Hōzōin-ryū was founded by Hōzōin Kakuzenbō In'ei (宝蔵院 覚禅房 胤栄, 1521–1607) in c.

[3] It is said that one evening, on seeing the reflection of the crescent moon shining on Sarusawa pond in Kōfuku-ji, he was inspired to create a spear with a cross-shaped spearhead.

The three best disciples of Takada went to Edo, present day Tokyo, to promote the art.

In 1991 Kagita Chubei (鍵田 忠兵衛)[4] was appointed the 20th headmaster and has been leading the Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu school until his death on 16 December 2011.

As with many other Japanese schools, the headmasters keep the memory of tradition and line of their masters up to the beginning.