A OUTLINE HISTORY OF DAITO-RYU AIKIJUJUTSU

Takeda Tokimune Soke writes the following about the genesis of Daito-ryu:

Going back to the origins of Aiki, we arrive to the ancient Tegoi, told in an episode of the Kojiki, one of the oldest texts of Japan : Takemidauchi-no-kami throws Takeminakata-no-kami grabbing his hand with ease, like it was a cane. This Tegoi would be the origin of Sumo and was transmitted both in the legend "Nomi-no-Sukune" and "Taima-no-Kehaya" told in the Nihonshoki and in Sumai-no-Sechie at the court Heian age an in the samurai Sumo of the Kamaura age. The Sumai-no-Sechie was a fight in front of the Emperor made by wrestles of different origins from the whole country, but it was different from modern day Sumo: there was no ring and it was more oriented to the samurai arts coming from Tegoi. You can understand it also from the Imperial edit of Emperor Jinmei: the Sumai-no-Sechie is not a simple sport, it also includes methods to improve one's strength. A the times of Emperor Seiwa, in 868, the Sumai-no-Sechie that depended by the lead of Shiki-bu Minister was transferred under that of Hyo-bu Minister and was more and more characterized by the samurai arts. So the method to protect the Emperor by the use of Tegoi was trasmitted to the Seiwa-genji Clan tha has its beginning from yhe nephew of Emperor Seiwa, Tsunemoto, from whose teachings it was give to Minamoto Mitsunaka, then Yoriyoshi, and lastly Yoshimitsu. [...]

[...] Youshimitsu chose the second-born Yoshikiyo as successor, and gave him the Minamoto banner toghether with the family armor. At Nobuyoshi's times the grandson of Yoshikyo took the Takeda name, since he lived in the Takeda village of district of Kyoma in Kai. This is the beginning of the Kai-Takeda family from which later on Takeda Shihngen was born. In the Takeda family Daito-ryu was handed down the banner and the armor of the Minamoto. [...]

[...] The name "Daito-ryu" comes from Shinra Saburo Yoshimitsu (Minamoto) who was the founder of the school nine hundred years ago. When he was a child, he lived in the Daito castle in Ohmi and so he was called Saburo Daito, from whom the school take its name. However, until Taisho era the school was called "Yamato-ryu" (大東流) even though it was written with the same kanji as "Daito-ryu". [...]

[...] Sokaku, the second-born of Sokichi, was born in the Ise-Gu Takeda castel of Aizu-Onike on the 10^th of October of the year of the Banen age (1860). He learned from his father Sokichi the arts of kenjutsu, bojutsu, sumo and Daito-ryu; from Shibuya Toma of the Yokikan dojo, Ono-ha Itto-ryu kenjutsu. In the 6^th of the Meiji era (1873) Sokaku visited Sakakibara Kenkichi with his father who was dear friend, and he also learned the secrets of the Jikishinkage-ryu kenjutsu. In the Sakakibara dojo he practiced with excellent masters of many schools of the Kobusho of the previous government, and deepened the study of: ken, bo, hankyu, zue, shuriken and of the yari, in which he also received a menkyo in Hozoin-ryu sojutsu. [...]

For more information on the history please go to the link "book".