Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara is a jujutsu / classical martial art passed down in the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. This site is the official website of the Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara (Shibata-den) Preservation Society, dedicated to organizing documents, testimonies, and activity records for transmission to future generations.
Center: 11th-generation Soke, the late Master Otsu Yasusuke
Left: the late Kosaku Shibata — third disciple, entrusted with carrying the tradition forward
Right: presumed to be the second disciple at the time / Photographer presumed to be the first disciple
It has long been spoken of as "the secret jujutsu" —
A glimpse into the memories, records, and testimonies preserved within the Shibata family — a jujutsu lineage left largely unspoken precisely because it was kept secret.
It has been a little over a year since I began this work. Over the long months spent on research, encounters with people and the discovery of documents overlapped in ways that felt almost uncanny.
Rather than forcing anything toward completion myself, it felt as if what was needed simply came to me, and I was guided through the research and the writing.
I have no particular gift for writing.
And yet, looking back at how far this has come, I cannot help but feel that something was quietly pushing me forward from behind — that this book was finished with that kind of support.
To everyone who has supported me thus far, and to the many connections that made this possible, I offer my renewed and heartfelt thanks.
The documents recording the techniques had been preserved without the author's knowledge.
And yet, for many years, my father repeatedly said the same thing: —
"There is no such thing as a textbook!"
It was in the spring of 2025 that the author first held a "technique document" of Hongaku Kokki-ryu in his hands.
It contained the names of techniques, step-by-step instructions, and even illustrations.
So why did my father keep insisting, until the day he died, that "there is no textbook"?
And why does reading that document alone still fail to reach the living transmission of Hongaku Kokki-ryu that my father passed on?
From here, the world of Hongaku Kokki-ryu — kept secret for over 360 years and almost entirely unknown outside the family — begins to come into view.
◆ What remained within a tradition kept secret for over 360 years
This is the single most important thing the author wanted to convey.
Hongaku Kokki-ryu has long been passed down as "the secret jujutsu."
Because of that secrecy, the principle was never to leave evidence on paper — everything was transmitted by word of mouth alone.
In this book, by cross-referencing the meaning of the surviving "technique document" with the memories preserved in the Shibata family, related materials, and testimonies, the author brings to light important aspects that have never before come to the surface.
The vast number of techniques and the training curriculum — knowledge that could only be known by those who had attained the rank of master instructor.
Deliberate devices built into the illustrations, apparently designed so that the true, living technique would never be recorded exactly as it was.
And the reason why reading the document alone can never lead one to the true techniques.
The reason the Tsugaru clan chose to protect it, even at the cost of absolute secrecy.
By tracing the gap between what survives on paper and what was actually transmitted, this book approaches — if only in part — what Hongaku Kokki-ryu sought to conceal, and how it intended to pass itself on.
◆ The "secret training" that leaves no trace even in documents
Hongaku Kokki-ryu held another world that cannot be explained by technique documents alone.
What my father said he had received from Master Otsu Yasusuke was described as "secret training meant to cultivate the warriors of the next generation."
The author himself, without ever being told it was training, underwent it as part of daily life from early childhood through adolescence.
It was only much later that I came to understand what it had been.
The strange sensation of the body moving on its own, executing motions I have no memory of ever being taught — faster than conscious thought.
Yet when I try, of my own will, to reproduce those same movements, I cannot do it the same way.
Why did the body move before the mind?
Why is it impossible to consciously recreate it?
What was this training — never fully captured in documents or even in oral transmission, but instead passed directly into the body itself?
Using the author's own "strange experiences" as a thread to follow, this book traces the outline of that training.
◆ A sense of urgency: what was kept secret will vanish if it is not recorded
Much of what I heard from my father over the years could not easily be spoken of to others.
At the same time, if everything remained hidden as the years passed, even the traces of what Hongaku Kokki-ryu sought to protect and transmit would eventually disappear.
Over roughly fifteen months beginning in 2025, the author reviewed, one by one, the surviving documents, testimonies, family memories, and his own personal experiences.
The techniques themselves, which must not be disclosed, remain undisclosed.
But what existed within a tradition kept secret for over 360 years, and the thinking behind how it was passed down — at least that essential part had to be preserved before it was lost.
This book, Jujutsu: Hongaku Kokki-ryu, is the record the author put together for the first time, having wrestled with exactly where that boundary should lie.
◆ Even the succession of the headmastership, as a single unbroken lineage, was passed down by word of mouth alone
In Hongaku Kokki-ryu, a classical martial art built on secrecy, succession itself has always been carried out quietly.
No scroll or certificate exists that directly proves the succession. For this reason, the book presents a number of circumstances and records preserved within the Shibata family, and leaves it to the reader to judge their authenticity. The valuable testimonies and facts that serve as the basis for that judgment are recorded throughout the book.
