My latest article on bunkai: I've been reading a forum about Jujutsu being "added" to Karate, whether this is right or wrong. And here is my view.

Purists on the forum stated: "Master Funakoshi thought it was a sin to add Jujutsu throws to Karate believing it watered down both arts."

While others countered: "But Master Funakoshi himself said that we shouldn't neglect throws in our Karate and he said that basics and sparring should only exist but for the practice of kata."

So from these two simple views we can make a deduction.

In Funakoshi's time there was no need to "add" Jujutsu to Karate because Karate had its own grappling techniques.

"Well I trained with Kanazawa and Enoeda and I never saw them do a throw" I hear you say. "Are you trying to tell me Kanazawa and Enoeda were doing Karate wrong?"

No, I'm saying emphasis had changed.

In Matsumura's time Karate was something warriors did to hone their skills.
In Itosu's time Karate was a way to develop fighting skills and improve character
In Funakoshi's time Karate was a way to develop fitness and improve character
In Kanazawa's time Karate was a way to develop fitness and compete in a sporting contest

See the changing emphasis?

In now, in our time we have a choice. We can do Karate for sport, for fitness, for character, for self defence.

Caveat emptor. It's a buyer's market but make sure you get what you're looking for.

When I first begun teaching, I followed my teacher's convention of teaching both Karate and Jujutsu. First we'd do some Karate techniques (such as kihon, kata or kumite) then we'd do some Jujutsu techniques, be it Judo style grappling or Aiki type throws.

Then I came to the realisation that  there was no need to separate the techniques. No need to say: "Ok, class, this is a hip throw so it comes from Judo whereas this is from Aikido because it's an armlock."

Because actually there are all types of throws and locks already contained within Kata.

And if I've enhanced my Karate by applying my Jujutsu knowledge to it, I've done so not to create a cocktail but to enrich the overall recipe.

And I am far from the first to do this.

Soken Matsumura (b1797) began studying Toshu Jutsu under Sakugawa, he then studied Japanese Jigen Ryu, before training in China. He was enriching his Karate knowledge by studying other arts.

In the early 20th century Hironori Otsuka, Minoru Mochizuki and Kenwa Mabuni also studied both Karate and Jujutsu.

So how do you know you are refining your Karate by applying knowledge gained from Jujutsu, and not just making a hotchpotch of different arts?

The answer is by staying true to the kata. I'll give you an example from another art.

When I was learning Tai Chi we learnt a movement called "repulse the monkey." We were taught which kind of energy this move was supposed to have. In other words which hand was pulling, which hand was pushing, which was expanding, which was sinking, when to advance, when to retreat.

Then my Tai Chi teacher said to me: "It is applied like an Osoto Gari."

So from having done this Judo technique I better understood my Tai Chi. But of course I hadn't "diluted" my Tai Chi by mixing it up with Judo.

The same goes for Karate. I can show an application such as the "uppercut and jump" in Heian Godan, and explain it best by comparing it to the Shiho Nage in Aikido.

Because emphasis has changed in mainstream Karate from being a practical combat art to a sporting activity for those of us who wish to pursue the old methods, sometimes it is necessary to borrow inspiration from other sources.

  It is often said in martial arts that grades and lineage do not matter. But by the same token, it really does matter when somebody does not have a true lineage or true grades.

Think of it like this. If you go to a restaurant and you like the food, it does not matter where the chef learned to cook as long as you like the food.

But imagine if somebody opened a restaurant and said: "Come and sample the most authentic Japanese food in England. Our chef was the personal chef to the Japanese royal family and he comes from a long line of Japanese chefs. Every single one of our ingredients is authentically Japanese, prepared in a traditional Japanese way and will be served according to Japanese tradition."

People would attend the restaurant not only for the food, but for an authentic experience.

Now when you got the restaurant, if they served you tinned sweet and sour pork, microwave rice and Earl Grey teabags, you'd have pretty good cause for complaint.

Now to some people they don't care if food is authentic, or "an experience" they just want good, healthy nutritious fayre. Others don't even want that. They'll happily grab a burger or a kebab and couldn't care less if they were served rat meat.

So back to martial arts. You can go to a gym with no airs and graces, hit the bags for a bit, do some pushups and be happy.

Similarly, you can drop the three kids off at Tiny Tygers Thai Kwondo Kamp and watch as they run around playing games and gaining merit badges for being able to do a cart wheel. Again - that's fine if that's what you want.

I like to serve up something more authentic. Granted, it's my own recipe. Granted it may not be to your taste. But it's good honest martial arts cuisine - and it's healthy!

You know I could probably have a lot more students if I taught kids but I'm a martial arts instructor not a babysitter.

I'd probably have thousands of students if I did dodgy door-to-door marketing and pyramid schemes like those clowns at Go Kan Ryu.

But it would leave a bitter taste.

I could probably get more "business" if I started an MMA class, a kickboxing class, a Ninjutsu class, a Reiki class or whatever else is flavour of the month.

But that goes against what's on the menu.

You wouldn't expect to see a Big Mac on the menu at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant and you won't see Ninjutsu in my class. Not that there's anything wrong with Ninjutsu, or Big Macs for that matter. It's just one is for chubby kids (and this other is a hamburger).

What I serve up is a healthy blend of Karate and Jujutsu that I call Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu.

Karate has always been an eclectic art. Forged in Okinawa from various Chinese schools of Quan Fa including He Quan, Hu Quan, Hsing-I Quan and Bazi Quan, with influences from Japanese schools like Jigen Ryu.

Jujutsu too comes in many different flavours - there's Koryu, Goshin, Brazilian and so on.

I trained in Shotokan and Shoto Ryu under students of Hirokazu Kanazawa, Keinosuke Enoeda and Ikuo Higuchi. My grades were recognised in Kokusai Budoin (and later UKBF) by the divisions headed by Kanazawa (Shotokan) and Higuchi (Shoto Ryu). I also trained in Niseikai, including with the headteacher Tadanori Nobetsu.

In the 20th century Nihon-den Jujutsu was preserved by the likes of Minoru Mochizuki, Kenji Tomiki and Shizuya Sato, who combined their Jujutsu with traditional old school Judo.

