Ono-ha Itto Ryu

 To try to win is empty,

to try to avoid defeat

is essential

Ito Ittosai Kagehisa

The founder of this style was a man named Yagoro. At fourteen, Yagoro arrived on the beach of a little seaside village named Ito. How he got there is speculation. According to legend, he floated across the narrow Sea of Sagami from the island of Oshima on a piece of timber. Villages were closed societies in those days and not overly friendly to strangers. But the young Yagoro soon earned their friendship when he drove away six bandits who attacked the village one day. He ended up staying for years. The villagers saved up some money for him to travel to seek out a master since he had professed a wish to become a great swordsman. He went to Kamakura to the famous Hachiman Shrine to pray to the gods. He stayed there for six nights, practicing and praying. On the seventh night, he was attacked from behind by some unknown assailant. Somehow he had sensed it, drew his sword, turned and cut the man down in one stroke. His technique was spontaneous and done unconsciously. He did not understand the meaning of the technique which he had used this night until many years later, but it would be the fundamental technique and philosophy of the style he would eventually create. Later, he would also change his name to Ito Ittosai Kagehisa.

Major Figures

Itto Ryu has proven to be one of the most studied styles of swordsmanship. Many superior swordsmen have graduated from this school over the centuries. The most notable is:

Ono Tadaaki who became the successor to the Itto style when Ito Kagehisa mysteriously disappeared from the field of Koganegahara where Tadaaki and a would be successor, Zenki, fought a duel to decide who would succeed Ittosai as the next master of the style. He was reputed to be an excellent swordsman, even superior to Yagyu Munenori, but his cold and stern character earned him less respect and admiration than his contemporary Munenori. Along with Munenori, he was also designated an official teacher of swordsmanship to the Shogunate. There is some speculation that one of the famous treatises on Zen and swordsmanship, "the Sword of Taia" written by Soho Takuan, was addressed specifically to Ono Tadaaki. If this was indeed the case, then it lends credibility to the speculation that Itto Ryu became influenced by Zen at a much earlier stage, under Tadaaki. Tadaaki's son Tadatsune, an excellent swordsman in his own right, founded the Ono branch of Itto Ryu.

Significance

Of all the major styles, Itto Ryu stands out as being one whose philosophy is the most pragmatic. The style concentrates solely on the art of wielding the sword. While other styles sought to discover religious and spiritual meanings in swordsmanship, Itto Ryu did not. It did seek technical superiority in swordsmanship and in this, it was very successful.

The supreme philosophy of this school is to defeat the opponent with one stroke, hence the name "itto" (which can be translated as "one sword" or "one stroke"). This simple yet fundamental principle continues, not surprisingly, to be observed to this day.

There is speculation that Itto Ryu became influenced by Zen under Ono Tadaaki due to his association with the priest Takuan. In the Ono style, much of the philosophy of the style can be seen to be Zen based. And later branches of Itto Ryu such as Hokushin Itto Ryu and Itto Ryu under Yamaoka Tesshu openly incorporated Zen into the art. Many concepts common in Zen can be seen in the techniques used in this style: techniques which stress simplicity and directness. Indeed, the pragmatic nature of the style and the one mindedness of its philosophy all indicate a strong foundation in Zen thought.

From a technical viewpoint, Itto Ryu strives for simplicity in all actions and movements. It is the hallmark of this style. Modern kendo grew out of Itto Ryu. Many of the principles in Itto Ryu can be found in the techniques used in kendo, particularly this focus on simplicity.