Yoshida Kotaro & Yoshida Kenji (Yanagi-ryu)

[Joseph Svinth]

The only texts there that I have read are Harrison's book (1910) and the Global Security article. Harrison's book is useful mostly for the maps and photos, which are really nice graphics. The Global Security article is very good, but for obvious reasons, it doesn't devote itself much to individual Korean railwaymen don't get mentioned, if you know what I mean. Nonetheless, the bibliographies always lead outward.

Don't forget to check National Archives and Library of Congress. For instance, there is this newsreel at NARA.

ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN SIBERIA, 1918-1919, 1936
Creator: Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer. (09/18/1947 - 02/28/1964) ( Most Recent)

Type of Archival Materials:
Moving Images
Level of Description:
Item from Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860 - 1982

Location: Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-M), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 PHONE: 301-837-3540, FAX: 301-837-3620, EMAIL: mopix@nara.gov
Other Titles: Historical Film, No. 1161

Production Date: 1936

Part of: Series: Historical Films, ca. 1914 - ca. 1936

Scope & Content Note:
Reel 1 has panoramic views of Vladivostok. Ger. POW's unload the transport Sherman, refugees congregate in the railway station, U.S. troops stand inspection, 31st Inf. officers pose, and Japanese troops guard the station. Shows trucks and autos. Reel 2, U.S. troops march and stand inspection, machine guns are readied and fired, an airplane flies overhead, Col. Robinson and aides pose in Spasskoe, medics pose at a Khabarovsk hospital, and Japanese troops load war materiel on flatcars in Khabarovsk. Shows railway supplies in Ogalnia, Col. Styer, the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, and a Japanese depot. Reel 3 shows dock facilities at Red River Station on the Ussuri; U.S. and allied troops; civilians; sentries guarding a bridge over the Amur; a funeral procession; Styer posing with Japanese Gen. Oi; Ger. POW's exercising at Red River Station; Cols. Murrow and Robinson on a train; a U.S. guard mount; and Russ. troops. Reel 4, Japanese troops guard a U.S. train, crew members pose, Japanese Gen. Kayizuka visits Styer, Ataman Kalmikoff's Cossacks drill, U.S. troops put on a rodeo, Cossacks pose, and Morrow poses in his quarters. Reel 5, officers pose aboard the Brit. cruiser Suffolk, sailors row to the cruiser Brooklyn, Brit. Gen. Knox poses with aides, Brit. troops march thru Vladivostok, and Graves poses with aides Eichelberger and Offutt. Shows hospital cars on a siding. Reel 6 shows ships in Vladivostok, Japanese crewmen, docks, and Russ. army maneuvers. The transport Warren cuts a path thru ice and workmen board a tug. Reel 7, Czech's guard and feed Bolshevik's on a train in Pogranichnaya, Manchuria. Shows an A.R.C. train near Nekolsk, Siberia, trucks on railway cars, wrecked cars in Harbi Manchuria, the Buchadeu hospital, and a train near Lake Baikal. Refugees walk along the Siberian railroad, Japanese and Chinese troops stand inspection, Russ. and Chinese troops guard the Harbin station, Japanese troops practice bayonet drills, and Czech's unload a train. Reel 8 shows office.....

Joe
That was great-research supreme. I echo Chris and Bruce and most everyone else here. When it comes to research you're the man
Cheers
Bud
Dan

Tony
I finally got to crack the book out again. I found the same information. What I found facinating again was that Yoshida taught some wrist moves as well as the tessan to Kondo as stated.
Play that against Kondo telling Don that he recognized theteesan uses and the wrist use. It makes ya wonder where Yanagi and Daito ryu converged or split and in which man or in both..hhmmm

cheers
Dan

[Nathan Scott]

Hi all,

Just came across something I've been meaning to follow up on.

There is a reference on the following Richard Kim webpage to a set of Yoshida Kotaro Daito-ryu scrolls that were passed down to Kim. The scrolls are unconventional by Daito-ryu standards, but interesting just the same. The web page and Richard Kim book (The Classical Man) both mis-translate many of the scroll titles:

http://www.richardkimmartialartist.com/kotaro.html

"Yoshida received a teacher’s license from Takeda and created his own style and a set of scrolls to go with the style. These scrolls contained the secrets of Yoshida’s Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu. These scrolls are now in the possession of Mrs. Richard Kim (Sensei Kim’s wife) and were seen by several of her followers as recent as Winter 2005.

