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Meik Skoss
2nd October 2003, 21:18
"HELP! I need somebody's HELP! Won't you please, please, help me?"

I am researching an article for a symposium in Kyoto, to be held next month. I will be presenting a paper on the classical martial arts and their transmission outside Japan. Although I know most of the systems and people who are doing that nowadays, I *do* need information about the earliest instructors/arts, particularly in England and Europe. If there's anybody out there in e-Budoland who can provide me with names and dates, that'd be terrific.

At the moment, as far as England is concerned, I know that Tani Yukio and Koizumi Gunji were two of the most important figures. They were both exponents of judo, but I believe that they had also studied one or another of the classical jujutsu ryu. Can somebody tell me what it was that these men did? Or point me to a resource?

I understand that Tenjin Shinyo-ryu and Ryoi Shinto-ryu were among the classical schools that came to Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Does anybody know who the teachers were? Where they taught? Or if there are people who are still training in these arts in England?

I would also appreciate any information about Continental Europe, in particular France and Germany.

If you can respond in a hurry, that'd be a HUGE help to me. And thank you for any assistance.

dakotajudo
2nd October 2003, 22:24
I suspect the folks over at EJMAS would help (i.e. http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Noble_1000.htm) - some are active here.

The only thing I would add is that a less obvious source is E.J. Harrison - in his books (i.e. Manual of Judo) he drops hints of his training in Tenshin Shinyo Ryu in Yokohama at the turn of the century.

I suppose I could add Uyenishi and Higashi - Uyenishi was probably TSR, not sure about Higashi.

Might be some other hints here:
http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/article28.htm

Last thought - the Yabe school published a five-part instruction booklet set at the turn of the century. I've seen the books listed for auction on eBay haven't seen the books themselves - but they are cited in the previous link ("A Course of Instruction in Jiu-Jitsu")

Nathan Scott
3rd October 2003, 00:29
Hi Meik,

This may be of no use to you, but just in case, here are a few things:

Ca. 1903-1905, at the age of 45/46, Takeda Sokaku took a short trip via train to Hokkaido. During the trip, he escorted American Charles Parry to the rear of the train using a "yonkajo" wrist grab, after finding out that he had complained to the ticket inspector about Sokaku being seated near him.

Sokaku was teaching at the Second Army Division in Sendai, and Parry was teaching English at the Sendai Sedond High School. Mr. Parry and another foreigner who came with him later became the first foreign students of Sokaku. If I remember correctly (can't find the references now), Parry reported back to President Roosevelt his experience with Sokaku.

Harada Shinzo was sent to America as Takeda Sokaku's representative after Sokaku had received a request for instruction from President Roosevelt. The BRDJ lists Harada as having received Kyoju Dairi from Sokaku in 1903. Unfortunately, I haven't found any other information on Harada and to what extent he may have taught in America.

**

Also, this isn't "koryu", but Toyama ryu battodo was brought to America by Obata Toshishiro Sensei in 1980. Interestingly, Fumio Demura claimed in an Inside Karate magazine article published in 1995 that a battodo group that he invited out in 1990 actually introduced Toyama ryu and battodo to America, even though he and Obata S. know each other. But there you have it anyway.

Good luck with your paper (we all get copies right!?) :)

Walker
3rd October 2003, 01:16
I believe there was a Yabe School of Jiu Jitsu in Rochester NY circa 1905. Yae Kichi Yabe wrote several books and is described as formally of the Ten-Shin School of Jiu Jitsu.
From an ad in Harpers and his book.

John J OBrien was also Ten-Shin ryu and was an Inspector of Police at Nagasaki. Wrote a book “Jiu Jitsu Adapted for the Use of Those Without Athletic Training or Previous Experience” 1905 and trained with Pres. Roosevelt. I think there is an article at EJMAS.

Also Ten-Shin ryu and a contemporary of O’Brien in Nagasaki was Col. Risher W. Thornberry. I think he ran a Temperance boarding house for sailors in Japan. Later he settled in LA and ran the American School or Jiu-Jitsu. He published “A General Course in Jiu-Jitsu” 1933. More a bound mimeograph perhaps given out at his school. Apparently he issued teaching licence like “diplomas” and one is reproduced in a book by his student Samual Link in his book “Combat Jiu-Jitsu for Offence and Defense” 1943

Also of note are the efforts of E.W. Barton-Wright and his 1899 article in Pearson’s The New Art of Self Defence How a Man may Defend Himself against Every Form of Attack.

