A Ryû (流, literally "flow", with the derived meaning of "mainstream"), or ryûha (流派, literally "mainstream school (of thought)"), is a Japanese word referring to a school of thought in any discipline. In English, the word is frequently used to refer to schools of Japanese martial art, although it can also be found used in other disciplines (for example Nihonkoryu and Sogetsu-ryu in ikebana, Kanteiryû in calligraphy, etc.).
In the original Japanese, ryû and ryûha are synonymous, with ha (originally meaning "tributary") being a smaller division than ryû (originally meaning "body of water").
Ryû is also often translated as "style" (style of martial art, style of calligraphy, style of cooking, etc.).
Ryū in the martial arts
Martial arts are often classified and codified into ryûha. Usually a given style will have its own curriculum, ranks and licensure system. These may be based on the parent style or a combination of sources that form the background of the system.
The name of a style may have particular meaning or may simply be a location. Toyama-ryu is named for the Toyama Military Academy in Japan. In contrast, Goju Ryu is the 'hard-soft' style, which indicates both characteristic techniques and thematic elements that form a 'signature' of the style. Sometimes this is merged or confused with the name of the dojo (as is the case with Shotokan-Ryu karate).
High-level practitioners of an established style may splinter off and form their own derivative styles based on their own experience or interpretation. Sometimes this is encouraged by the parent style, sometimes it represents an ideological schism between senior members of the style. Sometimes, it is done simply for 'marketing' reasons or to adjust a system to modern times.
There is no universal licensing or ranking system across all ryûha. A high ranking person or black belt in one style does not necessarily correspond to a high level understanding in another style or group of styles. There are many ryūha in Japan that have existed for many hundreds of years, as well as many more that were created in modern times. The concept of organizing a codified system is obviously not a Japanese or outwardly Asian one, though many international or foreign styles may adopt the nomenclature and systemization of koryu bujutsu ryûha in order to add an air of mystique or legitimacy to their system, or simply as a method to show their roots and background.
The Bujinkan Ryû - Ha