Creation of a Private Fencing School in Itami County by the Seventh Shinuemon Munenaga Konishi

I know that our company, Konishi Brewing, is now compiling information into a company history. If it were already completed, I would be able to tell you more detailed stories....

It's been said that the Konishi family began sake brewing as its main business here in Itami around 1612. Yes, it's quite a long time ago. I recall that the Sekigahara Battle took place in 1600. So, the business was started during the rule of Ieyasu Tokugawa (the first shogun of the Edo era).

In the Konishi clan, successive masters have inheritedthe name 'Shinuemon'.

The master who began the full-scale brewing business was Shinuemon Sogo, who has been called Shinuemon the First.

The Second Shinuemon Konishi was Sotaku. It is a long-told story that he happened to see the snow-capped Mt. Fuji on his way to Edo (the former name of Tokyo) to deliver sake in barrels. He was so impressed with its nobleness that he decided to name the Konishi's sake 'Shirayuki' (white snow).

That was when he was in his prime oflife. We don't know from where on the Tokaido highway he saw that scene, but it must havebeen a beautiful day. [laughter] Itami County consisted of Itami Village and eleven neighboring villages. Itami County became under the domain of the Konoe family in 1661. As indicated by the words ',domain of the Konoe family', it was not under the direct rule of the shogun government, nor was it a feudal domain governed by a daimyo (feudal load).

It was part of the territory of court nobles.

It was 1697 when the 'Soshukuro (village elders) system' was created in Itami County.

Under the system, a group of village elders was entrusted with the judicial and administrative affairs of Itami and the eleven neighboring villages by the lord.

Let's say, it was a local civil government. It was arranged that the position of 'Soshukuro' was taken by masters of families engaged in the sake brewing business in Itami. In the Konishi, the Fourth Shinuemon Soha was first appointed as 'Soshukuro', and all owed to wear a sword (In the feudal system, samurai (warriors) only were allowed to wearswords, while others including peasants, artisans, and merchants were not).

Since then, masters of the Konishi successively assumed that position.

Around that time, Itami was flourishing. It became well-known not only as a sake brewing town, but also as a town of advanced culture. Thus, it attracted many intellectuals from around Japan, like Saikaku Ihara, Basho Matsuo (a renowned poet during the early Edo era), Monzaemon Chikamatsu, etc. It was confirmed that So ha had enjoyed a close intimacy with these people.

Then, during the time that the Konishi was headed by the Seventh Shinuemon Munenaga, the position of 'Soshukuro' in Itami County was assumed solely by the master of Konishi for the first time. As the sole county leader, he must have had a strong sense of responsibility not only for the political and economic affairs of Itami, but also for the public security of Itami, a thriving town with the brewing business.

So, in 1768 during the rule of Ieharu Tokugawa, he asked the permission of the Konoe family to create a private fencing school to train masterless samurai or those who wanted to learn fencing. He believed that the school would contribute to the maintenance of peace and order in the community.

This was the outset of 'Shubukan'. Well, it was about 200 years ago. Itami County belonged to the domain of the court noble, and not under the rule of the military.

I think that he opened the school for the self-defense of ItamiCounty.

Then, years passed leading to the Meiji Revolution. In 1869 (the 2nd year of the Meiji), the Konishi opened school facilities to the public and invited fencing masters. In doing so, the family greatly contributed to the development of the martial arts.

Yes, I just remembered.

I will show it to you later, but at the front of our fencing hall, a calligraphy by Yakuro Saito of Shinto-Munenryu (one of fencing schools during the last part of the Edo era, and Saito was a famous and outstanding swordsman of that school) is displayed in a frame. After so many years, nobody knows how his calligraphy came into the possession of the family. It could be possible that he visited the fencing school of the Konishi. But, that's my guesswork. The truth won't be revealed unless we investigate further.