Kashima can be said to be a holy place of the martial arts, which created a distinctive sword culture centering on Kashima Shrine. The Kashima school of sword fighting that developed in Kashima is one of the most important schools in the history of Japanese sword fighting, along with the Kageryu and Ittoryu schools.

The Kashima style of sword fighting originates in Kashimano Tachi (Kashima sword), which teaches the techniques developed by Kuninazuno Mahito, and it was renamed Kashima Jokoryu, Kashima Chukoryu, and Shintoryu (in order) as time progressed. In this paper, the Kashima school refers to the swordplay of this school.

The Kashima school of sword fighting has too many unexplained subjects, although it is a most important one in the history of the martial arts.

This research is intended to consider the technique of the Hitotsuno Tachi and its mythological background based on discussions about Sanro (being entrenched in a shrine) ascetic training and the Futsunomitama-no-Tsurugi (Futsunomitama sword) in the Kashima school. Books amassed by the Yoshikawa Family, including Heiho Jikansho written by Sekihei Ohtsuki in 1842, were examined for that purpose.

The following results were obtained in this research.

1. The technique of the Hitotsuno Tachi contained mind techniques as well as sword-wielding techniques in Shintoryu, at least during the period covered by the literature used in this research.

2. The Hitotsuno Tachi is considered to be the art of the god of the Futsunomitama sword, which is a spiritual sword, and is based on the sacredness of this spiritual blade during the age of the gods.

3. The Hitotsuno Tachi is a secret imparted by a god through ascetic training in a shrine in isolation from society, and its existence becomes a reality only through this relationship with the god in question. The god in this case is Takemikazuchi, who is worshiped at Kashima Shrine, and the sword that this god of warriors owns is the Futsunomitama sword. That is, it is supposed to be the Futsunomitama sword that secures the relation with Takemikazuchi.

4. The achievements of the war god Takemikazuchi and the spiritual power of the Futsunomitama sword are related in ancient myths. The Hitotsuno Tachi placed importance on the myth of Kuniyuzuri (handing over the reigns of the country) as the mythological background in its magic, whereas the myth of the eastern expedition by Emperor Jinmu played an important role in magic rituals as the mythological background.

5. The Futsunomitama sword is described as the spiritual sword that enabled the Kuniyuzuri in peace, and the philosophy involved in the technique of Hitotsuno Tachi seems to be almost the same.

6. The myth of Kuniyuzuri related in Kashima, is different from what has been traditionally recognized. That is, in contrast to the tradition that Takemikazuchi demands to hand over the reigns of the country to him by sitting on the cutting edge of a spiritual sword standing hilt down, it is a distinctive tradition that demands Kuniyuzuri by sitting before a sword that stands with its cutting edge stuck into the surface of the beach. This indicates clearly the attitude of demanding Kuniyuzuri without resorting to the sword.

7. In addition, the philosophy of this myth is closely related to the technical viewpoint of the Kashima sword school, including the Hitotsuno Tachi that asks the swordsman to put forth his body with his sword on his back. This characterizes the technique of the Kashima school, and ultimately, the Hitotsuno Tachi.

抄録全体を表示

In the Edo period the peasants were prohibited by law from possessing weapons. Neverthless, the peasants already practiced Bujutsu in the first half of the Edo period. Documents of the MUSO-JIKIDEN Schools in the possession of the Takizawa family in a village in North Shinano have been found and analyzed by the present author. The purpose of this study is threefold:(1)To clarify what kinds of peasant in a village community practice the martial arts of the MUSO-JIKIDEN Schools. (2)To clarify what kind of Bujutsu they practice, that is to say, what is the MUSO-JIKIDEN Schools. (3)To clarify the purposes for which they practice it. Briefly, the main conclusions were as follows:(1)Many of the peasants that practiced the MUSO-JIKIDEN Schools were also the samurais of the lowest rank in the Matsushiro clan, that is to say, they were the marginal people in the villages. (2)The MUSO-JIKIDEN Schools was comprehensive bujutsu which was medieval. It consisted of jujutsu, bojutsu, iai, nawa, and so on. (3)The purpose of the MUSO-JIKIDEN Schools was primarily vocational educaion, but it was pastime and sport for many peasants in the villages.

抄録全体を表示