I trained with students of Mochizuki, Sato and second generation students of Tomiki. The late Shizuya Sato awarded me 2nd Dan in Nihon Jujutsu.

As well as my main teacher Shihan Bob Carruthers (Shotokan, Karate Jutsu and Arnis), Reiner Parsons (Nisseikai, Kobudo and Shoto Ryu) and David Keegan (Tai Chi and Chinese sword) I have been lucky enough to train with grandmasters from around the world (on seminars) such as Li De Yin, Rene Tongson, Patrick McCarthy and Mitsuhiro Kondo as well as the above.

When I teach and grade my students, therefore this is the standard. I do not ask them to do kata like me, I ask them to do it like Hirokazu Kanazawa. I am accountable to my teachers and their masters' standards.

When a chief instructor has no teacher of his own, or an example to follow, they are free to modify their style according to their own limitations. This is why we see so many westerner 8th Dans in made up styles with mail order Dan grades.

When my students grade they follow a rich tradition off Shoto Ryu Karate and Nihon Jujutsu. Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu may be my recipe, but the ingredients are authentic.

I've handed my blog over to one of my senior students, Sensei Peter McHugh who has written this very thought provoking piece on evolving Karate - SK
................................................................

By Peter McHugh

In Karate Do the 3 Ks are taught - Kata, Kihon, Kumite
- In Toshu Jutsu, the 10 Ks are taught - Kata, Kihon, Kumite, Ki, Katame, Kyusho, Kansetsu, Kumiuchi, Kobudo, Kakie

In Karate Do kata has only Bunkai (analysis of forms based on kumite techniques)
- In Toshu Jutsu the bunkai leads to Oyo (real workable applications that can be practiced and applied on a partner)

In Karate Do students learn to defend against "Karate attacks"
- In Toshu Jutsu students defend against all the most habitual violent attacks

In Karate Do (for example modern Shotokan) strikes use Kime (tension at the last second of a technique for 'focus')
- In Toshu Jutsu there is consistent power throughout techniques

In Karate Do (for example modern Shotokan) blocks use Kime (tension at the last second of a technique for 'focus')
- In Toshu Jutsu blocks use "heavy hands" transferring power "through" the opponent

In Karate Do the techniques are practiced long range
- In Toshu Jutsu the techniques are practice close range primarily and then at other ranges

- In Karate Do the defender steps back away from the attack
In Toshu Jutsu the defender advances in on the attack, or turns with the attack

This blog gives more information on the history of the Bushinkai schools and what the different names mean.

Bushinkai

Meaning "warrior spirit school" this name covers the two Academies that together comprise the Bushinkai International Academy of Martial Arts. Bushinkai was established in 2000 and held its first class in early 2001.


White Lion Academy and Metal Tiger Academy

The White Lion Academy is run by Kaicho (academy head) Simon Keegan, teaching the martial arts of Okinawa, Japan and Fujian/Guangzhou.
The name white lion was chosen partly because of the symbolism of the stone guardian lions in Shuri, Okinawa and of Fujian Lion Boxing.

The Metal Tiger Academy is run by Sifu David Keegan, and teaches Chinese Internal Martial Arts, including Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), Taiji Jian (Tai Chi sword) as well as other Qigong from other sources including Shaolin and the Ba Duan Jin.


Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu

Within the White Lion Academy a fighting system is taught called "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu".

Prior to the rise of modern striking arts like Karate-Do, Taekwondo, Wu Shu and Tang Soo Do, the name for the true fighting arts in Okinawa was Toshu Jutsu or Toshukuken. Toshu Jutsu means "Chinese Hand techniques" and reflects the origins of the arts in Fujian and Guangzhou. One of the Fujianese sources for Toshu Jutsu was Lion Boxing.

Hakuda is a name for a type of Jujutsu originating from southwest Japan.

Masters of the Yoshin Ryu and Yagyu Shingan Ryu were influenced by the Quan Fa arts of China such as Bazi Quan and Hsin I Quan and so Hakuda Kempo took on a different flavour to other methods of Jujutsu, Yawara and Kumiuchi.

Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu is a complete fighting system based on the following arts:

- Toshu Jutsu or Karate Jutsu. Fighting applications based on Okinawan forms
- Tegumi. Grappling drills originating in Okinawa and Fujian
- Hakuda or Jujutsu. Grappling methods from the old Satsuma prefecture.
- Emono Jutsu or Kobudo. Weapons arts of Okinawa, China and Japan.
- Nihon-den Jujutsu. Authentically Japanese Jujutsu, originating in the Tokyo area.

Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu is collectively known by the school name Hakukigen Ryu, a name comprising the characters "Hakugen Ryu" an old school of the Satsuma area and "Kigen" a name meaning "to pray" in Japanese.

Bushinkai students are initially graded in Shoto Ryu Karate and upon reaching brown belt are graded for both Karate and Nihon-den Jujutsu.

Once they pass black belt levels they may be awarded densho within the Bushin Ryu tradition.

Shoto Ryu Toshu Jutsu (Shoto Ryu Karate)

In Okinawa all "Chinese boxing" forms were originally called Toshu Jutsu but as they became more integrated into Okinawa, three separate traditions emerged named after the villages where they were practiced - called Shuri Te, Naha Te and Tomari Te.

Sometimes these schools took the names "Shorin" and "Shorei" in reference to the Chinese Shaolin traditions.

The first time these arts were formally demonstrated in mainland Japan was in the 1920s by Gichin Funakoshi and Makoto Gima, both students of Itosu.

Originally they called this art "Ryukyu Kempo Tode Jutsu",but later the character (Tode/Toshu) was changed to Karate. Funakoshi himself gave no name to his school, only stating he taught both the Shorin and Shorei methods.

Gima, Funakoshi's senior student (and some would say his peer) used the name Shoto Ryu since Shoto was Funakoshi's pen-name.

Later Funakoshi presided over two groups also bearing his name, the Shotokan and Shotokai which took very different paths after his death.

Soon after in Okinawa, masters who were Funakoshi's peers (and fellow students of Itosu and Matsumura) formally established their own schools in Okinawa such as Shorin Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu and Matsubayashi Ryu which are different ways of pronouncing the same characters.

