Gunyo Kogusoku

Yoshin ryu jujutsu (now extinct) founder, Akiyama Shirobei Yoshitoki was recorded as going to China to learn to be a physician and bone doctor. In his travels, he learned three combat techniques as well as hundreds of remedies and cures for broken bones, dislocations and muscular damage. When he returned to Japan, he could attract no students for martial arts since he only had three techniques to teach. He meditated at Tenmangu jinja (A shrine which still exists in Kyoto) and stayed there for 100 days. After his meditations, he applied his knowledge of anatomy, osteopathy and musculature with the three techniques that he learned in China to formulate three hundred techniques. Yoshin ryu jujutsu is no longer extant, but many offshoots remain. Yoshin ryu naginatajutsu, Totsuka Ha Yoshin ryu, Rokugo ryu, Shin No Shindo ryu, Yoshin Koryu, Shinto Yoshin ryu and Tenjin Shinyo ryu are all offshoots of Akiyama's original school. The scrolls of Yoshin ryu are still extant as well as the oral traditions. More proof of Chinese influence on Japanese culture is the fact that the Japanese language is based on Chinese characters. There is also historical proof that there were Chinese delegates living in Japan as early as the 15th century.

Japanese peasants learning Karate? Karate wasn't introduced to mainland Japan until the early 1920's by Funakoshi Gichin and by all Okinawan historical accounts, the Karate that Funakoshi taught in Tokyo was a watered down version of Shuri te. True okinawn karate already had grappling methods such as projections, vital point strikes, strangularions and joint locking techniques in it's teachings which stem not only from Chinese systems, but also from indiginous Ryukuan grappling systems. Belivieve it or not, Ryukuans had their own wrestling systems way before the Japanese occupation and the introduction of Sumo. Naha te and Shuri te in their pure forms already had techniques in their respective syllabi that were very much akin to the techniques found in jujutsu. If there is a connection to the grappling techniques found in karate and jujutsu, it is from China since some (not all) forms of jujutsu (like Yoshin ryu) have their basis in Chinese techniques and the same goes for the techniques found in Okinawa te (karate). During the occupation of Okinawa by the Satsuma han, the teaching methods of Jigen ryu and the systemization were borrowed by some systems of Okinawa te.

Use kevlar and get good at running really bloody fast!

Dark Shogun, that Jigen ryu is not from the Satsuma Han. It's a Gendai budo, not a koryu. Have a look at the iaijutsu that is taught in their syllabus! Its the same Shoden syllabus as in your school! 1. MAE 2. MIGI 3. HIDARI 4. USHIRO 5. YAE GAKI 6. UKE NAGASHI 7. KAISHAKU 8. TSUKE KOMI 9. TSUKI KAGE 10. OI KAZE 11. NUKI UCHI Sound familiar? It's either Muso Jikiden Eishin ryu or Muso Shinden ryu that is being taught. It's not real Jigen ryu. There is another Jigen ryu that is a koryu, Tenshin Sho Jigen ryu. But they have always been situated in Saitama Prefecture, so it wasn't them either.

JIgen ryu is not a school of jujutsu, but a sword school from the Satsuma domain (modern day Kagoshima Prefecture.) It is noted for it's ferocity and agressiveness in close combat with the sword and short sword. The Satsuma domain's daimyo was charged with occupying the Ryukyu archipelago. Jigen ryu was the main school of swordsmanship taught to the warrior class of that domain, so when the occupying forces of the Satsuma han took over Okinawa and the Ryukyu islands, they set up Jigen ryu dojo. Jigen ryu didn't have any real influence on Okinawa's hand to hand techniques, but more on the way they were systemized. Here's the ryuha's official website in Japanese. There is a short video clip demonstrating the sword techniques of Jigen ryu. http://www.jigen-ryu.com

Kodokan Judo have several leg pick ups. Morote Gari - Double handed reap (A shoot) Kuchiki Taoshi - Dropping the dead tree (single leg with a chest push, done standing) Kata Ashi Dori - Single leg takedown (Another shoot) Sukui Nage - Scooping throw (Done by entering from the side) Kibisu Gaeshi - Step reverse (A technique where you grab the opponent's ankle and push on his knee or thigh while dropping to your knee.) There are more variations, but these are the ones used most commonly.

According to your website, you don't teach any particular ryuha. What is it you exactly teach?

The reason why quality control is so *ahem* $"it is because everyone wants a shortcut and an easy way to get skilled and proficient in as short a time as possible. Weapon disciplines (note I underline discipline!) take years of dedication, research, reading and training and patience. It's not a skill that you pick up in a few months.

To further illustrate my point. watch the sword related video clips on this site here. http://www.knowitallvideo.com/about_director.jsp?i=1082340377121 His posture is terrible, his kissaki (tip of the sword) too high when in seigan no kamae , his ashi sabaki (footwork) stunted and the execution of technique is so stiff, that I'd wager that he had an iaido/kendo manual on hand and was just filming it as he was learning how to perform the techniques on the hop. "Learn how to cut like a real Samoorye!!" "Learn how to stab like a samoorye!" Another TKD blackbelt trying to cash in on the last Samurai. (Apologies to real, honest TKD blackbelts who teaech their arts properly.)