If that is not enough there is Captain Allen Corstorphin Smith a Kodokan Shodan who published The Secrets of Jujitsu 1918 and taught at the Infantry School, Camp Benning. He shares distinction as an early Kodokan dan holder with D.T. Weed, E.J. Harrison, W.E. Fairbairn and Dermott O’Neill.

There is some controversy about what Hancock and Higashi were showing in the Complete Kano Jiu-Jitsu 1904 and other books. Some say Tsutsumi ryu and a few others, but it seems it was not orthodox Kodokan.

Hissho
3rd October 2003, 01:16
The Intro to Koizumi's My Study of Judo (Cornerstone Library, New York, 1960) reads:

"I was born on 8th July, 1885, in the province of Ibaraki, about twenty miles north of Tokyo. Japan was then going through the process of readjustment needed to adapt herself to the newly created political order and international relationships.

When I was twelve years of age I joined a KENJUTSU (Double-handed swordsmanship) class, and enjoyed the training under the master of the school which I attended, for three years. Moving to Tokyo, and under the stress of the usual schoolboy fueds, I took up TENSHIN-SHINYO RYU JuJutso (sic) under NOBUSHIGE TAGO, who was quite an impressive figure with a long grey beard, although the actual training was mostly left to his young assistant, N. TAKAGAKI. He was a good teacher, kind and gentle, but in RANDORI one day, soon after I had started training, he gave me some terrific kicks, wild pushes and pulls. Then abruptly stopping, he quietly asked me, "Do you know that is what you are doing to me?" Since then, how often have I been reminded of this episode by the zeal of eager beginners! At this TAGO DOJO much time was devoted to the practice of KATA, for which the participants wore black HAKAMA (divided skirt), a band of white cloth across the forehead with the ends knotted at the back of the head and, sometimes, a wooden sword and daggers.

In 1904, in Fusan, Korea, I attended the KENJUTSU and JUJUTSU school conducted by an ex-samurai of the OWARI clain, Sensei NOBUKATSU YAMADA and learned the techniques of the SHIN-SHIN-RYU, JUJUTSU and KATSU.

During four months' stay in Singapore from November 1905 to February 1906, I helped Sensei T. AKISHIMA in conduct of his Ju Jutsu school and was taught the 144 techniques of AKISHIMA-RYU and KATSU. His method of instruction was only in the form of KATA. The participators stood at each end of the Dojo and after an exchange of KIAI, they met in the center for action. The technique consisted of throws, locks and blows, many of which were of doubtful practical value. However, I owe Sensei Akishima much for his instruction in the technical essentials which were taught in the olden days only to those who were approved by the teacher.

Arriving in England in May 1906, I stayed for twelve months, instructing at the KARA ASHIKAGA school of Ju Jutsu, Liverpool, the Piccadilly school of Ju Jutsu, The Polytechnic, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, etc. At this time, Ju Jutsu was much in vogue, with YUKIO TANI, TARO MIYAKE, RAKU UYENISHI, AKITARO OHNO touring the music halls.

After a three years' sojourn in the U.S.A. studying electrical engineering, I returned to London in May 1910 and settled down, making it my permanent home.

In January 1918, I opened the Badokwai (sic) Dojo for the practice of Ju Jutsu, Kenjutsu and other martial arts of Japan. This club was conducted on the lines of an Amateur Sports Club. The Budokwai since has served as the pioneer in developing and establishing the Judo movement on a national and international basis.

In 1920 on the occasion of the late Professor Jigoro Kano's visit with Mr. Hikoichi Aida, who was to be the first Judo instructor to the Budokwai, Mr. Tani and I joined the Kodokan and were graded to 2nd Dan. I was influenced to take this step by the fact that the Kodokan was founded as an educational institution, free from financial interests, with the object of facilitating the study and practice of Judo as a scientific and ever progressive subject on the principle of maximum efficiency and minimum effort.

I was graded to 4th Dan in 1932, to 6th Dan in 1948, and to 7th Dan in 1951, for the number of throws I have taken as a subject experimental. Now, I am privileged to repose at the end of the Dojo and indulge in KUCHI-WAZA - mouth technique."

pp.17-18

(emphasis in the original)

Kit Leblanc

dakotajudo
3rd October 2003, 03:04
Now that I'm home, I can add a little more.

