("The School of the Willow Heart") is a common name for one of several different martial traditions founded in Japan during the Edo period. The most popular and well-known was the Yà Âshin-ryà « founded by physician Akiyama Shirà Âbei Yoshitoki at Nagasaki Kyushu in 1642. The Akiyama line of Yà Âshin-ryà « is perhaps the most influential school of jà «jutsu to have existed in Japan. By the late Edo Period, Akiyama Yà Âshin-ryà « had spread from its primary base in Fukuoka Prefecture Kyushu throughout Japan. By the Meiji era, Yà Âshin-ryà « had spread overseas to Europe and North America, and to Australia and South Africa by the late Shà Âwa era.
Together with the Takenouchi-ryà « (竹å æµÂ), and the Ryà Âi Shintà Â-ryà « (è¯移å¿Âå½ÂæµÂ), the Yà Âshin-ryà « (æ¥Âå¿ÂæµÂ), was one of the three largest, most important and influential jà «jutsu schools of the Edo period (æ±Âæ¸æÂÂ代 Edo jidai 1603âÂÂ1868) before the rise of judo.
Akiyama Yà Âshin-ryà « is noted for a very broad curriculum, which originally included jà «jutsu and torite (grappling and arresting methods), bukijutsu (weapons methods), hyà Âhà  (battlefield strategy), to the development of internal energy, or nairiki. It is believed several of these teachings were eventually absorbed by other jà «jutsu traditions, notable among them being methods of kyusho atemi (the manipulation of pressure points).
Prior to his death in 1680, Akiyama Shirà Âbei Yoshitoki (ç§Âå±±åÂÂéÂÂå µè¡Âè³年) passed the tradition to à Âe Senbei Hirotomi (大æ±ÂÃ¥ÂÂå µè¡ÂåºÂå¯Â), who was largely responsible for codifying the 303 kata that comprise the jà «jutsu curriculum. à Âe (died 1696) trained and qualified scores of students, who subsequently spread the art throughout Japan.
Historically, there were three predominant mainline branch houses (honke/seito) commencing with the third generation: the Miura line under Miura Sadaemon (ä¸Â浦å®Âå³è¡ÂéÂÂ), the Iwanaga line under Iwanaga Sennojà  Yoshishige (岩永åÂÂä¹ÂäºÂ義éÂÂ), and the Hano line under Hano Shinkurà  (ç¾½éÂÂæ°ä¹ÂéÂÂ). A majority of subsequent minor branch houses (bunke/baike) descend from these principal lineages.
A sub-branch of the Miura line has survived with an unbroken transmission of headmasters to the current day: the Yà Âshin-ryà « bukijutsu / naginata school in Hiroshima, headed by Koyama Noriko (å°Âå±±å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂ). Koyama traces her lineage from Akiyama through a sixth generation headmaster, Hotta Magoemon (å Âç°å«å³è¡ÂéÂÂ). Hotta separated the bukijutsu and jà «jutsu transmissions, awarding the former to Hoshino Kakà «emon (æÂÂéÂÂè§Âå³è¡ÂéÂÂ), and the latter to Kumabe Sessui (éÂÂé¨ç¯Âæ°´). A parallel lineage that passed through nine generations of the Hoshino family continues in Kumamoto City Kyushu, and is headed by 13th generation inheritor Masuda Kà Âichi (èÂÂç°ç´Âä¸Â). This line of Yà Âshin-ryà « specialises in the use of the hanbo or 'half staff' (Ã¥ÂÂæ£Â). Masuda is also a seventh generation shihan in Negishi-ryà « shurikenjutsu (根岸æµÂæÂÂè£Âå£è¡Â). The jà «jutsu transmission of the Miura mainline lineage is believed to have become extinct with the death of the 13th generation inheritor, Era Sajuro (æµè¯ä½ÂÃ¥ÂÂéÂÂ). Notably, several minor houses of the Miura line were extinguished in the early twentieth century, among them the branch established by Satà  Jirà  Nagamasa (ä½Âè¤次éÂÂ) in 1728. It survived until the death of the eighth generation headmaster, Kaiga Itsuki Nomiya (æµ·è³Âé½Âå®®) in 1903.
