the 4th year of Jôkyô (1687) at the age of 78. He had numerous students, and many schools spawned off of the main branch.

Asayama Ichiden-ryu was founded by Asayama Ichidensai Shigetatsu as solely an atemi (striking) and gyakute (reversal) art, aside from Jujutsu, the art also contains gyakute-jutsu, a rare reversal art utilizing a short wooden pole 37 cm or 25 cm in length. The art is learned first bare-handed, but its techniques may also be used with a steel fan. There are many different branches in different parts of Japan and in the United States, each with their own characteristics.

The art was initially taught in the Aizu domain, which is the same area that Daito Ryu originated hence a possible reason for some experts noting similarities in the various waza that are shared. Eventually the art was promoted throughout the region by the Tanaka House, who were elders on council to the Lord of that area. During the Meiji period (1868 to 1912), the head of the art was named Tamatso Tanaka, the 12th generation head of the art. Its current popularity was due to Tanaka's appointment of Okura Hisajiro Naoyuki as Style head. Okura had a dojo in the Koiskikawa area of Tokyo. He had two senior students, Adachi Yushio who continued the tradition and also Naganuma Tsuneyuki, who married his daughter. As a result, Naganuma was given the responsibility of heading the art. He subsequently appointed his second son, Yoshiyuki, as the head of the art, he left the position and turned it over to a senior student named Ueno Takashi, after his fathers (Tsuneyuki) death, Yoshiyuki returned and began teaching the art again. There are conflicting stories as to who was appointed the successor to Ueno Takashi.Several branches sprang up in the coming years from various senior students. It should be noted that these senior students had no claims to succession. Each Started their own branches with their own characteristics. One such divergence belongs to the Nagano Ryu branch which teaches characteristics founded by Yukio Nakamura who was a student of the Head Master Okura Hisajiro Naoyuki in the Koikikawa Dojo near present-day Tokyo. However, there is another branch that claims Sato Kinbei as the successor in 1954, while another claims Kaminaga Shigemi was appointed. Kinbei taught many people the art of Asayama Ichiden Ryu. Given the amount of divergence in the art, it is entirely possible that many of these claims have some merit.

...
Wikipedia