These two articles were translated by the late Charles V. Gruzanski in 1967, from the Nippon Budo Zenshu, and written for his magazine The Thrower. Kindly provided by Robert Gruzanski, used with permission.
| SHURIKEN-JUTSU by Charles V. Gruzanski PART I Shuriken - Jutsu (Shuriken, meaning a pointed misslie thrown by hand and Jutsu meaning "Art") or palm sword, is also sometimes referred to as Sen-Ken. In the text of Yagyu Ryu, Goykuseishu volume, it is classified as a weapon to be thrown. It states: "Wakizashi (short sword) or dagger can be used in the same way. If one practices he will learn a great deal. Shuriken is a sword that leaves the hand. Depending upon the situation, even a spear, halberd or sword may be thrown at the enemy. For example, when one meets the attack of a bow and arrow, or gun this is very helpful in spoiling their aim." Usually Shuriken-Jutsu thus became a fighting technique employed by warriors who were sometimes forced by circumstances to throw anything available at the enemy. When swordsmanship and other martial arts became organised, this technique was also organised and taught to others. Usually Shuriken-Jutsu does not constitute an independent school but is treated as part of the Kenjutsu or Ju-Jutsu schools. However, each school considered it as their "Secret" and it was very difficult for outsiders to observe it. As a result, the general public came to believe that a small knife attached to a sword or short sword is "Shuriken", and some imagined it to be called "Shiriken" (literally rear end sword) because one holds its blade with his palm to throw it. As Shuriken-Jutsu became organised, each school invented and used particular shaped shuriken for easy throwing. If we classify according to their shapes there are:
Tanto-Gata...........................Dagger Shape In Koan Watanabe's writing "Koan-Taiwa", the author wrote, "I was a student of Yagyu-Tajimanokami-Munenori and received a license from him. I knew of the man called Musashi Takemura who studied swordsmanship by himself and became an expert. Comparing him to Tajima, using an example from Chinese chess, Musashi was far stronger by "Sei-Maku" than Tajima. He became a guest at the house of Lord Tadaoki Hosokawa and received a salary of 40-minbuchi (enough rice to support 40 people for one year). He had a son called Youemon who studied under him and became quite an expert in the martial arts. Youemon was as good as his father in swordsmanship and very skillful in Shuriken-Jutsu. When he threw a 15 inch dagger at a peach floating in a stream, the dagger penetrated the core of the peach", Shuriken-Jutsu was later called Takemura Ryu, but this school used a dagger type shuriken which was the blade portion of a regular sword. VARIOUS SCHOOLS OF SHURIKEN JUTSU Among the most popular of these schools was - Negishi Ryu, founded by Shorei Negishi who was the instructor of swordsmanship for the Yasunaka feudal state in Joshu Province (presently Gumma Prefecture). He received instructions in shuriken from Hanpei Kaiho, improving and adding his own new technique. The large needle shaped shuriken having octagonal, hexagonal or round sections, was employed. Shorei Negishi's posthumous name is Senkyo, his childhood name was Chuzo and he later took the name Shorei. He was born in 1833, the son of a swordsmanship instructor for Yasunaka, the third generation of teaching Araki Ryu. He was ordered by his government to study under Hanpei Kaiho who was the instructor of swordsmanship for Mito territory. Within a few years he became head instructor of the Kaiho school. In 1857, at the age of 25, he travelled through the country, retrned home and succeeded his father in becoming the fourth generation instructor for the feudal state. His "morotezuki" (two hand thrust) was so deadly that his lord Itakura forbade him to hold matches and the public nicknamed him Joshu Kotengu (small superman from Joshu Province). He was not only an expert in the swordsmanship of Araki-Ryu, but he was also expert in Oshima-Ryu, Spear Handling, Ju-Jutsu and Kusarigama Jutsu besides being a famous shuriken expert. The instruction that he received from Hanpei Kaisho was the portion of Ganritsu Ryu swordsmanship that was traditionally taught by the Kamitomo family of Sendai, handed down to Kaiho through the wife of the Lord Kaiho Date of Sendai and her father Lord Rekko Date. The man called Izu Kamitomo (same as Hirohide) served the Meiwa and Anei periods (1764 to 1780), receiving 800 koku (koku is the unit for counting grain) of rice as his salary. He was an expert of the martial arts, especially proficient at shuriken which he devised. He held a needle between his fingers and when he threw it he never missed his target. This idea of using a needle came to mind when he thought of the fact that one need not be afraid of any great enemy if the enemy is blinded. Therefore, he always carried four needles in his hair, two on each side of his head. Up to that time he must have still thought that there might be some enemy to encounter. The present generation can not compare with him. The Lord of his Province asked him to hit four hoofs of a horse standing under a cherry tree in a painting on the cedar