The Chikurin-ha of the Yoshida-ryu reveres Ishido Chikurin (d. 1605) as its founder. He is considered to have inherited the tradition stemming from Heki Yazaemon Noritsugun, a relative of Heki Danjo Masatugu's, whose actual connection to the family is a source of debate. Chikurin was a Shingon Buddhist priest at the Yoshida family temple in Omi who learned the Yoshida-ryu style of archery before founding his own school. He learned the Yoshida-ryu style from Izumu no kami Shigemasa, but he also studies the main Heki-ryu style with Yuge Yarokuro.

In 1603 Chikurin entered the service of the Matsudaira clan in Owari (modern-day Nagoya) with a stipend of 250 kokus. He died there, but his heir –Chikurin had left the priesthood and married sometime earlier-- remained to establish the Chikurin-ha, which carried on by successive generations*

The full name of our style is Heki Ryu Bishu Chikurin-ha, where Bishu refers to a region in Japan that our style of Chikurin-ha is associated. Other branches derived from Chikurin-ha are Izumu Ha, Dosetsu Ha, Taishin Ha, Yamashina Ha, Jotoku Ha, Sakonemo Ha, and Okura Ha.

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*Hurst, G. Cameron. Armed Martial Arts of Japan, Swordsmanship and Archery. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Print. Page 135