Yagyu clan
Encyclopedia
The were a family of daimyō
(feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara
, who became the heads of one of Japan's greatest schools of swordsmanship, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū
. The Yagyū were also swordsmanship teachers to the Tokugawa shoguns
.
Yagyū Muneyoshi
(1527-1606), the first famous Yagyū swordsman, fought for a number of different lords before meeting Tokugawa Ieyasu
, the first Tokugawa shogun. In 1563, he was defeated by the great swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
and was later named his successor, founding the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of swordsmanship.
In 1594, Muneyoshi was invited to Tokugawa Ieyasu's mansion in Kyoto, where he provided such an incredible display of sword skills that the warlord asked that the Yagyū become sword instructors to the Tokugawa family. Muneyoshi suggested that his son Munenori
be Ieyasu's teacher; Muneyoshi then retired from swordsmanship, and died in 1606, by which time Ieyasu had become shogun. It was at this time also that the Yagyū swordsmanship school split in two, Munenori and his nephew Toshiyoshi each becoming the hereditary heads of the Owari
and Edo
schools of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū.
The Nara area bears many memorials to the Yagyū family, and their family graveyard lies on the grounds of the Hōtoku-ji. Perhaps the most interesting one is a rock called Ittō-seki, probably split by lightning, which Muneyoshi is supposed to have cut in half with his sword.
The mon (crest) of the Yagyū family was a wide-brimmed black hat with ties.
*Each change in ranking in this list indicates a father-son relationship (a change in generation).
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
(feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, who became the heads of one of Japan's greatest schools of swordsmanship, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū
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...
. The Yagyū were also swordsmanship teachers to the Tokugawa shoguns
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
.
Yagyū Muneyoshi
Yagyu Muneyoshi
Yagyū Sekishūsai Taira-no-Munetoshi was a samurai in Japan’s Sengoku period famous for mastering the Shinkage-ryū school of combat, and introducing it to the Tokugawa clan.-Early life :...
(1527-1606), the first famous Yagyū swordsman, fought for a number of different lords before meeting Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, the first Tokugawa shogun. In 1563, he was defeated by the great swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami Fujiwara-no-Nobutsuna was a samurai in Japan’s Sengoku Period famous for creating the Shinkage-ryū school of combat.-Early life:...
and was later named his successor, founding the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of swordsmanship.
In 1594, Muneyoshi was invited to Tokugawa Ieyasu's mansion in Kyoto, where he provided such an incredible display of sword skills that the warlord asked that the Yagyū become sword instructors to the Tokugawa family. Muneyoshi suggested that his son Munenori
Yagyu Munenori
was a Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishusai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate...
be Ieyasu's teacher; Muneyoshi then retired from swordsmanship, and died in 1606, by which time Ieyasu had become shogun. It was at this time also that the Yagyū swordsmanship school split in two, Munenori and his nephew Toshiyoshi each becoming the hereditary heads of the Owari
Owari Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishū .-History:The province was created in 646....
and Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
schools of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū.
The Nara area bears many memorials to the Yagyū family, and their family graveyard lies on the grounds of the Hōtoku-ji. Perhaps the most interesting one is a rock called Ittō-seki, probably split by lightning, which Muneyoshi is supposed to have cut in half with his sword.
The mon (crest) of the Yagyū family was a wide-brimmed black hat with ties.
Notable Members of the Yagyū family
- MuneyoshiYagyu MuneyoshiYagyū Sekishūsai Taira-no-Munetoshi was a samurai in Japan’s Sengoku period famous for mastering the Shinkage-ryū school of combat, and introducing it to the Tokugawa clan.-Early life :...
(1527-1606)- founder of the swordsmanship school and first of the family to earn significant power and prestige.- Toshiyoshi - head of the Owari branch of the swordsmanship school, which served the junior branch of the Tokugawa family, based in Nagoya.
- MunenoriYagyu Munenoriwas a Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishusai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate...
(1571-1646) - first swordsmanship sensei to the Tokugawa, and head of the Edo branch of the swordsmanship school.- Jūbei MitsuyoshiYagyū Jūbei MitsuyoshiYagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi is one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era.Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi grew up in his family's ancestral lands, Yagyū no Sato,...
(1607?-1650) - one of the most famous and romaniticized samurai in history, Jūbei was the head of the Edo branch of the swordsmanship school and instructor to shogun Tokugawa HidetadaTokugawa Hidetadawas 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 :...
.
- Jūbei Mitsuyoshi
*Each change in ranking in this list indicates a father-son relationship (a change in generation).
See also
- YagyūYagyu, Narais a quarter in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The center of Yagyū is about 20 km to the east, in the direction of Mie Prefecture on Route 369, from the center of the city of Nara. In the context of tourism, also used to include neighbouring area to Yagyū-chō, which were mostly former...
- the town of Yagyū in Nara PrefectureNara Prefectureis a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
, the original capital of the family's fief. - Japanese television actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and personality Hiroshi Yagyū and his son Shingo Yagyū are collateral descendants of the Yagyū.