The History of the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu
The Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu, a school of martial arts, was founded by Hozoin Kakuzenbo Hoin In-ei (-1607), a Buddhist monk of the Kofukuji Temple in Nara, Japan.
He adored martial arts and trained in the arts of swordsmanship.
At the same time, coached and mentored by Daizendayu Moritada, a grand master of the spear, he honed his skill of the Spear.
It is said that one evening, on seeing the reflection of the crescent moon shining on Sarusawa pond, he was inspired to create a spear with a cross-shaped spearhead, its effective use in fighting. And he founded the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu School of Spear Exercise. Later, the teachings Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu were passed down to Nakamura Naomasa and then Takada Matabee Yoshitsugu. The three best disciples of Takada went to Edo, the present day Tokyo, to promote the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu. lts reputation spread nationwide and the number of disciples increased. The martial arts of the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu was inherited from generation to generation, creating various new techniques.
At the end of Tokugawa shogunate feudal government, around the middle of the 19th Century, there were many masters from the Hozoin-ryu Sojutsu at the martial arts training center of the Shogunate. Eventually in 1976 the art of the spear of Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu returned to Nara. In 1991 Kagita Chubee was appointed the 20th grand master and has been leading the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu School until today.
La lance du Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu se caractérise par son fer de lance en forme de croix. Elle peut coller comme un bâton, peut tourner vers le bas, couper vers le bas, frapper, àglisser.....etc. Lors de son invention, la lance était considérée comme une arme innovante.
An ancient Japanese poem expresses the Spear of the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu: "It can be a spear to stick.. It can be a pole sword to mow. It can be a sickle to cut down. It never fails to hit the target in any case."