Bushinkai head Simon Keegan was certified by Kokusai Budoin, in which the head of Shoto Ryu is Ikuo Higuchi 8th Dan and the head of Shotokan is Hirokazu Kanazawa

Nihon-den Jujutsu

There were many grappling arts in Japan, using different names including Jujutsu, Yawara, Hakuda, Kogusoku, Taijutsu, Kumiuchi, Kempo, Toritejutsu and Aikijujutsu.

In the late Tokugawa Period most of these schools came to be classed as Jujutsu, and soon after the traditional Budo schools emerged. From Jujutsu came Judo, from Kenjutsu came Kendo and so on.

In the 20th century as new Jujutsu styles developed as far afield as England, Hawaii and Brazil, Japanese masters formalised some Jujutsu skills with techniques also common to traditional Judo and Aikido and established a programme of Nihon-den Jujutsu. At the forefront of this development were Minoru Mochizuki (10th Dan Aikido, 9th Dan Jujutsu) and Shizuya Sato (10th Dan Jujutsu, 9th Dan Judo).

Bushinkai head Simon Keegan was certified by Kokusai Budoin, in which the head of Nihon Jujutsu was Shizuya Sato and previously Minoru Mochizuki.

Bushin Ryu

Bushin Ryu is our headteacher's family Jujutsu tradition that began when Mikonosuke Kawaishi (a student of Daito Ryu master Yoshida Kotaro and Judo master Jigoro Kano) arrived in Liverpool in 1928.

Yoshida's teacher Sokaku Takeda was the last of the great Aikijujutsu masters to have actually fought in mortal combat.

Ok, I admit it the heading of this blog is a misnomer. Because there are no secrets in the martial arts.


There's a few handy rules in the martial arts. But these aren't secret. In fact to show you how un-secret they are, I'll tell you a few:


- Train hard and train sensible
- Always relax
- Breathe... you'll live longer
- Use your body movement efficiently
- There's no rules in a fight


Now, do you feel enlightened?


Ah but what about the masters? They must know secrets, right?


Well I'm not talking about the paper tigers. You know the ones. The ones who claim they were brought up in the jungle by a secret Ninja clan and now they are the 200th generation 15th dan soke dokey, and if you train with them long enough and buy all their videos, you too can learn their secrets.


No, I mean the real masters. Like Hirokazu Kanazawa (Shotokan Karate), Li De Yin (Tai Chi), Morio Higaonna (Goju Ryu Karate), Terry Wingrove (Yawara/Karate Jutsu), Patrick McCarthy (Koryu Uchinadi).


Why are these men masters? Well, they have all trained 50 years or more. So time is a factor. And they have all got REALLY good basics. Attend a seminar with Kanazawa and the chances are you'll spend a long time doing basics.

So there you have it. You are now liberated, you've taken the red pill, as they say in the Matrix.

Or if you prefer it, you can continue to believe in Father Christmas, and for those of you who don't know the truth, you can console yourself with this:

One day I was walking in the hills and a willow tree broke, and from behind it came a Yamabushi warrior monk, and he told me the secret of the martial arts, and for those of you who believe this kind of things, I'll tell you what he told me....

.... Only you're not quite ready. Train with me many years, buy all my merchandise, watch my videos, get the badges, and when you're a 23rd Dan I'll tell you the secrets.

It's up to you folks, follow common sense or follow the smoke and mirrors.

I have discussed how the Okinawan art of Toshu Jutsu has as its primary influence the arts of China and Japan; and as its secondary influence, the arts of Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. Now I would like to briefly discuss the western martial arts.

I do not mean MMA, I am referring to the classical fighting arts of the west.

In Oriental martial arts I have always preferred the practical to the sporting and in occidental martial arts, the same is true.


Fencing, wrestling and boxing are thought of more as sports than as fighting arts but this was not always the case.


Spanish and French fencing schools owe their origins to the Italian schools, which pioneered the use of the rapier.

Prior to the rapier, sword fighting was an unsophisticated affair with large heavy broadswords. The Italian rapier allowed for fast intricate movements.


The French style most closely resembles what we know today as fencing as it favoured the more direct lunges, although it does include some dramatic movements such as Le fleche (the arrow).

Italian was originally more flamboyant, including dropping sacrifice techniques like Passata Soto.


I have studied French (Foil and Epee) fencing and Italian but I enjoy Spanish the most.

The Spanish style (Destreza) can be compared to the Chinese art of Pakua as it uses circles within circles.


Destreza also uses what the Japanese would call Irimi, Tai Sabaki and tenkan type movements to enter, close and evade the opponent rather than just keeping him at arms length.


When I was about nine my first sword (I already had a Japanese bokken) was a Spanish backsword and I later came by various rapier.


The Spanish swords of Toledo, along with those of Damascus and Japan were among the finest in the world.


The Spanish sword (Espada) art Esgrima (literally fencing) made its way to the Spanish colony of the Philippines and the art we know todays as Escrima, arnis or Kali was born out of a combination of Filipino and Spanish martial arts.

The origins of the Desreza system of swordsmanship dates as far back as 1569, when Jerónimo Carranza began reducing it to writing. There is some evidence indicating that the sixteenth-century fencing theorist Camillo Agrippa's work was the inspiration for the Carranza's work. Pacheco makes the claim that Carranza based his text on the work of Camillo Agrippa in a letter to the Duke of Cea in Madrid on May 4, 1618. This claim is reinforced by a common use of geometry and circular movement in both systems.

Whatever its inspiration, Carranza's work represents a break from the older tradition of Spanish fencing, the so-called esgrima vulgar or esgrima común (vulgar or common fencing). That older tradition, with roots in medieval times, was represented by the works of authors such as Jaume Pons (1474), Pedro de la Torre (1474) and Francisco Román (1532). Writers on Destreza took great care to distinguish their "true art" from the "vulgar" or "common" fencing. The older school continued to exist alongside la verdadera destreza, but was increasingly influenced by its forms and concepts.

After Carranza laid the groundwork for the school with his seminal work (published 1582), Pacheco de Narváez continued with a series of other books which expanded upon Carranza's concepts. While Pacheco originally clung closely to Carranza's precepts, he gradually diverged from them in significant respects. This divergence eventually caused a split between followers of Carranza ("Carrancistas") and those of Pacheco ("Pachequistas"), essentially resulting in the existence of three different schools of fence in Iberia.

