1. The historical Origins of TendoRyu

The founder of Tendo Ryu was Saitō Hangan Denkibō. Denkibō was born in the year 1550 in Hitachi no Kuni, modern-day Ibaraki-ken Makabe-gun Ide-mura, and worked for Hōjō Ujiyasu. He changed his childhood name, first to Shumanosuke and then to Kinbei, and studied sword and spear techniques under the tutelage of Tsukahara Bokuden. He was known as the most proficient of Tsukahara's disciples.

 

However, feeling that his technique was still inexperienced, he went to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Temple in Kamakura, where he prayed for 100 days. On November 21, 1581 Denkibō fulfilled his prayers by realizing the true path, creating the school of Tendo Ryu.

(From Hinatsu Shigetaka's book Honchō Bugeishōden) 

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2. Summary of Tendo Ryu Naginata-jutsu

Modern-day Tendo Ryu has inherited the tradition of using a variety of weapons: sword, ni-tō, kodachi, kusarigama, jō, naginata, kaiken and tantō. The naginata, advantageous for attacking from a far distance with sweeping, mowing or thrusting movements, has been used by samurai, monks, and women.

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3. Characteristics of Techniques

One of the characteristics of Tendo Ryu is kata jiai; that is, the kata itself is the same as a real match. 

There are about 145 kata using a ko-naginata, Ō-naginata, kumite, ni-tō, jō, kusarigama, and tantō.