塚原卜伝

Tsukahara Bokuden, founder of the Kashima Shintō-ryū school, is one of the most celebrated swordsmen in Japanese history. Born in 1489 near Kashima Shrine, he fought thirty-nine duels without a single defeat and participated in twenty-one battles. He served as sword instructor to two Ashikaga shoguns, and his most famous student was Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who became known as the 'Sword-Saint Shogun' under Bokuden's tutelage. The ultimate secret of his school was a technique called 'Ichi no Tachi' (the One Stroke), a decisive finishing blow passed only to the most trusted disciples. His famous 'Mutekatsu-ryū' anecdote — escaping a challenger by rowing a boat away and stranding the man on an island — illustrated that true mastery of the sword means winning without drawing it.