User:Zuiram/Drafts/Takamatsu Toshitsugu
Work in progress
Here, I am working on a better writeup of the man's life, and hope to add some good sources. For anyone reading this, keep in mind that this is not even a rough draft yet, so please don't mangle it without leaving a message on the talk page first (and preferably waiting for an answer), unless it is to hand me good links.
New article
Toshitsugu Takamatsu was born on 10 March 1889 (22nd year Meiji), and died on 2 April 1972 at his house in Kashikara city, Nara prefecture. His posthumous name is Junshokakaju Zenjomon. He has been referred to as the "Last Jissen Ninja".
Early life
He was born in Akashi (Hyogo prefecture), as the first son of Takamatsu Gishin. His birth name was Jutaro. At the age of 9, Takamatsu started studying the martial arts under his grandfather, Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu, who was Soke of the Shinden Fudo ryu and taught it along with Shinden Koto ryu, Gyokko ryu, Kumogakure ryu, Gyokushin ryu, Togakure ryu and Bikenshin ryu kenjutsu. At 13, he went to school in Kobe, where he studied Takagi Yoshin ryu under Mizuta Yoshitaro Tadafusa, the 15th Soke of that system. At 17, he received his menkyo kaiden. Later that year, he started to study under Ishitani Matsutaro Takekage, who taught Kuki Happo Biken no Jutsu, Hon Tai Takagi Yoshin ryu, Gikan ryu and Shinden Muso ryu. In 1908, he received menkyo kaiden for Shinden Fudo ryu, Koto ryu and Togakure ryu from Toda Shinryuken. Toda died [6 December] that year, and Ishitani died in 1910. Takamatsu then studied with the mountain ascetic Tamaoki.
Travels
Upon his return from the mountain, Takamatsu left for China. One reason he gave for this, was a desire to test the effiacy of his training, which he could not do in Japan at the time. We may presume that he did so at or before the age of 21, the age at which he would have been drafted for 3 years of service in the army. The first time, he traveled via Korea, where he studied with [Kim Kei-mei].
=...sources...
Amongst others used so far,
Remains of old article
is considered to be the "last combat ninja" by the Bujinkan.
According to the Bujinkan, his family had both samurai class and ninja roots. Toshitsugu Takamatsu studied under various masters of several ryu, and as a result, became the "only man ever to master all aspects of ninjutsu".
When he was still a young man, Takamatsu gained his notoriety by "singlehandedly stopping a small riot". When he was older, he was involved in espionage in Manchuria and, according to Masaaki Hatsumi, was in connection with General Motojiro Akashi. Returning from China, he became a Tendai-shū abbot at Mount Hiei.
Takamatsu passed on his knowledge and legacy to Masaaki Hatsumi, who founded the Bujinkan to continue Takamatsu's teachings.