Takeda Motsugai (武田物外)
Motsugai TAKEDA (April, 1795 to December 20, 1867) was a Buddhist monk of the Soto sect and a martial arts master who lived at the end of the Edo period. He is known by the name of 'Genkotsu Osho." He was a founder of Fusen ryu jujutsu (Fusen school of classical Japanese martial art). Fusen was his imina (personal name). His pseudonym was Motsugai. He was also known by the name of Dorobotokean. He was a possessor of phenomenal strength, and many anecdotes about him including his childhood are known. He enjoyed the friendship of 'loyalists of the Meiji Restoration period' of Choshu domain in his later years, and also worked hard as a mediator of the First conquest of Choshu. He was good at haikai (popular linked verse), and made a collection of poetry, "Jinshihendai."
Chronology
On someday between April and May in 1795, he was born the first son to Miki Heidayu Nobushige, a feudal retainer of Iyo-Matsuyama Domain. There is a rumor that his mother was a daughter of Tahe MORITA of the same family, and when she worked as a bath servant, Matsudaira Oki no kami, the lord, became intimate with her, but it seems to have been dramatized for storytelling. His childhood name was Torao, or Kichijiro. The childhood name, Torao (literally, tiger boy), is said to have been derived from his birthday; he was born during the Hour of the Tiger (3-5 a.m.), on the Day, Month, and Year of the Tiger. The Year of Tiger is 1794, so this is also a popular belief based on his marvelous strength.
On June 10, 1799, when he was five (according to an age by the traditional Japanese system; the same rule applies to the following), he became a trainee priest of Ryutai-ji Temple. He is said to have been an uncontrollable naughty boy since around this time.
In 1806, at the age of 12, he was taken in by Priest Kanko of Denpuku-ji Temple, becoming his disciple, and moved to Hiroshima Prefecture. At night, he attended a dojo (a training hall) with diligence, and learned various kinds of martial arts. A naughty boy was called Shiokara (salted fish guts) in the local dialect, and Motsugai came to be known by the name of 'Shaiokara kozo' (a naughty boy). The following year, he moved to Kokutai-ji Temple (Hiroshima City), a family temple of the Asano family, the lord of Hiroshima Domain.
In 1809, he planned a grand scale fight caused by an argument among a group of friends, but it was found before it happened. Motsugai was found to be a leader of one side, so he was disowned and driven out. When a government official examined the Mt. Chausu-yama, where the fight was supposed to be held, he was surprised at a full-scale battle array and devices such as mines. The official called 'Shiokara kozo' to a government office and inspected him, then Motsugai answered that he read "Taikoki" (Chronicle of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI) and devised a good way to handle a situation.
In 1810, at the age of 16, he moved to Osaka and went about asking for alms. During this time, he learned Confucianism.
In 1812, he became Unsui (an itinerant priest) at the age of 18, and traveled about various provinces. He stayed Eisho-ji Temple in Okayama, Eihei-ji Temple in Echizen Province, Kosho-ji Temple in Uji City (Uji City), and so on during his travel.
In 1819, he went to Edo, and got a room in the Kaga dormitory of Komagome Kichijo-ji Temple (Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo). In 1821, at the age of 27, he accompanied Priest Torin of Ruriko-ji Temple in Yamaguchi and became a patriarch.
It is considered that this led to his becoming friends with royalists in his later years
In 1822, when he was 28, he returned to Priest Kanko of Denpuku-ji Temple in Hiroshima.
In 1828, he was 34 years old. He became a chief priest of Saiho-ji Temple in Onomichi. Since then more people heard the fame of Motsugai and asked him for instruction of Fusen-ryu school.
In 1834, age 40. He prayed for rain at Tamanoura.
In 1861, age 67. There is an anecdote about his accompanying Shusaku HONINBO on Chugoku and Shikoku roads and visiting Kotohira-gu Shrine.
In 1865, he retired at the age of 71. The era name was changed into Keio, and Motsugai was asked to be a mediator for the First conquest of Choshu, so he made a petition and submitted it to the Imperial court. On this occasion, he was not given any instruction, so he went to the capital with his disciple, Torajiro TANABE, and made him appeal directly with the petition. Although Tanabe was arrested, he succeeded in submitting the petition, so he was called by Emperor Komei and got a chance to report the gist to the throne directly.
