Hōzōin In'ei

[1] In'ei was born in the first year of Daiei (1521) as the second son of Nakamikado Tajima Inei who was a warrior monk of the Kōfuku-ji.

[2] 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.

With this new type of spear (known as jumonji-yari (十文字槍)), he founded the Hōzōin-ryū, based on the teachings of the Shintōryū and the Shinkageryū.

[3] The development of the Sōjutsu of Hōzōin-ryū was very successful, until in 1585 Hashiba Hidenaga became lord of Kōriyama castle and ordered the temples and Shintō shrines as well as the ordinary people of the province of Yamato to surrender all weapons.

[7] In'ei and his successors (including Inshun) are buried in the graveyard of the temple Byakugōji in Nara, where modern Hozoinryu members still venerate them and care for the graves.