TSD for Christ, If it's a hobby and just for kicks, OK. Fair enough, the practicioner wants to further If it's someone who's who's teaching himself and going to teach others NO WAY! Unacceptable behavior. There are enough McDojo in the world as it is.

Jujutsu is the correct phonetic spelling for the art. 柔術　－　じゅうじゅつ　－　Ju-jutsu. These days the term jujutsu is used for the more classical Japanese grappling and close combat arts. Regardless of whether jiu-jitsu/jujitsu is in the English language dictionary, phonetically, it's not really the correct way to pronounce it it's a corruption of a Japanese loan-word. Remember, the characters for this are "Ju" (柔), which means flexible and if you look at the Japanese word and chinese character used in the Japanese language for art, it is "jutsu' (術) and not "jitsu" therefore, the correct pronunciation is "jutsu". Jujutsu (柔術). Hope this helps.

Yes, I am an instructor in classical Japanese martial traditions. I teach a koryu ryuha that teaches swordsmanship, close combat, hand-to-hand combat and other weaponry. Now bear in mind, all of these systems are all in the same school, not seperate disciplines. They are all as important as each other. It isn't absurd to learn one displine before another in ryuha. In fact, in some ryuha, this is a way of making sure that "tourists" don't go home with any family treasures before they earn the privelige of that knowledge - An insurance policy of sorts. Sometimes, a ryuha will teach disciplines simultaneously and you'll only learn the bare basics and if you don't have each discipline at the same level, you don't learn anymore until you improve. Here are the downfalls of doing things as silly as self training without the guidance of an instructor and using only books and tapes: 1. No feedback, even with a training partner, the feedback won't be correct. 2. Failure to learn the correct concepts such as Maai, seme, hasuji, enshin ryoku, tai sabaki, zenshin, tsushin, zanshin, reishiki and even rekishi. 3. Failure to properly learn how to maintain and care for the weapon. (Alright, some iai books show how to powder and oil the sword, but there are other tricks of the trade that are not mentioned. like servicing the saya.) 4. lying to one's self. You have a dream to learn swordsmanship and become accomplished, but instead of learning an honset to god tradition, you stick to mixing and matching techniques from different schools and making a "kenjutsu pot pourri". If you really want to do so, live your dream! Get the qualifications required and go to Japan to learn. Either that or get a proper instructor. 5. There's no history or tradition in making your own school of swordsmanship. There are traditional schools out there where men have died and spilled the blood of others, in order for these schools to progress. Which would you choose to learn from, a brand new school made by a neophyte, or a school that has an actual history of combative contact? Respect,

Swords aren't for twirling, they're for cutting. Twirling a weapon for kata competition may be aesthetically pleasing to the crowd and maybe the judges, but it's a hollow skill. Try to find an iai or ken dojo and learn how to use the weapon properly.

http://www.knoware.nl/users/utrarchi/brains.gif

Brazillian jujutsu is a very effective martial art and when fighting an opponent, one on one, it's undeniably a great martial art. However, it has it's limitations. If a BJJ practicioner uses his art against an opponent who has more than a few friends, that BJJ practicioner maybe taking an early trip to the morgue. There's a time and a place for everything and going to the pavement when on the street should be a last resort.

Hang on, isn't this a vehicle with weapons attached?

Yup, the 9mm Browning Hi-Power is by far one of the best pistols around.

There is also the Samurai dojo in Portland which teaches Sosuishitsu ryu kumi uchi (jujutsu) and Koshi No Mawari (iaijutsu). It's a classical Japanese style dating back to the 1600's. Do a Google search. You should be able to find it.

Yeah, well when you see someone list three things that are martial arts and one that is actually a feudal social ranking, some peoples ears prick up. Apples and oranges no? It's a bit like asking which artist came first, A. DaVinci B. Van Gogh C. Picasso D. Kermit the frog

You don't. If you do, there is a great possibility that you will be killed.

Sumo came first, then yoroi kumiuchi & Kogusoku, then came the unarmed generic version which is called jujutsu after that, came aikijujutsu, Kodokan Judo and then Ueshiba Morihei's Aikido. (N.B. Jujutsu is a generic term. There are actually quite a few different terms referring to classical Japanese armed and unarmed grappling arts. Kumi Uchi, Hade, Kempo, Kogusoku, Yawara, taijutsu, yawarage and hobaku are all terms for grappling systems. In the later peacetime of the Edo jidai, the generic term of jujutsu came into common usage. Ironically, nowadays in Japan, when you say jujutsu to a native Japanese speaker, they either think that you are talking about Judo or that you are off your rocker.) BTW, Samurai or Bushi is not a martial art it was an old social ranking in Japan prior to the Meiji restoration.

Is it this technique? http://www.judoinfo.com/images/osaekomi/hon_kesa_gatame.gif If so, this technique is called Kesa Gatame (The Scarf Hold). Best,

BJJShotoshe, Could you please be more specific? There are many Judo finishing holds out there in the Kodokan judo syllabus. Could you at least give a technical description to clarify? Thanks,

A solid steel fountain pen or ball pen (either parker or Schaefer) and maybe an umbrella during raining season. I always make sure it has a good, sharp steel tip.

I've been a member of that for a few years, a very good source of info if you ever have an enquiry.