On December 20, 1867, when he was on his way to Onomichi by sea, he died at Fukushimaya, a Japanese-style hotel, in Osaka. Age at death: 73.
Motsugai's martial arts
His learned jujutsu (classical Japanese martial art, usually referring to fighting without a weapon) under Takahashi Ihei Mitsumasa, who belonged to the Nanba ippo-ryu school. Motsugai told that he belonged to the Fusen-ryu school.
He learned the art of kusarigama (a chain and sickle) under the Yamada school, the art of the spearmanship under the Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu School of spearmanship, and Japanese horse-back archery technique under the Otsubo school. Among these military arts, he is said to have been best at kusarigama.
During his stay in Sosen-ji Temple in Izumo Province, Rokuzo OGURA (later known as the 11th master, Tsutsumi Rokudayu Shigemasa), a disciple of Sadenji ISHIHARA, who was the 10th master of Jikishin-ryu school in Matsue Domain, fought with Motsugai and won.
Strong fighter though Motsugai was, he was astonished by him, saying 'The judo player of Matsue Domain is quite strong.'
This is a tradition handed down in Matsue, so only favorable parts to Izumo domain (which was in Matsue) might have been told, but if it is true, this is the only game that Motsugai lost.
The period when he was Unsui (trainee Zen monks)
When he was in a dormitory of Eihei-ji Temple, a hanging bell was put down by somebody. Unsuis were at a loss because they could not ring a bell to let everybody know the time of rites in the morning and evening, so they tried to put up the bell among them all, but the bell would not be moved at all. Then Motsugai came there and said, 'if you treat me to udon (Japanese wheat noodle), I'll do it for you,' so the Unsuis promised him to do so, and Motsugai held up the bell easily, hanging it on the place where it had been set. The person who put down the bell was of course Motsugai, and even after that when he wanted to eat udon, he is said to have put down the bell at once. There is a pillar with a handprint of Motsugai in Eihei-ji Temple, and it is said that the prints of his four fingers were clear.
At Daijo-ji Temple in Kaga, he was said to be 'Aki no Motsugai,' and he made elaborate mischief, for example, he lifted up a pillar of the temple and made it wear a straw sandal. One day, there was a big fight between Unsuis and officiating priests, so Honda Awa no kami (Governor of Awa Province), who was the principal supporter of the temple, sent soldiers in order to put down the incident. However, no soldier was stronger than Motsugai, and they were thrown into the main building of the temple one after another, and he locked the entrance. Daijo-ji Temple has a big mokugyo (wood block) which is so heavy that it takes three people to move it, but Motsugai is said to have thrown it at that time and it was cracked.
There is an anecdote about a contest of physical strength on the bridge during Motsugai's stay in Kanazawa, and he competed with Toda Echigo no kami (Provincial Governor of Echigo), who was a founder of the Toda School and newly employed by the Maeda family of Kaga, but the contest remained unsettled and it ended in a tie. At that time, a parapet of the bridge was broken, and they fell down on the river beach, so their fight was not stopped; it is said that pebbles on the beach were dug from 60 feet to 120 feet into the ground.
At Edo
There is an anecdote about Motsugai's buying a Go board (Go is a kind of games) at a secondhand store in Asakusa around this time.
Motsugai liked the Go board and asked the store person, 'How much is it?' then he answered, 'One ryo and two bu.'
I don't have money now, so I'll come and take it later. So please do not sell it to anybody until I come back,' Motsugai asked, and the store person said, 'Can you place something on deposit?'
Then Motsugai said, 'Well, sure,' and he turned over the Go board, hitting it with his fist.
Now it looks fine.'
There was an imprint of his fist on the underside surface of the Go board. Later, as well, Motsugai left some Go boards with the imprints of his fist.
Around the same time, he chastised a group of three tsujikiri (killing in the street to test a new sword) who appeared in the neighborhood of Shiba, and mediated between samurai of Aizu and Higo, who fought with real swords because the tip of a sheath hit the samurai.
