Kurama Ryu

[David]

I've been looking around Bokkenshop.com, and I came across a bokuto that caught my eye. To be honest, it looked like a one of those Ninja-to wall hangers that all of these BK Ninjers keep getting. The website listed it as being used for Kurama Ryu Kenjutsu. After digging around a bit, the only real info I've been able to come across was the founder and the year that it was founded. I also came across something that said that it focuses on the Odachi, which seems odd to me, as the bokuto in question looked much to short to be an odachi. I'm very interested in learning more about this particular Ryuha, s any info you guys can offer would be great.

[ZealUK]

What most online vendors sell are vague approximations of various ryuha's bokuto. I often wonder who buys them. If they only sold them to Kurama Ryu practitioners for example, then I guess they wouldn't be making a great deal of money.

Not sure why you think its a 'ninja-to' as quite a few schools use straight bokuto. Anyway I saw a demonstration of Kurama Ryu at the Kobudo Taikai in Kumamoto.

Odachi doesn't necessarily mean a large sword. Odachi and kodachi can refer to the long and short swords of a Daisho.

[Kaoru]

I've been looking around Bokkenshop.com, and I came across a bokuto that caught my eye. To be honest, it looked like a one of those Ninja-to wall hangers that all of these BK Ninjers keep getting. The website listed it as being used for Kurama Ryu Kenjutsu. After digging around a bit, the only real info I've been able to come across was the founder and the year that it was founded. I also came across something that said that it focuses on the Odachi, which seems odd to me, as the bokuto in question looked much to short to be an odachi. I'm very interested in learning more about this particular Ryuha, s any info you guys can offer would be great.

Hi David-san,

You should head over to e-budo to ask on the swordarts forum about that ryu. I bet someone there will know some more about it. A lot of koryu guys hang out there.

Here:

http://www.e-budo.com/forum/index.php?

I hope that will help! :)

Kaoru

[ZealUK]

Kurama Ryu comes from Kyoto, specifically the Kurama mountain area which is famously the place that Minamoto no Yoshitsune learned his martial skills from the Kurama Tengu if I remember correctly.

As you already know Ono Shogen founded the art in the Tensho period. I believe Kurama Ryu was referred to as one of the eight ryuha of Kyoto. Seems they may have had some ties with the Yoshioka family as well.

In modern times the ryuha moved to the Tokyo region. The previous 17th generation Shibata Tetsuo (kendo hachidan kyoshi) died in Heisei 16 (2004), and now his son (kendo nanadan kyoshi) has taken over as 18th generation soke. The present soke's 8 year old daughter also practices, and takes part in embu, so she must be pretty good.

The ryu makes use of waza similar to modern kendo makiotoshi. These are apparently called henka in Kurama Ryu. I believe they practice kendo at their dojo as well. Seems most of the targets are men, kote, do, and also tsuki to the suigetsu (solar plexus). I also saw a few kesagiri and ukenagashi type movements at their embu in Kumamoto. Lots of pressure with the kensaki to the face of aite at the end of each kata.

I think the ryu did also have some involvement with the development of the Japanese police force kendo kata, but I don't really know about that.

Hope that helps.

[fifthchamber]

The bokuto are great too..The Tsuba is a solid piece of wood and I have found that it makes a good mix to take the Tsuba from the Kurama Ryu types and combine it with the thickest Bokuto I could find that had a curve to it (Jigen Ryu allegedly..Thought you guys used big tree branches mostly..But whatever sells I guess..)..That comes closest to the type of Bokuto we want to use in Takeuchi Ryu anyway...
It's all good fun....The Itto Ryu Bokuto are heavier and nice to hold too..

[ZealUK]

We actually use a few different types of bokuto, none of which are like the commercially available one as far as I know.

As you said, we use tree branches most of the time anyway.