The Yagyū (柳生氏, Yagyū-shi^?) were a minor family of daimyō (feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara, who became the heads of one of Japan's greatest schools of swordsmanship, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. The Yagyū were also swordsmanship teachers to the Tokugawa shoguns. Nara ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, near Kyoto. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ...

Yagyū Muneyoshi (1527-1606), the first famous Yagyū swordsman, fought for a number of different lords before meeting Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. In 1563, he was defeated by the great swordsman Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and was later named his successor, founding the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of swordsmanship. YagyÅ« Muneyoshi Sekishusai )(1527- May 25, 1606) was one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. ... January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill Premier Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near... Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu The Tokugawa clan crest Tokugawa Ieyasu (previously spelled Iyeyasu); 徳川 家康 (January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. ... Events February 1 - Sarsa Dengel succeeds his father Menas as Emperor of Ethiopia February 18 - The Duke of Guise is assassinated while besieging Orléans March - Peace of Amboise. ... Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (b. ...

In 1594, Muneyoshi was invited to Tokugawa Ieyasu's mansion in Kyoto, where he provided such an incredible display of sword skills that the warlord asked that the Yagyū become sword instructors to the Tokugawa family. Muneyoshi suggested that his son Munenori be Ieyasu's teacher; Muneyoshi then retired from swordsmanship, and died in 1606, by which time Ieyasu had become shogun. It was at this time also that the Yagyū swordsmanship school split in two, Munenori and his elder brother Toshiyoshi each becoming the hereditary heads of the Owari and Edo schools of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. Events February 27 - Henry IV is crowned King of France at Rheims. ... YagyÅ« Munenori ) (1571 - May 11, 1646) was a Japanese swordsman who inherited leadership of the school of swordsmanship called YagyÅ« Shinkage-ryÅ« from his father YagyÅ« Sekishusai Muneyoshi. ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill Premier Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near... YagyÅ« Hyōgonosuke ) or — Toshiyoshi (利厳) was a master of the YagyÅ« Shinkage-ryÅ« style of swordsmanship during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. ... Edo (Japanese: 江戸, literally: bay-door, estuary, pronounced //), once also spelled Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo. ...

The Nara area bears many memorials to the Yagyū family, and their family graveyard lies on the grounds of the Hotoku-in temple. Perhaps most interested is a rock called Ittō-seki, probably split by lightning, which Muneyoshi is supposed to have cut in half with his sword.

The mon (crest) of the Yagyū family was a wide-brimmed black hat with ties. The chrysanthemum (kiku in Japanese) is the mon of the Japanese Emperor. ...

Notable Members of the Yagyū family

• Muneyoshi (1527-1606)- founder of the swordsmanship school and first of the family to earn significant power and prestige.
  • Toshiyoshi - head of the Owari branch of the swordsmanship school, which served the junior branch of the Tokugawa family, based in Nagoya.
  • Munenori (1571-1646) - first swordsmanship sensei to the Tokugawa, and head of the Edo branch of the swordsmanship school.
    • Jūbei Mitsuyoshi (1607?-1650) - one of the most famous and romaniticized samurai in history, Jūbei was the head of the Edo branch of the swordsmanship school and instructor to shogun Tokugawa Hidetada.

*Each change in ranking in this list indicates a father-son relationship (a change in generation). Yagyū Muneyoshi Sekishusai )(1527- May 25, 1606) was one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. ... January 5 - Felix Manz, co-founder of the Swiss Anabaptists, was drowned in the Limmat in Zürich by the Zürich Reformed state church. ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill Premier Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near... Yagyū Hyōgonosuke ) or — Toshiyoshi (利厳) was a master of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū style of swordsmanship during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Yagyū Munenori ) (1571 - May 11, 1646) was a Japanese swordsman who inherited leadership of the school of swordsmanship called Yagyū Shinkage-ryū from his father Yagyū Sekishusai Muneyoshi. ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... 1646 (MDCXLVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... A portrayal of Jūbei done by Sonny Chiba, who would play the legendary samurai many times Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi ( 1607?-1650 April 21) is one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japans feudal era. ... Events January 20 - Tidal wave swept along the Bristol Channel, killing 2000 people. ... // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ... Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada Tokugawa Hidetada May 2, 1579—March 14, 1632) was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. ...

See also

• Yagyū - the town of Yagyū in Nara Prefecture, the original capital of the family's fief.
• Japanese television actor and personality Hiroshi Yagyū and his son Shingo Yagyū are descendants of the Yagyū.

Nara Prefecture ) is part of the Kinki region on Honshu Island, Japan. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming An actor is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ...

Reference

• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.