The founder of the early school of Eishin-ryu is Hayashizaki Minamoto no Shigenobu (1546-1621). Hayashizaki was born in Oshu, Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture). Many of the historical details of Hayashizaki's life are highly suspicious. It is assumed that he grew up during the constant wars in Japan and for this reason began to study sword fencing techniques from a very young age. According to legend, the reason for serious and scrupulous training was a desire to avenge the death of his father. To do this, Hayashizaki retired to the temple, where he prayed for a long time and ultimately received divine inspiration, thanks to which he developed new sword fencing techniques and a one-move attack method. Legend has it that he eventually took revenge on his father's killer.

After Hayashizaki continued on his way, studying with famous swordsmen and making his own students (for example, Tamiya Heibei, founder of Tamiya-ryu) . He called his own style Shinmei Muso-ryu. In general, Hayashizaki's art has had many names since its inception. For example, it was referred to as Hayashizaki-ryu or Yusin-ryu. His style greatly influenced the development of the main iai styles practiced today, such as Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu and Muso Shinden-ryu.

The seventh head of the Hayashizaki school, Hasegawa Chikaranosuke Hideenobu (Eishin), is one of its most important representatives. He had a significant impact on the school's technical arsenal. In particular, he adapted the techniques originally developed for the tachi to use the modern katana . In addition he added many new techniques , some of which formed the Tatehidza no Bu kata. All this led to the fact that the style was renamed to Hasegawa Eishin-ryu. In addition, he was also referred to as Hasegawa-ryu or simply Eishin-ryu.

Some consider Hasegawa the main founder of the Eishin-ryu style, which makes him the first generation of soke, and not the seventh , and the Shinmeyo Muso-ryu school is the progenitor of Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu. Hayashi Rokudayu Morimasa became the ninth head of the school. He introduced into the curriculum a set of methods practiced from a sitting position - seiza. Presumably, these methods were developed by Hayashi's kenjutsu teacher, Shinkage-ryu swordsman Omori Rokurozaemon , and are said to be influenced by the foundations of Ogasawara-ryu school etiquette . It was Hayashi who was responsible for representing the school in the Tosa principality at the request of the ruling Yamauchi family . After the school took root in Tosa, it became known as Tosa Eishin-ryu . The Eishin-ryu and Omori-ryu styles were taught by members of the Yamauchi family with several characteristics.

After the death of the 11th soke Oguro Motozaemon, the school was split into two branches. Later they became known as Tanimura-ha and Shimomura-ha.

One of the most important soke of the Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu school is the 17th generation guardian of tradition, Oe Masaji. He was born in Asahi Tosa in 1852. As a young man, Oe studied styles such as Kokuri-ryu and Oishi Shinkage-ryu, along with Shimomura-ha Eishin-ryu (Muso Shinden Eishin-ryu). At the age of 15, he took part in the Battle of Toba - Fushimi, after which he studied Tanimura-ha Eishin-ryu under the guidance of the master Goto Magobei . Oe Masamichi also studied Eishin-ryu Bojutsu under the guidance of master Itagaki Taisuke. He inherited the leadership of Tanimura-ha, becoming her 17th soke . Oe Masamichi combined the directions of Tanimura-ha and Shimomura-ha, updating educational and technical programs . By the time of the global reform of the school, almost 160 techniques had accumulated  and reorganized them into Seiza (Shoden), Tachihiza (Chuden), Okuiai (Okuden) and Kumitachi waza, practiced today. Although he retained the original techniques, the names of some of them have been changed to help them understand them. Oe Masamichi renamed the reorganized Muso Jikiden school Eishin-ryu  in the Taisho era (1912 - 1926).

In 1900, Oe began teaching Kendo and Eishin-ryu in Kochi Prefecture at Dai Nippon Butokukai and in various local schools.  In 1924 he became the second person to be awarded the title of Hanshi in Dai Nippon Butokukai after Nakayama Hakudo.  Oe Masamichi died on April 18, 1927. Officially, Oe Masamichi did not leave a direct heir to the school, and about 20 of his closest students continued to spread Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu outside the Tosa principality throughout Japan, founding several independent branches of the school (ha). Through the efforts of Oe Masamichi, iaido became an officially recognized art within the framework of traditional kobudo in 1932 after the death of 17 patriarchs. 60 years after the death of Oe Masamichi, a memorial stone was erected in his honor on Mount Godaysan.

The essence of this martial art, according to its preachers, lies in the spiritual purity and the right attitude of consciousness, as well as in uniting the 3 main elements of kyudo - posture, movement and technique, in perfect harmony. The real shot is not just hitting the center of the target, but the very presence there before the arrow is released. 

