Mugai-Ryu

Mugai-ryu — The School of Outer Nothingness

Mugai-ryu (無外流), founded in 1693 by Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi, is one of the classical schools (koryū) of Iaido and Kenjutsu.
The name Mugai (無外) means “Without Outside” — expressing the Zen teaching that there is nothing outside the self.
All answers, strength, and truth arise from within.

Tsuji Gettan was not only a swordsman but also a Zen practitioner under the monk Sekitan Sōon.
He built Mugai-ryu upon Zen principles, merging the path of the sword with that of awakening.
To draw the sword was to draw forth clarity of mind — not aggression, but enlightenment in motion.

Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi (辻月丹資茂) the founder of Mugai-ryu.

Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi was born in 1648 in Japan’s Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture), during the peaceful Edo period. From an early age, he showed both physical talent and a contemplative nature — a combination that would later define his life’s philosophy: the union of martial skill and spiritual depth.

As a young man, Tsuji Gettan studied under Yamaguchi Bokushinsai, a renowned master of the Yamaguchi-ryu sword tradition. Through intense discipline, he mastered the techniques and principles of Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu, becoming a licensed instructor (menkyo kaiden) at the age of 26.

Seeking deeper understanding beyond sword technique, he immersed himself in Zen practice at Kyokurin Temple (極林寺) under the monk Sekitan Sōon (石潭祖温), a direct disciple of the great Zen master Bankei Yōtaku (盤珪永琢).
From Zen, Tsuji Gettan absorbed the essence of non-duality and emptiness — that the highest mastery lies not in defeating others, but in transcending the self.

In 1693, blending his martial expertise with Zen insight, Tsuji Gettan established Mugai-ryu, which means “The School of No Outside.”
The name derives from a Zen poem by Sekitan Sōon, expressing the realization that “There is nothing outside the self; all truth is within.”

Mugai-ryu emphasized not only practical swordsmanship but also the cultivation of character, calmness, and awareness.
Its kata, precise yet fluid, were designed to train both body and spirit — to make every movement an expression of inner balance.

Tsuji Gettan’s teaching attracted both samurai and monks, and the school flourished during the Edo period. His students carried his art across Japan, where it would later influence modern Iaido and Kendo.

Tsuji Gettan’s life embodied the principle that the sword and Zen are one.
For him, the act of drawing the sword (iai) was not aggression, but a way to awaken clarity and truth.
He taught that true victory (shōri) is not over another person, but over the self — over fear, doubt, and ego.

His legacy endures through the continued practice of Mugai-ryu Iaijutsu, transmitted by generations of dedicated teachers.
Even today, his words resonate with timeless simplicity:

無外眞勝我在中
Mugai, shin no shōri, ware ni ari
“There is nothing outside; true victory lies within.”

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