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Shotokan History
Gichin Funakoshi was an Okinawan school
teacher, born in 1868 and died in 1957. He synthesized two forms of Okinawan
Karate, shorin and shorei ryu into his own version of strong, fluid, linear
style of blocking kicking and punching. He combined this with a philosophy of
non-violence, courtesy, respect and tolerance. Master Funakoshi wrote much
thoughtful material about his art.
In 1922 he introduced his art to mainland Japan where he
spoke of Dai Nippon Kempo Karatedo. (The Great Japanese Fist Law Empty Hand
Way). This was the first time that karate had been written as "empty
hands". Traditionally it had been written as "Chinese hands".
Funakoshi-san was also a calligrapher and often signed his
works with the pseudonym "shoto" meaning "pine waves'. This
referred to a time in his youth when the young man's spirit would be calmed by
the sound of the wind in the pine trees of his native Okinawa. In 1936 his
students built the first karate dojo in Japan and called it the Shotokan. The
name stuck and Master Funakoshi's karate became known the world over as
Shotokan.
A Little Hakkoryu
History
 Hakkoryu
JuJutsu was developed by Okuyama Yoshiharu in 1941. Mr. Okuyama had studied
medicine and many martial arts including Daito Ryu. Mr. Okuyama's vision was to
develop a martial art that was effective but humanitarian. He wrote extensively
about the philosophy behind his art. He did not approve of the brutal techniques
of the other ryuhas of the day. Mr. Okuyama, or Sho Dai Soke (First Great
Originator), saw the need for self protection from two enemies:
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the enemy who physically assaults the person, and
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the dis-ease or sickness that assaults the person from the
inside.
With this in mind, he redefined, organized and categorized the
thousands of techniques he had learned until he had created a unique system that
he named Hakkoryu. The forte of Hakkoryu is its wrist techniques. Koho Shiatsu
Igaku or Imperial Finger Pressure Medicine, a form of acupressure massage that
is emphasized as much as the "self defense" techniques, provides
practitioners with knowledge of the body's meridian system. This knowledge
combined with the unique applications of Hakkoryu principles create
devastatingly effective wrist techniques. It also equips the Hakkoryu
practitioner with the ability to put a person at ease with the soothing effect
of Koho Shiatsu massage.
Sho Dai Soke Okuyama died in 1987, his son Toshio Okuyama now
resides over the Hakkoryu Hombu in Omiya, Japan. The pen name "Ryuho"
or "spine of the dragon" was adopted by Sho Dai Soke and inherited by
his son Toshio as was the title Nidai Soke or second great originator.
Steve Lonsdale receiving his black belt in Hakkoryu
Jujutsu from Nidai Soke, the son of the founder of the art.
Overview of Nihon Goshin Jutsu
Japanese self defense art or Nihon Goshin Jutsu is an
eclectic sampling of ancient and modern techniques of self defense as they were
developed in Japan. Primarily consisting of striking, throwing, choking and
joint locking techniques, this generic system of Japanese self defense forms the
basis of all hand-to-hand combat training taught in nearly every military in the
world. The syllabus I am most familiar with is the one developed by Britain's
Professor Richard Morris, 9th dan. It is a hard style of JuJutsu which uses hard
punching and kicking strikes to distract an attacker allowing the defender to
unbalance the attacker by throwing him to the ground using one of the many
throws taught in this syllabus. Once the attacker is unbalanced a painful joint
lock can be applied to control him or he can be rendered ineffective by having
the joint dislocated or broken. other options include further striking
techniques, choking into submission or painful spine and neck locks. Defenses
against multiple attackers, knives and guns are also part of the syllabus which
makes this a particularly effective form of self defense.
Page author, Steve Lonsdale, demonstrates a Half-Shoulder Throw.
After throwing and striking, a Wristlock is applied.
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