In Robert Smith's "A Complete Guide to Judo", Henri Plee mentions that the first jujutsu club in France was established by Guy de Montgailhard in Paris in 1905; judo followed in 1910 in the person of one Ensign Le Prieur who'd studied under Yokoyama. He suggests that the presence of the judoka Ishiguro in the 1930's "lessened" the development of jujutsu in Paris.

Montgailhard had studied jujutsu in London, but no teacher is mentioned.

Further, "International Judo continued to develop and the European Judo Union was established in Frankfurt. Among the delegates present were Ishiguro (France), Kitabatake (Germany), Rhi (Switzerland), and Tani and Koizumi of Great Britain. Progress was stunted momentarily by Ishiguro's return to Japan. There still existed many Jujutsu clubs in Paris specializing in personal defence."

Since Tani and Koizumi weren't strictly judoka, perhaps the others on the list weren't, either.


In his preface to "The Complete Jujutsuan" (first published 1914, I have the 1955 ed.) , W.H Garrud recognizes his teachers, Raku Uyenishi, Yukio Tani, Tarro Myake and other Japanese experts.

In Uyenishi's book "The Text-Book of Ju-Jutsu", in a Word Portrait by The Editor of "Health and Strength", Uyenishi first studied kenjutsu, then jujutsu at several schools in Osaka. He also studied roku-shaku-bo and han-bo. While not directly said, it is implied that Uyenishi was young at this time. He was born in 1880.

The frontpiece credits Uyenishi as being instructor at:
Riku-gun yo-nan gako
Tai-iku-kai
Shi-han-gako
Jun sa kio-shun sho
All Government Schools in Osaka
The Army Gymnastic Staff, Head Quarters Gymnasium, Aldershot.

Joseph Svinth
3rd October 2003, 03:23
A looong e-mail went downrange to Meik, but some links for the rest of y'all:

Yamashita and Teddy Roosevelt: http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_svinth1_1000.htm

Risher Thornberry:
http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_henderson_0600.htm

Leopold McLaglan:
http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_McLaglan_1202.htm

One of the pioneers of the Japanese Communist Party gave a demonstration of judo at the American Socialist Party's presidential convention in 1904. http://www.chipublib.org/001hwlc/gisconvention.html

Budokwai history: http://www.budokwai.org/history.htm

Barton-Wright: http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_noble_0301.htm

Yukio Tani:
http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Noble_1000.htm

The koryu folks in Japan, after WWII:
http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_svinth_1202.htm

Higashi:
http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_edgren1_0300.htm and http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_leonard_0802.htm

Sorakichi Matsuda:
http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Svinth1_1100.htm

Frank Matsuyama:
http://www.yawara.com/YawaraStick.html

For Okinawan sumo and karate transmission, see http://seinenkai.com/art-sumo.html and http://ejmas.com/jcs/jcsart_svinth_0603.htm

kabutoki
5th October 2003, 13:30
hello,
as there were excellent connections between germany and japan since late meiji era, especially on the fields of military and medicine there should be material around. i will try to find something. how´s your german meik ? :)

karsten

AAC
5th October 2003, 16:33
Here is one of the first samurai in England, and France. Twenty two were there as ambassadors for the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1862... as in late EDO. Kind of far reaching to say they taught the French or English any jujutsu or kenjutsu. There must have been some interest, to see Japanese military arts...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2563028898

Joseph Svinth
6th October 2003, 01:30
Akitaro Ono was one of Germany's judo pioneers. In an obituary published on December 24, 1921, the Japan Times noted that Ono, "who held high rank in the Kodokwan, was one of the pioneers to go to Europe and America to teach the now noted art of Judo. While in England, where he was best known as ‘Daibutsu,’ he taught, with the assistance of one of his English pupils, at the Polytechnic Y.M.C.A. and when he returned to his native land began teaching at the Yokohama Y.M.C.A. His assistants were his English pupil and two local experts. Under the instruction of Dr. Ono, Messrs. Butler, Isaacs and Cabeldu some seven years ago passed the strenuous Kodokwan Black Belt tests." Ono also taught judo at military academies in Berlin and Gross Lichterfelde around 1906, and wrestled professionally in England and Italy. For more on this, see http://web.tiscali.it/no-redirect-tiscali/liviotoschi/storia%20del%20judo/storia%20del%20judo.htm and http://www.jiu-jitsu.cc/jiu_jitsu/geschichte/jiu_geschichte_japan.htm . The name is also transliterated Ohno. See, for instance, Gunji Koizumi’s remarks at http://www.bestjudo.com/brmystudyofjudo.shtml . And, while Daibutsu means the Great Buddha, Ono was actually Catholic.

