Yagyu Shinkage Ryu

The Yagyu Shinkage Ryu sword school originated in the mid 1500s.  The
Yagyu family became the secret service of the Shogun (Tokugawa Shogun)
that united Japan.  O-Sensei studied Yagyu Shinkage Ryu in his formative
years.  Kraus Sensei studied Yagyu Shinkage Ryu for 3 years under
Nobuharu Yagyu Sensei, the 21st generation teacher of the school.  In the
words of Nobuharu Yagyu Sensei,











At the Vicksburg Aikikai, we practice a number of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu ken
techniques.  We also practice the Jubei no jo, which are five jo techniques
against the sword developed by the great swordsman Yagyu Jubei.

Yagyu Shinkage Ryu practice in Tokyo, early 1980s.  
Yagyu Sensei and Nick Kraus doing the "San Gaku" kata.
 

Yagyu Seigo Ryu
Batto Jutsu (iado),
Tokyo, early 1980s

“The ideal that we seek here in Shinkage Ryu is mukei
(‘no form’).  This is a natural flow of movements each of which
is made in reaction to one’s opponent’s action.  Mukei is the
enlightened ability to meet any situation presented by one’s
opponent, and to react calmly and swiftly to that situation
without forethought and with masterly skill.  This, of course, is
by no means simple, and it takes even the best of students
many years to free themselves from the shackles of concern
for technique to a state where ‘effort’ becomes ‘effortless.’ ”