Toshitsugu Takamatsu

Masaaki Hatsumi Soke’s Teacher

Toshitsugu Takamatsu (高松 寿嗣, 1889–1972) was a Japanese martial artist who held the title of sōke (grandmaster) for multiple classical Japanese martial traditions, including Togakure-ryū (戸隠流), Gyokko-ryū (玉虎流), and Kuki Shinden-ryū (九鬼神伝流). Born in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県明石市), he began his initial martial studies under his grandfather, Toda Shinryūken Masamitsu (戸田 真竜軒 正光), and subsequently trained under Ishitani Matsutarō (石谷 松太郎) and Mizuta Yoshitarō Tadafusa (水田 芳太郎 忠房). In the early 1910s, Takamatsu traveled to China, where he remained for approximately ten years. Historical accounts document that he traversed regions such as Manchuria and northern China, engaging in martial matches and providing instruction before returning to Japan in 1919.

Following his return to Japan, Takamatsu was ordained as a Tendai Buddhist monk, operated a traditional ryokan, and continued to teach his martial lineages privately. In 1957, he accepted Masaaki Hatsumi (初見 良昭) as a student. Over the final fifteen years of his life, Takamatsu transmitted the densho (transmission scrolls) and leadership titles of nine distinct ryuha (流派) to Hatsumi Sensei. Upon Takamatsu's death in 1972, Hatsumi Sensei unified these nine traditions to establish the Bujinkan (武神館) organization.