Budo notes

Notes

1. Kaiten Nukariya (1876-1934), a noted Buddhist philosopher and a Zen priest. In 1924, he became president of Komazawa University.

2. Dr. Jigoro Kano was born in 1860 and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1881, where he majored in literature and political science. In the following year he founded the Kodokan for the study and instruction of Judo. In later years he became principal of Gakushuin and Tokyo Higher Normal School. In 1889 he visited Europe to study educational institutions there as a member of the Imperial Household Department. He became the first Japanese member of the International Olympic Committee in 1909. He died in 1938 on his return voyage from Cairo where he attended an IOC meeting.

3. Saigo Takamori (1827-1877), a leader in the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the creation of the Meiji government. His statue stands in.Ueno Park in Tokyo, showing him as a man of the common people, dressed in a casual kimono with his favorite dog at his side.

4. Junjiro Takakusu (1866-1945), a philosopher of Buddhism, professor of the University of Tokyo and author of numerous books on Buddhism.

5. Itto-ryu, a leading school of swordsmanship in the Edo period. It was named after the founder, Ito Ittosai Kagehisa. [p.30]

6. Hojo Tokimune (1251-1284). When faced with the threat of Mongolian invaders, he fortified northwestern Kyushu and successfully repelled them in 1274 and 1281.

7. Shortcut katto-roku, an anecdote about Buddhism and feudal warriors, included in a book edited by Fukuzan Imai (1924), a Buddhist priest in Kyushu.

8. Katsu Kaishu (1823-1899), a statesman who was active in the transition from the Tokugawa shogunate to the Meiji government. In boyhood, he was trained in swordsmanship.

9. Yamaoka Tesshu (1836-1888), a swordsman and retainer of the Tokugawa shogunate. In later years he served as an aide to the Meiji Emperor.

10. Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), the principal figure who reunified Japan in the 16th century when it was riven by civil war. [p.46]

11. Hachiko, known as ‘Chuken Hachiko*, or ‘Hachiko, the faithful dog’. For 10 long years in the early Showa era, Hachiko paid daily visits to the Shibuya Station in Tokyo to meet his master, not aware that he had already passed away. The dog’s unflagging devotion to his master impressed many Japanese. In the mid-1930s, a bronze statue of Hachiko was erected on the west side of the station; it is still a poluar landmark in Tokyo. The real Hachiko was stuffed and is now on display at the National Science Museum, Tokyo.

12. Daidoji Yuzan (1639-1730), a military strategist born in Kyoto. In Budo shoshin-shu he provides brilliant practical insights into the essence of Budo.

13. Shinno shintoryu, an influential school of Kendo founded in the late 15th century.