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| History of Japanese Ju Jutsu |
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| Kanji for Ju Jutsu |
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Some History of the Art of Ju Jutsu:
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Japanese legend has it that many centuries ago two demi-gods by the names of Takeminakatano-no-Kami and Takemikazuchino-no-Kami engaged in hand to hand combat thus giving birth to the art of Ju Jutsu. It is important to realize that most early societies were tribal and regarded their leaders as gods, so it is possible that earliest methods were tribal wrestling.
One Futsu Nushi No Mikoto is one of the ancient deities who is believed to have played an important role in bringing Japan under the rule of Ninigi No Mikoto the grandson of Ama-Terasu-O-Ni-Kami, the Sun goddess and as such formed the basis of the early lineage of the Japanese Emperors.
It was the Otomo clans who were to be honoured as the hereditary imperial palace guards but by the 6th Century they had lost their prominence in this respect. Interestingly this coincides with the first appearance of a statue of a Buddha in Japan, this statue came from Korea.
Although Buddhism was originally opposed by the Japanese Emperor, it was Prince Shotoku who took an interest in this faith and this resulted in Japanese embassies in appearing in mainland China during the T'ang Dynasty and plans emerged for Japan to be reformed along T'ang Chinese lines in Japans corresponding Nara period.
At this time the Japanese capital city was based in Nara but major developments did not take place until after Shotoku’s death when a high-ranking courtier Fujiwara Kamatari carried on with Prince Shotoku’s plans.
This period of Japanese history is known as the Nara period and the period in China was the T'ang dynasty. Nara was chosen as the capital partially because it was near two of Japans earliest Buddhist temples the Kofuku Ji and Horyu Ji. A new temple the Toda Ji was bult in 749 and Emperor Shomu declared Buddhism as the state religion. As most of the Buddhist monks had studied in China they were able to pass on a multitude of skills to the Japanese people.
The temples of Nara managed to gain great power and the Emperor was later to be regarded as the puppet of these religious organizations, the perceived weakness of the Emperors position led to the beginning of the wars that were to dominate Japan for several centuries.
In the early years many battles took place between the temples including one between the Toda Ji and Kofuku Ji over land ownership. In 989 and 1006 another temple the Enryaku Ji attacked a shrine attended to by the Kofuku Ji resulting in the latter maintaining a private army which later promised to support Minamoto Yorimasa during the Gempei war of 1180-1185.
It would seem that many of those enrolled into the priesthood also had gained fighting skills for use in the battlefield. Some sources indicate that these men were merely absconders from the law and that their enrolment in the priesthood was solely for the purpose of being trained in the arts of war, even though they may have had the appearance of ordained monks.
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Yama Bushi (Mountain Warriors and Ascetics)
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The term Yama-Bushi which means Mountain (Yama) Warrior (Bushi) has been applied to describe both Mountain (Yama) Warrior Monks (Sohei) and a group of mountain ascetics that combined animistic traditions with those of Buddhism and Shintoism.
Mountain Ascetics (Yamabushi) were believed to possess special powers due to the use of various rituals that they practiced to overcome rebirth in the various Buddhist realms of cyclic existence. Such rites included:
Fasting, known as the right of the hungry ghost.
Overcoming beasts though abstaining from drinking liquids.
The performance of a sacred dance to overcome birth in the realm of gods.
Sumo or sumei to overcome titans.
The last two point are of specific interest.
Firstly, some movements found in the martial arts can also be found in Court Dances.
Secondly, an early predecessor of Ju Jutsu was the art called Kumi Uchi that had its origins in Sumei, itself the predecessor of Sumo.
Kumi Uchi consisted of warriors grappling in light armour during which gripping of the opponents garments was not permitted, later in the development of this art a dagger called a Yoroi Doshi was employed and was used to slide in between the armour plates and strike at vulnerable points.
It is from Kumi uchi that Koshi No Mawara (literally: around the loins) developed and this is in all probability the origin of hip (Koshi) throwing (Nage) techniques (Waza) in many styles of Ju Jutsu.
