Ken Allgeier
16th August 2000, 05:50
RESEARCH INTO THE GOSHIN JUTSU KYO JUJO
Since there has been controversy on E-Budo concerning the history of goshin jutsu kyo jujo and the background of Jerry Durant, I would like at this time to submit the research I have done concerning this matter. I would also like to state for the first time publicly, that I was once a student of Jerry Durant in the early 1970's. I have in my possession all of my original rank certificates, membership cards, qualification sheets, photographs, and other documents to prove my involvement with goshin jutsu. Therefore I think I may have some validity in writing about the history of goshin jutsu since I was an actual student of the founder of the system.
The research I have conducted over the years has included conversations with individuals who have been active in the martial arts since the early 1960's in the Erie, PA area. These individuals who knew Jerry Durant include: Pat Sheldon, Richard Lopez (Mr. Lopez's photographs of William Reeders are used by Philip H.J. Davies, Phd. in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. Vol 9, #2-2000), Ray Cunningham, Robert Cividio, and Tom Carr, one of Durant's first students from 1965-1970. In this post I will give various examples of documents, such as certificates of rank signed by Jerry Durant (translated menjo), Jerry Durant's personal certificates, qualification sheets written by Jerry Durant, context of video tape interview with Jerry Durant, and history of the system published by various goshin jutsu schools. I will gladly make available any of these materials to anybody who asks me to. This will validate that goshin jutsu has no historical lineage to Japanese or Okinawan Karate.
THE ORIGINAL GOSHIN JUTSU KYO JUJO
There is no evidence, at this time, that Jerry Durant received a yudanshin rank from any Japanese or Okinawan teacher or organization in Japan. In the early 1960's, Jerry Durant was a white belt student of Richard Addlemen (Shorin Ryu) in the range of 4-6 months. Addlemen had a school on 10th & French, and at one point asked Durant to leave his school. The other karate instructor in Erie at the time, was Sandy Scotch, who moved to Erie from California and taught Shotokan in Erie from 1959 to 1961. The location of the school was in between 4th & French and State ST., and later at 26th & Poplar. His students included Bob Cividio, Ray Cunningham, Bob Green, Guy Savelli, and Richard Lopez. Since the Erie martial arts community was rather small, students of Addlemen would sometimes train at Scotch's school. Durant trained there a number of times, but my sources tell me that Jerry Durant was never a student of Sandy Scotch. When Scotch left Erie, his remaining students kept the school going and called it the goshin jutsu kyo jujo. This is when Durant joined the original Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo school, after leaving Richard Addlemen's school after only 4-6 months of training. The correct Japanese should be goshin jutsu kyoju jo. The phrase "kyo jujo" corectly written should be "Kyoju jo" and not "kyo jujo"; Kyo(teaching) Ju(receiving) Jo(place); the three kanji are numbers:2052, 1946, and 1113 in the Nelson Dictionary. The names of some of the original members of the Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo are Ray Cunningham, Jerry Durant, Bob Cividio, Artis Simmons, Arthur Sikes, and Richard Lopez. Richard Lopez and Bob Cividio have stated to me that the original Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo was not a style. It was just the name of a school, which means "a place to learn self defense." The students then came in contact with William Reeders from the Jamestown and Dunkirk, NY area, who taught Kun Tao. They asked Reeders to teach them martial arts, which he ended up doing on weekend nights in Erie, PA. Mr. Reeders became president of the goshin jutsu kyo jujo school until 1965 (www.worldkungfu.com/personal2.html) when he established his own organization, the World Kung Fu Federation because according to Richard Lopez there were conflicts withing the school. This can be substantiated by an e-mail received by myself on Wednesday, 16 Sep 1998 from James Locke, a student of both Ralph Portfilio and Jerry Durant, who is currently teaching Goshin Jutsu Karate in Erie, PA.:
"The way I was told it there were five men of Martial Arts in the early days. They created the organization of G.J.K.J. and indeed Mr. Reeders was the fust President of the organization. The organization soon fell apart because of differences with the five men and when everything cleared Mr. Durant took over the name and created the Goshin Jutsu Karate system that many have studied. To my knowledge Mr. Durant was not a student of Mr. Reeders but a contemporary."
It was during this interval before 1965, and probably in 1962 that Durant promoted himself to black belt. As Richard Lopez stated to me, he (Lopez) left the school for a few months and when he came back, Durant was a black belt. My sources have informed me that Durant was never a student of Mr. Reeders. However, they were contemporaries. According to Richard Lopez, Durant and Reeders had a falling out quite early within the Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo. If fact, Pat Sheldon stated that at one time Durant doubted Reeder's ability, and Reeders hit Durant in the stomach with a backfist, putting him on the ground.Mr Lopez told me a story inwhich Jerry Durant was acting up at a tournament(Jerry Durant had a habit of acting up at tournaments)and Williem Reeders took Durant in to a room and told him off.Mr Lopez said that when Durant came out of the room,Durant was vary scared and pale. When Reeders started his own Federation, Durant took for himself the original name of the school "goshin jutsu kyo jujo" and began teaching in 1965 at The Crazy Horse Saloon (2nd floor) on 5th & French, where the present day Erie Insurance Exchange building is. At this time, Durant used some of Nishiyama Hidetak's book "Karate the Art of the Empty Hand" ©1959, and created qualification sheets from kyu to dan ranking. This can be validated by the fact that there are many instances in which content from Durant's qualification sheets being verbatim from Nishiyama's book.
PERSONAL REMEMBRANCES
I clearly remember my time as a student of Jerry Durant. The location of the three schools where I was a student of Durant's were: 2224 West 8th, 5th & Wallace, 2631 West 12th. Durant's Goshin Jutsu classes were on monday and wednesday night and on tuesday and thursday nights at the West 8th school, there was Durant's version of aiki-jujutsu.
As I reflect back, several things seem very odd to me. For one thing, Durant never wore a gi during class. He only wore work pants and a white tank top. The only time Durant wore a gi was for demonstrations, and the gi Durant wore was red. Durant would say that the red gi was to symbolize the fact that he a master of karate ( I have three pictures of Durant in the red gi). I have not been able to locate a Japanese or Okinawan karateka in a red gi. I also remember several occasions when Durant would walk onto the floor during class, smoking a cigarrete. This strikes me as very strange because someone who supposedly trained in Japan, or received Yudansha rank from either the Seishin-Kai or Masaru Shintani, would not conduct theirself contrary to the norms of Japanese martial culture.
A typical class would follow as this: Durant would be sitting at his desk or in his office, depending on which school location we were at at the time. The senior student would ask "Kyoto" (as Durant was called at that time) his permission to start the class. Durant would come to the doorway and bow to the class. The following is from one of Durant's typewritten docuemnt regarding the bowing in ceremony at his school.
