Itō Ittōsai

Who is Itō Ittōsai?

Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa was a famous yet mysterious Japanese swordsman rumored never to have lost a duel. He is attributed as the founder of the Ittō-ryū school of sword fighting.

Originally named Itō Yagorō, he at the age of fourteen found himself in a little seaside village called Izu. Legend tells that he floated across the Sagami Bay on a piece of driftwood from Ōshima Island, part of the Izu Islands. The trust of the local villagers was earned when Yagorō chased away a group of bandits that went around raiding and pillaging. Desiring to be a great swordsman, the villagers paid for Yagorō's travels in seeking out a master. On his journey, Yagorō reached Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura where he paid homage to the gods and practiced his swordsmanship. One particular day, an unknown assailant tried to attack Yagorō but he somehow unconsciously and without thinking drew his sword and cut him down in one swift stroke. Not understanding this technique, Yagorō would later describe it as Musōken a fundamental aspect of his swordsmanship's philosophy. Musōken is either an offensive or defensive technique that is delivered spontaneously and without thinking, fully anticipating an opponent's movement; a type of extra-sensory perception similar to mushin.