香取神道流門下に、来る者は拒まず、去る者は追わずという慣わしがあります。 武士が圧倒的に上位の立場であった時代に、流祖飯篠長威斎家直先生は武士だけでなく、香取神道流を学びたいというすべての者に門戸を開いていたようです。 今でも、男女を問わず、老若を問わず、国籍を問わず、入門者が絶えません。
ある時、二人の武芸者が長威斎先生に果し合いを申し出て来ました。 いつものように、長威斎先生は熊笹の上に敷いた蓆に乗り、二人の武芸者を招きました。
一人の武芸者は、あいつはまやかし者だと言い捨てて帰ったようです。 もう一人の武芸者は、天下に響いた達人であり、自分は遠く及ばないとその場を去ったようです。 偶然に、香取神宮に参拝に来ていた一人の町人が、二人目の武芸者が呟いたその言葉を耳にしました。 その町人は、長威斎先生の住居を突き止め、懇願して香取神道流の門下に入りました。 やがて、その町人は香取神道流を極め武士となり、その土地の代官にまで出世したようです。
ある者はその縁に触れてもその価値に気づかず、また、ある者は価値に気づいても、その縁を生かせません。 しかし、ある者は些細な縁であってもその価値を知り、その縁を最大限生かす努力をします。 何故、そのようなことが起こるのでしょうか？ 香取神道流は、常識に囚われることなく、打算でなく、物事の本質（真理）を見極めることの大切さを教えています。
There is a rule of Katori Shintoryu that we should not decline to a person who wants to learn Katori Shintoryu, and should not ask them, who want to quit it, to stay. The founder accepted everyone, not only worriers but also regular people, who wanted to learn it at Muromachi era when worriers always were highly ranked in the society. Recently there are so many followers who are male, female, aged, young, Japanese, and foreigners.
One day two challengers came to the founder for a duel. The founder invited the two on mat floating in air on Kumazasa (striped bamboo) as always.
One challenger left with having said that the founder was a swindler. Another challenger also left with having said that he was really a super worrier who was beyond my ability. A regular man, who accidentally visited Katori Shrine, heard what the 2nd challenger said. The man found out an address of the founder and asked him to become a follower to learn Katori Shintoryu. The man was allowed and taught a lot. Eventually he got a certification from the founder and become a worrier. And then he was promoted to a magistrate.
A person does not find the value of a fate, and another one does not use it with knowing the value. However, there is a person who maximizes it through a small fate. Why does such a thing happen ? We need to learn from Katori Shintoryu that finding nature of everything not from a common sense, not from calculating, is extremely important.
流祖飯篠長威斎家直先生の御墓地
Tomb of the founder
