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Mike Morgan
12th April 2003, 00:22
Okay, I'll start out by being honest: I'll looking for information on sumai and kumi-uchi for an RPG, and to satisfy my own curiosity.

A friend was making an RPG, and since I have a penchant for researching martial arts, I decided to do a bit of looking up for it. During one of my searches, I came across sumai and kumi-uchi. Since the game takes place during the Tokugawa era, sumai and kumi-uchi weren't exactly fitting, until, that is, it fit with a storyline that I became involved in.

Some 300 hours of websearches later, I had very little information. Sumai (transllated as "struggle") evolved (or, depending on how you look at it, de-evolved) into sumo wrestling, and kumi-uchi evolved into jiu-jitsu. My internet searches are getting me, well, nowhere, and I'm not exactly able to get any better sources. (Ahhh, the downfall of living in the middle of nowhere.)

Unfortunately, now my own personal curiosity is peaked, and I'm madly trying to find things out, just to keep from frothing at the mouth with curiosity. If anybody could help me out, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for at least reading this,

Mike Morgan

yoj
12th April 2003, 00:33
I believe Serge Mol discusses this in his Koryu Jujutsu book, I'll have a look when i get a mo' and confirm it.

Mike Morgan
13th April 2003, 05:39
I'd offer to look up something for you, but I doubt that I have any information offhand that would be any use to anybody.

Don Cunningham
13th April 2003, 15:16
I've always heard kumi-uchi used in reference to grappling in armor. One of the two styles that Jigoro Kano sensei studied prior to formulating Kodokan Judo was based on jujutsu techniques for grappling in armor. Many of judo's sacrifice techniques, such as tomoe-nage, are based on these original techniques. You might try checking some judo history sites.

MarkF
14th April 2003, 08:37
You might try http://www.bstkd.com/judo.htm and click on History of the Kodokan, or take a look at the books reviewed on the site.

I believe Shindo Yoshin ryu (Takamura-ha) also practices some kumi-uchi though it may not refer specifically to armor itself, just the technique. But hey, it couldn't hurt to check it out, right? You may get some argument as to its history being modern, but dating this stuff as to modern/traditional is just a moment in time.:confused:


Mark