Toshitsugu Takamatsu was the 33.rd Soke (the head of the family, bearer of tradition) and the teacher of Soke Masaaki Hatsumi.

He was born in 23.rd year of Meiji era, 10.th of March, 1887. in town called Akashi in Hyogo region. His first name was Hisatsugu, and he changed it later to Toshitsugu.

His father Yasaburo wanted hin to join the army, but he was a sickly child, and his grandfather, Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu was consulted. Toda felt that Budo (martial arts) will help to make the child stronger, and give him self-confidence.

And so Toshitsugu started to train Budo as a child in a Dojo of his grandfather. Toda was the owner of a Bone clinic, and a Budo Dojoin a town called Kobe, where he was well known as the Soke of a fighting system called Shindenfudo Ryu Jutaijutsu. Soon Toda realised that Toshitsugu was very gifted for Budo.

Toda had a Samurai rank, and his family was from Iga province. Some of them were from Takao province in mountain parts of Iga, and a part of them practised ninjutsu. Toda Soke was also writting books about military tactics for The Royal Military Academy. He decided to pass his teachings to Toshitsugu, and he gaved him Menkyo Kaiden (master’s licence) in following Ryu’s:

• Shindenfudo Ryu Dakentaijutsu ,
• Togakure Ryu Ninpo ,
• Kumogakure Ryu Ninjutsu ,
• Gyokushin Ryu Ninjutsu ,
• Koto Ryu Koppojutsu ,
• Gyokko Ryu Koshijutsu.

Soon after that, 1909. Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu, 32.nd Soke died, and Toshitsugu became 33.rd Soke. Takamatsu sensei (on the left) while trainingDuring his young age Takamatsu also studied Takagi Yoshin Ryu in Mizuta Yoshitaro Tadafuse Sensei’s Dojo, and he received his Menkyo Kaiden in 1906. In the same year he met his family’s cousin, Ishitani Matsutaro Takekage Sensei, who worked as a bodyguard in the factory of matches which was owned by Takamatsu’s father. Ishitani Sensei, who was known in hall Japan by his warrior arts, built a small Dojo in the factory, and there he tought young Takamatsu to Kukishinden Ryu, Hon Tai Takagi Yoshin Ryu and Gikan ryu, Shinden Muso ryu and also some other aspects of ninjutsu schools.
He died in 1910. and Takamatsu became Soke of Gikan Ryu, and Kukishin Ryu.

Soon after that he went to China, among other reasons to test his skills, which was no longer possible in Japan, and there was still war in China. He came to China over Korea, where he studied under Kim Kei-Mei master. He mastered 18 Chinese and Korean martial arts. In China and Mongolia he lived for a period of 10 years, and was called “Moko No Tora”, “The Mongolian Tiger”, because of his way of fighting. He played a crucial role in martial art community in China, and 1914. he founded Sino-Japanese martial arts community. In order to survive, he held lessons in martial arts during the time he had spend in China, and he also had numerous matches with the leading masters of that time, and he never lost a single match, and many of these matches were duels to life and death.
1919.he returned to Japan, where he joined Tendai sect, mountain warriors on Hiei mountains near Kyoto. Later he got married with a wife Tane in Teisho era. They didn’t have any children, so they adopted a girl Yoshiko.

In his older age he was managing a small tea-house and a hotel in a town Kashiwabara in Nara region, and he also held lessons in ninjutsu to a group of students. His Dojo was named Sakushin.
Takamatsu sensei teaches young HatsumiSomewhere about 1950. he took a new student, named Masaaki Hatsumi who was 26 years old. The next fifteen years he tought Hatsumi, who traveled almost every weekend across Japan just to learn from this great teacher. A few years just before he died, Takamatsu told Hatsumi that he had tought him everything he knew. He sad to other of his students that he decided to leave everything in the hands of Hatsumi, because he felt that he was the most suitable person for such a thing. So Hatsumi became Soke officially. Takamatsu Sensei died after that, on the 2.nd of April 1972. when he was 85 years old. He actively trained until he was 80, but continued to monitor Hatsumi Sensei’s training. In a memory to his teacher, Hatsumi Soke named his Dojo Bujinkan Dojo, which means “A Place Where Divine Warrior Trains”.

Takamatsu Soke was a member of Shobu bureau, and president of Nippon Minkoku Seisnen Butoku-kai, and was famous as Jujutsu and Bojutsu master.
Only a few people knew that he was in fact the last representation of the rich tradition of ninjutsu. It is said that his neighbours were amazed when they found out that he was also a ninja warrior. That’s how one more legend about The Divine Warrior Moko No Tora was created.

Takamatsu Sensei was a great man and an example of a true martial artist.

Feel free to look around the site and decide for yourself, or contact us  for further information or to arrange a no obligation consultation.

Visit our online shop for a wide range of natural wellbeing products designed to optimise all aspects of your health.

We take pride in the level of service and care that we provide to our clients who come from all walks of life and age groups. If you would like to read how we have helped them in their own words, please visit our testimonials section.

Download our discount voucher below to get the following discounts: