History of

A breif of Kuniba Shogo Soke the founder of Kunibaryu Iaido

Ever since the first Japanese swords began to be forged in the eighth century, people have also practiced the art of using them in battle. It would take several hundred years before the techniques that are still known and still practiced would take shape. The slightly curved shape of the sword, and the way it was carried, next to the body, made it quick to pull in the event of a sudden attack. In the 15th century, Izasa Ieano, founder of the Tenshin Shoden sword school Katori Shinto Ryu, began to develop a system in which an attack or parry was carried out directly at the stroke of the sword. However, it is believed that the person who really paved the way for this type of sword training was Hayasuizake Jinsuke Shigenobu (1546-1621). He founded a sword school and named it Shinmei Muso ryu which became the basis of modern Iaido.

Mugai Ryu/Kunibaryu

Of the four main Japanese styles Mugai Ryu, Muso Shinden Ryu, Eishin Ryu and Hoki Ryu, Mugai Ryu is the least known in the West. Mugai-ryu was founded by Tsujigettan or Heinai (1650-1728). The version of Kuniba Ryu has Shogo Kuniba as the author. Soke Shogo Kuniba was born in 1935-1992 in Yamanashi, Japan. He studied between 1952-1958 under the 14th generation master Mugai Ryu Soke Ishii Gogetsu. In 1956, Shogo Kuniba (1935 -1992) traveled back to his father, Nidai Soke Kosei Kokuba (1900-1959), hometown of Okinawa to study karate in the city of Naha under Nagamine Soshin and at the same time trained Kobudo, weapons under Sensei Taira Shinken and Sensei Nakaima Kenko. With Sensei Kosha Shojin he trained Bo and Nunchaku, and with Sensei Yamaguchi Junko he trained Tonfa. Sensei Taira Shinken was one of the most famous Kobudo masters and he studied under Sensei Yabiku Moden who founded the Kobudo organization Kyukyu Kobujutsu Kenkyu-Kai. The classic Okinawa weapons include eight different tools including Bo or Kon (wooden stick), Tonfa (wooden baton), Sai (iron forks), Kama (rice cutter), Nunchaku ("karate sticks"), Eku (oar) and Tekko (bone iron)

Shogo Kuniba was the first karate practitioner to demonstrate Okinawa Kobudo techniques in Japan. In 1970, he was chosen by Nippon karate-Do Rengo kai, to demonstrate Kobudo at the first Japanese Karate Championships held in Budokan, Tokyo, Japan. In 1972, he was once again honored to represent Nippon karate-Do Rengo kai, this time as the sole representative of Japanese karate at the Second World Karate Championships held in Paris, France. Shogo Kuniba received Kudan, 9th Dan black belt, in Karate-Do and Goshindo. Hachidan, 8th Dan black belt in Kunibaryu Kobudo. And finally Hachidan, 8th Dan in Iaido Mugai ryu by 14th Soke Ishii Gogetsu in Sakai city in Osaka prefecture. From that he formed Kunibaryu Iaido. His own style of Iaido.