Tenshin-ryū hyohō is a koryū bujutsu (Traditional Martial Arts) which was created by Master Tokizawa Yahei, who was the founder of the school, about 400 years ago.<br />Master Tokizawa Yahei learned Shinkage-ryū from Lord Yagyū Munenori, who was a sword instructor to the Tokugawa Shogunate family. Later Yahei was allowed to establish a separate school from the main school of Shinkage-ryū. Then, he created his own hyou-hō. He named this martial art Tenshin-ryū and it was handed down in the area of Harimanokuni (currently, the neighbourhood of Okayama Prefecture).<br />Tenshin-ryū hyou-hō is a school of "hyou-hō" (comprehensive martial arts), comprising of the following arts: kenjutsu (sword art), battōjutsu (art of drawing the sword), sōjutsu (spear art), naginatajutsu (glaive art), kusarigamajutsu (chain-sickle art) and jujutsu (unarmed grappling art). Jumonji-yari-jutsu (art of cross-shaped spear) is also included as a heiden (subsumed teaching).