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Topic: "Shinra Saburoi"

I would like to find out more about the person named Shinra Saburo. I hear his name mentioned in both Korean & Japanese Martial Art histories.

Answer:

Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu (1045-1127) was a sixth generation descendent of the Japanese Emperor Seiwa and is largely regarded as having been the originator of Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu (the name Daito ryu allegedly stemming from the name of the mansion in which he lived, 'Daito Mansion').

This art was refined over time and passed to the legendary Sokaku Takeda, who first taught it in public. This is a traditional Japanese martial art, though some adherents of the Korean martial art known as Hapkido (originally known as "Yusool") also claim lineage to Takeda by virtue of its founder Choi Yong Sool. Some historians question this link. Although some Hapkido techniques are similar to some of those found in Daito ryu, it is unlikely that these techniques came directly from Sokaku Takeda himself.