Beginning of Class:
Ski, Leishi, or Chui - Attention
Rei - Class bows to instructors.
Rei Joseki- class bows to the Master, if he is not present the bow is directed to the Joseki wall. Joseki meaning honorable.
Okurimas - kneel, in the Zen position.
Shushi No Karate Do Kunisai - State the way of karate, please.
Rei Wo Suru - "Eye of Heaven" hands for triangle,, head is placed on floor inside of triangle. This is a time for meditation.
Yo - only head is brought up.
Tachimas Kudasai - Stand, please. Left leg, then right.
Rei - Bow.
The above is not the traditional manner in which to begin a class in a traditional karate dojo.
After warmup excercises, which included both stretching, calisthenics, punches and kicks, Durant would come onto the floor (no gi) and divide the class into groups ( usually three to four) where they would work on different aspects of their training. This is contary to the mode of teaching in a typical traditional karate dojo where everyone is doing the same thing at the same time. Durant would then go back into his office, smoke a cigarrete, drink his coffee, and talk to whomever was around at the time. Sometimes he would teach us one of the goshin jutsu forms, and I remember how there were always differences from the way they were taught a few months earlier. After a ten minute break, the last part of class was usually free style sparring. Durant would always free style spar with his students.
I remember there were several young students from 11 to 14 yrs of age in the class whom Durant would always spar with in a very physical manner, manifested by often hitting them quite hard. As I think back on this, why did Durant, who was an adult and supposedly a master, find it necessary to beat up on students who were only adolescents. I remember one time when he broke one of the kid's eyeglasses. I recall one instance where one of the adolescent students (a green belt) was in the seventh grade and lost a fight at the local junior high school. Durant heard about this from one of the other students during the break. At the start of the second part of class, Durant came on the floor and made everyone sit down except for a brown belt student and the seventh grader. Durant made the seventh grader spar, or in this context, fight with the brown belt who was about 18 years old. Durant coached the brown belt student and belittled the green belt student by saying that none of his students would never lose a street fight, and that the green belt would have to go back and fight the other junior high school student again. The green belt's face turned red. He was soaked in sweat, physically exhausted. The beating was reminiscent of what I have seen on TV documentaries about street gangs. As I reflect back, this incident in which Durant had publically and physically humiliated this seventh grader was quite disturbing.
CERTIFICATES HELD BY JERRY DURANT
I have a high resolution full color copy of the certificate dated at St. Catherines, Ontario, on November 12, 1966, promoting Durant to Yodan, signed by Masaru Shintani, which turns out to be a forgery because:
1. I have contacted the Shintani Karate Shindo Federation, which I sent a full color copy of the certificate to. The signatures of Shintani on documents within the Shintani Karate Shindo Federation do not match the signatures on Durant's certificates. Thus, the certificate promoting Durant to yondan is a forgery.
2. I was informed by the Shintani Karate Shindo Federation that there is no knowledge or documentation within the Federation of Durant being a student of Shintani.
3. On the certificate, it is printed that A. Kitegawa, is the International President of the Nippon Karate Kai. The problem is that Kitegawa died in 1956. So how could a dead person be a president of anything?
4. The certificate has a number of suspicious rubbing and scratching marks all over it, with printing on top of the rubbings and scratching.
5. The certificate promotes Durant to yondan, but in the lower right hand corner, it is printed that Jerry Durant is already a yondan. So how can a menjo promote someone to a given rank which is already stated in print on the menjo?
6. Masaru Shintani was a teacher of Wado-Ryu. Jerry Durant never taught Wado-Ryu or the classical Katas of Wado-Ryu.
7. The only style mentioned on the certificate is that of Kempo. I had the kanji translated from the certificate. Here it the translation:
"Kenpo karatedo no shugyo ni seikinshi shushi-ikkan [moro nori ?] wo mamori reisetsu wo omoninji shu ni han wo shimesu yotte gyaku shihan no suikyo ni yori menkyo wo fukyo suru."
"[For] your constant diligence and pursuit of knowledge in kenpo karatedo,
observing the several rules, respecting courtesy/etiquette, and serving as
an example to others; therefore because of the proposal/recommendation of
other teachers, I grant you this certificate."
Why would a teacher of Wado-Ryu promote somebody in the style of Kempo? There is no evidence of Jerry Durant ever teaching Kempo.
Tatsu-Do Certificates
I have two certificates from the Tatsu-Do Yudanshakai certifying that "Grand Master Durant" is promoted to the rank of judan, "10th Degree Black Belt," in the art of aiki-jutsu on 10-11-84. The signature of the Shihan is that of William Cavalier. The signature of the instructor is that of "Daiku Yama," which translates as "Great Sky Mountain." The karate certificate is dated 10-10-84, and the signatures are the same. The question to ask, is how could William Cavalier, a student of Jerry Durant, promote his own teacher to the rank of 10th degree blackbelt in both karate and aiki-jutsu? It is not specified which Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu authorized the aiki-jutsu certificate.
Seishin-Kai Karate Union Documents
As for the claims of Jerry Durant's rank in the Seishinkai, they are a misrepresentation of the facts. I have three color copies of Seishinkai certificates.
1. A sandan certificate from January 27, 1967, to a "Jerard Durant."
2. A certificate acknowleging Durant's participation to a "Mr. Gerald Durant."
3. A Seishin-Kai school registration certificate signed by Richard P. Baillargeon.
I have contacted members of the Seishini-Kai and talked to Michael Fletcher in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mr. Flethcer was a student of the late Shogo Kuniba, and currently is a student of Kuniba's most senior student, William H. Price. I have a copy of the July 1985 issue of Black Belt Magazine in which Shogo Kuniba placed an ad (on page 39) listing all the dojos within the Seishin-Kai Karate Union in America. The first dojo listed, besides Kuniba's dojo, is that of William H. Price. Michael Fletcher told me that he and Mr. Price have never heard of a Jerry Durant from Erie, PA. Mr. Fletcher told me the story of Richard Baillargeon, who opened up the United States branch of the Seishin-Kai in the 1960's for anyone willing to pay to join. This is in contrast to the fact that the Seishin-Kai Karate Union was formed for the Motobu-Ha Shito-Ryu only. As Mr. Fletcher said to me that Baillargeon's actions were along the lines of "send me money and I'll send you rank." And, Mr. Fletcher specified that "claims and certificates like Durant's are a dime-a-dozen," because or Baillargeon's policies.
