Antony Cummins - The Book of Samurai - Fundamental Samurai Teachings: The Collected Scrolls of Natori-Ryu

Antony Cummins is the founder of the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team, which has previously published The Book of Ninja (Watkins). Antony also works as a consultant and co-presenter of Urban Canyon Films to produce high-end documentaries on Japan that are distributed by National Geographic. He has been recognized by peers as a leading expert in the discovery of military arts of medieval Japan.

Yoshie Minami was born in Tokyo and currently lives in Saitama, Japan. She has a BA degree in Linguistics from the International Christian University. As a translator, she has published True Path of the Ninja, Secret Traditions of the Shinobi, Iga and Koka Ninja Skills, Samurai War Stories and has worked with Antony on various projects including the Japanese book True English.

CONTENTS

Heika Jdan no Maki
Discussions on Samurai Families

Ippei Yk
Important Points for the Independent Soldier

AN INTRODUCTION TO NATORI-RY

Natori-Ry is a samurai school of war founded in the sixteenth century. The school initially focused on its own military tactics, which included the administering of medical aid; adherents were known among their allied clans for producing a salve for sword wounds and tending to the wounded. However, the main focus was military strategy, developed in the service of the famed warlord Takeda Shingen of Ksh, one of the most feared in Japan. The death of Takeda Shingen heralded the defeat of the Takeda family and in 1582 the wellrespected warrior vassals of Kshu gave their allegiance to the future shgun Tokugawa Ieyasu. At this point the Natori family split into several divisions, one of which settled in the area of Kish, present-day Wakayama prefecture. Here it served the Kish arm of the three great Tokugawa houses, branch clans led by three sons of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In 1654 Natori Masazumi began his service under the Kish-Tokugawa clan and was to become Natori-Rys most influential grandmaster, expanding the school well beyond its existing curriculum. Being born into the generation of children and grandchildren of experienced samurai from the age of wars, Natori Masazumi was surrounded by peers of a much older age who had seen the great wars first hand and their sons, a generation who had been taught directly by these war veterans. Faced with a decline in tactical and military prowess and with a lack of wars to refine soldiery, Natori Masazumi set about collecting a vast array of samurai arts into an assembly of scrolls, moulding and expanding his family traditions to create one of the most comprehensive warfare schools of his time.

Natori-Ry grew from its original tactical and medical traditions and was spliced together with the teachings from one branch of Kusunoki-Ry. Natori Masazumi studied the skills of Kusunoki-Ry including the arts of the shinobi through the line of Kusunoki Fuden. He also studied Ksh-Ryu on the holy Mount Kya and integrated those teachings into his still-evolving school. Furthermore he undertook the colossal project of compiling a samurai encyclopaedia, cataloguing an extensive amount of Japanese equipment, arms and armour, including the weaponry of China and essential aspects and utensils of samurai life. All of this was done with the aim of collecting and maintaining the true skills of the warrior class before its members evolved from men of prowess into bureaucrats.

Natori Masazumi became a confidant and close retainer to Lord Yorinobu Tokugawa of the Kish-Tokugawa clan, who ordered that Natori-Ry should be renamed Shin-Kusunoki-Ry The New School of Kusunoki. This alternative name is used in some of the Natori documents. However, official records, castle maps and certification point to a continued use of Natori-Ry as an umbrella term for all of the above collected skills and traditions. The school was well respected and appointed as the third most important warfare school of the Kish domain, where it instructed a selection of the samurai of the Kish-Tokugawa clan in military tactics.

Known locally as Issui Sensei, Natori Masazumi retired from active service in 1685 to the village of no at the base of Mount Kya and died on 5 May 1708. He was interred at Eiunji temple in Wakayama where his gravestone stands to this day. He was given the death name Kygenin Tekigan Ryosui Koji.

The school continued to flourish after him, maintaining his collected teachings with various branches being established away from the central line. The main school finally closed its doors at the end of the samurai era. Transcriptions of Natori Masazumis work found their way into various libraries and collections, each with attached commentaries from later students of the school.

The blessing given to Antony Cummins by members of the Natori family.

Natori-Ry would have remained among the myriad other dead samurai schools if it were not for the fame given to one of its scrolls, the Shninki. This manual is considered as one of the most important works on the arts of the shinobi. The fame of the scroll has allowed me to diligently follow the trail of historical documents and to rediscover the story of Natori Masazumi and his school, Natori-Ry. The first two scrolls have been presented here in this initial volume and the complete school is collected within the whole series. The translation and publication of this series of books, based on the teachings of Natori-Ry will encompass all of the schools original scrolls and will be accompanied by a reconstruction of the school itself.

On 5 May 2013 at Eiunji temple, a ceremony was held by the monk Yamamoto Jyuh to reconnect with the spirit of Natori Masazumi. At the end of the ceremony the surviving members of the Natori family gave me their official blessing to re-establish and lead the school into the next generation. Natori-Ry welcomes any readers to become students of the school, thereby safeguarding the teachings of Natori Masazumi. You can discover more through the website (www.natori.co.uk) and information can be found on major social networking sites.

Antony Cummins

Also, Tissui.

THE SECRETS OF

NATORI-RY

The Collected Teachings of

NATORI SANJRO MASAZUMI

T-Ry Gunsho no Mokuroku

THE MILITARY WRITINGS OF OUR SCHOOL

The following is a list of the titles of the writings of our school, Kusnoki-Ry. However, the titles for our secret scrolls have not been recorded.

Heika Jdan no Maki

DISCUSSIONS ON SAMURAI FAMILIES