Togakure Ryu Ninpo

戸隠流忍法体術

Type of Ryu: Ninjutsu

Date founded: Unknown

Originator: Nishina Daisuke

Weapons: Katana, shuko, shuriken, metsubushi

REKISHI

In Nagano ken there is a small village called Togakure (Togakushi), in the prefecture of Shinano. Here in approximately 1161, Daisuke Nishina was born into a Samurai family. Sometime during his early life, he studied shugendo near his village. These early experiences were to play an important role later when Daisuke was to establish a system of fighting, survival and infiltration. Daisuke Nishina was on the losing side of a battle in the 1180s and was forced to flee into Iga. Here he was found by Kain Doshi (possibly known as Kagakure Doshi). He adopted Doshi's warrior teachings to his own Shugendo and the beginnings of Togakure Ryu where formed. Togakure Ryu never had an official founding as some martial arts. Goro Togakure is recognized as being the person who officially formed the family of Togakure into a Ninjutsu system. Of the first 8 generations, 5 had the last name of Togakure, which usually shows relationship. The 2nd Soke of the Ryu, Shima Kosanta Minamoto No Kanesada was a Samurai retainer having the rank of Kosho, for one of the most powerful Samurai generals Kiso Yoshinaka, a general in the Minamoto army. The Minamoto were to become the first hereditary Shoguns. When he was 16, Shima fought against the Taira family, the rivals of the Minamoto family. That battle took place at Awazu. Yoshinaka Kiso happened to be on the losing side. It is thought that Shima was wounded in the battle, and fled to one of the nearby mountainous areas near to the battle site. Shima only did this at the request of Yoshinaka. Kagakure Doshi, a warrior of the Hakuun Ryu, found Shima and together they fled to Iga. Kagakure was also one of the teachers of Daisuke Togakure.
The 32nd Soke of Togakure Ryu, Shinryuken Masamitsu Toda was also a master in the Bikenshin Ryu and was the sword instructor for the Tokugawa Shogunate in the mid 19th century. Toda sensei passed the tradition on to his grand son Takamatsu Toshitsugu. Takamatsu sensei was an excellent budoka and mastered an assortment of arts. Takamatsu sensei passed on the Togakure Ryu onto two men. One being Fukumoto Yoshio and the other is Hatsumi Masaaki.

Togakure (Nishina), Daisuke ca 1161
Minamoto no Kanesada, Shima Kosanta 1180
Togakure, Goro 1200
Togakure, Kosanta
Koga, Kosanta
Kaneko, Tomoharu
Togakure, Ryuho
Togakure, Gakuun
Kido, Koseki
Iga, Tenryu
Ueno, Rihei
Ueno, Senri
Ueno, Manjiro
Iizuka, Saburo
Sawada, Goro
Ozaru, Ippei
Kimata, Hachiro
Kataoka, Heizaemon
Mori, Ugenta
Toda, Gobei
Kobe, Seiun
Momochi, Kobei
Tobari, Tenzen
Toda, Nobutsuna Seiryu circa 1624 - 1644
Toda, Nobuchika Fudo circa 1658 - 1681
Toda, Kangoro Nobuyasu circa 1681 - 1704
Toda, Eisaburo Nobumasa circa 1704 - 1711
Toda, Shinbei Masachika circa 1711 - 1736
Toda, Shingoro Masayoshi circa 1736 - 1764
Toda, Daigoro Chikahide circa 1764 - 1804
Toda, Daisaburo Chikashige circa 1804 - ?
Toda, Shinryuken Masamitsu 1824- ?
Takamatsu, Toshitsugu 1907 - 1972
Hatsumi, Masaaki (Yoshiaki) 1968 - present

All of the above history is according to Hatsumi Masaaki.

This Ryu is comprised of: