Otake Risuke

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Otake Risuke (born 10th March 1926) is a Japanese martial artist. Known by the title Ōtake Risuke Minamoto no Takeyuki (大竹利典源健之), he is the incumbent (as of 2006) shihan (Teaching Master) of Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū martial art, which he learned as a disciple of the previous teaching master Hayashi Yazaemon (1892-1964) from the time he entered the school at the age of 16, in 1942. In 1967, when Otake-sensei was 42 years old, he received gokui kaiden, the highest level of attainment in the tradition, and at the same time became the school's teaching master. He lives and teaches in rural location near Narita city, in Chiba Prefecture of Japan. He has authored a three volume series of books on the tradition entitled, "The Deity and the Sword: Katori Shinto Ryu". He has also been a member of the Chiba Prefecture Board of Registrars and Appraisers for Muskets and Swords since 1979, a position he holds to this day.