When the Spaniards began colonizing the Philippines, they saw an already-developed weapons-based martial arts practiced by the natives. The name Eskrima came from the Spanish word for fencing due to the perceived similarity to fencing. Some practitioners used sticks made out of rattan rather than swords, as well as small knives wielded like a sword. 

As eskrima is an art for the common folk, most practitioners lacked the scholarly education to create any kind of written record. While the same can be said of many martial arts, this is especially true for eskrima because almost all of its history is anecdotal, oral or promotional. The origin of eskrima can be traced back to the fighting systems used by Filipinos during inter-tribal warfare. 

Among the earliest written records of Filipino martial arts comes from the Spanish conquistadors who fought native tribesmen armed with sticks and knives.

Sources differ on the degree to which Eskrima was affected by the Spanish colonization. The fact that many Eskrima techniques have Spanish names adds fuel to the debate.

One of the apparent influences from Spanish styles is the espada y daga (sword and dagger) method, but some disagree as Filipino espada y daga appears to be distinct from European rapier and dagger techniques; the stances are different as weapons used in Eskrima are typically shorter than European swords.

This blog post reflects my personal opinion on the amount of self-proclaimed 10th Dans, grandmasters and Sokes that are around these days.


In England there are those boasting a 10th dan in Karate - this is plain silly. There are only a handful of Karate masters in the entire world who hold this grade, and these are legends like Hirokazu Kanazawa and Morio Higaonna - both of whom started training before this art was even introduced to England.

The longest serving Karateka in England, Terry Wingrove (began 1957) was only recently awarded his 9th Dan (by Kinjo Hiroshi). Other 9th Dans include Britain's greatest ever Karate coach Ticky Donovan - and 8th Dans include the first British shotokan black belt Andy Sherry - so how those of much less time and experience than these can call themselves 10th Dan is ridiculous. One of these 10th dans has only been training since 1984. Some of my students have been training longer than that!


In Jujutsu these high grades are numerous. Jujutsu has been in Britain about 120 years - so there's certainly the opportunity for people to tick the "time served" box. But do they have the skill to match?


Compare the amount of hokey sokes in Jujutsu to the genuine ones in Judo.

The Kodokan only recently made its first promotions to Judan (10th dan) in 22 years. On January 8, 2006, three men were promoted to the highest level in Judo. This makes only 15 to be promoted to 10th dan since Prof. Kano founded Judo in 1882.

Kodokan 10th dans are as follows:

Yamashita, Yoshitugu (1865-1935) 1935
Isogai, Hajime (1871-1947) 1937
Nagaoka, Hidekazu (1876-1952) 1937
Mifune, Kyuzo (1883-1965) 1945
Iizuka, Kunisaburo (1875-1958) 1946
Samura, Kaichiro (1880-1964) 1948
Tabata, Shotaro (1884-1950) 1948
Okano, Kotaro (1885-1967) 1967
Shoriki, Matsutaro (1885-1969) 1969
Nakano, Shozo (1888-1977) 1977
Kurihara, Tamio (1896-1979) 1979
Kotani, Sumiyuki (1903-1991) 1984
Daigo, Toshiro Jan. 8, 2006
Abe, Ichiro Jan. 8, 2006
Osawa, Yoshimi Jan. 8, 2006


That's right - in 129 years there have been only 15 Kodokan 10th dans - all Japanese - yet somehow there seems to be more western 10th Dans than there are white belts!

One such "reason" for these grades is the concept of the "Soke." In Japan, a "soke" or "iemoto" meant the head of the clan or head of family. In some respects the soke could be considered the "grandmaster" of a family tradition of martial arts.

For example, in Daito Ryu, Takeda Sokaku considered himself the 35th generation of his clan to practice the fighting arts and when he died his son Tokimune succeeded him as 36th soke.

However in the west, instructors are using "soke" as interchangeable with "founder." In other words, Joe Bloggs, maybe a 1st dan in Judo and a 2nd Dan in Karate calls himself "soke" of "Bloggs Ryu Joe-Jutsu" - and all of a sudden he's a 10th Dan.

I think these people ae missing the point. Personally I'm proud that martial arts have been in my family for three generations, and, yes, I have my own school. But the only grades I hold are those I took on the mat.

Sometimes students will say to me, "Sensei, you've been a 4th Dan for four years - when are you getting your 5th Dan?"

Well the answer to that is, (a) when I'm good enough, (b) when my instructor enters me for the grading and (c) only if I pass that grading.

Could I be a 5th dan now? Sure. I could buy a red and white belt from Blitz, join the Royal Council for Dodgy Sokes, send a cheque to someone and get a certificate in a few days, hell, why not make it a 10th Dan? In fact if i did Ninjutsu we could make it a 15th Dan!

No, thanks, I'll stick to my 4th Dan.

But don't I have a fancy title? Well it says "Renshi" after my 4th dan which means "a polished teacher" - which my seniors deemed me to be, after ten years teaching and i sometimes sign off official letters with "kaicho" - which means "chairman" which, again, I am (the chairman of TEMAA).

But do me a favour... The day I start calling myself Soke, wearing a red and gold belt and joining soke dokey councils.... Somebody send me to sensei for a clip round the ear and some press-ups!

In the previous blog I mentioned pursuing the "trunk" of martial arts, rather than the branches. I will explain a little more about this.

The roots of martial arts, the ones buried right beneath the soil are the ancient ancestors that we cannot trace a complete lineal descent from. These are lost so deeply beneath the ground that they are such a distant memory. These may be primitive village arts from India, they may be primitive grappling forms of Babylon or they may be lost in stories of gods and mythology. No Karate school can trace their lineage back to Buddha.

The trunk of the martial arts, is actually many martial arts intertwined like ivy. so much so that you can't tell where one trunk starts and another ends.

These are the true martial arts (the Jutsu) that we know as Quan Fa (China), Bujutsu (Japan) and Toshukuken (Okinawa).

In China the Quan Fa schools took on different family names, or took stylistic influences from animals or themes.

In Japan, some of the Bujutsu schools took influences from China and became schools of Kempo, Yawara or Hakuda.

