We all know samurai to some extent. Even if you're not a history buff, it's often featured in movies, TV, and video games. My own knowledge of samurai was pretty basic. Like most people, I just thought, “These are cool warriors with swords!” But after playing Like a Dragon: Ishin, I learned more about these famous warriors. I was able to learn more.
But how accurate is the Meiji Restoration story? Although the story is fictional, the game is set during the end of the Edo period, takes inspiration from historical figures and events, and the main character is based on Ryoma Sakamoto, one of the most famous samurai in history. We recently spoke with Ryunosuke Otsuka, the seventh head of Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōhō, about his role and school, Ryōma Sakamoto, and how the Ishin uses real history as inspiration. I heard.
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Ryoma Sakamoto and Hokushin Itto-ryu tactics
The real Ryoma Sakamoto is a student of “Hokushin Ittō-ryū Heihou”, which teaches the Sogo Martial Arts (Comprehensive Martial Arts System), which translates to “Hokushin Ittō-ryu Heiho no Ryuu” and was founded by Chiba Shusaku Heisei Narimasa. The beginning of the 19th century, the most turbulent period of the Edo period. This koryu (traditional Japanese martial arts school) is one of the few schools that has been preserved in its orthodoxy and still actively engages in duels with swordsmen from other schools to this day.
“[Sakamoto Ryōma] “In the early 1850s, he was sent and sponsored by his family to study at our Chiba dojo,” says Otsuka. “One of the scrolls he received, the so-called long sword catalog of the Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōhō, survives to this day. This scroll was traditionally published along with the fourth of the five traditional scrolls, the middle catalog and menkyō. This proves that Ryoma Sakamoto was the master of this school.
Mr. Otsuka says that in addition to Ryoma Sakamoto, other great masters of this school appeared during the Meiji Restoration. For example, Koshitaro Ito, Heisuke Todo, Keisuke Yamanami, Hajime Saito, etc. “Of course, the game developers took artistic liberties with character development, but those people actually existed and were sanctioned masters of our school.”
Otsuka explains that Ishin took some creative liberties when designing Ryoma Sakamoto, which was probably the inspiration. For example, he never joined the Shinsengumi in real life, and Saito Hashima was not his alter ego, but a completely different person. However, there were many things the developers kept true to, such as the Shinsengumi wearing blue haori. These are based on the uniforms that the 47 Ako Roshi were often depicted wearing in historical woodblock prints, and were believed to “ensure greater safety” for the soldiers. Ta. Becomes visible during battle, making it easier for troops to distinguish between their own troops and the enemy. ”
“[Sakamoto Ryōma] He actually used a Smith & Wesson 2nd Army revolver to save lives at an inn (Teradaya) during the famous Teradaya Incident, and he also stayed there for part of the game,'' Otsuka said. he says. “The in-game Teradaya is much larger than the original Teradaya, now open as a museum in southern Kyoto, and can be visited. There, the gunshots fired by Ryoma Sakamoto can still be heard. It remains on one of the pillars.”
One thing many people don't realize about samurai is that they have been using guns since the mid-Sengoku period, and many major battles in the 1500s “were dominated by the use of matchlocks,” Otsuka said. . He says this misconception stems from regulations on guns and weapons of war in the early Edo period. There, the Tokugawa Shogunate restricted the production of firearms and the number of guns that each clan could own. They used the daishō (pair of swords), which they were required to wear by law, as a symbol of their status. ”
What is particularly accurate in Meishin is the depiction of the Tosa clan's class system, which Otsuka explains as follows. samurai ranking). Kashi was often treated badly by the castle warriors, even though they were from the same class of “shi, agriculture, industry, and commerce.'' This was not the same in other parts of Japan, and was a serious problem in Tosa, which was one of the reasons why the Tosa Kinnoto Party was formed under the leadership of Hanpeita Takeichi. ”
Mr. Otsuka particularly likes the setting and worldview of Ishin, such as the way the city looks and the way you walk through the streets in a way that feels like the real thing. He doesn't mind that game developers have taken artistic liberties with historical events and characters. He said that because “the overall period setting is accurate and does what it's supposed to do, which is give gamers a great experience and storyline.”
