At the TODA family Dojo, Shinden Fudo Ryu was the first art taught to the members.
This Ryuha has both a Dakentaiutsu striking based system like Kempo or Karate, and a Jutaijutsu grappling based system.
It is known that IZUMO, the founder, also founded Kukki Shinden Ryu though the schools were not passed down together. With the DakenTaijutsu and Jutaijutsu in the unarmed range, with the KukkiShinden weapons system, the original family members were complete warriors.
At the Toda dojo, members would learn KOTO Ryu and GYOKKO Ryu together, and then learn TOGAKURE RYU at the advanced level, making them NINJA.
Takamatsu Sensei tells us he learn the Shinden Fudo then Koto then Togakure. The Gyokko Ryu was taught alongside Koto. The schools of Kumagakure and Gyokushin schools were taught in parallel to Togakure, also being schools of Ninjutsu. Takamatsu often referred to himself as "A Warrior of the KOPPO Jutsu Tradition".
These form the 6 schools of the TODA- Den, 3 Samurai and 3 Ninja, passed down to Takamatsu, who became Soke of all 6 once his Grandfather died.
Both Gyokko Ryu and Koto Ryu use a sword, metsubishi, and Shuriken.
The Togakure Ryu masters Shuriken, the SHUKO claws, and the SHOGE weapon, which completes the foundation NINJA weapons cycle.
The Togakure Biken Jutsu, sword method, as well as Katana and Kodachi, includes the Jutte truncheon and Tessen fan come from Kukki Shinden.
The longer Ninja battlefield weaponry, spears and halbereds, etc, come from Kukki Shinden.
ISHITANI was the Soke of the Kukkishinden and it is from him that Takamatsu received his training and the scrolls.
Because Shinden Fudo Ryu was not passed on with the Kukkishiden and vice versa, The Takagi Yoshin Ryu was paired with it, so the weapons system and Unarmed system were practiced together, though kept as two schools.
With Takagi Yoshin substituting for the grappling of the missing Shinden Fudo JuTaijitsu, Ishitani still needed a hard "Karate" to take the place of the missing DakenTaijutsu of the Shinden Fudo. This was the inspiration for Ishitani mastering the Gikan Ryu Koppo Jutsu.
GIKAN Ryu was based on Gyokko Ryu, where Uryu studied. However it is a hard KOPPO Jutsu system, developed similarly to how the TODA family developed KOTO Ryu, basing it on Gyokko. This is similar to how different schools and styles of KARATE developed in different regions.
It is interesting to speculate about different historical developments had Shinden Fudo Ryu and Kukkishinden Ryu been passed down together, so both TODA and ISHITANI would have had a similar training path.
Would Takagi Yoshin Ryu have stayed with the Mizuto line, and what would have become of Gikan Ryu for example.
As it stands the Takagi Yoshin is particularly interesting to us as it is the Indoor Body Guard system, as opposed to the Outdoor Battlefield system.
SHINDEN FUDO RYU, in the absence of the Kukki Shinden system, still passes on some unique battlefield training methods
YARI - spear
NAGINATA - halberd
ONO - war axe
O TSUCHI - war hammer
As expected the use of the over size weapons is based on the TAIJUTSU movements and Sabaki
This school also practices the HOJO Jutsu rope methods
KUKKISHINDEN weapons include
SO JUTSU - Yari spear
NAGINATA - Halberd
BISENTO - long weapon
BOJUTSU - staff
HANBOJUTSU - half staff
KATANA sword
KODACHI short sword
JUTTE truncheon
TESSEN fan
TAOKE NO JUTSU is the art of overcoming an enemy from a distance, mastered by battlefield Commanders of high rank and Generals - also known to the NINJA JONIN
The GYOKUSHIN Ryu, as a school of Ninjutsu, makes special use of Hojo rope, as well as the lassoo, and the KUSARI chain weapons - Kusari Fundo and Manriki Gusari
The KUMOGAURE Ryu a school of NINJUTSU, has specialised climbing tool such as the Kama Yari, which is also a weapon. It was used in the SUI MIZU Water method for climbing the sides of wooden ships. It can also be used in the MOKU Wood method for moving between trees. As a weapon it is specifically used for fighting swordsmen
The ippon sugi noburi - single cedar climbing tool - is a specialised climbing tool and weapon.
The armour, including Demon mask and armoured sleeves, comes from this Ryuha.
Though the TAIJUTSU comes from Togakure and therefore Gyokko, this school makes more use of jumping while fighting. Use if made of double blocks and double strikes in the fighting techniques.