Katsumi Higashi has also been mentioned as a pioneer of judo in Germany. This would have been around 1905. Jigoro Kano was in Germany around 1889, and there was a medical doctor who translated Clausewitz into Japanese in the 1890s. Now that's fluency.

Dr. Erwin Baelz is of course an important figure, too, as he was the guy who got Totsuka and Kano to have their tournament, for the purposes of convincing the Ministry of Education that jujutsu could be used to build Kultur. How? Well, among other things, he was the physician to the royal family, and in Japan, a word dropped in some crown prince's ear carries a whole lot of weight at the toady levels. The relevant book is "Awakening Japan." For a list of books on that era that may contain useful snippets, see http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~hst1851a/links/sources.html .

All that said, Erich Rahn is generally acknowledged as the German jujutsu pioneer. Rahn was an enthusiastic National Socialist who ended up in East Berlin after the war, so modern German judo history tends to downplay him. Alfred Rhode established a club in Frankfurt-am-Main in 1920, and with its subsequent exchanges with the Budokwai, Rhodes' club is generally depicted as the starting point for Kodokan judo in Germany.

For a few E-budo types discussing all this auf deutsch, sehen Sie sich http://pub32.ezboard.com/fbudoforumfrm4.showMessage?topicID=38.topic .

The latter forum's moderator, Robert Reinberger, is the person to ask about judo's development in Austria.

NOTE: http://web.tiscali.it/no-redirect-tiscali/liviotoschi/storia%20del%20judo/storia%20del%20judo.htm contains useful info on the introduction of judo and kendo to Italy.

Joseph Svinth
6th October 2003, 02:07
Pioneering French judoka included George Dubois, Guy de Montgrilhard, and Ernest Régnier, ca. 1904-1906. There were even boxing vs. judo bouts in Paris. For some pix of early French judo, see http://perso.club-internet.fr/olivier.coudurier/jujitsu.htm

There were also YMCA judo demos during WWI. See, for instance, "Soldiers Will Be Taught Jiu Jitsu," Camp Dodger, I (September 21, 1917 ), p. 4, http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/Bai/newman2.htm . That particular one was in Iowa, but if you check the old newspapers, I'm betting that you'll see the demos in Paris, too.

Kawaishi is much later, only arriving in Paris in 1935, after first wrestling professionally in California and teaching judo commercially in England. Haku Michigami is important to post-WWII French and Dutch judo. Tokio Hirano was another important postwar pioneer.

***

Now this is interesting -- according to this presumably Japanese site, http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/virtual/judo/history.html , there are more people doing judo in France than in Japan.

kabutoki
8th October 2003, 09:37
hi meik,
im sorry but this text is in german.
http://www.harteck.de/judo/judohis.htm
using babelfish it may help you anyway. i´m in a hurry now but if you need a rough translation drop me a line and i will do it later today.

http://www.harteck.de/judo/judohis.htm
also german, click "judo" and then "Geschichte 3: Judo in Deutschland"

a page with a cv and some pictures of erich rahn:
http://www.djjr.de/Info_DJJR/Erich_Rahn/body_erich_rahn.html

they are only short accounts but they might give you an idea.
i´ll keep looking

karsten

Brian Stokes
23rd October 2003, 03:27
Hey Meik,

There is an individual recognized (Shoden license) by the honbu of the Suio Ryu who is located in Toulouse, France by the name of Robert Rodriguez. He just recently (October 13th) participated in the Suio Ryu Koden Taikai in Japan, coming in 2nd in the Rokudan division. (The Suio Ryu does not have any belt rankings but the taikai is attended by loads of styles that do.) I believe that he is very highly ranked in jodo and kendo in France. I'd give you his e-mail address, if he had one.

If you need more info let me know and I will see what I can dig up.

Keiko!

Brian Stokes