The number of the schools is thought to have exceeded several hundred (or a thousand) by the end of the Edo period, and in the nineteenth century, mushashugyo (a samurai warrior's quest), taryujiai (a contest between different schools), and bujutsuryugaku (practicing martial arts in another domain) began to be popular all over the country, and the books which listed the names of shihan (grand masters) in various places were published.
流派の数は幕末までに数百（あるいは千）を越えたと思われ、１９世紀になると全国で武者修行や他流試合、武術留学が流行し始め、各地の師範名をまとめた書物が発刊されるなどした。