This story can be confirmed in a conversation I had with Tom Carr, one of Durant's most senior students who started training with Durant in 1965. Mr. Carr stated that Durant told him the Seishin-Kai was going to be the new United States Karate Association. Therefore, Jerry Durant joined the Seishin-Kai, since Richard Baillargeon opened up the membership to anyone willing to pay to join. Mr. Carr has certificates from the Seishin-Kai but has no knowledge of ever training in the Motobu-Ha Shito-Ryu, and also says that to his knowledge Jerry Durant was never a student of Baillargeon. According to Mr. Carr, Durant was only in the Seishin-Kai from 1967-1969. This is validated by the dates on Durant's Seishin-Kai certificates which range only from 1967-1969. Mr. Carr stated that Durant never left Erie from 1967-1969 and that the communications between Durant and Baillargeon was through the mail or by phone.
If one examines the logistics of the situation, it doesn't pan out because Richard Baillargeon returned to the United States in 1964
from Japan and lived in Georgia(Sells;Unante,pg 142). So the big
question is, how could Durant receive a legitimate sandan in
Motobu-Ha Shito Ryu from the Seishin-Kai in only three years?
According to the stipulations of the Federation of All Japan
Karate-Do Organization which the Seishin-Kai Karate Union, Motobu-Ha Shito- Ryu,is a member of, there is a minium time in training of 3 years to receive a SHODAN;1964+3=1967. Also the Federation of All Japan Karate-Do organization also stipulates a minimum of 6 years to go from SHODAN to GODAN. 1967+6=1973. The math does not work out and numbers do not lie, so where is the logic in all this? How could Durant get from Erie, Pa to Georgia to train consistenly to achieve rank?
I contacted John Milligan, a student of Clement Riedner, the second Amreican to receive a shodan from Kuniba Sensei in 1962. Mr. Milligan informed me that when Baillargeon returned to the United States, he already had a quantity of pre-made rank certificates. Mr. Fletcher also informed me that any Seishin-Kai certificate must have Shogo Kuniba's handwritten signature (in English) on the certificate to be valid. I have a copy of a Seishin-Kai certificate from November 23, 1980, to a Mrs. Catherine Church. This certificate is signed in English by Shogo Kuniba and James Herndon. I would like to note that the certificate in question which promotes Jerry Durant to sandan in the Seishin-Kai Karate Union, containes a major mistake in dating. Examples:
1. Year for Showa (Reign of Emperor Hirohito) - The month of January is listed instead of year 42.
2. Under the kanji meaning "month," it is incorrectly written as 27.
3. Under the kanji for "day," it is incorrectly written as 1967.
I clearly remember in 1972 when Glenn Premru, a Shorin-Ryu stylist from Pittsburgh, PA, came to Jerry Durant's school at West 8th St. and gave a clinic in which he taught the Naihanchi Shodan kata. I also remember a time at the 5th and Wallace school when a Ishhin-Ryu black belt came and taught the kata Seisan. This raises the question: How could Jerry Durant receive a legitimate yondan from Masuru Shintani or from the Seishin-Kai Karate Union and not know the katas Naihanchi Shodan and Seisan, considering the fact they are both classical katas taught in Wado-Ryu and Shito-Ryu?
THE HISTORY OF GOSHIN JUTSU KYO JUJO
In the video tape interview that was done in Texas, Durant claims to have been born in Japan and trained in the martial arts until he was 16 years old, and that his father was a Frenchman and his mother was Japanese. I can remember back early as 1971 that Durant himself said his father taught him Jujutsu. These stories can be found on Joe Brague's web page:
http://www.rahul.net/goshin/pages/history.htm .
"Jerry was introduced to Karate by his father who was a Jujitsu master.Master Durant was in the merchant marines in the 1940's when he jumped ship in Japan,spending the next 13 years learning Karate.Then he came back to North America he held a 6th degree ranking and studied with a Buddhist mank in Canada for 3 years"
I also received this email from James Locke, a teacher of goshin jutsu karate in Erie, PA.:July 1,1998
"My style is Goshin Jutsu. It's a combination of Okinawan Karate and Japanese JuJutsu. My teacher was Grand Master Gerard Durant."
The problem with these statement is that it has never been defined which Ryu of JuJutusu or Okinawan Karate constitutes Durant's goshin jutsu.If Durant's father was a Jujutsu master,why did he introduce Karate and not Jujutsu?I e-mailed Mr Brague and asked for the name of the Buddhist monk in Canada,I recived no answer from Mr Brague.
As often has happens there are so many wild inconsistencies about Jerry Durant's background,when in fact ,Durant's obituary states he was born in Utica, New York, and that his father's name was Victor and his mother's name was Mary Roth. They eventually lived in Niagra Falls, New York. It has never been explained by anyone which Ryu of Jujutsu did Durant supposedly learn and teach, and if Durant did train in Japan, why was he a student of Richard Addleman?
Other false claims made by Durant in the videotape interview:
1. He, Durant, was the first person to teach karate in Canada.
2. He taught combat judo at several Army bases in the U.S.
3. Claimed to have been a Judo official under General Curtis Lemay.
4. Was a bodyguard for Hidy Ochiai.
5. Was Artis Simmon's teacher.
6. That Hohan Soken was the head of the Seishinkai Karate Union.
7. That Gichin Funakoshi went to Okinawa to learn Karate then bring it back to Japan.
8. That he drove overnight to Chicago and beat up Shojiro Sugiyama.
9. Claims that he can read, write, and speak Japanese.
10. That the Goshin Jutsu association was started by the Yamabushi's in northern Japan.
According to Richard Lopez "Jerry Durant told alot of stories about himself" as far back as the early 1960's this explains why there are so many wild inconsistenceies about Jerry Durant's background.The source of this fictional storys were Jerry Durant himself.In a interview with Tom Carr,one of Durant's first students (from 1965 to 1970),Mr Carr said that "Durant would allways say ,that he learned the martial arts in Japan during World War II". This story is borne out by the literature of a goshin jutsu school in Lakewood NY. The information comes from a interview with Jerry Durant from around 1982.
"Goshin Jutsu: Our style of Goshin Jutsu can be traced to the teachings of Jamaka and Murakami in Fukoka,Japan,(west coast) during and after the period of WWII.Since the Martial Arts practicing was outlawed during that time,training was sectetive and much of its history is left obscure.Its original criteria is unknown,but was mainly developed as a fighting art with traditionally low stances and close in fighting.One of the students of this period 1949-1953,Master Jerry Durant,brought the style to Erie,Pennsylvania,with a set of formulated kata which are similar to ours today."