There are 8 fundamental steps to a shot according to the philosophy of kyudo:

ASHIBUMI (positioning of the steps),
DOZUKURI (body positioning),
YUGAMAE (bow preparation),
UCHIOKOSHI (lifting the bow),
HIKIWAKE (bow stretching),
KAI (completion of stretching),
HANARE (release of the arrow) and
YUDAOSHI (bow removal).
All these steps must be in constant harmony in order to achieve the ultimate goal of the shot - the arrow to hit the target before it is released.

The bow used in kyudo is made of bamboo sticks and reaches a length of 2 meters. The upper arm is extended at the expense of the lower, as the reason for this is the greater comfort when shooting by a rider. The main material for making the bowstring was an animal tendon, treated in a special way. Nowadays, bows made of normal wood (most often red oak) and synthetic bowstrings can be found.

The rest of the equipment is a hakama, kyudo-gi and a right leather glove. Gi wraps only the left hand of the shooter, so as not to interfere with the aiming and release of the right, and this rule does not apply to girls practicing kyudo.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was a Japanese samurai and shogun, founder in 1603 of the Tokugawa dynasty and shogunate, although he actually ruled Japan from 1600 after the Battle of Sekigahara. Officially, his rule ended in 1605, but Tokugawa continued to exercise his power through the so-called "Cloistered rule", but retained his power until his death.

Something interesting about his "shadow ruling"

Despite his formal abdication in 1605 in favor of his son Hidetada, Ieyasu remained the real ruler of Japan from the position of "retired shogun" (ogosho) until his death. During this period he moved to Sumpu, from where he directed the construction of his castle in Edo.
The culmination of the first Edo period was in 1614-1615 when Osaka was besieged. At the time, Hideyori (Ieyasu's son) was living in Osaka Castle, with no apparent ambition to remove Tokugawa from power. However, Ieyasu, who well understands that after his death the heir will continue to be a real danger to his family, manages to find a formal pretext to attack him. Initially, the fighting was on the side of Toyotomi's military units, led by Hideyori, but Ieyasu managed to regain the initiative. His troops, personally led by Shogun Hidetada, managed to permanently surround Osaka Castle, which was captured at the end of 1615. Hideyori, his mother Yodojimi and his heir perform sepuku. Hideyori's wife, Senhime (Ieyasu's granddaughter), is saved. With this event, the Tokugawa clan finally conquered Japan and from that moment on can apply without any restrictions their views on the development of the country.

Kunoichi were trained differently from male ninja. Their training was more focused on secrecy, knowledge of poisons, and the use of their feminine charm. Although they were trained in close combat, they used these skills only as a last resort, when there was a threat of their exposure and capture. 

They, as a rule, pretended to be geishas, prostitutes, artists, the main thing was to get as close to the enemy as possible. Those whom they seduced did not always become their victims, they could just as well be disguised as domestic slaves and thus receive the necessary information. In addition, the pupils of Mochizuki Chiyome, who served the Takeda clan, were Shinto priestesses - miko.

The Kunoichi can be very dangerous when it comes to manipulation. They reach the incredible extends to control their enemies by obsessing them with sex. Therefore, it is said that beautiful girls in a very young age were chosen to educate them to be Kunoichis. 

The Samurai are the so-called defenders of Japan, warriors who live by their unwritten law Bushido - the path of the warrior mentioned in the late and early 16th century in Tsunetomo's "Hagakure". An important part of the bushido law was seppuku - a suicide ritual that allowed a shameful samurai to regain his honor by moving to the afterlife, where samurai continue to be guided by the bushido law. The two swords girded around the samurai's waist, as well as the characteristic hairstyle, were a hallmark of the samurai class.

The samurai in their main origins were mostly cavalrymen - horse riders, and their main weapon was: the bow or naginata - a kind of spear with a curved blade. Their armor was lavish and beautiful. Only the samurai helmet was made of metal. The armor called kuzane was made of leather, lacquered wood and silk (unlike its European counterpart). Thus the samurai in battle was agile and light. Kuzane was also adapted to the climate of Japan, which is humid during certain periods.

The ancestor of the term samurai is considered to be Prince Yamato, about whom legends are carried. His strength was exceptional, as was his courage. It is these qualities that are characteristic of the samurai. The idealized image of the samurai includes the willingness to die at any time in favor, protection, or at the will of his master. Not to feel fear, but only regret, as well as to despise material goods.