Sokaku Takeda

Sokaku Takeda 1859-1943

“The Last Samurai”

Sokaku Takeda was born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, in a time of war and civil strife. He was the second son of Takeda Sokichi, a samurai of the Takeda clan. Some say he was the last Samurai as it was during his prime years that the Samurai class was outlawed and the carrying of swords prohibited as Japan moved into the modern world.

Grandmaster Takeda is known as the founder of a school of jujutsu known as Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu. His teachers were his father Sokichi and Tendai priest Hoshina Chikanori who taught him the oshikiuchi or the secret techniques of the art of which much was esotheric in nature. His father Sokichi was reportedly an expert in the use of both sword and spear.

Sokaku fought many duels both with a shinai and a live blade, and was considered a swordsman of great skill in a period of time when such things were beginning to be forgotten. Because of the outlawing of the sword, Sokaku changed his teachings to emphasize empty hand techniques that were Ju Jitsu orientated and which he had learnt from his ancestors. They were apparently Oshiki-Uchi or secret techniques from the Aizu clan up to that point. These along with other techniques he had picked up along the way became known as Daito Ryu Ju Jitsu, later known as Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu. He was exposed to Hozoin Ryu, Takada-ha and Ono ha Itto Ryu schools of spear and swordsmanship.

Sokaku lived a somewhat itinerant life, traveling the length and breadth of the country giving seminars in martial arts to military officers, police officers, and martial artists. It is possible to trace Sakaku’s whereabouts with pinpoint accuracy beginning from 1892. This is due to the fact that he left extensive records in his personal enrollment books and payment ledgers, in which were recorded the names, dates, and techniques of those he trained as well as the payments received. Oral tradition is that it was not unusual for him to go for lengthy periods of austere training where he travelled, fought, and trained at the school of many teachers: i.e. he spent some time as a live-in student of Kenkichi Sakakibara, considered to be one of the most famous and skilled swordsmen of the era.

Sokaku Takeda’s top students were Yoshida Kotaro, Moreihei Ueshiba (founder of modern day Aikido) and Choy Yong-sool who created Hapkido using these techniques. Choy was a house boy of Takeda’s and eventually became a talented student of his. He also taught Hosaku Matsuda who taught Yoshiji Okuyama who in turn taught the founder of Shorinji Kempo Doshin So.

Sokaku’s son, Tokimune Takeda took over the role of headmaster upon the death of his father in 1943, and established the Daitokan school in Hokkaido to promote the art, rechristening it Daito-ryu Aiki Budo. Tokimune is said to have contributed much of the teaching system which exists for the art today; naming and classifying the techniques and further simplifying the weapons component of the system.

Sokaku was arguably one of if not the most talented martial artist of the day. The influence of his teachings are readily discernible in the physical techniques of aikido, Hakko Ryu, Nippon Shorinji Kempo, hapkido and judo’s goshin jutsu self defense.

Learn more about Daito Ryu Master Sokaku Takeda.

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