What is interesting about this story is that,Jamaka is not a family name, it could mean 'Am I a bother ' in the male speach pattern (jama= bother;ka=impolite form of "desuka" making it a question),Murakami is a Japanese surname meaning "above the village".Other mistake is in the reference to "Fukoka" is really Fukuoka, a province in southern Japan.If you look at Bruce Hanies book " Karate History & Tradition"C 1968.(pub Tuttle) on page 132,you will find the name Murakami, and a reference to Fukuoka Japan, I belive this is more than just a coincidence. The question to ask is why are there so many story about Jerry Durants which divert from one other, considering he only lived in the 20th century. As Tom Carr has stated that Jerry Durant claimed to have trained in Japan during WW2 and as a former student of Durant's, I remember him telling us that,he was part of the U.S occupation force in Japan after World War 2, but then Durant would change his story and say, that he was in Okinawa and not Japan, but then a few months later he would chage the story back, to being in Japan.On Hugh Cassidy and Ralph Profilio webpage, the claim is that Jerry Durant studied from a Samurai prince named Shigeru Murakami. This is contradicted by Toby Threadgill of the Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin Kai, on a post on E-Budo from August 10, 2000:
"I believe it would be accurate to say that by the Edo Period the Japanese royal family and the samurai (warrior class) were distinctly different social classes. Therefore a "Samurai Prince" is pretty much a ficticious character. (It probably sounds good in fairy tales though.)Besides,the samurai as a recognized social class was abolished in 1868."
On Joe Brague's webpage, the contradiction is:
"Master Durant was in the Merchant Marines in the 1940's when he jumped ship in Japan, spending the next 13 years learing Karate. When he came back to North American he held a 6th degree ranking and he studied with a Buddhist monk in Canada for 3 years."
From David Haberman webpage(http://home.spynet.com/~dhaberman/goshinju.htm)it is stated.
"Goshin Jutsu Karate is an effective system of self defense founded by the late Grand Master G. Durant. It is a Okinawan form of martial arts.....These techniques are combined into prerranged attacks and counters(Waza), solo practice forms(Kata) and free sparring (Kumite)."
In Mark Bishop's book on Okinawan Karate C.1989,all the styles of Okinawan Karate are listed and there is no style of Karate called "goshin jutsu." Also, all the kata's of Karate are listed in Bishop's book and none of Durant's goshin jutsu empty handed forms are on the catalogue of classical Okinawan kata. This claim that Durant's goshin jutsu is a form of Okinawan Karate is in direct conflict from a newspaper article from the Erie Daily Times(Sportweek) from Monday, December 20, 1982.which listed the different Schools in Erie,Pa
"Master Jerry Durant,the Polish Falcons Club, 602 E 19th. offers traditional Japanese Karate classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.The price is $20 per month."
Profilio told us in class that the style he taught, goshin jutsu, was a "master style, taught only to masters in Japan". What was never explained was: who were these masters and in what city in Japan did they train and what was the name of there dojo. He also told in class that the history of our style was started by, bandits in China who used to watch the monks practicis the martial arts and then these bandits went to Okinawa and developed their style of Karate, there in Okinawa, then these bandits or there descendents went to Japan and combined their Karate with Aiki Jujutsu, thus creating goshin jutsu. I also have some literature from Bob Bohach which parallels this story.
"The syle of Goshin Jutsu (Defending the Body Arts) developed in Canton, China, and later emerged in Japan where there was added Aiki-Jujutsu and hard style movements to the advanced soft movements."
It has never been explained from which teacher of Daito-Ryu Aiki-JuJutsu the supposed Aiki-Jutsu techniques within Durant's goshin jutsu, come from.
I have posed this question to every goshin jutsu webpage, every individual on the internet who has been enganged in the study of Durant's goshin jutsu, and goshin jutsu schools via telephone:
"About the Karate you are training and practicing in, is the lineage derived from Shuri-Te, Naha-Te, or Tomari-Te?"
The only response I ever received was from James Locke on August 29, 1998, which is as follows.
"To be quite honest I'm not 100% sure where we came from. My teacher Grand Master Durant indicated that it was similar to Funakoshi's which would indicate Shuri-Te or Naha-Te. Unlike the oriental culture that our style came from my instructor did not adhere to one specific style or belief. When he found something useful he incorporated it into the system and if he found something outdated or useless he discarded it. As with all live systems Goshin Jutsu is a work in progress.
Master Locke"
In the same context as the previous question, I have asked the question on the origins of the goshin jutsu system and received only two responses. The first response was from Michael Rooney, a teacher of goshin jutsu in Waterford, PA.
"There is much controversy over where the style originated. To be honest no one knows for sure but it is believed that the style originated in China. If by any chance you find anything else on the matter please let me know.
Thank you
Michael Rooney"
I find it very strange that people are teaching a system of self defense in which they have little knowlege of its history. I am surprised that they do not understand what Shuri-Te, Naha-Te, and Tomari-Te mean in the context of karate's lineage. This is analagous to someone claiming to teach physics, but has no knowledge of Einstein's heory of Relativity.
The second response was from Tim Hillman, a student of William Cavalier.
"I will tell you what I know of the Tatsu Do lineage. The head of the System is my teacher, William R. Cavalier who was given permission to form the system by his teacher, Gerard, Durant. Master Durant, the son of a French chef, grew up in Japan in the 1920's. I believe that his mother was Japanese. His Aiki Jutsu teacher was Master Masaru Murakami. Master Durant trained in Japan and Okinawa in the 1920's and 1930's and for a time in the 1950's. When Master Murakami died, Master Durant became head of the system. He formulated the ranking system and incorporeated the karate kata into the system, and named it Goshin Jutsu Kyu Jujo (school to learn self defense). He was, for a time, the North East Director of the Seishin-Kai under Kosei Kuniba. At one time he was the only man given permission by Master Murakami, to teacher Aiki outside of Japan. He was friends with Master Hohan Soken, and Master Ueshiba. In Japan his teachers were Masami Ishibashi (karate), Takeshi Ishiguru (JuJutsu) and Master Masaru Murakami (Aiki Jutsu). In Okinawa his teacher was Sohi Soshiura (I hope this spelling is correct) in JuJutsu and Aiki Jutsu. "
I find it strange that there are many contradictary stories by so many goshin jutsu teachers in the same geographic location. On February 22, 2000 E-Budo thread called "Is a Kyoshi a Wizard?," based on a webpage by Steve Hunter, a student of Jerry Durant in Texas, I asked Earl Hartman to look at seven different goshin jutsu (Durant's goshin jutsu) web pages. Mr. Hartman's response was:
"...it seems clear to me that the school(s) in question seem to be home-grown North American systems developed by people who are a number of removes away from
[Edited by Ken Allgeier on 09-14-2000 at 06:40 PM]
Since there has been controversy on E-Budo concerning the history of goshin jutsu kyo jujo and the background of Jerry Durant, I would like at this time to submit the research I have done concerning this matter. I would also like to state for the first time publicly, that I was once a student of Jerry Durant in the early 1970's. I have in my possession all of my original rank certificates, membership cards, qualification sheets, photographs, and other documents to prove my involvement with goshin jutsu. Therefore I think I may have some validity in writing about the history of goshin jutsu since I was an actual student of the founder of the system.
