As did the pure flowing waters of the Yoshino Rivers, Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu has spread its secrets far and wide, bringing with it, strength and a peace of mind. -- Shusaku Shitama, 15th Inheritor

The Kojiki (hereditary) record books of Japanese Jujutsu record that on June 24, 1532, a pilgrim passing through the town of Okayama, situated between Kyoto and Hiroshima, stopped at the house of Takenouchi Nakastsukasadayu Hisamori. The pilgrim was in reality the god Atago, in whom Hisamori believed. Before his departure, the pilgrim disclosed 5,000 forms of arrest to Hisamori. Hisamori continued to study the secrets revealed to him. When he mastered the secret principles, he established a school of Jujutsu and named it Takenouchi-ryu, after himself.

In 1650, a Samurai of Bungo Takeda named Futagami Hannosuke Masanori, a master of Takenouchi-ryu and many other schools, sought retreat on the Yoshino Mountain for 37 days. There, in the stillness of the mountain, he practiced and meditated on the basic philosophy of Jujutsu. When he returned from the mountain, he began to teach a distinctive system of Jujutsu that he called Sosuishitsu-ryu, meaning 'School of Holding Together Two Rivers,' named after the pure flowing waters of the Yoshino Rivers.

Another Samurai of Bungo Takeda, Matahichi Shitama, was a great elocutionist. Otomo, his lord, had given him the name Shitama Kuchino-kami Muneyoshi ('Shitama' means enchanted mouth). He, too, was interested in Masanori's methods; and invited Masanori to live with him in Nogata, a town which lies between Kokura and (censored)uoka on the southern island of Kyushu. Masanori agreed; and Shitama became proficient in the art of Jujutsu.

During this period, Japan was ruled by a military governor called the Shogun; the Emperor's court in Kyoto was a puppet government with no real power. The Shogun's capital was located in Edo, now called Tokyo. Local lords in every province owed their allegiance to the Shogun. Each lord also maintained his own army of Samurai; he sought skillful masters of fencing, archery, riding, Jujutsu and other martial arts to train his Samurai. These masters also developed and refined the various techniques. The Jujutsu of the Shitamas was retained and preserved in Nogata for more than 200 years.

However, the Shitamas later served the Lord of Kuroda. When a Shitama was unable to inherit the school, a protege would take charge until a son, grandson, or son-in-law of the Shitama lineage could assume control. The record books at the Sosuishi-ryu Hombu in (censored)uoka contain the succession of the masters of Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu from the time of its founder, Futagami Hannosuke Masanori, in 1650. Yagoro Munetsuna Shitama, the eleventh inheritor, who assumed control November 18, 1833, was succeeded in 1861 by his protege, then son-in-law, Shingo Munetsugu Shitama. When Munetsugu had mastered Jujutsu, he opened his own Dojo, which he called Seirensha. In 1868, Munetsuga began the Senbondori (Test of 1,000 Points), which, until March of 2004, was only conducted at the Hombu Dojo of Sosuishi-ryu. In March, 2004, the 16th Headmaster personally conducted the Test of 1,000 Points at the New York Seibukan.

The reign of the Shoguns had meanwhile run its course. In 1867, the Emperor was restored to power and he made many innovations in Japanese life. The old lords lost their domains; the Samurai found themselves masterless and unemployed. For a time, all martial arts seemed doomed. However, one of the Emperor's generals, Takamori Saigo, did not approve of the new government. He resigned his position in the army and returned to his native province, Satsuma, in southern Kyushu. In 1877, he initiated a rebellion there and marched against the Emperor in an attempt to restore the Shogun. These events occurred at about the same time, and were in some respects similar to, the American Civil War. Munetsugu Shitama joined General Saigo's rebellion. When the rebellion was crushed, Munetsugu was killed in the famous battle Seinan-No-Eki (Battle of the Southwest), which was portrayed in the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai. The Sosuishi-Ryu Dojo was without a master.

Old Yogoro Munetsuna took over again after his son-in-law's death and moved the Seirensha Dojo; first to Unomachi in 1880, and then in 1896 to its present location in (censored)uoka City, Japan. In 1897, at the age of 83, he died; after the old master's death, Kibei Masanori Aoyagi, the 14th inheritor, managed the school and instructed the students. In Kyoto in 1905, Master Aoyagi attended a meeting at which the masters of various Jujutsu schools gathered, among them Jigoro Kano, the founder of Kodokan Judo. In 1911, Master Aoyagi gave the (censored)uoka Dojo its present name, the Sekiryukan, and transformed it into a Judo school. Jujutsu was preserved in the form of Kata.

In 1925, Shusaku (Shuzo) Shitama became the 15th inheritor of Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu. Master Aoyagi died in 1929 at the age of 59; in 1930, Shusaku Shitama graduated from the Judo Department of the Butokukai (Martial Arts Academy) in Kyoto with the rank of Hachi-Dan (8th degree black belt) in Kodokan Judo. At the time he taught competition Judo; but, in fact, had to possess a Kodokan-awarded Kyu in Judo before he could attain the equivalent grade in Jujutsu. Many local citizens in (censored) uoka studied at the Sekiryukan, including the Mayor, a city councilman, soldiers, policemen, merchants, bankers, teachers, and professors; as well as a few American students, one of whom was Nelson (Mitch) J. Fleming, the first International Director of the Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu Kai,who was responsible for the introduction of Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu to America.

On July 5, 1963, the Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu Kai, or Association, was established at a meeting at the Sekiryukan, in (censored)uoka. This is the only association authorized by the Shitama family to represent and award promotions in Sosuishi-Ryu. Master Manzo Shitama, 16th inheritor of Sosuishi-ryu, serves as its Director; all memberships and Black Belt certificates are signed by him.

Manzo Shitama assumed the inheritance upon the death of his father, Shusaku, on March 31, 1966. Although his father was the first of the Shitama line to teach non-Japanese, Manzo was the first Shitama to travel to the United States, in November, 1995. He visited the International Headquarters in New York, as well as the only other recognized Sosuishi-Ryu Dojo in the United States in Portland, Oregon.

Although many claim to hold grades in Sosuishi-ryu (Sosuishitsu-ryu), very few actually do. The Sosuishi-ryu Jujutsu Kai (SJJK) prides itself on maintaining quality, not quantity, and is governed by very strict rules in regard to character and physical ability. Consequently, not everyone is accepted as a student or member, and those who are accepted are evaluated constantly. As students advance, they are judged more and more on attitude and intent. Sosuishi-ryu's complete original kata (forms), the kumi-uchi, remain unchanged. Iai-Jutsu, Drawing of the Sword (or Koshi-No-Mawari, as it is known in Sosuishi-ryu), is another mandatory requirement, for it was the Samurai sword (katana) that is perhaps the leading factor from which the Sosuishi-ryu kata were derived.