Toshishiro Obata
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese actor and the founder of the International Shinkendo
Federation.
He studied under Gozo Shioda
in the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo, and studied the sword arts of Nakamura Ryu
, Ioriken Battojutsu, Toyama Ryu
, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu
, Kashima Shin ryu
, Ryukyu Kobudo, and others. He is well-known in Japan as a tameshigiri
champion for several years in a row and is an authorized shitoka (sword tester).
He moved to America in 1980 to start teaching and to develop his own sword art, based on his extensive experience. In 1991, the International Shinkendo Federation was officially established. The federation has grown to over 70 dojo
internationally, and continues to expand. Obata, as the founder of the school, is referred to as Obata Kaiso by his students, and continues to travel across the globe to hold seminars for his students around the world.
, who served as a general and strategist (one of the famous 24 strategists) for the Takeda family
during the civil war of the Sengoku period
. Obata Masamori became the lord of Kaizu Jo (castle) in Shin Shu (Nagano) province. Obata Masamori's son, Obata Kagenori
(1570–1644), became a page and companion to Japan’s second Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada
. During this time in Kagenori's youth, he would study Kenjutsu and general scholarship with Tokugawa Hidetada. Later, during the Osaka winter campaign, Obata Kagenori was directed by the Tokugawa family
to infiltrate and join the Toyotomi camps for the purpose of gathering intelligence. Before the Summer campaign began, Obata Kagenori returned to the side of the Tokugawa family and later completed the famous "Takeda-ryu Koyo Gunkan-sho" book. This work was the foundation of the "Heiho Okugi-sho", a secret book of strategy. During his lifetime, Obata Kagenori became known as the father of "Koshu-ryu Gungaku", also referred to as "Takeda-ryu".
, live-in student, under headmaster Shioda Gozo. Obata stayed at Yoshinkan for seven years as a student and instructor, eventually teaching the Tokyo Metropolitan Riot Police course. It was during this time that Obata was introduced to Japanese swordsmanship
, when he observed several demonstrations by Nakamura Taizoboru, headmaster of Nakamura Ryu.
full-time. He studied and achieved high rankings in many famous Japanese schools, including Nakamura Ryu, Ioriken Battojutsu, Toyama Ryu, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Kashima Shin ryu, Ryukyu Kobudo, and others. He also joined the Tokyo Wakakoma, Japan's elite group of stuntmen and fight choreographers, and was responsible for the introduction and increasing popularity of Aikido into Japanese TV and films in that period. During this time, Obata also won seven consecutive All-Japan target-cutting championships.
Obata spent 10 years refining his art before unveiling it to the world officially in 1991. The International Shinkendo Federation was established three years later. As the creator of an entirely new system of sword study, he assumed the title of Kaiso (Founder), and started teaching seminars and opening branches all across the world. At the present time, there are over 70 branches of the ISF worldwide.
and its sequel
, Showdown in Little Tokyo
, Rising Sun
, The Shadow
, The Hunted
, and Demolition Man
. He has also appeared as himself in martial arts documentaries.
Shinkendo
is a martial art that teaches the way of samurai swordsmanship. The meaning of the name Shinkendo can be interpreted multiple ways. Literally, "Shin" can be translated as 'real', "ken" as 'sword', and "do" as 'way', thus one English translation of the art's name is "Way of the Real Sword". ...
Federation.
He studied under Gozo Shioda
Gozo Shioda
was a Japanese master of aikido who founded the Yoshinkan style of aikido. He was one of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba's most senior students. Shioda held the rank of 10th dan in aikido.-Early life:...
in the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo, and studied the sword arts of Nakamura Ryu
Nakamura Ryu
is a battō style created by Nakamura Taizaburo .-Nakamura Taizaburo:Nakamura Taizaburo was born in 1912 in Yamagata prefecture. He resided in Tsurumi, Yokohama, where he presided over the International Iai-Battōdō Federation and taught battōdō for the Kakuseikai until his death in 2003.Nakamura was...
, Ioriken Battojutsu, Toyama Ryu
Toyama-ryu
is Battōjutsu which refer to a combination of Iaijutsu, kata, and tameshigiri created by the Imperial Japanese Army. It is based on Gunto Soho forms developed in 1925 at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko, or "Toyama Army Academy" in Toyama, Tokyo, Japan. The original training and forms were established by...
, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu
Yagyu Shinkage-ryu
is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship . Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who added his own name to the school. Today, the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū remains...
, Kashima Shin ryu
Kashima-Shinryu
Kashima Shinryū is a nearly 500 years old Japanese koryu martial art. The art was somewhat popularized in the 20th century by Kunii Zen'ya , the 18th generation soke . The Current 'Soke' is 21st Generation Kunii Masakatsu...
, Ryukyu Kobudo, and others. He is well-known in Japan as a tameshigiri
Tameshigiri
Tameshigiri is the Japanese art of target test cutting. The kanji literally mean "test cut"...
champion for several years in a row and is an authorized shitoka (sword tester).
He moved to America in 1980 to start teaching and to develop his own sword art, based on his extensive experience. In 1991, the International Shinkendo Federation was officially established. The federation has grown to over 70 dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
internationally, and continues to expand. Obata, as the founder of the school, is referred to as Obata Kaiso by his students, and continues to travel across the globe to hold seminars for his students around the world.
Family line
The Obata family originally descended from the Heike clan's stream. Of samurai family lineage, Obata Toshishiro is a direct descendant of Obata MasamoriObata Masamori
Obata Masamori , also known as Obata Nobusada, was one of Takeda Shingen's 'Twenty-four Generals', his most trusted commanders. He was the son of Obata Toramori, and came from western Kozuke province. He fled Kozuke and joined the Takeda around 1560...