The research I have conducted over the years has included conversations with individuals who have been active in the martial arts since the early 1960's in the Erie, PA area. These individuals who knew Jerry Durant include: Pat Sheldon, Richard Lopez (Mr. Lopez's photographs of William Reeders are used by Philip H.J. Davies, Phd. in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. Vol 9, #2-2000), Ray Cunningham, Robert Cividio, and Tom Carr, one of Durant's first students from 1965-1970. In this post I will give various examples of documents, such as certificates of rank signed by Jerry Durant (translated menjo), Jerry Durant's personal certificates, qualification sheets written by Jerry Durant, context of video tape interview with Jerry Durant, and history of the system published by various goshin jutsu schools. I will gladly make available any of these materials to anybody who asks me to. This will validate that goshin jutsu has no historical lineage to Japanese or Okinawan Karate.
THE ORIGINAL GOSHIN JUTSU KYO JUJO
There is no evidence, at this time, that Jerry Durant received a yudanshin rank from any Japanese or Okinawan teacher or organization in Japan. In the early 1960's, Jerry Durant was a white belt student of Richard Addlemen (Shorin Ryu) in the range of 4-6 months. Addlemen had a school on 10th & French, and at one point asked Durant to leave his school. The other karate instructor in Erie at the time, was Sandy Scotch, who moved to Erie from California and taught Shotokan in Erie from 1959 to 1961. The location of the school was in between 4th & French and State ST., and later at 26th & Poplar. His students included Bob Cividio, Ray Cunningham, Bob Green, Guy Savelli, and Richard Lopez. Since the Erie martial arts community was rather small, students of Addlemen would sometimes train at Scotch's school. Durant trained there a number of times, but my sources tell me that Jerry Durant was never a student of Sandy Scotch. When Scotch left Erie, his remaining students kept the school going and called it the goshin jutsu kyo jujo. This is when Durant joined the original Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo school, after leaving Richard Addlemen's school after only 4-6 months of training. The correct Japanese should be goshin jutsu kyoju jo. The phrase "kyo jujo" corectly written should be "Kyoju jo" and not "kyo jujo"; Kyo(teaching) Ju(receiving) Jo(place); the three kanji are numbers:2052, 1946, and 1113 in the Nelson Dictionary. The names of some of the original members of the Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo are Ray Cunningham, Jerry Durant, Bob Cividio, Artis Simmons, Arthur Sikes, and Richard Lopez. Richard Lopez and Bob Cividio have stated to me that the original Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo was not a style. It was just the name of a school, which means "a place to learn self defense." The students then came in contact with William Reeders from the Jamestown and Dunkirk, NY area, who taught Kun Tao. They asked Reeders to teach them martial arts, which he ended up doing on weekend nights in Erie, PA. Mr. Reeders became president of the goshin jutsu kyo jujo school until 1965 (www.worldkungfu.com/personal2.html) when he established his own organization, the World Kung Fu Federation because according to Richard Lopez there were conflicts withing the school. This can be substantiated by an e-mail received by myself on Wednesday, 16 Sep 1998 from James Locke, a student of both Ralph Portfilio and Jerry Durant, who is currently teaching Goshin Jutsu Karate in Erie, PA.:
"The way I was told it there were five men of Martial Arts in the early days. They created the organization of G.J.K.J. and indeed Mr. Reeders was the fust President of the organization. The organization soon fell apart because of differences with the five men and when everything cleared Mr. Durant took over the name and created the Goshin Jutsu Karate system that many have studied. To my knowledge Mr. Durant was not a student of Mr. Reeders but a contemporary."
It was during this interval before 1965, and probably in 1962 that Durant promoted himself to black belt. As Richard Lopez stated to me, he (Lopez) left the school for a few months and when he came back, Durant was a black belt. My sources have informed me that Durant was never a student of Mr. Reeders. However, they were contemporaries. According to Richard Lopez, Durant and Reeders had a falling out quite early within the Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo. If fact, Pat Sheldon stated that at one time Durant doubted Reeder's ability, and Reeders hit Durant in the stomach with a backfist, putting him on the ground.Mr Lopez told me a story inwhich Jerry Durant was acting up at a tournament(Jerry Durant had a habit of acting up at tournaments)and Williem Reeders took Durant in to a room and told him off.Mr Lopez said that when Durant came out of the room,Durant was vary scared and pale. When Reeders started his own Federation, Durant took for himself the original name of the school "goshin jutsu kyo jujo" and began teaching in 1965 at The Crazy Horse Saloon (2nd floor) on 5th & French, where the present day Erie Insurance Exchange building is. At this time, Durant used some of Nishiyama Hidetak's book "Karate the Art of the Empty Hand" ©1959, and created qualification sheets from kyu to dan ranking. This can be validated by the fact that there are many instances in which content from Durant's qualification sheets being verbatim from Nishiyama's book.
PERSONAL REMEMBRANCES
I clearly remember my time as a student of Jerry Durant. The location of the three schools where I was a student of Durant's were: 2224 West 8th, 5th & Wallace, 2631 West 12th. Durant's Goshin Jutsu classes were on monday and wednesday night and on tuesday and thursday nights at the West 8th school, there was Durant's version of aiki-jujutsu.
As I reflect back, several things seem very odd to me. For one thing, Durant never wore a gi during class. He only wore work pants and a white tank top. The only time Durant wore a gi was for demonstrations, and the gi Durant wore was red. Durant would say that the red gi was to symbolize the fact that he a master of karate ( I have three pictures of Durant in the red gi). I have not been able to locate a Japanese or Okinawan karateka in a red gi. I also remember several occasions when Durant would walk onto the floor during class, smoking a cigarrete. This strikes me as very strange because someone who supposedly trained in Japan, or received Yudansha rank from either the Seishin-Kai or Masaru Shintani, would not conduct theirself contrary to the norms of Japanese martial culture.
A typical class would follow as this: Durant would be sitting at his desk or in his office, depending on which school location we were at at the time. The senior student would ask "Kyoto" (as Durant was called at that time) his permission to start the class. Durant would come to the doorway and bow to the class. The following is from one of Durant's typewritten docuemnt regarding the bowing in ceremony at his school.