In Okinawa the old Toshukuken or Toshu Jutsu schools borrowed from China and the Karate Jutsu schools were born.

Similarly in Thailand there were schools of Muay Boran, in Korea there was Taekyon, in Burma there was Lethwai and in Malaysia there was Silat.

In Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu we focus on the trunk not the branches.

The branches are, as you might expect, more numerous than the intertwined trunk.

They include:

Okinawa:
Shuri Te, Naha Te, Tomari Te, Motobu Te, Kume Te

Japan:
Yoshin Ryu, Daito Ryu, Tenjin Shin'yo Ryu, Kito Ryu, Takenouchi Ryu, etc

China:
Crane fist, Tiger fist, Lion fist, Monk fist, Supreme Ultimate fist, Form Mind fist, etc etc


From these branches there are more branches still.

For example, from Shuri Te we get Shorin Ryu, Shoto Ryu, Taekwondo, Wado Ryu, Kobayashi Ryu.

From Daito Ryu we get Aikido, Hapkido, Yoseikan Budo etc.

And in turn each of these branches have their own "twigs" so from Shoto Ryu (as taught originally by Master Funakoshi) we get JKA style Shotokan, SKI style Shotokan, Shotokai and numerous modern derivatives.

In Bushinkai, we look to the "trunk" (Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu) but of course, we are also a product of the branches such as Shoto Ryu, Goju Ryu, Aikido, Jujutsu, Taiji Quan etc.

In Bushinkai we also have instruction from my good friend John Dang. His branches are different to mine - they are Taekwondo, Muay Thai and Jeet Kune Do, but his "trunk" - namely Kung Fu and Muay Boran is intertwined with our own - the Koreans call Toshu "Tang Soo" and the Okinawans call Muay Boran "Ti'Gwa."

The Trunk (The Jutsu)
Toshu Jutsu, Muay Boran (Ti Gwa), Quan Fa (Kempo)

The Branches (The Do)
Shotokan, Taekwondo, Goju Ryu, Jujutsu, Muay Thai

In previous posts I've talked quite a bit about my teachers and now I'd like to sum up the development of Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu.

Martial arts, like military service have been in my family for a long time. My great great grandfather August Nilsson (born 1867) was taught unarmed combat in the Swedish Navy, his son William Henry Nelson was in WWI and trained in unarmed combat and basic boxing. William Henry's sons Jim and Bill were taught boxing by their dad as children. Jim my grandad was in the army in WWII and my great uncle Bill was in the Navy.

At the end of the 1800s, various methods of Jujutsu were introduced to Europe. The main pioneers in England were EJ Harrison, EW Barton Wright and L MacLagen.  And from these many European schools developed, including in Sweden since that country's pioneer Viking Cronholm trained with MacLagen while stationed in Africa. Another name we should mention was Swedish descended estonian George Hackenschmidt, a wrestling pioneer in 1905 who challenged many Jujutsu experts and wrestlers including Liverpool's Tom Cannon.

After WWII my great uncle Bill studied Jujutsu with Mikonosuke Kawaishi's school in 1945, and when my dad was at school in about 1959 he too studied Jujutsu.

We should note that in addition to Kodokan Judo, Kawaishi had also studied classical Koryu Jujutsu under Yoshida Kotaro, a master of Daito Ryu and Yanagi Ryu. The latter was a branch of classical Hakuda school Yoshin Ryu.

I was interested in many different martial arts as a youngster, including ones from Spain, Japan, England and China. I flitted from one art to another, until I met my first formal Sensei when I was 16.

Sensei Steve Bullough's influence on me over the next eight to ten years cannot be overstated. He gave me my start in many areas of the martial arts that I had not previously explored - from Koppo Jutsu (breaking the body) to Aikido.

When I was a 20 year old black belt, I began teaching as Steve's assistant instructor, and so what I taught initially was his system, Bushido Freestyle Karate.

Around that time I also followed my dad into a Tai Chi school in which we trained for around nine years. In addition to Yang style Tai Chi, we also studied Sun Style, which was developed by master Sun as a fusion of Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Pa Kua. We were also taught some Hsing-I separately, learning the Hsing-I Fists.

Hsing-I is an art of great interest to the history of Toshu Jutsu. An early Hsing-I master (or possibly an early version of Hsing-I called Hsin-I or Bazi Quan) named Wang Ji came to Okinawa in 1683 and this is the root of the Wansu kata. And even as late as the 1920s, Hsing-I came to influence styles like Goju Ryu. If we look at Hsing-I today the parallels with Karate are apparent.

When I was 21, I set aside many of the arts I had studied, in order to focus only on the traditional side of the arts.

From Sensei Robert Carruthers and Sensei Steve Brennan I learned the arts of Shotokan Karate and Karate Jutsu. And I also studied Jujutsu, Taijutsu and Aikijutsu with instructors such as Jaimie Lee-Barron. I also attended seminars with the likes of Aiki specialist George Scarrott, Hakuda master Joe Carslake and a superb Jujutsu and Kenjutsu man named Andy Wilshaw. All of these added to my understanding of Karate and Jujutsu.

In 2003 I was inducted into Kokusai Budoin, Japan's oldest martial arts fraternity. There I was able to train with masters like Tadanori Nobetsu (Niseikai), Shizuya Sato (Nihon Jujutsu) and Mitsuhiro Kondo (Yoseikan Aikijujutsu); and with students of Hirokazu Kanazawa (Shotokan), Morio Higaonna (Goju Ryu), Kai Kuniyuki (Kobudo), Ikuo Higuchi (Shoto Ryu), Minoru Mochizuki (Yoseikan and Nihon-Den Jujutsu), Keiji Tose (Eishin Ryu) and several other Japanese masters.

My grades were recognised in the arts of Shoto Ryu Karate and Nihon Jujutsu and I began training in Niseikai with Reiner Parsons, who would grade me 3rd Dan.

Reiner and his sons Derrick, Clive and Graham introduced me to the Naha Te arts and I was lucky enough to train with Master Nobetsu himself.