, who served as a general and strategist (one of the famous 24 strategists) for the Takeda family
Takeda family
The ' was a famous clan of daimyō in Japan's late Heian Period to Sengoku period.The Takeda were descendants of Emperor Seiwa and are a branch of the Minamoto clan , by Minamoto no Yoshimitsu , brother to the Chinjufu-shogun Minamoto no Yoshiie...
during the civil war of the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. Obata Masamori became the lord of Kaizu Jo (castle) in Shin Shu (Nagano) province. Obata Masamori's son, Obata Kagenori
Obata Kagenori
Obata Kagenori , also known as Obata Dōgyū, was a Confucian scholar and samurai retainer of the Takeda clan during Japan's Sengoku period...
(1570–1644), became a page and companion to Japan’s second Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...
. During this time in Kagenori's youth, he would study Kenjutsu and general scholarship with Tokugawa Hidetada. Later, during the Osaka winter campaign, Obata Kagenori was directed by the Tokugawa family
Tokugawa clan
The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
to infiltrate and join the Toyotomi camps for the purpose of gathering intelligence. Before the Summer campaign began, Obata Kagenori returned to the side of the Tokugawa family and later completed the famous "Takeda-ryu Koyo Gunkan-sho" book. This work was the foundation of the "Heiho Okugi-sho", a secret book of strategy. During his lifetime, Obata Kagenori became known as the father of "Koshu-ryu Gungaku", also referred to as "Takeda-ryu".
Yoshinkan Aikido
In 1966, the 18-year-old Obata left his small rural hometown and headed for Tokyo, to begin a career in martial arts. He soon found himself at Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo, the birthplace of Yoshinkan Aikido, where he became Uchi-deshiUchi-deshi
Uchi-deshi is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis...
, live-in student, under headmaster Shioda Gozo. Obata stayed at Yoshinkan for seven years as a student and instructor, eventually teaching the Tokyo Metropolitan Riot Police course. It was during this time that Obata was introduced to Japanese swordsmanship
Kenjutsu
, meaning "the method, or technique, of the sword." This is opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. Kenjutsu is the umbrella term for all traditional schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration...
, when he observed several demonstrations by Nakamura Taizoboru, headmaster of Nakamura Ryu.
Swordsmanship
Obata left Yoshinkan in 1973 to pursue swordsmanshipSwordsmanship
Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword...
full-time. He studied and achieved high rankings in many famous Japanese schools, including Nakamura Ryu, Ioriken Battojutsu, Toyama Ryu, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, Kashima Shin ryu, Ryukyu Kobudo, and others. He also joined the Tokyo Wakakoma, Japan's elite group of stuntmen and fight choreographers, and was responsible for the introduction and increasing popularity of Aikido into Japanese TV and films in that period. During this time, Obata also won seven consecutive All-Japan target-cutting championships.
Shinkendo
In all of his studies it became clear to Obata that although each school had its particular strengths, none taught a complete, comprehensive sword system. The traditional schools in Japan are not allowed to change or expand upon their original curriculum. They are considered to be living, breathing, historical treasures and must be preserved as faithfully and precisely as possible. The inheritor of a traditional school is therefore duty-bound to teach techniques, training methods, and ideals exactly as he learned them. To change or add anything would be seen as terribly disrespectful to the original founder of the school. It was for this reason that Obata at age 32, having mastered many of the old schools in Japan, came to America in 1980 to start a new, comprehensive system of study: Shinkendo Japanese Swordsmanship.Obata spent 10 years refining his art before unveiling it to the world officially in 1991. The International Shinkendo Federation was established three years later. As the creator of an entirely new system of sword study, he assumed the title of Kaiso (Founder), and started teaching seminars and opening branches all across the world. At the present time, there are over 70 branches of the ISF worldwide.
Nito-Ken techniques
In 2004, a new aspect of Shinkendo training was formalized: the study of Nitoken, or Two-Sword training. The techniques he created are based on his wide knowledge of different sword arts. During class, it is common to use two full-length swords for training. The techniques can be interchanged with the use of a daisho, the short and long sword set.Film
Since 1986, Obata has appeared in several Hollywood films, including Black Rain, Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American live-action film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise directed by Steve Barron. The film was followed by three sequels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, and...
and its sequel
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is a 1991 American live-action film, It is the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, being the direct sequel to the 1990 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Secret of the Ooze was then followed by a third film in 1993, and a fourth...
, Showdown in Little Tokyo
Showdown in Little Tokyo
Showdown in Little Tokyo is a 1991 action film. It features Brandon Lee in his first American film role, starring alongside Dolph Lundgren. Set in Los Angeles, California, two police officers attempt to take down a new and deadly Japanese drug gang...
, Rising Sun
Rising Sun (film)
Rising Sun is a [1993 film directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Sean Connery , Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa...
, The Shadow
The Shadow (1994 film)
The Shadow is a 1994 American superhero film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, and based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. Alec Baldwin starred in the title role...
, The Hunted
The Hunted (1995 film)
The Hunted is a 1995 film written and directed by J. F. Lawton, starring Christopher Lambert, John Lone, and Joan Chen. The score features music by the Japanese taiko troupe Kodō.-Plot:...
, and Demolition Man
Demolition Man (film)
Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
. He has also appeared as himself in martial arts documentaries.
Books
Obata Kaiso has published several books, most notably Shinkendo, Japanese Swordsmanship–the core textbook of his art–, and Tameshigiri–dedicated to the safe and effective practice of target cutting within the study of Shinkendo. Kaiso is still working on several more books, including a treatise on the philosophy of Shinkendo, deeper studies into each aspect of swordsmanship, and a historical view of Toyama Ryu.- Shinkendo, Japanese Swordsmanship
- Tameshigiri
- Samurai Aikijutsu