Beginning of Class:
Ski, Leishi, or Chui - Attention
Rei - Class bows to instructors.
Rei Joseki- class bows to the Master, if he is not present the bow is directed to the Joseki wall. Joseki meaning honorable.
Okurimas - kneel, in the Zen position.
Shushi No Karate Do Kunisai - State the way of karate, please.
Rei Wo Suru - "Eye of Heaven" hands for triangle,, head is placed on floor inside of triangle. This is a time for meditation.
Yo - only head is brought up.
Tachimas Kudasai - Stand, please. Left leg, then right.
Rei - Bow.
The above is not the traditional manner in which to begin a class in a traditional karate dojo.
After warmup excercises, which included both stretching, calisthenics, punches and kicks, Durant would come onto the floor (no gi) and divide the class into groups ( usually three to four) where they would work on different aspects of their training. This is contary to the mode of teaching in a typical traditional karate dojo where everyone is doing the same thing at the same time. Durant would then go back into his office, smoke a cigarrete, drink his coffee, and talk to whomever was around at the time. Sometimes he would teach us one of the goshin jutsu forms, and I remember how there were always differences from the way they were taught a few months earlier. After a ten minute break, the last part of class was usually free style sparring. Durant would always free style spar with his students.
I remember there were several young students from 11 to 14 yrs of age in the class whom Durant would always spar with in a very physical manner, manifested by often hitting them quite hard. As I think back on this, why did Durant, who was an adult and supposedly a master, find it necessary to beat up on students who were only adolescents. I remember one time when he broke one of the kid's eyeglasses. I recall one instance where one of the adolescent students (a green belt) was in the seventh grade and lost a fight at the local junior high school. Durant heard about this from one of the other students during the break. At the start of the second part of class, Durant came on the floor and made everyone sit down except for a brown belt student and the seventh grader. Durant made the seventh grader spar, or in this context, fight with the brown belt who was about 18 years old. Durant coached the brown belt student and belittled the green belt student by saying that none of his students would never lose a street fight, and that the green belt would have to go back and fight the other junior high school student again. The green belt's face turned red. He was soaked in sweat, physically exhausted. The beating was reminiscent of what I have seen on TV documentaries about street gangs. As I reflect back, this incident in which Durant had publically and physically humiliated this seventh grader was quite disturbing.
CERTIFICATES HELD BY JERRY DURANT
I have a high resolution full color copy of the certificate dated at St. Catherines, Ontario, on November 12, 1966, promoting Durant to Yodan, signed by Masaru Shintani, which turns out to be a forgery because:
1. I have contacted the Shintani Karate Shindo Federation, which I sent a full color copy of the certificate to. The signatures of Shintani on documents within the Shintani Karate Shindo Federation do not match the signatures on Durant's certificates. Thus, the certificate promoting Durant to yondan is a forgery.
2. I was informed by the Shintani Karate Shindo Federation that there is no knowledge or documentation within the Federation of Durant being a student of Shintani.
3. On the certificate, it is printed that A. Kitegawa, is the International President of the Nippon Karate Kai. The problem is that Kitegawa died in 1956. So how could a dead person be a president of anything?
4. The certificate has a number of suspicious rubbing and scratching marks all over it, with printing on top of the rubbings and scratching.
5. The certificate promotes Durant to yondan, but in the lower right hand corner, it is printed that Jerry Durant is already a yondan. So how can a menjo promote someone to a given rank which is already stated in print on the menjo?
6. Masaru Shintani was a teacher of Wado-Ryu. Jerry Durant never taught Wado-Ryu or the classical Katas of Wado-Ryu.
7. The only style mentioned on the certificate is that of Kempo. I had the kanji translated from the certificate. Here it the translation:
"Kenpo karatedo no shugyo ni seikinshi shushi-ikkan [moro nori ?] wo mamori reisetsu wo omoninji shu ni han wo shimesu yotte gyaku shihan no suikyo ni yori menkyo wo fukyo suru."
"[For] your constant diligence and pursuit of knowledge in kenpo karatedo,
observing the several rules, respecting courtesy/etiquette, and serving as
an example to others; therefore because of the proposal/recommendation of
other teachers, I grant you this certificate."
Why would a teacher of Wado-Ryu promote somebody in the style of Kempo? There is no evidence of Jerry Durant ever teaching Kempo.
Tatsu-Do Certificates
I have two certificates from the Tatsu-Do Yudanshakai certifying that "Grand Master Durant" is promoted to the rank of judan, "10th Degree Black Belt," in the art of aiki-jutsu on 10-11-84. The signature of the Shihan is that of William Cavalier. The signature of the instructor is that of "Daiku Yama," which translates as "Great Sky Mountain." The karate certificate is dated 10-10-84, and the signatures are the same. The question to ask, is how could William Cavalier, a student of Jerry Durant, promote his own teacher to the rank of 10th degree blackbelt in both karate and aiki-jutsu? It is not specified which Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu authorized the aiki-jutsu certificate.
Seishin-Kai Karate Union Documents
As for the claims of Jerry Durant's rank in the Seishinkai, they are a misrepresentation of the facts. I have three color copies of Seishinkai certificates.
1. A sandan certificate from January 27, 1967, to a "Jerard Durant."
2. A certificate acknowleging Durant's participation to a "Mr. Gerald Durant."
3. A Seishin-Kai school registration certificate signed by Richard P. Baillargeon.
I have contacted members of the Seishini-Kai and talked to Michael Fletcher in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mr. Flethcer was a student of the late Shogo Kuniba, and currently is a student of Kuniba's most senior student, William H. Price. I have a copy of the July 1985 issue of Black Belt Magazine in which Shogo Kuniba placed an ad (on page 39) listing all the dojos within the Seishin-Kai Karate Union in America. The first dojo listed, besides Kuniba's dojo, is that of William H. Price. Michael Fletcher told me that he and Mr. Price have never heard of a Jerry Durant from Erie, PA. Mr. Fletcher told me the story of Richard Baillargeon, who opened up the United States branch of the Seishin-Kai in the 1960's for anyone willing to pay to join. This is in contrast to the fact that the Seishin-Kai Karate Union was formed for the Motobu-Ha Shito-Ryu only. As Mr. Fletcher said to me that Baillargeon's actions were along the lines of "send me money and I'll send you rank." And, Mr. Fletcher specified that "claims and certificates like Durant's are a dime-a-dozen," because or Baillargeon's policies.
