Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu

Today, the most widely practiced style of iaido in central Japan is Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū, meaning "Peerless, Direct Transmission, True-Faith Style." The Eishin-ryū claims a unbroken history of about 450 years, making it one of the oldest extant martial art forms in Japan.

History of Eishin-ryū

The founder of Eishin-ryū was Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto no Shigenobu, who lived between circa 1546 and 1621 in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. Many of the historical details of Hayashizaki's life are suspect, since, like most famous martial artists in Japan, his story has been widely fictionalized, but it seams clear that he grew up during a time of constant warfare in Japan, and was exposed to various sword fighting methods from an early age. It is said that he went to Yamagata Prefecture to pray for guidance and receive divine inspiration for a new way of drawing the sword. Whatever the circumstances, at some point he established his own style of swordsmanship and called it Shinmei Muso-ryū, "divinely inspired, unparalleled style".

Hayashizaki's iaido has had many names since then. It is considered the foundation for the two major styles of iaido practiced today: Eishin-ryū and Muso Shinden-ryu. In each generation a headmaster, or sōke, has been appointed to guide the practice of the art, and each sōke has had his own influence on the development of iaido. As an example, Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryū was originally developed for the tachi, a slightly longer and more deeply curved predecessor of the katana. Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Eishin, from whom the styles name is derived, adapted the style to the newly developed katana.