Motsugai's praying for rain
During the Tenpo era, dry weather lasted, so farmers asked Motsugai to pray for rain. He said, 'Sure,' and removed the bell of Saiho-ji Temple, and brought it to the beach of Yoshiwa village. He connected the bell between two boats in the sea and floated it, then kept praying for 17 days night and day. After that he reached the cannon of the bell, wearing only loincloths, then yelled and threw it two to three ken (3.6m to 5.4m) off the coast, and it began to rain in torrents. People said, 'Motsugai's praying for rain works well,' so every time when the dry weather lasted, Motsugai came to be asked to pray for rain by farmers. The bell thrown into the sea was later came back being caught in a net of fisherman, but eight wartlike dots on the bell were missing. Motsugai said, 'Hachidai Ryuo (Eight Dragon Kings) would have received each of them,' making the people in the village impressed.
The period of Saiho-ji Temple
In 1848, Kaio NUKINA, who was known as a good literati painter, visited Motsugai and asked him to show his power. Motsugai went into a bamboo thicket behind the temple, stripping the bamboo leaves by pulling the hand along the branch, squashing them with the tip of his finger, and having kimono sleeves pulled back, then showed his swordplay with his disciples. Then Motsugai had men wind around his hip with a hawser, making four sumo wrestlers pull it with all their strength, but Motsugai did not move at all.
Around the same time, a knight-errant from Kyushu visited Saiho-ji Temple. He met a high priest and drank tea, having a chat, then the samurai suddenly grabbed his tea bowl and broke it into pieces. So Motsugai turned his tea bowl three times with his three fingers, and broke it into small pieces with the tip of his finger, then the samurai surrendered to him, going back home.
In front of the Saiho-ji Temple's gate there was a chozubachi (a water basin used to rinse the hands or as a decorative element in gardens) made of granite, whose height was two shaku (60.6 cm) and more, width was three shaku (about 90.9 cm), and length was seven shaku (212.1 cm). One day when Motsugai was sweeping a courtyard, a knight-errant visited him. He asked, 'Is Priest Motsugai at home?' so Motsugai got sick of it as such a visitor came again, answering 'He is not at home now,' and lifted up a corner of the chozubachi with his left hand, sweeping garbage under the stone away with the broom in his right hand. The samurai looking at him was surprised and ran away.
It is said that he made a bet with heavers at a wharf in Onomichi and put 16 bags of rice on his shoulder. There is an anecdote of his stopping a cargo boat in the sea which left Onomichi for Osaka, pulling up the boat to the beach of Maiko, and getting on it.
A confrontation with Isami KONDO
According to the 58 page of "Anecdotes about Priest Motsugai" (Doken TAKADA, 1904) in the modern digital library of the National Diet Library, when Motsugai went about asking for alms in Kyoto and he was seen to look in on the training hall of Shinsengumi (a group who guarded Kyoto during the end of Tokugawa Shogunate) by an officer. He teasingly pulled Motsugai into the training hall by force. However, Motsugai knocked down the officers on after another with a mace that he had. Stop it, stop it. He is not a man you can beat,' said Isami KONDO, who was watching them, and appeared.
KONDO introduced himself and asked for a fight using a bamboo sword, but Motsugai said, 'A bamboo sword doesn't fit a priest.'
If you don't want to fight with a mace, I'll use this bowl,' and he took two wooden bowls for takuhatsu out of his bag. Isami KONDO got angry with his reaction even after he told Motsugai who he was, so he took a lance. Motsugai held the right bowl aimed at Kondo's face, and raised the left bowl askew. He pinched the each bottom rim of the bowls with the tips of his fingers.
Now, you can lance me from anywhere.'
KONDO, who thought that an eccentric priest as he was, he would be terrified to see the naked blade, got angry.
What an impudent man you are!'
He yelled and lanced him, but Motsugai dodged and held the thrust spear neck between his wooden bowls. KONDO tried to pull and push, but he could not move his lance. When he pulled the lance with all his strength, he removed the wooden bowls at an opportune time. Then KONDO was pushed backward two to three ken (3.6 to 5.4m) by his own force, and landed on the floor of the training hall.