The earliest officially recorded Japanese Ryu is the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, which itself developed a system of grappling known as Yawara Ge, which literally means Pacifier. Due to the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu’s strong association with the sword it is likely that many of the early wrist locking and throwing techniques had their origin in Yawara Ge.
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Shin Kage Ryu its line and influences
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Historical records show that one Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who was to later train in the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, was born as Kamiizumi Hidetsugi and was the son of a Uesugi retainer and keeper of Orgo castle was the founder of a style called Shin Kage Ryu.
During the time that Kamiizumi Hidetsugi lived there were many battles between the Uesugi and Takeda clans, some of which lasted many months, led to mounting causalities and frustration to both sides. Hidetsugi was taught the Aizu clans school of swordsmanship known as Kage Ryu (Shadow School) by his father who had previously learnt it from the styles founder Aizu Hyugu No Kami.
It was the warlord Takeda Shingen who gave Kamiizumi Hidetsugi the name Nobutsuna this having been Takeda’s own name which he was given when he became a monk. In 1571 Emperor Ogimachi bestowed upon Kamiizumi Nobutsuna the honour of Kengo, a term which meant the freedom of a skilled swordsman from a master.
Yagyu Muneyoshi:
Another who trained at the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu was Yagyu Muneyoshi, an exponent of the Choju Ryu.
The Choju Ryu is believed to be Japan’s oldest sword style but there are no records to verify this.
At the age of 16 Muneyoshi was involved in various battles concerning the land around the Nara region, Japan’s first capital city, in one such battle which the Yagyu lost they fought a powerful ally of Miyoshi Chokei (who later murdered Shogun Yoshiteru) called Tsutsui Junsho. The result was that the Yagyu’s were forced to serve their enemy and fought under them, in one such battle against warrior monks (Sohei) Yagyu Muneyoshi sustained an arrow wound to his right hand, though there is no evidence to suggest that this affected his ability to use a sword.
The alliance between the Yagyu’s and the clan of Tsutsui Junsho ended when the Matsunaga clan defeated the latter, the Yagyu’s changing their allegiance. At some point in his life Yagyu Muneyoshi was awarded the rank of Kengo giving him freedom from these clan allegiances, no longer did the Yagyu have to serve a master.
Hozo Inei:
Hozoin Kakuzenbo Inei (1521-1607) had become the Chief Priest of the Hozo In temple at the Kofuku Ji in Nara at this time the Kofuku Ji was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan.
Inei at some time in his life became acquainted with Daizen Daifu Moritada, one the most well-known Spear fighter of the time.
Inei is famous for having created what is called the Kuma yari, a spear with a sickle head on it,inspired by the reflection of the new crescent moon in the Surasawa pond when
he was practicing one night.
Inei also studied the Shinkage Ryu under Kamiizumi Ise NO Kami Nobutsuna, receiving diploma in the style in 1567. Inei was also a relative of Yagyu Muneyoshi and responsible for introducing him to Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Yagyu Muneyoshi
When Inei introduced Kamiizumi Nobutsuna to Yagyu Muneyoshi it was in order to test the superiority of the Choju Ryu and the Shinkage Ryu Sword styles. Muneyoshi was around 30 years of age and Kamiizumi Nobutsuna 50 years of age at the time.
When Muneyoshi arrived at the meeting armed with a heavy wooden Bokuto (Wooden practice sword) he found that Kamiizumi Nobutsuna had appointed his nephew Hikkia Bungoro to take the duel armed with a bundle of tied bamboo (an early form of Shinai as used in kendo contests).
Muneyoshi was defeated twice and when Kamiizumi Nobutsuna offered to take the duel Yagyu Muneyoshi bowed down before him requested that he became the older mans pupil. Kamiizumi accepted him and so was born the style of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.
Yagyu becomes Shoguns sword style:
In 1594 the last of Japans great Generals Ieyasu invited Yagyu Muneyoshi to his palace. Muneyoshi took with him his son Yagyu Munenori and they gave a display of swordsmanship.