Otsuka expressed this sentiment to Ishin chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto at a preview screening at the Samurai Museum in Berlin, where Otsuka gave a swordplay demonstration and a history lesson to reporters. “I'm so happy that he did such a great job of bringing the end of the Edo period to life from his perspective as the seventh head of the Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōpo, and that his games will help more people learn about the actual history.” I told them that it might be an opportunity for them to learn about things. Players are fascinated by historical figures and events.”
Ryunosuke Otsuka and Hokushin Itto-ryu tactics
Although born a Westerner, Ryunosuke Otsuka was legally adopted into an old Japanese samurai family, where he not only changed his legal name but also became the successor to his father, Yoichiro Otsuka, the sixth head of the family. Hokushin Itto-ryu tactics.
Otsuka had studied modern Japanese martial arts such as kendo and iaido, but decided at the age of 18 to pursue “the authentic, traditional ones that many famous samurai actually used.” I chose to move to Japan. After some research, he learned about the Sandai-ryu, the three major schools of samurai fighting in Japanese history: Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōpo, Shinto Munen-ryu, and Kyoshin Meichi-ryu. All three of these schools were among all extant schools in the late Edo period, when “regardless of when the school was founded, all schools and their members fought in duels and bloody battlefields at the end of the Edo period.” It was considered the strongest.
This is the same era that Meiji Restoration is set in, and Otsuka notes that “many of the characters you encounter in the game have learned or mastered one or more of the three major styles.” I'll tell you.
Otsuka wanted to study at one of these three major schools, but when the Kyoshin Akechi school disappeared in World War II, he was left with only two options. The choice was easy, Otsuka explains, because while Shinto Munen-ryu lost its traditional sparring practice and scoring scroll system, Hokushin Itto-ryu tactics were completely preserved in its original form.
After being accepted as a disciple, the sixth generation Soke took Otsuka in as an uchideshi, and four years later, at the age of 22, he was formally adopted into this centuries-old samurai family. Hokushin Itto-ryu military training exam. At that time, I had to enter the name Ryunosuke Otsuka in my passport and discard his birth name. ”
In 2016, Mr. Otsuka was officially appointed by his adoptive father as the 7th head of Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōpo at a formal public ceremony at the Nakano Sunplaza Hotel in Tokyo. “It is my responsibility and duty to preserve the teachings and traditions of Hokushin Ittō-ryu tactics and pass them on intact to the next generation.In addition to teaching, I also teach at several other old schools, cultural facilities, and other schools in Japan. We do this by working closely with museums, and sometimes with the Japanese government. Through collaborations like this, we hope to disseminate knowledge of feudal Japan's samurai culture to a wider audience.”
While maintaining tradition and functionality is important, modern communication facilitates the school's operations and new students are recruited through public seminars, lectures, marketing through social media, website, newspaper, and interviews.
Hokushin Itto-ryu tactics became famous during the Edo period for fighting and defeating swordsmen from other schools, and this practice continues even today, as Mr. Otsuka says: They joined us after losing to me and other school teachers. Since its founding in 1820, Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōpo has followed a strict open-door policy, with challengers always welcome and accepted if they apply to formally test their skills.
“Games like Ishin and TV productions like Disney+’s Shogun have really helped increase interest in Bushido,” Otsuka added, adding that in recent years, there has been a general shift towards feudal Japanese culture. He said the interest led to an influx of students. “At our school, we do not discriminate based on motivation. In addition to students who are serious about history research, we also have students who became interested through video games, novels, and anime/manga. We care deeply about our heritage, so everyone is treated and educated equally in our schools.”
Otsuka recommends reading Romulus Hillsboro's books for players who want to learn more about the Shinsengumi, Ryoma Sakamoto, or this period of Japanese history. You can learn more about Hokushin Itto-ryu Hyōpo on their website and Instagram, and you can also find Otsuka on Instagram.
It's like Dragon Week
Like a Dragon Week is TheGamer's celebration of all things Yakuza/Like a Dragon, featuring features, interviews, and opinions on Ryu ga Gotoku Studio's hit action-adventure brawler series.
- date
- March 25-31, 2024
- game
- Ryu ga Gotoku 0, Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami, Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2, Ryu ga Gotoku 3, Ryu ga Gotoku 4, Ryu ga Gotoku 5, Ryu ga Gotoku 6 Poem of Life, Ryu ga Gotoku, Ryu ga Gotoku, Ryu ga Gotoku Infinite Wealth, Ryu ga Gotoku Restoration, Ryu ga Gotoku Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Judgment, Lost Judgment
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