* This book is a single record based on the memories, materials, and testimonies preserved within the Shibata family, together with the author's own experiences. It is not intended to deny the records or understanding held by others. It is not a practical manual for reproducing specific techniques, nor a complete history of the school, nor a definitive statement of its full lineage.
We ask for your understanding and cooperation regarding the following points concerning our information-gathering efforts.
The Preservation Society respects the wishes of the owners and rights holders of all materials. Photographs, video, documents, and other materials provided to us, or that we are permitted to view or copy, will never be reproduced, published, disclosed, or shared with third parties without explicit permission.
All materials are handled carefully and solely for the purposes of research and record organization.
I finally located the grave of Master Otsu Yasusuke — a large, imposing tombstone. I still haven't found the grave of Master Miyamoto Gengoro, but perhaps I'll leave that for someone in the future. I have at least narrowed down its approximate location.
In the middle of juggling work and writing, a significant piece of information came my way.
It won't make it into the first edition of the book, but I hope to add it to the e-book at a later date.
It's been about two months now. I've been writing to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.
I'm planning to publish this as a Kindle e-book, but since this is my first time making one, I can only hope it goes smoothly.
Writing the text is only part of it — there's a surprising amount of outside contact involved, confirming copyright and citation permissions among other things.
I'm learning as I go; despite being "digital" work, the process feels thoroughly analog. There's still some way to go, but I'll keep at it while watching my health.
The next task is already waiting, so I can't afford to slow down.
A full year has passed since I began this work. Day and night, even in dreams, I find myself speaking with my father in my heart, and even now, memories and realizations still come to me like images from a projector. Looking back, pausing to take that detour turned out to be the right call. The depth of Hongaku Kokki-ryu, in every respect, never stops surprising me.
I could never have come this far alone. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me.
Master Saito Mohei was originally outside the scope of my research. Last October, I began looking into him after a tip from a dentist, but it went nowhere. Then, the moment I came across information on "The Story of Mitsuyo Maeda," his name resurfaced. Having him reappear exactly when I'd hit a wall feels like more than coincidence. I'm grateful for it.
I remember that my father, and every practitioner of the school, spoke about Hongaku Kokki-ryu with an unmistakable seriousness. Even asking a question with the wrong premise would draw a sharp correction — not only from my father, but from others as well. That's how seriously they took it.
I feel the need to hold myself to that same standard whenever I speak about Hongaku Kokki-ryu — though I'll still laugh when telling stories of my own mistakes.
I recently found a misbound page in an old manuscript held at Odawara City Library and reported it. Their investigation concluded that the error may have originated with the author, Fujita Seiko, or may have existed in the original source itself. Since the manuscript is part of the valuable "Fujita Seiko Collection," they decided it would be preserved exactly as-is, without correction.
I also consulted them about my own upcoming publication (likely an e-book), and they kindly confirmed that noting the error explicitly, rather than silently correcting it, would pose no problem. I'm relieved to know I may be able to present both the correct and the mistaken information to future readers while I'm still here.
I am helped by so many people's particular skills. Tracing a narrative from 360 years ago — when an old manuscript is run through AI for a modern rendering, there's a strange sensation, as if Soeda himself were speaking right beside me. ✉️✨
My days are spent in a constant back-and-forth of hypothesis and verification, tracing my father's testimony. A phrase I'd been searching for, convinced it had to exist somewhere, turned up by chance. Step by step — grateful to be walking this path of inquiry alongside all of you.
2025 is coming to an end. It's been a particularly demanding year. From around March or April onward, I have not gone a single day without doing something related to Hongaku Kokki-ryu — driven by the fear that fragments of information might vanish before I can act.
I recently visited the graves of Soeda Gizaemon Sadatoshi and Tsugaru Genba Masatomo. Since the temple's name appeared in an academic paper, it was easy enough to find, and the resident priest kindly guided me there in person. The atmosphere was indescribably solemn. I also made a personally surprising discovery there.
Grave of Soeda Gizaemon Sadatoshi
Grave of Tsugaru Genba Masatomo
Making time when I can, I've been following small fragments of information about Hongaku Kokki-ryu into the field. I sense that, right now — just barely — traces of the school are still scattered here and there across Tsugaru.
As I continue researching this school, a great deal of time is consumed organizing materials and verifying details. I feel the difficulty of working within limited time, but I also try to value checking each point carefully.
Going forward, I intend to keep reviewing my research and organizational methods, and to proceed carefully without overextending myself.
At the Former Ishidoya Family Residence, adjacent to the Horikoshi Castle ruins, we performed a demonstration of Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara, Hayashizaki Shinshin-ryu Iaido, and Bokuden-ryu, at the request of the Hirosaki City Board of Education's Cultural Properties Division. University and high school students also took part in the Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara portion, and the atmosphere was warm, with a genuine sense of connection with the audience.
On Sunday, September 14th, from 11:00–12:00 and again from 14:00–15:00, we held a demonstration of Bokuden-ryu, Hayashizaki Shinshin-ryu Iaido, and Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara at the Sasamori Family Samurai Residence, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. University and high school students also joined the Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara portion. It was moving to think that this must once have been part of everyday life.