In 2005 I met the aquaintance of the UK's senior Karate instructor, Terry Wingrove a master of the old ways of Karate Jutsu and Yawara. Although I only trained on a handful of occasions with Hanshi he implanted a very important lesson in me - which was to pursue the roots and "trunk" of the martial arts - not just the branches and twigs! He also assured me to search out what was effective rather than what was simply "traditional."

Through meeting Hanshi I also met some other legendary martial arts instructors, including Hanshi Patrick McCarthy (Koryu Uchinadi) and Alan Ruddock, a direct student of the founder of Aikido. I also became friends with the UK head of the Dai Nippon Butokukai, Hanshi Allan Tattersall.

In 2007, as a 4th Dan, I began to devise a new syllabus for Bushinkai. In the past my syllabus had come directly from my own teachers, Steve, Bob and Jaimie. But this time I wanted to include the very best of what I had learnt and none of the techniques that were there for "decoration."

Recalling the oldest methods of Okinawa I devised the name "Ryukyu Kempo Toshu Jutsu" and recalling the old Jujutsu methods of South West Japan, I devised the name "Hakuda Aiki Torite Jutsu" - together they comprise Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu.

In blog post 16, I talked about my great uncle, Bill Nelson who studied Jujutsu 1945-1950s, now I would like to introduce my dad and uncles' training.

My dad, David Keegan was born in 1950, the year of the Metal Tiger according to Chinese astrology. He has a twin brother, my uncle Paul Keegan. They moved from Bootle to Kirkby in the mid 50s and in about 1959 a Jujutsu instructor began giving Judo lessons at their school. In their class at school was John Conteh who later became one of Britain's greatest boxers.

There were only a few Jujutsu instructors in Liverpool at this time, including Jack Britten, Gerry Skyner and Jim Blundell.

In the 1960s, the cultures of the East really opened up in west (remember the Beatles joining the Maharishi!) and David Keegan became interested in various eastern belief systems and texts including the Tao Te Ching and the I-Ching. He has spent nearly 50 years studying the strategies and Taoist wisdom of these systems. He also became interested in a branch of Shindo Fudo Ryu Jujutsu called Bartitsu, made famous in the Edwardian world of Sherlock Holmes. Dad had some old pictures and manuscripts of this style which as well as Jujutsu included fighting with a walking stick.

In the early 1960s the art of Karate was introduced to Liverpool. The first club was run by Fred Gille and early students included Andy Sherry (previously a Jujutsu student of Jack Britten) and Terry O'Neill (whose father studied alongside my great uncle with Gerry Skyner). This club later became the world famous Red Triangle Karate club under "The Tiger" Keinosuke Enoeda.

My dad was friends with one of the Red Triangle instructors, a 1st Dan named Peter Hignott whose instructor was Andy Sherry and they would often train together.  The Red Triangle used to train in Sefton Park.

Karate also arrived in the North East in 1966 and Harry Cook became a prominent Karateka, initially studying with Andy Sherry and then with Enoeda, Asano, Kawasoe and others before moving to Japan.

Sensei Cook ran the University of Durham Karate team and my dad's best friend, my "uncle" John Barrie was on that squad. He was examined for his black belt by Enoeda.

In the 1970s dad joined the Duke of Lancaster's Own and became a corporal and excellent rifleman. One of the drill sergeants was a Kobudo practitioner and would allow the troopers to practice with their Nunchaku while they were supposed to be out running.

My uncle Paul Keegan trained in a few other Liverpool clubs, including a Goju Ryu club run by Dennis Martin. He also did some Jujutsu and had two Japanese swords. He was a member of the To-Ken society.

In about 1987, when I was about eight David Keegan and John Barrie went to China. They worked in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Bangkok and experienced the lifestyle, commerce, martial arts, foods and culture firsthand. They brought me back my first Kung Fu suit! Uncle John later returned to China and still lives there to this day with his wife Mei Kwan, a Tai Chi practitioner.

Years later I joined the Bushido Academy and my dad joined a Tai Chi academy, which I later followed him into. He trained with this Tai Chi school for several years and it hosted China's leading exponent of the art, Professor Li De Yin, several times.

In 2001 I had been teaching with the Bushido Academy for a year, and my uncle John returned from China. He gave me a Kenjutsu gi from Japan and a Chinese broadsword carved from a single piece of Jade - both of which I treasure. Soon after my club became Bushinkai and was split into the White Lion Academy (Toshu Jutsu) and the Metal Tiger Academy (Tai Chi).

Over the last ten years, dad and I have had numerous teachers. I have mentioned mine already. He began studying Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu and studied with the likes of Kenji Tose, Yoshida and Hanshi Tattersall. We graded for our 3rd Dans together under Reiner Parsons (whose style includes Karate, Kobudo, Kung Fu and Chi Kung) and in 2007 we were both awarded 4th Dan. In the last few years he has added new skills to his repertoire from other styles.

David Keegan holds Tai Chi classes in Wigan (Friday evening 7-8 and Saturday morning 9:30-10:30am) and Ormskirk, Thursday evening 7:00-8:30.

 

In previous blogs, I have introduced my Goju Ryu instructor Reiner Parsons and his teacher Tadanori Nobetsu, I have also talked a little about members of my family who have studied martial arts including my dad and uncles. Now I would like to briefly profile my two main Karate teachers over the years, Steve Bullough and Bob Carruthers. Martial arts biographies are often a subject of speculation and some degree of opinion, so I would like to keep these biographies free of my own opinions, and instead just offer the facts.


I feel it is important to acknowledge my teachers, as this is the ancestry of our school.

Bob Carruthers
Bob Carruthers was born in Wigan, Lancashire in about 1949 and moved down to Devon and Cornwall in his early twenties to work as a bricklayer. He married in the west country and stayed there for many years. Although Karate has been introduced to England in 1956, the spread of the art was very slow and didn't grow widely til around 1966 when Shotokan, Shotokai and Wado Ryu spread throughout the country.

So in around 1970 or 1971 when Bob began training in Karate, it was still a relatively new art and a black belt 1st Dan was considered quite rare. Bob began with a Shotokan club and then trained in Taekwondo.

Taekwondo was even newer to England, having only been introduced in 1967 and taught at RAF bases.
In 1972, the club Bob was training in affiliated to the British Karate Federation which was run at the time by the likes of Danny Connor (Manchester) and John Smith (Devon) who at the time were students of Tatsuo Suzuki in Wado Ryu.