Ieyasu was so impressed and decided to try his own skill against Yagyu Muneyoshi. As the general brought his Bokuto down towards Muneyoshi’s foehead, Muneyoshi dodged the blow, grabbed the bokuto by the hilt and made a symbolic punch to Ieyasu’s chest, the Bokuto spun across the floor. It was this event which led to the beginning of the popularity of Muto (No Sword) from which the techniques of Shiho Nage (4 direction throw) in Aikido and the Kata Guruma (Shoulder wheel) of some Ju Jutsu styles may have been derived.
General Ieyasu asked Muneyoshi to teach him, he refused but appointed his son Munenrori to become Ieyasu’s teacher.
Munenori’s style became known as the Edo Yagyu Shinkage Ryu whilst that of his brother Jyubei was to become the Owari Yagyu Shinkage Ryu.
Yagyu Muneyoshi died a peaceful death in 1606 at which point the style split and formed different lineage’s.
The influences of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu
Due to importance of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu as a sword school it played an Important role in the development of modern Iaido through one of its students Nagao Kemmotsu, the founder of Nagao Ryu which employed Tai Justu (Body art) as its empty hand method. Nagao Kemmotsu was one time headmaster of the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu the basis of modern Iaido.
Another style which was influenced by the Yagyu clan was Oguri Ryu founded by Oguri Neimon who had been a student of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu and whose empty hand method was
to become known as Wa Jutsu (art of softness).
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Kito Ryu
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Another who studied the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu style was Ibaragi Sensei who went on to become the founder of the Kito Ryu, a style that involved Ken Jutsu (Fencing art), Iai jutsu (Sword drawing art), Bo Jutsu (Long Staff art), Yoroi Kumi Uchi (Armour grappling with dagger) along with other minor weapons.
Though the Kito Ryu contributed to the foundation of modern swordsmanship it is better known through its association with the art of Judo, for Jigaro Kano, Judo’s founder had studied the Kito Ryu as had the founder of Aikido Morihei Ueshiba. Incidentally both Jigaro Kano and Morihei Ueshiba had studied Yagyu Shinkage Ryu in various forms.
The second headmaster of Kito ryu was one Fukuno Masakatsu Hichirouemon who had studied Kempo under the Chinese pottery master Chin Gem Pin whose influence was incorporated into the Kito ryu style.
Fukuno Masakatsu Hichirouemon is also credited with the foundation of Ryoi Shinto Ryu which is characterized by constriction and strangulation of various muscles of the body. Ryo Shinto Ryu is believed to have had its origins at the Kokuseji Monastery in Japan.
The third headmaster of Kito Ryu was one Terada Heizamon who is also credited with having founded the Teishin ryu school which included Wa Jutsu, Iai Jutsu and Kogusoku (A form of Kempo).
The fourth headmaster of Kito Ryu was one Terada Kane’mon who formed what is called the Ran of Kito Ryu, this was the first style to be called Judo (Gentle way) prior to Jigaro Kano founding Kodokan Judo, it was from the Kito Ryu that Kano took the name.
The Ran of Kito Ryu (Judo)places great emphasis on throwing techniques and formed the basis for Randori in Kano’s Judo. There is no doubt that Kano was heavily influenced by the Kito Ryu style in which he had trained. Another branch of the Kito ryu was the Jikishin Kage Ryu.
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Muso Jikiden Ryu
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A priest called Onkeibo Chehen originally founded the Muso Jikiden Ryu style. It is an early Martial arts school and there is only limited information on its history, however it is known that Izasa Ienao (1387-1488) who later went on to found the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu is believed to have been the 7th Headmaster of Muso Jikiden Ryu.
The empty handed method of the Muso Jikiden Ryu was called Yawara Ge and consisted of a total of 100 techniques derived from sword.