door. He performed the task twice and never missed. Before the Shiba Palace was destroyed by fire and the painting lost, the needle marks were still quite visible. He also devised a way to ride on the back of a wild boar. This came from an old tale that Shiro Nitta rode on the back of a wild boar whenever the hunt was held at the foot of Mount Fuji. Shozaemon's stepmother was from the Kamitomo family and was Izu's second cousin. According to her story about him, some people though Izu must have performed strange things withthe help of a fox, others thoought it very dangerous (or stupid) to handle shuriken and to ride on a wild boar's back, still others tried to find the truth and inquired of her about his tricks. Shozaemon also wanted to learn some of Isu's methods. When Shozaemon was young, Izu was already quite old, however, he often told the youngster stories at bedtime about his experiences of riding on the back of a fleeing boar, but one can get on when the boar is wounded and turns to charge the enemy. Usually people hesitate but this is the time to get on the animal's back - backwards. The boar's shoulders are wider than his hips, therefore, holding onto it's tail and clutching at it's belly with one's legs, one can easily ride it through the underbrush without harm. After the beast has run itself out and becomes exhausted and slows down, when it reaches firm footing for the rider, the rider thrusts his dagger into the anus and cuts the belly open as he gets off. Thus he never misses catching a boar. However, as for his Shuriken-Jutsu, it was retained by him alone. There were those that tried to learn his techniques, but, since they were his own invention and not learned, he could not teach others. He always told others that he just practiced throwing needles over and over until he developed the skill. He tried to teach Shozaemon by telling him to do it this way and that way but Shozaemon never mastered it". BIBLIOGRAPHY: Translated directly from the Nippon Budo Zenshu, Volume 6 *Ed. Note Kurumaken is another reading for "shaken"
SHURIKEN-JUTSU by Charles V. Gruzanski PART II Among other popular and interesting schools of Shuirken-Jutsu, was SHIRAI-RYU, founded by Kyo Yoshikane Shirai, second generation of Tenshin-Itto-Ryu, born in 1783. The weapons that he used looked like iron chopsticks having square of round sections. A few generations later, toward the end of the Tokugawa Era (which ended in 1867), Kanenori Dengoro Kurogoshi who was a retainer for the Lord of Aizu, appeared and is described in the book "Aizuhan Kyoikuko" (Educational References of Aizu Feudal State), it says: "Kanenori Kurogoshi, alias Yoshinobu and nicknamed Kengoro, was born to Ryosetsu Yoshitaku Hanyu as the second son, but was later adopted by Kanshiro Jisuke Kurogoshi. His step Great-Grandfather, Kaneyako Sakon Kurogoshi, was an expert of Shin-Muso Mugaku-Ryu Iai-Jutsu (Quick Draw) and was hired as an instructor in the mid 1700's and was given a salary of 1 - koku and two servings. His step grandfather Kaneyoshi Jidayie, and his his step-father, Kanehiro and Kanenori himself were all martial arts instructors for the feudal state. Kanenori taught swordsmanship of Shin-Muso Itto-Ryu, Ju-Jutsu of Inagami Shinmyo-Ryu, halberd handling of Shizuka-Ryu handstick and Shuriken-Justsu of Shirai-Ryu and kusarigama. He also mastered writing poetry and there was nothing that he tried that he could not master. As for his Sai-Jutsu, for him it was easy and he could throw a chopstick in the air and cut it before it hit the ground. As for his shuriken technique, he would put pennies in a pillar and hit them with a shuriken from a distance of about 18 feet without ever missing the holes in them. In his later years he lost his eyesight but still would hang up a wooden board about six or eight inches square and after having touched it with his hand, stepped back about 10 feet and hit it with a shuriken, never missing the target. He was also very skillful in needle blowing. In this he would hold a few dozen needles in his mouth and blow them out, one or two at a time but continuously. If he blew them at a paper screen door from a distance of 10 feet, the paper was shredded by the needles. He often mentioned that if he were attacked he would overcome his attacker without using his sword. He had two sons, the eldest was Yoshitsugu Hyakutaro who died in the battle of Boshin, the second was Yoshikane Hyakujiro who was wounded by a cannon ball in the same battle and came home. When Aizu feudal state fell to the Imperial troops in August, 1867, he killed his wounded son and then himslelf. He was 65 years old and was buried at Amida Temple, located to the west of the castle. As to the records stating the location of the "Dojo" of Shirai-Ryu and their technique it relates that: "Shuriken-Jutsu dojo, was located at Ichibansho, Issho-shin-machi. (They used iron sticks but according to the public understanding were classified as Shuriken). They used an iron piece that resembled an iron nail, in their hand and holding it over their shoulder, threw it while stepping forward". BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Translated directly from the Nippon Budo Zenshu, Volume 6 |