John Smith was a pioneer in Wado Ryu Karate in the south. He was on the Great Britain Karate team from 1967 to 1973 and in 1968  had started Streatham Karate Club in London.

In 1972 Smith started the Mayflower Karate Club in Plymouth at the Kitto Centre and in 1973 founded a new style of Karate called Bujinkai with Danny Connor.

Bujinkai was one of the first British "freestyle" systems since it combined Shotokan and Wado Ryu with some of Danny Connor's Chinese influences such as Preying Mantis Fist.

Bob trained in this style for a few years, and as a blue or purple belt opened his own club in Bodmin. According to Bob's recollection this was Cornwall's first Karate club, but another group in Helston disputes this.

In the late 1970s, having achieved the grade of 1st Kyu, Bob returned to Wigan and found a new teacher: Phillip Handyside.

Sensei Phil Handyside was a Shotokan stylist who had trained initially with Sadashige Kato and Cyril Cummins and had taken his 1st Dan under Hirokazu Kanazawa. He taught in Preston and was part of a select group who trained with a visiting master from Malaysia.

The master was Chewchoo Soot, founder of Budokan Karate, a blend of styles largely based on the teachings of Kanken Toyama.

Sensei Handyside took his 2nd Dan under Soot, and his club the Red Sun organisation became Shubukan Karate.

Bob gained his black belt 1st Dan and among his early students were Steve Lowe (now a 5th Dan with Kissaki Karate), Peter Lee Bibby (now a 5th Dan with Kenyukai Karate), Steve Brennan (now a 4th Dan Shoshin Ryu Karate) and a young Mark and Scott Webster who are today Bob's senior students.

In the early 1980s, Bob was a part of various groups including Mirai (run by Alex and Peter Laurie) and BIKA (run by Paul Chadwick). He had by this point attended seminars with masters like Enoeda and Kanazawa. He also met another influential instructor.

Master Pan, a Korean Taekwondo instructor became Bob's next teacher. He ran a martial arts equipment company and gave Bob a gift of a silk black belt - the last one he ever exported.

In the mid 1980s, Bob joined UKASKO, run by Roy Stanhope and in the late 1990s joined a new group called the Bugei Renmei. In 2002 he was awarded his 5th Dan by this group on a course I attended. He has subsequently received the grades of 6th Dan and 7th Dan and has recently taken up Classical Arnis with a style called Abiniko Tres Puntas and also studied Iaido for a few years.

Bob attended our 10th anniversary course on October 10 2010.

I have learnt a lot from Sensei Bob over the last ten years and he has been extremely generous to me with his time and knowledge and long may our friendship continue.

In this post I will introduce my training in Niseikai, a style which combines Naha Te (Goju Ryu) with Shi He Quan (Feeding Crane).

In previous blog posts I have talked about the origins of Shoto family forms like Heian Bassai Dai and Empi but I have only briefly touched upon the Goju family in my article “all Go and no Ju.” Although I consider myself a Shoto Ryu stylist, one of my main teachers of the last eight years has been Reiner Parsons of the Niseikai school, a very interesting style which combines Goju Ryu Karate with Feeding Crane Kung Fu.

Reiner’s teacher, who I have also trained with is master Tadanori Nobetsu 9th Dan Hanshi.

Nobetsu Sensei was born in 1935 in Kyushu and in 1965 he established Niseikai in Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, based on his studies with masters like Yamaguchi. Significantly he has also put the “ju” back into “Goju” through his studies in Feeding Crane Kung Fu with his teacher Liú Chin Long.

Basically put the principle of Niseikai, as it is imparted to me by Reiner is:

- Always stay relaxed. Reiner’s strkes, in common with those of Nobetsu, use no strength but transmit a shockwave of power
- Breathe. The breathing method used is a type of hard Chi Kung that generates power and hardens the body
- Use the waist. Power is generated from the centre. The arms – like the crane’s wings – simply “flap” from the waist power
- Two directions. This principle will require further discussion in a post of its own.
- Train slowly for precision. Move slowly when defending. I will elaborate in a future post!

In my post about the origins of Bassai Dai I mentioned that Okinawans Matsumura and Kojo went to Fujian in 1828 and disovered a master called Iwah who taught all sorts of forms including Lion Boxing and is the origin of our Shorei (“Southern Shaolin”) family of forms like Seishan (Hangetsu). Seemingly after this visit, there is a trend for Okinawan masters to go to Fukien and learn the Shorei forms.

Aragaki Seisho (pioneer of the forms Niseishi, Unsu, Sochin and Wankan) trained there with Wai Shinzan and Aragaki’s student Higaonna Kanryo, (founder of Naha Te and teacher of Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi) also trained there under someone called Ryuryu Ko.

As a child Higaonna Sensei trained under Aragaki Seisho Sensei. Later he briefly trained with Kojo Taitei Sensei of the Kojo Ryu. He traveled to China where he became a student of Ryuryu Ko with whom he trained for about 15 years before returning to Okinawa. After his return to Okinawa he eventually began to teach what became known as Naha Te, as contrasted with Shuri Te and Tomari Te.

A second Okinawan may have trained with Ryuryu Ko and that is Nakaima Kenri who founded the Ryuei Ryu style.

Koryu Uchinadi pioneer Patrick McCarthy has suggested that Ryuryu Ko was none other than Xie Zhongxiang, the founder of Míng Hè Quán (Whooping Crane Kung Fu).

Whooping Crane (also called Calling Crane or Screaming Crane was based on the Fujian White Crane he learned from his teacher Pan Yuban who’s teacher was Lin Shixian (who was a student of Fāng Qī Niáng, the originator of the first White Crane martial art). He had to conceal his name and aristocratic lineage and took on the name Ryu Ryu Ko, under which he worked, making household goods from bamboo and cane. He has been teaching martial arts at his home to a very small group of students, which included Higaonna Kanryō, who they say stayed with Ryu Ryu Ko from 1867 to 1881. Ryu Ryu Ko expanded his class to an actual public school “The Kojo Dojo” in 1883, running it with Wai Shinzan possibly a student of Iwah.