This story can be confirmed in a conversation I had with Tom Carr, one of Durant's most senior students who started training with Durant in 1965. Mr. Carr stated that Durant told him the Seishin-Kai was going to be the new United States Karate Association. Therefore, Jerry Durant joined the Seishin-Kai, since Richard Baillargeon opened up the membership to anyone willing to pay to join. Mr. Carr has certificates from the Seishin-Kai but has no knowledge of ever training in the Motobu-Ha Shito-Ryu, and also says that to his knowledge Jerry Durant was never a student of Baillargeon. According to Mr. Carr, Durant was only in the Seishin-Kai from 1967-1969. This is validated by the dates on Durant's Seishin-Kai certificates which range only from 1967-1969. Mr. Carr stated that Durant never left Erie from 1967-1969 and that the communications between Durant and Baillargeon was through the mail or by phone.
If one examines the logistics of the situation, it doesn't pan out because Richard Baillargeon returned to the United States in 1964
from Japan and lived in Georgia(Sells;Unante,pg 142). So the big
question is, how could Durant receive a legitimate sandan in
Motobu-Ha Shito Ryu from the Seishin-Kai in only three years?
According to the stipulations of the Federation of All Japan
Karate-Do Organization which the Seishin-Kai Karate Union, Motobu-Ha Shito- Ryu,is a member of, there is a minium time in training of 3 years to receive a SHODAN;1964+3=1967. Also the Federation of All Japan Karate-Do organization also stipulates a minimum of 6 years to go from SHODAN to GODAN. 1967+6=1973. The math does not work out and numbers do not lie, so where is the logic in all this? How could Durant get from Erie, Pa to Georgia to train consistenly to achieve rank?
I contacted John Milligan, a student of Clement Riedner, the second Amreican to receive a shodan from Kuniba Sensei in 1962. Mr. Milligan informed me that when Baillargeon returned to the United States, he already had a quantity of pre-made rank certificates. Mr. Fletcher also informed me that any Seishin-Kai certificate must have Shogo Kuniba's handwritten signature (in English) on the certificate to be valid. I have a copy of a Seishin-Kai certificate from November 23, 1980, to a Mrs. Catherine Church. This certificate is signed in English by Shogo Kuniba and James Herndon. I would like to note that the certificate in question which promotes Jerry Durant to sandan in the Seishin-Kai Karate Union, containes a major mistake in dating. Examples:
1. Year for Showa (Reign of Emperor Hirohito) - The month of January is listed instead of year 42.
2. Under the kanji meaning "month," it is incorrectly written as 27.
3. Under the kanji for "day," it is incorrectly written as 1967.
I clearly remember in 1972 when Glenn Premru, a Shorin-Ryu stylist from Pittsburgh, PA, came to Jerry Durant's school at West 8th St. and gave a clinic in which he taught the Naihanchi Shodan kata. I also remember a time at the 5th and Wallace school when a Ishhin-Ryu black belt came and taught the kata Seisan. This raises the question: How could Jerry Durant receive a legitimate yondan from Masuru Shintani or from the Seishin-Kai Karate Union and not know the katas Naihanchi Shodan and Seisan, considering the fact they are both classical katas taught in Wado-Ryu and Shito-Ryu?
THE HISTORY OF GOSHIN JUTSU KYO JUJO
In the video tape interview that was done in Texas, Durant claims to have been born in Japan and trained in the martial arts until he was 16 years old, and that his father was a Frenchman and his mother was Japanese. I can remember back early as 1971 that Durant himself said his father taught him Jujutsu. These stories can be found on Joe Brague's web page:
http://www.rahul.net/goshin/pages/history.htm .
"Jerry was introduced to Karate by his father who was a Jujitsu master.Master Durant was in the merchant marines in the 1940's when he jumped ship in Japan,spending the next 13 years learning Karate.Then he came back to North America he held a 6th degree ranking and studied with a Buddhist mank in Canada for 3 years"
I also received this email from James Locke, a teacher of goshin jutsu karate in Erie, PA.:July 1,1998
"My style is Goshin Jutsu. It's a combination of Okinawan Karate and Japanese JuJutsu. My teacher was Grand Master Gerard Durant."
The problem with these statement is that it has never been defined which Ryu of JuJutusu or Okinawan Karate constitutes Durant's goshin jutsu.If Durant's father was a Jujutsu master,why did he introduce Karate and not Jujutsu?I e-mailed Mr Brague and asked for the name of the Buddhist monk in Canada,I recived no answer from Mr Brague.
As often has happens there are so many wild inconsistencies about Jerry Durant's background,when in fact ,Durant's obituary states he was born in Utica, New York, and that his father's name was Victor and his mother's name was Mary Roth. They eventually lived in Niagra Falls, New York. It has never been explained by anyone which Ryu of Jujutsu did Durant supposedly learn and teach, and if Durant did train in Japan, why was he a student of Richard Addleman?
Other false claims made by Durant in the videotape interview:
1. He, Durant, was the first person to teach karate in Canada.
2. He taught combat judo at several Army bases in the U.S.
3. Claimed to have been a Judo official under General Curtis Lemay.
4. Was a bodyguard for Hidy Ochiai.
5. Was Artis Simmon's teacher.
6. That Hohan Soken was the head of the Seishinkai Karate Union.
7. That Gichin Funakoshi went to Okinawa to learn Karate then bring it back to Japan.
8. That he drove overnight to Chicago and beat up Shojiro Sugiyama.
9. Claims that he can read, write, and speak Japanese.
10. That the Goshin Jutsu association was started by the Yamabushi's in northern Japan.
According to Richard Lopez "Jerry Durant told alot of stories about himself" as far back as the early 1960's this explains why there are so many wild inconsistenceies about Jerry Durant's background.The source of this fictional storys were Jerry Durant himself.In a interview with Tom Carr,one of Durant's first students (from 1965 to 1970),Mr Carr said that "Durant would allways say ,that he learned the martial arts in Japan during World War II". This story is borne out by the literature of a goshin jutsu school in Lakewood NY. The information comes from a interview with Jerry Durant from around 1982.
"Goshin Jutsu: Our style of Goshin Jutsu can be traced to the teachings of Jamaka and Murakami in Fukoka,Japan,(west coast) during and after the period of WWII.Since the Martial Arts practicing was outlawed during that time,training was sectetive and much of its history is left obscure.Its original criteria is unknown,but was mainly developed as a fighting art with traditionally low stances and close in fighting.One of the students of this period 1949-1953,Master Jerry Durant,brought the style to Erie,Pennsylvania,with a set of formulated kata which are similar to ours today."
