TAKAMATSU
TOSHITSUGU.
高松寿嗣was
born on March 10, 1889 in Hyogo Prefecture Japan. At the age of nine he began
studying the martial arts, and mastered the various styles from his grandfather
Toda Shinryuken, Ishitani Matsutaro, and Mizuta Yoshitaro
Tadafusa. Takamatsu Sensei was already an accomplished budoka by the time
he was a teenager, having won challenge matches against other martial artists
and sumotori. As a young man in his twenties he retreated to the
mountains of Kobe to continue his rigorous physical and spiritual practice.
After leaving the mountains he soon moved to China, and for the following 10
years he encountered many life and death situations in true fighting. He
reportedly fought many strong Chinese martial artists in mortal combat and used
his budo to defend himself against even wild animals.
In 1919, after
mastering the combat arts, Takamatsu Sensei returned to Japan in order to master
spiritual studies. He became the head monk at a mountain temple of esoteric
Buddhism in the Yamato district. In the 1950's he taught martial arts in Nara
prefecture; in 1957 he met Hatsumi Yoshiaki and groomed the young man to
become the successor to his rich martial arts legacy. Referred by Hatsumi Sensei
as the "last true combat ninja," the venerable Takamatsu Toshitsugu passed away
in May of 1972, at the age of 84 years.
TOSHITSUGU.
高松寿嗣was
born on March 10, 1889 in Hyogo Prefecture Japan. At the age of nine he began
studying the martial arts, and mastered the various styles from his grandfather
Toda Shinryuken, Ishitani Matsutaro, and Mizuta Yoshitaro
Tadafusa. Takamatsu Sensei was already an accomplished budoka by the time
he was a teenager, having won challenge matches against other martial artists
and sumotori. As a young man in his twenties he retreated to the
mountains of Kobe to continue his rigorous physical and spiritual practice.
After leaving the mountains he soon moved to China, and for the following 10
years he encountered many life and death situations in true fighting. He
reportedly fought many strong Chinese martial artists in mortal combat and used
his budo to defend himself against even wild animals.
In 1919, after
mastering the combat arts, Takamatsu Sensei returned to Japan in order to master
spiritual studies. He became the head monk at a mountain temple of esoteric
Buddhism in the Yamato district. In the 1950's he taught martial arts in Nara
prefecture; in 1957 he met Hatsumi Yoshiaki and groomed the young man to
become the successor to his rich martial arts legacy. Referred by Hatsumi Sensei
as the "last true combat ninja," the venerable Takamatsu Toshitsugu passed away
in May of 1972, at the age of 84 years.
Masaaki Hatsumi was born in December 1931 in Noda city, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He grew
up with an avid love of the martial arts and in his youth studied many martial
art styles. Hatsumi began practicing when he was seven years old and found his
father’s Bokuto ("wooden sword"). From that point on he began studying many
popular Japanese martial arts and earned ranking in Karate, Aikido and Judo.
After he attained a 4th degree Black Belt in Judo he was asked to teach at a
United States Army base. He was in his early 20s and found that the big
Americans seemed to have size and natural ability and Hatsumi found that they
were learning in months what took the typical Japanese years. He began to
question his training... What good is a martial art if a bigger or stronger
person could easily defeat you? Hatsumi began searching for a true warrior tradition. While studying kobudo ("ancient weapons") with a renowned instructor Hatsumi learned
about a teacher named Toshitsugu Takamatsu, of Kashiwabara City which is to the
west of the Iga region of Japan. As a last hope of finding a teacher who could
impart the essence of a living warrior tradition and not just some recreational
sport or lifeless art form, Hatsumi traveled across Honsho island to seek out
the teacher he had searched for his whole life. The train
ride took over half a day to get from Hatsumi's home to that of Takamatsu. In
1957, upon meeting Takamatsu, Hatsumi felt a strange aura emanate from him.
Takamatsu was well into his 60's when the two met. Hatsumi was only 26 years old
. Full of confidence, Hatsumi had a match with the veteran battler and learned
the true meaning of training. In Hatsumi's own words: The pain of
his technique was different from any pain I had ever suffered before. I had only
felt a cold, momentary pain, while with Sensei I was exposed to a hot, burning
pain. It was as if something would explode, if my blood would be sucked up and
I would die right away. He didn't just apply one GYAKU but four or five. I
immediately knew this is what I was looking for. I asked to be his student. At
that time, Takamatsu did not accept any new students, and yet, seeing something
special in this young man he agreed to teach him. For Takamatsu the meeting was
more like a reunion than a first meeting. In a poem to Hatsumi, Takamatsu
wrote:
"In the days
of the Tenei era there was great master of Koppo. He was calm and peaceful like
the flowers of springtime. Yet he was so brave that not even 10,000 enemies
could make him show fear. He could even strike down a wild animal with but a
single blow."
For over fifteen years Hatsumi trained under the supervision of
Takamatsu and in 1972, with the death of his teacher, Hatsumi Sensei became the
heir to the last and oldest ninja tradition existing
up with an avid love of the martial arts and in his youth studied many martial
art styles. Hatsumi began practicing when he was seven years old and found his
father’s Bokuto ("wooden sword"). From that point on he began studying many
popular Japanese martial arts and earned ranking in Karate, Aikido and Judo.
After he attained a 4th degree Black Belt in Judo he was asked to teach at a
United States Army base. He was in his early 20s and found that the big
Americans seemed to have size and natural ability and Hatsumi found that they
were learning in months what took the typical Japanese years. He began to
question his training... What good is a martial art if a bigger or stronger
person could easily defeat you? Hatsumi began searching for a true warrior tradition. While studying kobudo ("ancient weapons") with a renowned instructor Hatsumi learned
about a teacher named Toshitsugu Takamatsu, of Kashiwabara City which is to the
west of the Iga region of Japan. As a last hope of finding a teacher who could
impart the essence of a living warrior tradition and not just some recreational
sport or lifeless art form, Hatsumi traveled across Honsho island to seek out
the teacher he had searched for his whole life. The train
ride took over half a day to get from Hatsumi's home to that of Takamatsu. In
1957, upon meeting Takamatsu, Hatsumi felt a strange aura emanate from him.
Takamatsu was well into his 60's when the two met. Hatsumi was only 26 years old
. Full of confidence, Hatsumi had a match with the veteran battler and learned
the true meaning of training. In Hatsumi's own words: The pain of
his technique was different from any pain I had ever suffered before. I had only
felt a cold, momentary pain, while with Sensei I was exposed to a hot, burning
pain. It was as if something would explode, if my blood would be sucked up and
I would die right away. He didn't just apply one GYAKU but four or five. I
immediately knew this is what I was looking for. I asked to be his student. At
that time, Takamatsu did not accept any new students, and yet, seeing something
special in this young man he agreed to teach him. For Takamatsu the meeting was
more like a reunion than a first meeting. In a poem to Hatsumi, Takamatsu
wrote:
"In the days
of the Tenei era there was great master of Koppo. He was calm and peaceful like
the flowers of springtime. Yet he was so brave that not even 10,000 enemies
could make him show fear. He could even strike down a wild animal with but a
single blow."
For over fifteen years Hatsumi trained under the supervision of
Takamatsu and in 1972, with the death of his teacher, Hatsumi Sensei became the
heir to the last and oldest ninja tradition existing