The philosophy to place emphasis on human development such as the moral improvement in the ascetic practices of bujutsu had already been formed during the early Edo period as it is seen in Shinkage-ryu and the Shogun family.
武術修行において精神修養などの人間形成も重視する理念は、新陰流と将軍家などに見られるように江戸時代初期には既に生まれていた。