Lineage

The founder, Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu, is told to have confined himself for about a hundred days in the Hayashizaki Myojin Shrine in Tateoka, Yamagata Prefecture, where he received the divine inspiration for a new body of sword techniques called the Muso-ken. He is listed as the founder of many Iai styles and many differnet schools can trace their lineage back to him.

The Iai forms of Eishin-Ryu have traditionally been handed down in the Tosa region of Japan. There are two ways of passing down traditional teachings in Japan: kanzen-soden (indiscriminate transmission) and fukanzen-soden (discriminate transmission). As our school follows the former tradition all those who receive the final certificate (kongen no maki – Scroll of the Source) are legitimate successors.

One must bear in mind therefore that each generation in the genealogy given below comprises many different persons but their names are not given.