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Araki Ryu
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The 11th headmaster of the Muso Jikiden Ryu was one Minamoto Hidetsuna who had studied with masters of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu and fought under Hideysohi in both the unification of Japan and in the Japanese invasion of Korea between 1592 -1598 for which he was commended for his skill in the use of the Chigirki (A pole with a chain to which
an iron weight is attached). Minamoto Hidetsuna later changed his name to Araki Mujinsai and founded the Araki Ryu which had in its divisions Araki Ryu Tori Te Kogusuku and Moro Budo Araki Ryu Kempo.
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Takenouchi Ryu
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It is likely that Minamoto Hidetsuna of the Araki Ryu also trained with Kaganosuke, the founder of the Takenouchi Ryu, a school which included:
Kogusuku Kumi Uchi (Grappling with dagger)
Tori Nawa (Rope tying)
Hade (A form of Kempo)
Tegasa Jutsu (Umbrella technique art)
Shuriken Jutsu (Throwing daggers and stars),
Kuatsu (Resucitation),
Saide (A form of fencing),
Nabebuta Jutsu (Saucepan lid art),
Tessen Jutsu (Art of fan),
Iai Jutsu (Sword Drawing),
Bo (Long staff),
Naginata (Halberd),
Jutte (Iron truncheon),
So Jutsu (Spear),
Kusarigama (Sickle)
Jo (Short stick).
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INFLUENCES OF SHIN KAGE RYU AND HOZO IN RYU
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The importance of the Shin Kage and Yagyu Shin Kage Ryu schools of swordsmanship, along with Hozo In Ryu So Jutsu made important contributions to Samurai martial culture and have such have infiltrated many of the cognate Budo forms such as Judo and Aikido.
The founders of both Tenjin Shinyo Ryu and Kito ryu, on which Dr. Jigaro Kano’s Judo is based had studied under Yagyu Ryu masters.
Morihei Ueshiba the founder of Aikido, apart from his mastery of Daito Ryu Aiki-Jutsu which passed from the Aizu to the Takeda clan, also studied Yagyu Ryu swordsmanship, Yagyu Gotto Ryu Ju Jutsu and Hozo In So Jutsu. In fact the sword postures of Aikido are adapted from the Yagyu Ryu and it is likely that some of the Jo work in Aikido is based on Hozo In So Jutsu. .
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THE OKINAWAN CONNECTION: Shin Kage Ryu & Jigen Ryu
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Marume Iwami-no kami nyudo Tessai Fujiwara-no Nagayoshi (1540-1629), Marume Nagayoshi for short, had been awarded a Menkyo of the Shin Kage Ryu by its founder Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (Hidetsuga) in 1571, around about the same time that Yagyu Muneyoshi and Hozo Inei were awarded the same.
Murame Kurodo No Suke Nagayoshi went on to form the Taisha Shin Kage Ryu, later Taisha Ryu, from which Jigen Ryu Ken Jutsu, the art of the Satsuma Samurai, evolved.
Murame's Taisha Shin Kage Ryu incorporated the magic of Marishten, the Goddess of Bujutsu and later some Chinese Wu Shu.
One of Murame's own students had trained in Shin Kage Ryu under Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. When the student returned to Murame and demonstrated the techniques that he had learnt from the Shin Kage Ryu Marume dropped the Shin Kage from the name of his style calling it simply Taisha Ryu. Marume believed that his own style had developed in very different ways from his teacher. Marume again sought out Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, his own teacher, who died in 1577 before Marume reached him.
The second headmaster of the Taisha Ryu was Zhuan Linfan, A Chinese man, whose Japanese name was Den Rinbo.
Togo Shigekura Bijen-no Kami (1563-1643) another student of Murames went on to found the Jigen Ryu that was used by the Satsuma Samurai when they invaded Okinawa in 1609. Jigen Ryu in some form or other is believed to have exerted at least some influence on the older Okinawan Martial Arts, known as Okinawan Bujutsu.
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| Nihon Go Shin Kage Ryu & Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu
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| Sensei983@yahoo.com
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Page Updated Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:08pm EST
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