Odani-ha Jikishinkage-ryū

For the Odani-ha today, Yamada Jirōkichi is regarded as the 15th-generation head, and carried the art onward into modern kendō. The Odani-ha is also the branch the literature credits with re-centering the school on the seigan stance for shinai matches and flourishing during the bakumatsu.

Yamada lost his Jikishinkage-ryū densho in the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake. His line holds that there is currently no sōke of Jiki Shinkage-ryū kenjutsu, and after him his students Katō Kanji, Ōnishi Hidetaka, and Ōmori Sōgen taught the Hōjō kata in various places.

The contemporary Hyakuren-kai does not view Kawashima as the 16th generation head, but instead maintained that the art’s transmission ended with the death of Yamada. They maintain it was then revived by Ōnishi Hidetaka, and then passed into their own lineage. Iwasa Masaru continued practice under the name Hyakuren-kai after the death of Ōnishi and was recognized by the Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai. His line, however, split into multiple factions after his death.

The line through Namiki Yasushi was generally regarded as the Seito-ha, although it did not use that name itself. Namiki and Itō were recognized by Kashima Shrine as a lineal succession of the art. Namiki was succeeded by Itō Masayuki.

That line split with the death of Itō. Namiki Yasushi’s sons founded their own group called the Ku’unkai, while Yoshida Hajime (吉田基) continued the Tokyo dōjō of Namiki (opens in a new tab) and was recognized by the budō community as being the 20th head.