What is interesting about this story is that,Jamaka is not a family name, it could mean 'Am I a bother ' in the male speach pattern (jama= bother;ka=impolite form of "desuka" making it a question),Murakami is a Japanese surname meaning "above the village".Other mistake is in the reference to "Fukoka" is really Fukuoka, a province in southern Japan.If you look at Bruce Hanies book " Karate History & Tradition"C 1968.(pub Tuttle) on page 132,you will find the name Murakami, and a reference to Fukuoka Japan, I belive this is more than just a coincidence. The question to ask is why are there so many story about Jerry Durants which divert from one other, considering he only lived in the 20th century. As Tom Carr has stated that Jerry Durant claimed to have trained in Japan during WW2 and as a former student of Durant's, I remember him telling us that,he was part of the U.S occupation force in Japan after World War 2, but then Durant would change his story and say, that he was in Okinawa and not Japan, but then a few months later he would chage the story back, to being in Japan.On Hugh Cassidy and Ralph Profilio webpage, the claim is that Jerry Durant studied from a Samurai prince named Shigeru Murakami. This is contradicted by Toby Threadgill of the Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin Kai, on a post on E-Budo from August 10, 2000:
"I believe it would be accurate to say that by the Edo Period the Japanese royal family and the samurai (warrior class) were distinctly different social classes. Therefore a "Samurai Prince" is pretty much a ficticious character. (It probably sounds good in fairy tales though.)Besides,the samurai as a recognized social class was abolished in 1868."
On Joe Brague's webpage, the contradiction is:
"Master Durant was in the Merchant Marines in the 1940's when he jumped ship in Japan, spending the next 13 years learing Karate. When he came back to North American he held a 6th degree ranking and he studied with a Buddhist monk in Canada for 3 years."
From David Haberman webpage(http://home.spynet.com/~dhaberman/goshinju.htm)it is stated.
"Goshin Jutsu Karate is an effective system of self defense founded by the late Grand Master G. Durant. It is a Okinawan form of martial arts.....These techniques are combined into prerranged attacks and counters(Waza), solo practice forms(Kata) and free sparring (Kumite)."
In Mark Bishop's book on Okinawan Karate C.1989,all the styles of Okinawan Karate are listed and there is no style of Karate called "goshin jutsu." Also, all the kata's of Karate are listed in Bishop's book and none of Durant's goshin jutsu empty handed forms are on the catalogue of classical Okinawan kata. This claim that Durant's goshin jutsu is a form of Okinawan Karate is in direct conflict from a newspaper article from the Erie Daily Times(Sportweek) from Monday, December 20, 1982.which listed the different Schools in Erie,Pa
"Master Jerry Durant,the Polish Falcons Club, 602 E 19th. offers traditional Japanese Karate classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.The price is $20 per month."
Profilio told us in class that the style he taught, goshin jutsu, was a "master style, taught only to masters in Japan". What was never explained was: who were these masters and in what city in Japan did they train and what was the name of there dojo. He also told in class that the history of our style was started by, bandits in China who used to watch the monks practicis the martial arts and then these bandits went to Okinawa and developed their style of Karate, there in Okinawa, then these bandits or there descendents went to Japan and combined their Karate with Aiki Jujutsu, thus creating goshin jutsu. I also have some literature from Bob Bohach which parallels this story.
"The syle of Goshin Jutsu (Defending the Body Arts) developed in Canton, China, and later emerged in Japan where there was added Aiki-Jujutsu and hard style movements to the advanced soft movements."
It has never been explained from which teacher of Daito-Ryu Aiki-JuJutsu the supposed Aiki-Jutsu techniques within Durant's goshin jutsu, come from.
I have posed this question to every goshin jutsu webpage, every individual on the internet who has been enganged in the study of Durant's goshin jutsu, and goshin jutsu schools via telephone:
"About the Karate you are training and practicing in, is the lineage derived from Shuri-Te, Naha-Te, or Tomari-Te?"
The only response I ever received was from James Locke on August 29, 1998, which is as follows.
"To be quite honest I'm not 100% sure where we came from. My teacher Grand Master Durant indicated that it was similar to Funakoshi's which would indicate Shuri-Te or Naha-Te. Unlike the oriental culture that our style came from my instructor did not adhere to one specific style or belief. When he found something useful he incorporated it into the system and if he found something outdated or useless he discarded it. As with all live systems Goshin Jutsu is a work in progress.
Master Locke"
In the same context as the previous question, I have asked the question on the origins of the goshin jutsu system and received only two responses. The first response was from Michael Rooney, a teacher of goshin jutsu in Waterford, PA.
"There is much controversy over where the style originated. To be honest no one knows for sure but it is believed that the style originated in China. If by any chance you find anything else on the matter please let me know.
Thank you
Michael Rooney"
I find it very strange that people are teaching a system of self defense in which they have little knowlege of its history. I am surprised that they do not understand what Shuri-Te, Naha-Te, and Tomari-Te mean in the context of karate's lineage. This is analagous to someone claiming to teach physics, but has no knowledge of Einstein's heory of Relativity.
The second response was from Tim Hillman, a student of William Cavalier.
"I will tell you what I know of the Tatsu Do lineage. The head of the System is my teacher, William R. Cavalier who was given permission to form the system by his teacher, Gerard, Durant. Master Durant, the son of a French chef, grew up in Japan in the 1920's. I believe that his mother was Japanese. His Aiki Jutsu teacher was Master Masaru Murakami. Master Durant trained in Japan and Okinawa in the 1920's and 1930's and for a time in the 1950's. When Master Murakami died, Master Durant became head of the system. He formulated the ranking system and incorporeated the karate kata into the system, and named it Goshin Jutsu Kyu Jujo (school to learn self defense). He was, for a time, the North East Director of the Seishin-Kai under Kosei Kuniba. At one time he was the only man given permission by Master Murakami, to teacher Aiki outside of Japan. He was friends with Master Hohan Soken, and Master Ueshiba. In Japan his teachers were Masami Ishibashi (karate), Takeshi Ishiguru (JuJutsu) and Master Masaru Murakami (Aiki Jutsu). In Okinawa his teacher was Sohi Soshiura (I hope this spelling is correct) in JuJutsu and Aiki Jutsu. "
I find it strange that there are many contradictary stories by so many goshin jutsu teachers in the same geographic location. On February 22, 2000 E-Budo thread called "Is a Kyoshi a Wizard?," based on a webpage by Steve Hunter, a student of Jerry Durant in Texas, I asked Earl Hartman to look at seven different goshin jutsu (Durant's goshin jutsu) web pages. Mr. Hartman's response was:
"...it seems clear to me that the school(s) in question seem to be home-grown North American systems developed by people who are a number of removes away from
[Edited by Ken Allgeier on 09-14-2000 at 06:40 PM]