今回は午前と午後の内容を違えた
— 武術研究稽古会 修武堂 (@shubudo21) September 14, 2025
午前は
古武道とはどのような世界か
伝書や古写真をプロジェクターで投影して解説
午後は
武家住宅内外での
弘前藩士の礼法と護身法を解説付き実演
どちらも林崎新夢想流居合、本覚克己流和、卜傳流剣術を室内や野外で解説つき演武を
場が変わっても技ができるかと https://t.co/beQhZNzIEV
I got a small token of just how hard I've been pushing myself. My wrists — already strained from too much smartphone use and typing — finally gave out under the added weight of hands-on technique verification. I was diagnosed with a tear at the ulnar attachment: a modest proof of effort, if nothing else.
My wife and I share nine PCs between us; I'm in the middle of upgrading seven of them from Windows 10 to 11, along with testing online-call setups. The slow pace is frustrating.
Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara, a classical martial art of Tsugaru, was featured on NHK World Japan's program "NINJA TRUTH."
The Hirosaki Domain, which once governed the Tsugaru region of what is now Aomori Prefecture, maintained a ninja corps known as the "Hayamichi-no-mono" for roughly 200 years. This program introduces the history and living transmission of Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara — the martial art practiced by the Hayamichi-no-mono of Hirosaki — through demonstrations performed by myself, Master Koyama of Shubudo, and volunteer members of Shubudo.
* As this is an international broadcast, the audio does not include Japanese narration.
Visit the NHK World Japan website
With the kind cooperation of many people, I was able to make a brief appearance in "Monthly Hiden, November 2025 — Approaching the Secrets of Budo and Bujutsu."
I am the eldest son of the late Kosaku Shibata, to whom the 11th-generation Soke, Master Otsu Yasusuke, entrusted his most important thoughts on the future of Hongaku Kokki-ryu.
I grew up hearing my father speak of both the public and private sides of the school, and I personally experienced the unusual physical development that came from the training method Master Otsu had transmitted directly. Even so, I refrained from any public activity for many years — above all, out of fear that someone like me had no right to involve myself with the weight of secrecy this lineage carries.
By nature, I prefer to live quietly, and for a long time I believed that the history of this school should likewise be left to pass quietly with the flow of time.
However, over the years, I watched information that did not match the historical facts spread online and elsewhere. In particular, after certain people connected to the school passed away, I began to see it spoken of as if it had "died out for lack of a successor" — and that alarmed me deeply. (I had the chance to meet one such person a few times as a child and young man; he carried himself with a striking, dignified presence.)
If this continued, the truth would never come to light, and only the false version would remain as history. Once I am gone, no one will be left who heard these things directly from my father. That realization is what set this activity in motion.
Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara has a long history, and it is only natural that different people and family lines connected to it hold differing interpretations and understandings. This book is not written to deny those differences. Accepting them as they are, it is written strictly from the perspective of the information passed down within the Shibata family.
* Gratitude to Everyone, and the Ongoing Search for Answers
This work could never have progressed on my own. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has provided materials or warm words of encouragement, and to my wife, who watches over all of this quietly — with a fair amount of exasperation, but watches over it nonetheless.
This activity began from the desire to record, as clearly as I am able, what our predecessors preserved and passed down — to set it into history without distortion, within the limits of what I can do.
For me, this work carries the following meanings:
(1) [Respect for Predecessors] Correcting misunderstandings about Master Otsu Yasusuke, and paying respect to the predecessors who built this school.
(2) [Responsibility to the Next Generation] Clearing the way so that those who follow can walk this path a little more easily.
(3) [Filial Duty to My Father] Giving some shape, however small, to what my late father was unable to accomplish — the flourishing of the school — through publishing the e-book and attempting to pursue commendation for "Master Otsu Yasusuke and Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara."
(For years I wondered why my father never acted more decisively to promote the school's growth. That long-standing question has become one of the driving forces behind what I am doing now. It has taken time, but as I have untangled the history of that era, my father's puzzling behavior has begun to make sense to me. For now I can only present this as a hypothesis, but I hope to include it in the book as well.)
We refrain from making public the specific "jutsuri" — the detailed inner workings of Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara's techniques.
We also do not display publicly the certificate of transmission (kyojo) that my father received. In an age when digital technology makes reproduction and misuse all too easy, I consider protecting the school's legitimacy in this way to be my responsibility. (The certificate itself remains securely stored in a trusted location.)
We ask for your understanding on this matter.
I feel genuinely encouraged by everyone who is exploring Hongaku Kokki-ryu Yawara through old manuscripts and other sources. Thank you sincerely for your interest.
In the midst of your dedicated research, I would be grateful if you could keep, even briefly, a measure of respect for the generations of masters who built and preserved this school. I believe that respect is what leads, ultimately, to the spirit that lies behind the techniques themselves.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.