Itō Ittōsai

nihongo|Itō Ittōsai|伊東一刀斎|Itō Ittōsai, 1560 - 1653?) was a famous yet mysterious Japanese swordsman rumored to have never lost a battle. He is attributed as the founder of the Ittō-ryū (lit. "one sword" or "one stroke") 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" (無想剣) a fundamental aspect of his swordsmanship's philosophy. "Musōken" is either an offensive or defensive posture that is delivered spontaneously and without thinking, fully anticipating an opponent's movement; a type of extra-sensory perception similar to mushin.

In another predicament, Ittōsai developed "Hosshato" when engaging multiple enemies in his bedroom. He would later change his name to "Itō Ittōsai Kagehisa." It is said Ittōsai's style evolved from the Chūjō-ryū style of his master, Kanemaki Jisai. Among the many pupils that Ittōsai trained, one such was his successor, Ono Tadaaki, who would go on to serve Tokugawa. The Itō-ryū style is grounded for some in Zen influence due to Ono Tadaaki's contact with the famed Buddhist priest, Takuan Sōhō. This is a reasonable assumption since later Itō-ryū swordsmen advocated directness and simplicity in their technique of the "one stroke"."

In Popular Culture

Itō Ittōsai appears in the Japanese manga series Vagabond. He is a former student of Kanemaki Jisai and appears at various times throughout the 'Kojirō Arc' of Vagabond. He eventually assumes the role of guiding Sasaki Kojirō's development as a master swordsman. In terms of his personality, Ittosai seems to possess some means of bloodlust, as he consistently encourages Kojiro to unleash his killer potential as a swordsman even in situations that are conditionally avoidable.