Tsuji Gettan Sukeshige

Founder of Mugai Ryu

Born in 1648 in today’s prefecture of Shiga, the 13-year-old Gettan attended the Yamaguchi Dojo in Kyoto where he learned different styles of Iai until his graduation. After an unsuccessful attempt to found his own school at the age of 26, a Gettan went to the Azabu Kyukoji temple where he was trained in Zen and further perfected the art of his swordfighting. There he developed fundamental philosophical principles on which his own style, the strongly zen-connected Mugai Ryu Iaido, was based. With 45 years Gettan attained ‘Satori’, enlightenment, through the way of Zen. He founded the style of Mugai Ryu and opened a school in which many high-ranked Samurai and Daimios are welcomed. Gettan got a high reputation as master of the art of swordfighting as well as a scholar of Zen. When he turned 71 he got the highest honour, an audience with the Shogun. This meeting however never took place, because the Shogun died shortly before. In 1728 Gettan dies at the age of 79 in deep and peaceful meditation.

“Ippo jitsu mugai
Kenkon toku ittei
Suimo hono mitsu
Dochaku soku kosei”

“There is nothing but this one truth
it’s all-encompassing and everlasting
a feather carried by the winds upholds this truth.
To experience harmony in the face of confusion
is enlighenment.“