Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū

, often referred to simply as Jikishinkage-ryū or Kashima Shinden, is a traditional school (koryū) of the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship (kenjutsu). The school was founded in the mid-16th century, based upon older styles of swordsmanship, and is one of the few ancient Japanese martial arts schools still existing today. Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū can be translated as the "divinely transmitted, honest reflection of the heart, school of Kashima". By repetitive practice, one maintains a constant connection with the cosmos by aspiring to jikishin (直心) unwavering intention and seimeishin (生命心) perfect clarity of mind, just like a cloudless sky on a brilliant sunny day. A practitioner who has attained heightened jikishin and seimeishin is said to have fudōshin (不動心) immovable heart. The Jikishinkage-ryū style descends from the kenjutsu styles developed in the late Muromachi period which overlaps the early Sengoku period, or better dated as late 15th or early 16th century, at the Kashima Shrine by the founder, Matsumoto Bizen-no-Kami Naokatsu (松本 備前守 尚勝, 1467–1524). The direct predecessors of the Jikishinkage-ryū style are the Shinkage-ryū and the Kage-ryū (Aizu) styles. The Jikishin Kage-ryū Kenjutsu comes from a previous school, Kage-ryū Kenjutsu. A samurai (侍) called Aisu Iko founded Kage-ryū in 1490. He perfected and taught his style around Japan. There are evidence from 1525 that another samurai named Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna (1508–1548) is teaching his own style, a form of Kage-ryū kenjutsu. He called it Shinkage-ryū (the school of the new shadow). Jikishin Kage-ryū means 'the newest school of the ancient shadow'. He was denoting with the name, to the ancestors, and expressing respect to his former masters. Matsumoto Bizen no Kami Naokatsu was a famous master of this school. He also founded his own school first called Kashima Shin-ryū, then Kashima Shinden Jiki Shinkage-ryū. These schools can be found even today all around the world. There are more variations like Jikishin Kage-ryū, Seito Shinkage-ryū, etc.