Recollections by Takamura Yukiyoshi on the life of his grandfather with further historical information provided by Mariko Takamura and Shingo Ohgami.

Compiled & edited by Sensei David Maynard and Toby Threadgill.

Shigeta Ohbata was born in Kyoto in the 1860's to a samurai family. His father Shibuharu was renown for his prowess with a spear, yumi, and as a maker of mitsu-dogu, He was a student of Hozoin ryu, Takeda ryu and Motsuge ryu. The family of Shibuharu traveled to Osaka in 1867 to visit the headmaster of Motsuge ryu only to arrive soon after the headmasters death. With this the family returned to Kyoto later settling at another location in Shiga prefecture where the young Shigeta could be afforded a formal education. Shigeta Ohbata was enrolled in a school of Miura Yoshin Koryu residing in Otsu around the age of 10 for training in budo.

In his later teens Shigeta received the great honor of receiving a Shoden Mokuroku in Miura Yoshin Koryu. After the death of his teacher in Otsu, Shigeta, now age 20 decided to travel to Tokyo in search of Hikosuke Totsuka, the famed headmaster of Totsuka ha Yoshin Koryu. Upon his arrival in Tokyo he immediately witnessed a demonstration of Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage ryu by headmaster Kenkichi Sakakibara. He was so impressed that he quickly petitioned for enrollment in this school. Sometime after his acceptance into Jikishinkage ryu, Shigeta was physically assaulted concerning a gambling incident. Although the attack left him uninjured Shigeta decided to continue his original path and locate the famed Hikosuke Totsuka. Although impressed personally with headmaster Totsuka , Shigeta within a few years became disillusioned with Totsuka ha Yoshin Koryu believing its tactics were too passive compared to the intense training he was receiving in the Jikishinkage ryu of Sakakibara.

Around 1885, Shigeta encountered Ueno Ishijima in the dojo of Sakakibara. It was Ishijima who then introduced Shigeta to his brother in law, Katsunosuke Matsuoka. Since both Katsunosuke and Shigeta had been students of Jikishinkage ryu they quickly became friends. With this, Shigeta decided to resign from the Totsuka ha Yoshin Koryu and applied for acceptance in the Shindo Yoshin ryu's Asakusa Shindokan Dojo.

Quickly accepted, Shigeta immersed himself diligently into training in Shindo Yoshin ryu, feeling it combined the intensity, spirit and tactics of Jikishinkage ryu with the unarmed syllabus of Yoshin Koryu. In just 10 years Shigeta was awarded a license of full transmission (Menkyo Kaiden) in Shindo Yoshin ryu by Katsunosuke Matsuoka. With this, Shigeta took over teaching duties at the Asakusa Shindokan. Within a short time financial concerns became an issue because Shigeta was newly married. Being low on money Shigeta engaged in a gambling incident which caused a public disturbance at the dojo. When news of this incident spread to Katsunosuke Matsuoka, kangicho Matakichi Inose ( dojo general secretary) demanded that Shigeta be formally issued hamon and ejected from the Shindo Yoshin ryu. Katsunosuke refused this demand by his senior instructor but conscious of the rising tensions between Shigeta and Matakichi encouraged Shigeta to consider leaving the Asakusa Shindokan to open his own dojo. Within the year headmaster Katsunosuke Matsuoka died and Matakichi Inose was selected by the Matsuoka family as Shindo Yoshin ryu's 2nd headmaster. Shigeta, angered by Inose's selection as headmaster altered his name and started efforts to open his own dojo near the Asakusa Shindokan.

Several students of the Asakusa Shindokan dojo joined Shigeta in this effort including a past student of Katsunosuke Matsuoka named Seichiro Hasegawa who was a wealthy local merchant. The Ohbata ha Eibukan Dojo was opened in the Asakusa district of Tokyo in 1898.

Over time Shigeta was disturbed to learn that the Shindo Yoshin ryu weapons syllabus was being discarded at the Akeno Shindokan in favor of a syllabus more similar to Kodakan Judo. Shigeta blamed this on the influence of Matakichi Inose and a recently licensed classmate Nakayama Tatsusaburo. Shigeta considered Nakayama a Judo convert, not fully versed in Shindo Yoshin ryu. Due to this he officially renamed the art he taught "Ohbata ha Shindo Yoshin ryu Bujutsu".

In 1899, a son was born to Shigeta named Hideyoshi. With the mounting pressures of supporting a family Shigeta was forced to use his formal education to obtain a job as a newspaper reporter. This profession demanded frequent travel but provided him the opportunity to visit many famous budoka located throughout Japan. During these travels Shigeta had the opportunity to meet such notable budoka as Katsuta Hiratsuka/Yoshin ryu, Masamizu Inazu/Yoshin Koryu, Jigoro Kano/Judo, Takeda Sokaku/Daito ryu, Yoshida Kotaro/ Daito ryu and Takayoshi Katayama/Yoshin ryu.

