Secrets of Itto Ryu: Book One by Junzo Sasamori

Secrets of Itto Ryu: Book One by Junzo Sasamori

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The first and only English translation of the once secret text on samurai swordsmanship by Sasamori Junzō, headmaster of the Ono-ha Ittō-ryū.

Since it was first published in Japan in 1965, the Secrets of Ittō-ryū (Ittō-ryū Gokui) has served as the essential text of Ittō-ryū, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of samurai strategy and swordsmanship in Japan. Readers unfamiliar with this school and its history will be surprised by how much it influenced the techniques and philosophy of the modern martial arts of kendo, aikido, and others.

The author, Sasamori Junzō, was born into a samurai family a little over a decade after the warrior class was abolished. Well-known in the west as an expert in the sport of kendo, he was also the headmaster of three traditional schools of Japanese martial arts, chief among them Ono-ha Ittō-ryū. This book, Secrets of Ittō-ryū, distills his over seventy years of practice and painstaking study of not only the physical techniques but also the philosophical background and history of this 400-year-old school of fencing.

This book, the first in a series, covers:

  • An overview of Sasamori Junzō’s remarkable life and legacy.
  • The history of Ittō-ryū, from its roots in the Chujō-ryū to the present day, to include a lineage chart of its mainline, branches, and factions.
  • Details about the lives, adventures, and duels of Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa and his successor, Ono Jirōemon Tadaaki.
  • A who’s-who of Japanese historical figures related to the school, including shoguns, samurai, sword masters, philosophers, strategists, statesmen, and other luminaries such as: Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Kanemaki Jisai, Obata Kagenori, Yamaga Sokō, Yamaoka Tesshū, and others.
  • Ono-ha Ittō-ryū’s influence on the development of modern kendo.
  • Historical records, correspondence, and notes documenting the lineage of the school, presented in English for the first time.


With an extensive introduction and notes by the translator, Mark Hague, a long-time student of the author’s son Sasamori Takemi and the highest-ranking member of mainline Ono-ha Ittō-ryū outside of Japan, this highly readable translation is sure to become a key reference to those interested in Japanese culture, history, and the martial arts.

About the Author

Sasamori Junzō (1886-1976) was the headmaster (sōke) of the ancient Japanese martial arts of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū, Chokugen-ryū naginata, and Shinmusō Hayashizaki-ryū iado. He also achieved the rank of 8th dan in kendo. He gained fame within Japan's martial arts community for his work in keeping the authorities under General Douglas MacArthur from completely banning the practice of kendo during the U.S.' postwar occupation of Japan, efforts that cemented his place in the annals of Japanese history as one of the saviors of Japan's martial arts. His life was much more than just the sword, however. He worked as a reporter for newspapers and political magazines in Japan and the U.S., served as the chancellor of two educational institutions, was a statesman, serving in the legislature, the cabinet, and ministerial posts for over two decades, and founded his own Christian church in Tokyo. Born into a samurai family a little over a decade after the samurai class was abolished, Junzō was a key link between the modern world and Japan's samurai past.

Language: English

Length: 184 pages

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