akeda Sokaku was born in 1858. He belonged to the Han clan of Aizu, famous for its martial tradition, where he received since his earliest ages the education about Bujutsu in order to turn him into a samurai.     Years 1860 - 1870 in Japan are the start of the Meiji era, and close the period of the Shogun. This revolution opening-way to the modern Japan is a very troubled era : Clans either chose the

side of the Emperor, or support the Shogun (this was the case of Han d'Aizu) to fight for traditional Japan.     Han d'Aizuis is one of the latest to oppose force to the Emperor army, but in vain. According to the bushido, many samurais abide by the seppuku act, and even their families committed suicide. Sokaku, still a child then, will grow among the distress of his clan, ruined by the defeat and the decline of martial values. round 1890, SAIGO TANOMO, 1st Karo (1st minister) of Han of Aizu and bearer of the secret martial art of the clan, started to look for somebody worth of faith to transmit his knowledge of the art (oshikiushi), made of defense technique earmarked for the high ranked dignitaries inside the Shogun Palace. HeIl noticed a young samuraï, excellent at sword, Takeda Sokaku. Indeed, he had received the teaching of ONO HA ITTO RYU from SHIBUYA TOMA.     Saïgo Tanomo starts to teach him the. Takeda Sokaku learns quickly and gets in charge of transmitting and streamlining the techniques of the oshikiushi to adapt them to the modern world reality. He is asked to leave on the side the Kenjutsu and to devote his activities to pure bare hands techniques. In Saïgo's opinion, they are actually more adequate in promoting the pacific role of martial arts in a man's growing. fter the death of Saïgo Tanomo in 1905, Takeda Sokaku becomes the legitimate representative of oshikiushi, called DAITO RYU (Teaching of the Far East) by then.     Despite his Master's wish, Takeda Sokaku will never abandon the study of Kenjutsu, and will end up at the end of his life, integrate the techniques of Ono Ha Itto Ryu into his teaching known under Daïto Ryu Aïkibudo. Takeda Sokaku was at the same time one of the first martial art Masters in the modern meaning of this term, and also one of the last warriors of traditional Japan, undoubtedly as impressive as MYAMOTO MUSASHI.     He traveled a lot around Japan, delivering his teaching to carefully selected participants.