The following article was prepared with the kind assistance of Joshua Workman of the U.S.A.
Okunojo Yoshida, author of numerous works on Kito-ryu jujutsu, including The Collected Tales of Kito-Ryu Jujutsu Teachers was himself an avid practitioner of the style.

At the same time, he immersed himself in the Tenshin Heiho kenjutsu (Tenshin Shirai-ryu) of Toru Shirai.

It may be thought that Yoshida found the feeling of Kito-ryu similar in some respects to Shirai’s esoteric, mind-oriented style.

In a work titled Parables and Anecdotes of Tenshin Shirai-ryu Heiho, Yoshida relates the following dialogue about Kito-ryu master Ukei Kato which suggests a certain approval of Kato on Shirai’s part.

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