Secrets of Itto Ryu: Book Two by Junzo Sasamori

Secrets of Itto Ryu: Book Two by Junzo Sasamori

$56.95 USD
$56.95 USD
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The first and only English translation of the once secret text on samurai swordsmanship by Sasamori Junzō, headmaster of 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 authentic text of Ittō-ryū, one of the oldest and most legendary 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 respected in the west as an expert in the sport of kendo (8th Dan), 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 second volume in the English series offers:

  • A step-by-step guide to the school’s fourteen kata, the classical patterns that form the school’s core curriculum and which preserve the esoteric secrets of the tradition.
  • Insights into Ittō-ryū’s teaching methodology and training philosophy.
  • Detailed descriptions of the roles of Uchidachi and Shidachi in practice.
  • An exploration of the mental and spiritual training at the heart of swordsmanship
  • .Ittō-ryū’s principles for sword drawing (battō).


With extensive 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.

A portion of the proceeds of the sales of this book will go to the Reigakudo Foundation in Japan, an organization committed to preserving Ono-ha Ittō-ryū and other martial arts for future generations.

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: 474 pages