The Iwanaga mainline eventually passed to Shiota Jindayà « (å¡©ç°çÂÂ太夫), who in 1780 combined its teachings with the Suzuki-ryu (é´æ¨æµÂ) and Nanba Ippo-ryû (é£波ä¸Âç«æµÂ) to create the Kurama Yà Âshin-ryà « (éÂÂ馬æ¥Âå¿ÂæµÂ). This tradition continues to be practised in Kagoshima city Kyushu, and is under the supervision of the twelfth generation headmaster, Shiota Tetsuya (å¡©ç°å²ä¹Â). An alternate lineage is active on Kamikoshiki Island, under the supervision of thirteenth generation headmaster, Shiota Jinhide (å¡©ç°çÂÂè±).
The Hano mainline transmission survived into the early 20th century through the eighth generation headmaster, Santà  Shinjà «rà  Kiyotake (å±±æ±æ°åÂÂéÂÂ渠æ¦) of Kumamoto Kyushu. Santà  was perhaps better known as the seventh generation Headmaster of Miyamato Musashi's (宮澦èµ) famed Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu (å µæ³ÂäºÂ天ä¸ÂæµÂ) school of swordsmanship, and while he is known to have awarded complete transmission of Yà Âshin-ryà « to at least five students, he did not appoint an inheritor to the tradition prior his death in 1909. Contemporary Yà Âshin-ryà « jà «jutsu dà Âjà  led by shihan tracing their legacies through Santà Â's fully licensed students can be found in Osaka and Nagasaki, while a dà Âjà  in Nara traces its descent through Ishii Riko Osamu (ç³äºÂçÂÂÃ¥ÂÂæ²»). Ishii (died 1897) was the inheritor of a minor branch house of the Hano lineage established by Akasumi Tokuzenji Hakumine (赤ä½Â徳禪寺伯嶺) in 1753. These dà Âjà  practice the received jà «jutsu and bukijutsu curricula (including battojutsu and kenjutsu, bojutsu and hanbojutsu, naginatajutsu and sà Âjutsu, and kusarigamajutsu).
In common with other koryà «, the curriculum is contained in a series of mokuroku (ç®é²) or 'catalog' scrolls, presented when the practitioner achieves an appropriate level of technical and moral proficiency. The Hano lineage provides four levels of technical transmission: Shoden (Ã¥ÂÂä¼Â), chuden (ä¸Âä¼Â), joden (ä¸Âä¼Â) and kaiden (çÂÂä¼Â), which are distributed across six licenses. While several of the transmission scrolls and documents are common to all lineages, others are unique to specific lines of transmission. In the Hano lineage the first license to be awarded is the kirigami menjo (Ã¥ÂÂãÂÂç´Âå Âç¶), and the last is the menkyo kaiden-no-maki (å Â許çÂÂä¼Âä¹Âå·»). Fuzoku (auxiliary) bukijutsu methods are addressed in the betsuden mokuroku (å¥ä¼Âç®é²), while a range of esoteric knowledge inclusive of religious teachings or shinpi (ç¥Âç§Â), and hyà Âhà  (å µæ³Â), are recorded in manuals known collectively as densho (å³æ¸).
A defining characteristic of historic Yà Âshin-ryà « makimono is the finely detailed artwork they incorporate, marking them as excellent examples of the Japanese emakimono (絵巻ç©) or "picture scroll" tradition.
Schools with varying degrees of descent from Akiyama Yà Âshin-ryà « jà «jutsu include:
Danzan ryu, Shin Yà Âshin-ryà «, Shinshin-ryà «, Sakkatsu Yà Âshin-ryà «, Shin-no-Shindà  ryà «, Tenjin Shin'yà Â-ryà «, Shindà  Yà Âshin-ryà «, Wadà Â-ryà « karatedo, Ryushin Katchu-ryà «, Ito-ha Shin'yà Â-ryà «, Kurama Yà Âshin-ryà «, Sogo Ryu Ju Jitsu, Kodokan Judo, and Fudoshin-ryu.
The schools of Hontai Yà Âshin-ryà « â Takagi-ryà « are not a part of the Akiyama Yà Âshin-ryà « lineage, but are instead descended from Takenouchi-ryà «.