Shigeru Murakami & Gerald Durant

[Vision Quest]

Hello, all. I am doing some research into a karate style called "Goshin Justu". The founder of this style, an American named Gerard Durant, is said to have jumped ship in Japan during WWII and trained under Murakami.

A marketing brochure for one of this style's dojos states the following:

"Master Durant studied with Shigeru Murakami, a Samurai prince, an Aiki Jutsu master who is credited with systemizing Okinawan and Chinese Empty Hand forms."

Can anyone verify this information and/or comment? Thanks.

Sam,

You already know where I stand on this one. Think about it this way. Okinawan aikijujutsu is an oxymoron. It's like Japanese Tiger Tanks or German Kamikaze Pilots. A historical phantom.

[Ken Allgeier]

The information Sam is writing about can be found at these web-pages the URL's are


http://user.mc.net/~hugh/Durant.htm



http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/c/a/cal178/


http://www.royal-martial-arts.com




http://www.auburnkarate.com click on history
ken allgeier

[Edited by Ken Allgeier on 08-08-2000 at 02:20 PM]

[Vision Quest]

Ken, oddly, almost EVERY website I had bookmarked for this style has an URL that is no longer working now. The website for Mr. Porfilio's school underwent some hasty revisions in the last week (the ridiculous photos of him posing with the hocus-pocus fake smoke and stage lighting were pulled off). Now the site is gone altogether!

The ones you posted are still valid though. And also this one is still working, and it has yet another version of Durant's lineage: http://www.goshinjutsu.org/pages/history.htm

I note with puzzlement that Mr. Brague got his Soke-Doke 10th degree Grand Master title from "the Yudan Shakai". Did he mean the "yudanshakai"? WHICH yudanshakai? Was he promoted by his own black belts? What kind of style has instructors being promoted by their own students..isn't this kind of, umm, bass ackwards?

[Edited by Vision Quest on 08-08-2000 at 01:50 PM]

[Vision Quest]

Just wanted to clarify and doublecheck. Goshin Jutsu claims that Durant learned the style from Murikami, who was "a samurai prince". I've been informed by several individuals that there is no such thing as a "Samurai prince". Can anyone provide info to support or refute that statement?

Thanks,

Sam,

I believe it would be accurate to say that by the Edo Period the Japanese royal family and the samurai ( warrior class) were distinctly different social classes. Therefore a "Samurai Prince" is pretty much a fictitious character. (It probably sounds good in fairy tales though .)

Besides, the samurai as a recognized social class was abolished in 1868. If Mr Durrant really studied from any samurai he must have had a time machine as he was born in 1923, 55 years after the samurai class was abolished.

Call H.G.Wells !

His supposed lineage and story have many other such timeline problems. The information below comes from one of his organizations websites.

A Brief History of Master Durant 1923-1991

Gerard Durant is credited with bringing Goshin Jutsu to the United States after W.W.II. Master Durant received his dan ranking in the 1930s at the Osaka Kodakan.

If he was born in 1923 and got a dan rank in the 1930’s from the Kodakan, he would have to have been just.... never mind


Toby Threadgill

[goshin76]

Yes I can verify that is true. I am a student under Grand Master Matthew Durant son of Sosho Gerard Durant. I have been with him since I was 15 and now am 22. Unfortunatley Sosho Durant died of cancer before I started taking Goshin. I have a picture of Sosho Durant when he was healthy and one when he was in a wheel chair I have a dragon on my left arm in his memory. well hope this helps.

[Nathan Scott]

goshin76, thanks for posting. But the rules you read when you registered say clearly that you must use your full, real name when posting here.

Thanks,

[Gene Williams]

Do we have to go through this Durant crap again? There is a long thread in the archives about him. he's just another charlatan, and if you are training in his "style", you better run to the nearest traditional dojo...I mean knock people down getting there

[Dan Harden]

Go here
Examining Goshin Jutsu's Historicity: Evidence Demand a Verdict
In the Bad Budo section.

Read
cheers
Dan

[lime]

I believe goshin jutsu was Taught to the armed Forces after WWII and I think it is an off shoot of Judo if I'm not mistaken so not lonely is his History false he stole the name as well.

[JAMJTX]

"I have a picture of Sosho Durant when he was healthy and one when he was in a wheel chair I have a dragon on my left arm in his memory. well hope this helps"
Well, that settles it. It must be true! NOT!
Goshin Jutsu is taught to everyone that learns martial arts. All "Goshin Jutsu" means is "self defense art" and is used in Japanese martial arts quite generically. It is not an off-shoot of anything.
In Jigaro Kano's book, and others, there is a section on "Goshin Jutsu". This is the self-defense applications of Judo. It probably even says that in the book, I don't have my copy handy.

Simply put, there is no seperate martial art or ryu called Goshin Jutsu.

As far as Durant, he was a redneck moron with very little karate training that he got here in the U.S., even less skill. But he was one of the great con-artists of the martial arts.

[MarkF]

Originally posted by lime
I believe goshin jutsu was Taught to the armed Forces after WWII and I think it is an off shoot of Judo if I'm not mistaken so not lonely is his History false he stole the name as well.

Well, in the general meaning it was taught to the armed forces during occupation, but the kata, Kodokan Goshin Jutsu no kata, wasn't taught until the late 1950s. It has nothing to do with Durant, Sr. or Jr. It became a part of the Kodokan syllabus in 1956.

If you really want to read what there is on Gerard Durant's Goshin Jutsu Kyo Jujo, look in the forum Bad Budo and do a forum search. Or do a web site search, you will find it at the top of the page.


Mark

[lime]

Goshin jutsu Formof jujutsu developed by Tatsu Tanaka ,who oprned a dojo in Tokyo in 1952.Finding classical jujutsu unsuited to his tastes, he decided to modernize the system by eliminating injourious techniques.Kicking and striking techinques were removed, as was leg tripping, and emphasis placed on atemi-wazw Kansetsu-wazaand nage-waza. Tanaka's main purpose is to promote good health through vigorous excercise and prper knowledge of self-defense. There are some 150 techinques in goshin jutsu. The Original martial arts Encyclopedia Tradition-history-pioneers.

While my memeber was incorrect on the Judo connection I think Tanaka just followed Kano's thought and slapped a knew name on it.

[Ken Allgeier]

Here are two more ' gems' ,

http://goshindairyu.tripod.com/History.htm

http://www.emperorslongfist.com/aikijutsu.htm

Sadly it the same cliché of the misunderstanding of history and Budo nomenclature.What is more unfortnate is that these people are learning such weak and fraudulate techniqies, masquerading as authentic Aikijutsu.

You have have to love the traditional uniforms on this page.

http://www.emperorslongfist.com/jujitsu/photos.htm

It seems that presently the term ' soke' in North America has the connotation of an individual behaving or having the characteristics of a buffoon.


Ken allgeier