History of Japanese Jujutsu in Australia

[jimmy09]

hi Neil I'am sorry for the late reply. I have been on the Bodokan ju-jitsu club site. And I know that most of the info on professor Jack Britten is not correct but thank you. can any body confirm that professor Jack Britten was taught by Tani because I don't think he was. your Jimmy.

[Paul Steadman]

I have recently found these two links on the internet - pertaining to Rygoro Fukushima and the history of jujutsu in Australia:


http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~wwd/PW110522/

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/arti...&searchLimits=

Not evedidence that any extant Nihon Jujutsu system in Australia can claim any lineage back to - but still interesteing!

Cheers,

Paul

[Paul Steadman]

Hi all,

Just found this as well:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/arti...&searchLimits=

It's hard to read, the OCR software they have used was not that great or they had a poor original copy of the news piece.

Cheers,

Paul

[mw17]

I think the old Australian Society of Jujitsuans organisation, originally founded by Mr. Len Noys in the 1950's is now known as Koshinryu Jujitsu Australia. They have his DOB as 1903. Fukushima was probably around 20 yrs old when he first taught in Sydney around 1906. Looks like Fukushima taught in Sydney from around 1906 to 1923 and returned to Japan, then came back to Sydney & taught from about 1933 for another three years or so. Records show his senior students around 1908 were Mr. Brale & Mr. Norman Rotten and the style resembles that of Kano Juijitsu. Mr. Noys more than likely became Fukushima's student around 1933.

Matt

[mw17]

I recently found the Koshinryu Jiujitsu Australia website. There are about six dojos located in Victoria and NSW, with around 25 active members including six senior members from 5th to 9th Dan. Its interesting to see such an old Australian school still active with quite an interesting curriculum.

Matt

[Paul Steadman]

Originally Posted by Paul Steadman

* Mr Rugoro Fukushima, a tent wrestler with a touring circus group in Australia, was believed to have been a jujutsu practitioner in the mid 1930s. No extant records or direct transmission dojo exist to this day in regards to Fukushima-san and there is no evidence of which ryu or tradition/school he was involved in or if he was a licensed instructor or not. His grave is in a cemetery in Rotorua, New Zealand.

I recently met up with Mr Roger Quick of Koshin Ryu Jujutsu and the Australian Jujutsu Federation, and showed me several documented evidence of Mr Rugoro Fukushima and his jujutsu activities in Australia. I cannot go into detail as the members of Koshin Ryu have not completed and finalised their documented research.

I must acknowledge Mr Quick's request to correct my statement about Mr Fukushima's grave being in Rotorura, New Zealand - this is not the case.

I look forward to the research being published in the near future, as Australia has a rich heritage of Nihonden jujutsu (koryu and gendai), goshin jujutsu and many westernised derivatives.

Cheers,