He studied a number of ryu over the years, most notably Jikishinkage Ryu, Hokushin Ittō-ryū and Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū. Tesshū received the full transmissions of both the Hokushin Ittō-ryū and the Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū from his teachers. In creating his own line of transmission, he named it the Itto Shoden Muto-ryu to emphasize that he was passing on the correct transmission of Ittō-ryū principles and techniques. The term muto (No-Sword) refers to Yamaoka's stated realization that the difference between the sword and the self, and between oneself and one’s opponent is illusory and that the underlying unity of all is the most important thing in swordsmanship.