In the Ohbata ha Eibukan Dojo Shigeta began instructing his son Hideyoshi in 1909. As the years progressed Shigeta required the senior students to be hard on the young man in order to prepare him for proper shugyo. Hideyoshi and his best friend, Matsuhiro Namishiro, trained hard and thrived in this demanding environment under the watchful gaze of Shigeta.

In the 1920's Hideyoshi was accepted into the army officers corps thru contacts made by Shigeta's press and political friends. He rose quickly thru the ranks and was recognized as having excellent leadership skills. These skills, his father attributed to his son's years of shugyo in classical budo. Hideyoshi, married and, in 1928 produced a son, Yukiyoshi. Following in the footsteps of his father, Hideyoshi took over as chief instructor of the dojo in Tokyo. As military duty demanded more of Hideyoshi's time it was decided that Matsuhiro Namishiro would be appointed dojo-cho. In 1931, Matsuhiro was seriously injured during a training accident in Matsuzaki Shinkage ryu Kenjutsu and blinded in his left eye. During his recovery, Shigeta returned to Tokyo and took over instruction in the dojo. At this time Shigeta began giving private instruction to his grandson, Yukiyoshi.

Thru his press connections, Shigeta had become privy to details about the changing political situation in Japan and recognized a rising demand for men of uncompromising character. He decided that his grandson Yukiyoshi must become one of these men, and that budo would be the path he would follow to this destiny. During an event that brought Matsuhiro and Hideyoshi back to the dojo, Shigeta explained his vision concerning his grandson's future. Yukiyoshi's training was immediately intensified. Matsuhiro, honoring his teacher's wishes promised to personally take responsibility for the training of young Yukiyoshi while Shigeta and Hideyoshi were away.

As years passed, Shigeta visited the dojo often as the honored past-master. Shigeta was impressed with what he saw. The students they taught were serious and dedicated. The jujutsu and kenjutsu training were excellent. Despite his partial blindness, Matsuhiro's training in kenjutsu was phenomenal. This was a proud symbol of Shigeta Ohbata's obligation to his father and ancestors.

With the beginning of hostilities leading up to World War II, many fine students left the dojo for military service. The Japanese assumed the war would be short and Japan victorious. Hideyoshi eventually left for the Pacific an officer in Japans proud army. However, as the war dragged on and many of the dojo's finest students were lost in battle, Shigeta became concerned about the survival of his son. Rumors circulated in press and political circles about the military might of America while more fine young men left the dojo only to perish in service to their emperor. The dojo by 1944 was filled mostly with children. If not for Matsuhiro, one of the few men his age ineligible for military service, the training would have suffered immensely. Yukiyoshi, now in his early teens, was progressing quickly under Matsuhiro's guidance. Concerned with the course of events in the Pacific, Shigeta returned home to the dojo in Tokyo. He was now convinced that Hideyoshi might not survive the war and that he must take immediate action to ensure the survival of his grandson. Shigeta with Matsuhiro present, awarded Yukiyoshi a menkyo kaiden and explained to the young man that the martial traditions of his ancestors were now his responsibility. He instructed Matsuhiro to complete Yukiyoshi's training in the event that he and Hideyoshi did not survive the war. Shigeta, moved Yukiyoshi and his mother to the countryside near Morioka and then thru political and diplomatic channels, quietly arranged for their eventual transportation out of Japan. This was a drastic measure but Shigeta felt he must pursue this course in the event that his country was invaded by American soldiers.

Several months later, while in on another trip to Tokyo, Shigeta vanished and was never heard from again. The Ohbata ha Eibukan dojo, in Asakusa, was destroyed during a devastating night of fire bombings by the Americans. Although never proven, it was eventually assumed that Shigeta Ohbata perished in these bombings.

Yukio Takamura - 1989

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Addendum:

Initial research indicated that Takamura sensei's father Hideyoshi might have been the renown 3rd. Army General, Hideyoshi Obata, killed on Guam in August of 1944, but further investigation indicates that this conclusion is probably incorrect.

I would like to thank Shingo Ohgami, 7th dan / Wado ryu of Goteborg, Sweden for his assistance and continued research surrounding the history of Shindo Yoshin ryu and the Takamura ryuha in particular. Without his assistance following Takamura Sensei's passing, many details and historical perspectives relating to our legacy might never have come as fully to light.

Toby Threadgill / Kaicho
Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin Kai