Daito ryu Goshinkai/ Jose Garrido

Does anyone have any info on this school and it's teachers?

http://www.goshinkai.com/Pages/Main.htm

http://goshinkai.com/Pages/Beckham.htm

They do an off shoot of Nihon Goshin Aikido. Good self defense. I met Beckham once and found him to be a sincere martial artist as well as skilled.

[Brently Keen]

I've not met these folks so I can't comment on either their skill or their personalities. However...

If the school is derived from Nihon Goshin Aikido it doesn't have anything to do with Daito-ryu, rather it's an offshoot of an offshoot of aikido. I seriously doubt that any of these instructors have studied any one of the authentic branches of Daito-ryu for any extended length of time, much less long enough to be able to use the name Daito-ryu in their new composite art. Unless the founder has a legit kyoju dairi (and I really doubt that), then I don't think they should be using the name Daito-ryu at all. They should call it goshin-ryu or something.

I also think it is very presumptuous to say, as they do on their website, that they're teaching techniques from all the authentic branches of Daito-ryu. Personally, I wouldn't find such misrepresentation to be all that sincere. None of the babble on Beckham's page sounds like anything from Daito-ryu, much less it's martial history. Some of it definitely sounded Hollywood though.

BK

[Chris Li]

Originally posted by Brently Keen
If the school is derived from Nihon Goshin Aikido it doesn't have anything to do with Daito-ryu, rather it's an offshoot of an offshoot of aikido. I seriously doubt that any of these instructors have studied any one of the authentic branches of Daito-ryu for any extended length of time, much less long enough to be able to use the name Daito-ryu in their new composite art. Unless the founder has a legit kyoju dairi (and I really doubt that), then I don't think they should be using the name Daito-ryu at all. They should call it goshin-ryu or something.

As I understand these things, the founder (Shodo Morita) trained in Daito-ryu with Yoshida Kitaro (so they say - I assume they mean "Yoshida Kotaro"). How long, or what menkyo he received (if any) I have no idea. Although they use the name "Aikido" IIRC there's no actual connection to M. Ueshiba - but that's just off the top of my head.

Best,

Chris

Since the early 1960s the oral history of NGA has been that Shodo Morita was awarded a certificate from Yoshida Kotaro in Daito Ryu. No one has been able to disprove that, or prove it. Isoyama sensei who had an Aikido dojo nearby has said that he met Shodo Morita once or twice and that he was known as an Aikijujutsu practitioner. Again no real proof but atleast he is not a figment of the imagination.

I am trying to find more about Morita, does anyone know martial artists that trained in Chitose Japan between 1950 to 1970?

[O'Neill]

Has anyone heard of this group? Jose Garrido is the sensei. I think that they came from Nihon Goshin Aikido and then started studying Daito ryu.

[Ron Tisdale]

Garrido Sensei was at the Kondo clinic in Baltimore. I've seen him there before, but had a chance to really train with him and some of his students this time, as well as to speak with him at length. Very enjoyable in both cases. I'd train with him if I was in NY.

Ron Tisdale

[O'Neill]

I am hoping to obtain his email address.

[Mark Jakabcsin]

Erin,
I believe you can find his e-mail address on the following web -site. Look under the contact information. You can also learn a little bit more about this group.

http://www.goshinkai.com/


mark

[Nathan Scott]

This is kind of a strange webpage. It would appear that Mr. Garrido is claiming to have received a black belt (shodan?) and a "Gokui kaiden shihanship" (?) from DR Kodokai. What is that, and what right does he have to use the Takeda bishi mon and Daito ryu name? He does not list the Kodokai as one of the organizations that "recognize his rank".

Is he really in his early to mid 40's? Maybe it is an old photo of him, but he claims to have begun training in aiki in 1964.

It appears that they are located in South Carolina, judging from their contact address.

I don't know what his skills or personality are like, but I'd be curious to know more about his previous training.

[Mark Jakabcsin]

"It appears that they are located in South Carolina, judging from their contact address."

Nathan,
I believe Mr. Garrido is located in NY and the school in SC is associated with him in some manner. I am not positive about that, I tried to find more information but some of the site addresses I had were old and no longer contain web-sites. I posted the above address since it had some information about Mr. Garrido and the Goshinkai, including email address for those seeking more information. One of the gentleman listed as an instructor on the web-site has posted on this forum in the past. Perhaps he will post or e-mail you privately. Take care.

mark

[Roger Lake]

Forget about the South Carolina website, they write way too much stuff without double checking with Garrido as to its veracity (according to conversations I've had with him). Mr. Garrido is a recognized Kodokai dan according to Stan Pranin in the Aikido encyclopedia. He is 46 years old. I believe he has his own website up and running but I don't recall the address. I know his e-mail though:
jgarr60321@aol.com

I'm sure he'd be glad to answer any questions.

