玉心流忍法
GYOKUSHIN-RYŪ NINPŌ
Sasaki Goemon Teruyoshi founded the Gyokushin-ryū school based on Gyokkō-ryū approximately 500 years ago.
玉 GYOKU : jewel, ball
心 SHIN : heart, mind, spirit, heart
流 RYŪ : current, a sink, flow, forfeit
忍 NIN : endure, bear, put up with, conceal, secrete, spy, sneak
法 PŌ : method, law, rule, principle, model, system
It is believed that Sasaki Goemon Teruyoshi founded the school based on Gyokkō-ryū and it was taught around the Kishu and Takeda provinces for many generations. We don’t know much about the first 10 generations, not even their names. This shouldn’t be surprising since it was dangerous times, they didn’t keep records that could be confiscated and used against themselves.
After Tokugawa united Japan in 1603 the Edo Period started (1603-1867), now there was peace. Later in 1624-1644 it is recorded that the school was headed by Toda Seiryu Nobutsuna (24’th Sōke of Togakure-ryū). We don’t know how this school came to the Toda family.
If there still exist Densho with techniques they have not been taught officially by Hatsumi Sōke. I have seen only a few Taijutsu concepts, no Kata techniques. It might be that this school was more specialised in espionage and tactics and not so much fighting. We don’t know much about this school.
With the new Sōke maybe something will be revealed soon?
傳系 DENKEI
| 1. 佐々木五部石衛門輝良 | Sasaki Goeman Teruyoshi |
| 2. 佐々木源太夫貞安 | Sasaki Gendayu Sadayasu |
| 3. ? | ? |
| 4. ? | ? |
| 5. ? | ? |
| 6. ? | ? |
| 7. ? | ? |
| 8. ? | ? |
| 9. ? | ? |
| 10. ? | ? |
| 11. 戸田盛柳信綱 | Toda Seiryu Nobutsuna (1624-1644) |
| 12. 戸田不動信近 | Toda Fudo Nobuchika (1658-1681) |
| 13. 戸田観五郎信安 | Toda Kangoro Nobuyasu (1681-1704) |
| 14. 戸田英三郎信正 | Toda Eisaburo Nobumasa (1704-1711) |
| 15. 戸田新兵衛正近 | Toda Shinbei Masachika (1711-1736) |
| 16. 戸田新五郎正良 | Toda Shingoro Masayoshi (1736-1764) |
| 17. 戸田大五郎近秀 | Toda Daigoro Chikahide (1764-1804) |
| 18. 戸田大三郎近繁 | Toda Daisaburo Chikashige (1804-1824) |
| 19. 戸田真竜軒正光 | Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu (1824-1909) |
| 20. 高松寿嗣翊翁 | Takamatsu Toshitsugu Uoh (1909-1972) |
| 21. 初見良昭 | Hatsumi Masaaki (1972-2020) |
| 22. 菅純一 | Kan Junichi (2020-) |
Notes
The founder was probably related to the famous Sasaki Clan, or a distant relative.
The 11’th Soke Toda Seiryu Nobutsuna (1624-1644) was also the 24’th Soke of Togakure-ryu, 18’th Soke of Gyokko-ryu, 9’th Soke of Koto-ryu and the 5’th Soke of Kumogakure-ryu.