Legends  of  Shurikenjutsu

Saito Satoshi (1922~2014) was born in the Minato ward of downtown Tokyo. He had one younger, and two elder siblings. His father was a doctor, and a avid reader of German medical journals. At the age of eighteen he enrolled at the law faculty of Tokyo's Keio University. Whilst at Keio, he began the study of karate under Funakoshi Gichin, the attributed father of modern-day karate-do. Saito was especially fond of his elder brother, who was also enrolled at Keiko. It was this brother who had introduced him to Funakoshi, and they were often seen training together at the campus dojo. His younger brother was involved in kendo. In 1941, at the age of 19, Saito began his training in shurikenjutsu under the instruction of Naruse Kanji, headmaster of the Negishi Ryu tradition. His elder brother had written to Naruse in advance, and arranged the visit. In 1943, both Saito and his elder brother were drafted into the military. Naruse had grown increasingly fond of Saito, so when he heard the news, he summoned him to his home. Naruse had fitted the blade of his most treasured katana to the body of a military issued gunto, and he told young Saito to carry it bravely into battle. During his service, Saito attained the rank of second lieutenant, receiving training as both an artillery officer and an aircraft navigator. During his military service, he made regular visits to the dojo of Miyawaki Toru, master of Chuya-ha Itto Ryu and Shirai Ryu Shurikenjutsu. For many years, Naruse had been working toward the resurrection of Shirai-ryu, which many believed to have died-out. At Naruse's request, Saito made periodic visits to Miyawaki’s dojo and was able to compile valuable technical and historical information concerning the Shirai Ryu tradition. Eventually, however, both Miyawaki and his Shizuoka-based dojo fell victim to a strategic bombing campaign, in which the United States airforce had been targeting the armament factories and airfields in Hamamatsu. Saito's last face-to-face meeting with Miyawaki was in June of 1944. It was during this period that Naruse Kanji had written to Saito and expressed his wish for him to succeed him as headmaster of both the Negishi-ryu and Yamamoto-ryu traditions. After the war drew to a close in late 1945, Saito returned to studies at Keio University. Sadly, his elder brother was far less fortunate. Saito Satoshi supported himself and his family financially by working several part-time jobs, while completing his studies. With Nuruse’s health now deteriorating, Saito began paying him regular visits, leading up to his death. Saito married, but never had children. Professionally, he worked as a civil servant for the city of Tokyo. He served at various ministries, and specialized in the field of statistics. He also worked as Chief-of-Staff at Tokyo Metropolitan University and lectured at the Faculty of Economics. In addition, he was a senior adviser to the National Federation of Statistical Associations in Japan. In 1983, he received the Ouchi Prize, in honor of his contribution to the field of statistics. For seventy years, Saito Satoshi had been a devoted researcher and collector of all things related to Japan’s militaristic past. His personal collection of weapons, books, scrolls, historical documents and antiques was overwhelmingly extensive. In 1949, Saito became a friend and student of Fujita Seiko, commonly known as the last Koga Ninja. In 1954, Saito Satoshi brought Negishi Ryu back to the public eye when he demonstrated the art at the first postwar Japanese Martial Arts Exposition, held at the Tokyo Taikukan in Sendagaya ward. The aftermath of World War 2 and the subsequent banning of all martial arts by the Allied Occupation Forces meant that many classical martial arts were now facing possible extinction. This monumental event, which was sponsored by the Life Extension Society, is said to have attracted an audience of over 15,000. It was at this event that Saito first met and became friends with Gozo Shioda, founder of the Yoshinkan school of Aikido. Between the years of 1957 and 1994, Saito made regular TV appearances on NHK, TBS (Japan), TV Asahi, TV Tokyo and Tokai TV. He was also called upon to choreograph fight scenes for period dramas and films. During this time, Saito became friends with Nawa Yumio of the Masaki Ryu, and later instructed him in the art of shurikenjutsu. In 1992, Saito Satoshi was awarded the Imperial Order of the Sacred Treasure. After his retirement, Saito dedicated his life exclusively to the study and preservation of classical Japanese warrior traditions (koryu). From 1997 until his death in 2014, he served as President/Chairman of the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai, Japan’s oldest and most illustrious kobudo organisation (est. 1935). He was also a permanent director of the Japan Kobudo Association.