Hayabuchi Family History

Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi was born in Kagoshima, into a Shizoku family. Shizoku means “warrior gentry” and was previously labelled as samurai. His grandfather, Younsuke Hayabuchi, fought against the Meiji Government as a soldier in a battle called Seinan No Eki, part of the Seinan War. The modernisation of Japan had led to the abolition of the samurai class, but increasing amounts of government corruption led to an uprising of this ex-samurai class, the most serious of which was the Satsuma Rebellion.

Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi started learning iaido from the age of 6, under the fourteenth headmaster, who was also the headmaster of a kenbu school – Kinbusa Ryu (Kanafusa Ryu).

Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi moved to Kobe to become a policeman, and was given permission to build the Hayabuchi Ryu. Kinbusa Sensei died without children, and made Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi the fifteenth headmaster of Araki Muninsai Ryu Iaido.

After the Second World War, Soke Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi trained his daughter since she was 3 years old in kenbu, shibu and iaido. Together they performed many demonstrations across Japan.

Hajime Risho Hayabuchi began iaido training at the age of 4, with a live blade. At the age of twelve, in 1970, his grandfather took him to the United States of America as a member of the Caravan for the International Exposition in Japan. After demonstrations in the USA and Italy, some English students of iaido approached Soke Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi and asked for permission to study Araki Muninsai Ryu and become part of the Ryu. At that point, Soke Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi was growing too old to travel abroad, and so asked Hajime Risho Hayabuchi to travel to Europe and to teach Araki Muninsai Ryu.

Shortly before his death in Soke Miyuki Risho Hayabuchi made Hajime Risho Hayabuchi the sixteenth headmaster of Araki Muninsai Ryu Iaido. Araki Muninsai Ryu Iaido has grown internationally, with dojos in England, France, Poland, Canada and the USA.