The scrolls are as follows, from left to right:
1. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu techniques with Bo and Jo. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
2. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu techniques of Shuriken and throwing knives. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
3. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu Techniques of Aiki #1. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
4. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu Techniques of Aiki #2. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
5. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu Techniques of Muscle Manipulation and Bone Adjustments. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
6. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu Techniques of Aiki Judo throwing arts.
Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
7. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu Techniques of the Sword. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
8. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu Techniques of Aiki Judo throwing arts. Signed Yoshida Kotaro.
9. Daito Ryu Aiki Jitsu – Can not see in the picture as it is cut off, but it is also signed by Yoshida Kotaro.

This photo of these scrolls was taken by George Dong for an article written in June 1969’s Black Belt Magazine. It was taken in the apartment of Mr. Robert Leong. They were translated by Mr. Naito, a senior citizen in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, and his assistant. These scrolls are signed by Yoshida Kotaro. There is no date on them in this picture. Apparently the date is inside the scrolls."

Following is the photograph with my own translation. The "signature" referenced above appears to be Yoshida's hanko stamps　( 吉田幸太郎 ), which appears on the outside of each scroll. Be advised that on the ninth scroll (partially pictured on the right), I made an educated guess only as to the title based on what little kanji can be seen and the nomenclature used in the other scrolls:



From lt to rt:

1) Daito-ryu Bojutsu Hiden (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
2) Daito-ryu Shurikenjutsu Hiden Mokuroku (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
3) Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Shoden (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
4) Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Chuden Mokuroku (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
5) Daito-ryu Kinkotsu Choseijutsu Hiden – muscle and bone manipulation (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
6) Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Hiden Bassui – summary of secret teachings (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
7) Daito-ryu Kenjutsu Hiden Mokuroku (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
8) Daito-ryu Aikijutsu Okuden (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)
9) Daito-ryu Kusarigama Hiden Mokuroku (stamped by Yoshida Kotaro)

If nothing else this gives an idea what type of Daito-ryu curriculum Yoshida was teaching. Technically though, it is "unusual" for a Daito-ryu exponent to create their own scrolls and issue them independently unless they have received Menkyo Kaiden (which Yoshida did not). Based on the titles of the scrolls, Yoshida did not create his own style, but rather used the Daito-ryu name without even indicating any kind of branch name.

Regards,

[Nathan Scott]

There is more information on the subject of Yoshida Kotaro in the following thread that is worth looking over as well:

Mas Oyama (Kyokushin Karate) & Yoshida Kotaro

In it is a photo of a stick and umbrella catalog of techniques that was apparently issued to Mas Oyama by Yoshida Kotaro. The densho was written in the "Yoshida Style" martial art (Yoshida-shiki), not Daito-ryu - though under his signature he does list his Daito-ryu kyoju dairi license as part of his issuing authority. Perhaps this is the term Yoshida used for his teachings at some point. Too bad there isn't a date visible on any of the scrolls pictured.

Yoshida passed away in 1966, approximately 23 years after Sokaku's death. Perhaps Yoshida became comfortable in adopting Daito-ryu as his art sometime after Sokaku's death - or, for whatever reason, didn't recognize Tokimune or anyone else as succeeding Daito-ryu after Sokaku. Takeda Sokaku and Yoshida Kotaro were known to be very close. Either way, there appears to be a period of about 10 years following Sokaku's death before Tokimune established himself as headmaster of Daito-ryu. Maybe it was this down-period that allowed some, like Yamomoto Kakuyoshi and Ueshiba Morihei, to begin laying claim to "successor" of Daito-ryu.

Regards,

[Richard Elias]

It may be notable that up until Takuma Hisa received menkyo kaiden the kyoju dairi certification was the highest available in Daito ryu, menkyo kaiden did not exist. I believe that Yoshida was not the only kyoju dairi licensed teacher that issued ranks and licenses in Daito ryu independent of Takeda or the main line school.