Regards,

Roger Lake

[Nathan Scott]

I just came across the Encyclopedia of Aikido reference to Mr. Garrido on the AJ forum here:

http://65.119.177.201/cgi-bin/ubb/ul...&f=10&t=000117

GARRIDO, JOSÉ
(b. 1955). Kyoju Dairi, Nihon Goshin Aikido; 1st dan Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu-Kodokai, 1982 [rank authenticated]. First taught by Richard Bowe in New Jersey, USA in 1965. Holder of rankings from various jujutsu organizations. Recipient of three Presidential Sports Awards, a Certificate of Honor from Federation of Practicing Jujutsuans, and member of the Order of Kentucky Colonels. Chief instructor of Aikijutsu for the Goshinkai Association which teaches modern applications of DAITO-RYU and aikido techniques for self-defense. North Bergen School of Self-Defense, 9276 Kennedy Blvd. , North Bergen, NJ 07047 USA (201)869-4551.

1982 would have been one of the infamous Yonezawa Katsumi Kodokai ranks. I'm not sure I'm following this background completely - if I understand correctly, Mr. Garrido is using the Takeda mon and Daito ryu name based on his shodan?

At this point, I think I'll drop Mr. Garrido a note and invite him to join us here. It would be great to learn more about his background and teachings.

Regards,

[GoshinkaiBushi]

I wanted to add a bit of information that might help clear some issues up.

First, the Greenville Goshinkai site (www.goshinkai.com) is a branch Dojo that is a Nihon Goshin Aikido (NGA) Dojo. If you look at the site, there have been major revisions. The curriculum is NGA PLUS some additional requirements beyond NGA.

Second, Sensei Garrido's rank in Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Kodokai is not from Yonezawa Sensei. His rank is from Shimpo Sensei.

Third, as far as his Gokui Kaiden, it was given to him by the Federation of Practicing Jujutsuans (Jujutsu).

Fourth, as for his association's patch, all I can say is that Sensei Garrido and his Deshi have worn that patch while training with Kondo Sensei in Baltimore and Las Vegas. It has never been an issue for Kondo Sensei, so why should it be for anyone else?

I will try to answer any questions that I can. I know that Sensei Garrido can be reached at the email addressed in a previous post, or, @ Daitoryu2000@aol.com

See you on the mats.

Justin Campbell
withki@aol.com

[Nathan Scott]

Hello Mr. Campbell,

I received a reply from Mr. Garrido with basically the same information. Thanks for posting it here.

Perhaps some of these questions should be directed to Mr. Joe Beckham who runs the goshinkai.com site. The site is full of Daito ryu references and photos of Kondo and Sokaku, though they have removed their "Daito ryu" link for the time being. Apparently they only teach the Nihon Goshin Aikido curriculum, so I don't know why there is so much emphasis on Daito ryu on their page.

Third, as far as his Gokui Kaiden, it was given to him by the Federation of Practicing Jujutsuans (Jujutsu).

Thanks for clarifying that. Mr. DePasquale appears in many publications and seminars, and George Parulski (All Japan Seibukan Martial Arts) is also well known. The biography for Mr. Garrido posted on Mr. Beckham's page implies that this "Gokui Kaiden" was from the Kodokai. Maybe they should clarify that point to avoid further confusion:

http://www.goshinkai.com/Pages/Garrido.htm

The bio found on Mr. Garrido's own page is definitely more clear:

http://www.daitoryugoshinkai.com/aboutus.html

Second, Sensei Garrido's rank in Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Kodokai is not from Yonezawa Sensei. His rank is from Shimpo Sensei.

Fourth, as for his association's patch, all I can say is that Sensei Garrido and his Deshi have worn that patch while training with Kondo Sensei in Baltimore and Las Vegas. It has never been an issue for Kondo Sensei, so why should it be for anyone else?

Just because Kondo Sensei did not complain to you directly about the use of the name or mon does not necessarily mean that he approves of their use. However, I'd be happy to find out for you what Kondo Sensei's thoughts are on this if you like. The reason the rest of us would like to know is because there is little mention in the credentials offered publicly about Mr. Garrido regarding his background in Daito ryu, but the art(s) he teaches appear to be a line of Daito ryu judging from the presentation on these pages.

BTW, is the black and gold patch seen in this photo also from the Goshinkai?

http://www.goshinkai.com/Gallery/InstructorGroup.jpg

The shodan rank awarded in Daito ryu Kodokai is the only credential Mr. Garrido claims to have in the art (in addition to a couple of open seminars with Kondo Sensei in mainline DR), but DR Kodokai is not listed as one of the many organizations that recognize his ranks on the goshinkai.com bio page.

http://www.daitoryugoshinkai.com , the home page of Mr. Garrido, is titled "Daito-ryu Goshinkai". Across the top of the index page are kanji reading "Daito ryu Aikijujutsu", with Mr. Garrido's web page address below it and his Shotokan karate/Takeda bishi mon hybrid crest to the left of it.

The "classical techniques" listed in the goshinkai.com pages includes karate kata and nunchaku techniques, which may be useful for Goshin Aikido, but has nothing to do with Daito ryu. However, on the techniques page on Mr. Garrido's site, mainline techniques like kirikaeshi and kotezume are shown. Are these new additions from the Kondo seminars?

On Mr. Garrido's index page, he states: "The Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu of the Goshinkai is supplemented with techniques from some of the arts listed above." So is the Goshinkai Daito ryu Aikijujutsu with various other methods added to it?

Further insight to the issues raised above would be greatly apprecitated.

Regards,