So one theory is that Naha Te and the Shorei tradition were developed from Whooping Crane, one of the five branches of Fujian White Crane.

Another branch, the one studied by Nobetsu Sensei, is the Feeding Crane tradition.

The lineage of this school is as follows:

1. Fāng Qī Niang
2. Céng Sì Chū
3. Zhèng Lǐ Shū
4. Cài Zhōng Shū
5. Cài Gōng Jǐng
6. Lín Dé Shùn
7. Liú Gù
8. Liú Yín Shān
9. Liú Zhǎng Yì (Liu Chin Long – Nobetsu’s teacher)

In 1922 four masters of Crane Fist from China's Fujian arrived in Taiwan They were Er-Gau, Yi-Gau, A-Fong and Lin Dé Shùn.

After his arrival in Taiwan Lin Dé Shùn started to work for a sugar company and in 1927 Liú Gù (1900-1965) heard about the skills of that master, and immediately invited him to be his teacher, offering some expensive gifts. Liu learnt thee full syllabus and became the next grandmaster.

Liú Gù was succeeded by his son Liú Yín Shān and he by Liu Chin Long who is Nobetsu Sensei’s teacher.

An interesting aspect of Liu family Shi He Quan is that the family had a book called “The Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book” – apparently almost identical to the Bubishi.
In his commentary of the Bubishi, Patrick McCarthy recalls:

“Having met Liu Yinshan’s brother, Liu Songshan in Fuzhou, I came to learn of a “secret book” on gongfu that had been in the Liu family for the last seven decades. After meeting him in Fuzhou, hosting him at my home in Japan and visiting him in Taiwan, I have become familiar with that book, entitled The Secret Shaolin Bronze Man Book and can testify that it is, in almost every way, identical to the Bubishi. Master Liu’s Bubishi is dvided into 17 articles in three sections, whereas the Okinawan Bubishi contains 32 articles. However the same data is covered in both works though it is categorized differently.”

We know that the Bubishi – an anthology of Fujian Quan Fa – was considered the Bible of Karate and we see its link with Whooping Crane (through Ryuryu Ko and Higaonna) and with Feeding Crane (through the Liu family) – but could there be more to the crane family than meets the eye?

The founder of White Crane is said to be a woman called Fang Qi Niang.
The founder of Wing Chun is said to be a woman called Fong Chut-Neung (alt. Fong Wing Chun or Ng Mui)

In Hung Gar stories, the Tiger Fist master Hung Hei Gun marries Fong and she teacheshim
In White Crane stories, the Tiger Fist master Ceng Si Chu (Zeng Cishu) meets Fang and she teaches him

Could it be that all the three southern Kung Fu styles of Tiger Fist (Hung Gar), Wing Chun and White Crane are all related?

On the surface at least it seems that the idea of a man using Tiger Fist and a woman using White Crane Fist are perfect analogies for the hard and the soft or Yin and Yang.

Another tiger style that influenced both Karate (Uechi Ryu) and Feeding Crane was taught by Zhou Zi He.

Following in the footsteps of Aragaki and Higaonna, Uechi Kanbun arrived in Fujian and like them settled at the Ryukyukan, a Okinawan enclave of buildings including a boarding house, homes and businesses established for those who visited and lived in the area – including the famous Kojo Dojo.

Uechi didn’t like training at the Kojo Dojo because he was bullied so Uechi eventually became the student of Shu Shi Wa or Zhou Zhi He.

Uechi's teacher, Zhou Zhi He (1874-1926) originated from Minhou, Fujian. He reportedly studied martial arts under Li Zhao Bei and Ke Xi Di and was proficient in a variety of Quan.

Zhou reportedly practiced Crane and Tiger boxing, in addition to hard and soft qi gong and was noted for his iron palm technique. It has also been speculated that Gokenki aand Tang Daiji were students of Zhou.

In conclusion, if Shoto Ryu is descended from Chang Quan, Hsin-I Quan and Bazi Quan then Nisseikai is descended from He Quan (Crane Fist) and Hu Quan) Tiger Fist.

In a future blog post I will discuss the Animal Styles that are found within Toshu Jutsu kata.

Over 25 years ago there was an excellent British TV series called Way of the Warrior. Each episode focussed on a different martial art and, accordingly a master from that style.

It was the first time many westerners had seen "Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu" and its great master Risuke Otake.

It also featured Goju Ryu Karate and Higaonna Morio.

While it was good to see Higaonna Sensei in the Dojo, it also showed him running (barefoot) through the villages of Okinawa and showed the cultural influences of the island.

Okinawa clearly had Chinese and Japanese influences, but also stylings from Thailand and South East Asia.

In the episode Higaonna Sensei meets a dance instructor and they discuss the similarities between traditional Okinawan dance and Karate kata.

In all the episode illustrated that what we know as Karate emerged from a real mixture of influences.

The Japanese relationship dates back to Minamoto Tametomo (1139–1170) who was exiled from Japan, fled to Okinawa and fathered Shunten who became king and established the Shunten Dynasty.

In 1291 China sent a special envoy to Okinawa to negotiate an alliance that would see the Ryukyu paying tribute to its bigger brother and in 1392 the apocryphal he "36 Families" arrived in Okinawa and established its "Chinatown" Kume village.

The links to Japan and China account for Okinawa's "warrior" traditions. But what of its peasant fighting traditions?

Karate master and researcher Patrick McCarthy (9th Dan Hanshi) believes that the original "Te" or "Ti" (predating Karate) was termed Ti'gwa and originated in the pugilistic traditions of Thailand - the old kingdom of Siam. One source states that the Okinawan "boxing came from Indo-China or Siam."

It is funny that we often talk about Japanese martial arts, Chinese martial arts or Okinawan martial arts, as if these countries had distinct physical and cultural boundaries.

But we must remember that Japan is a number of islands, the Ryukyu (including Okinawa) are a number of islands and China is, well, huge.

In other words a tradition in western China would likely have nothing to do with a tradition is eastern Japan because they are geographically and culturally so far apart. But if we look at the coasts of China and Japan that face each other, and consider islands like Okinawa and Taiwan in between we come up with a relationship I have termed the "Toshu Triangle" (catchy I know).

When Okinawans went to China to train, they didn't then walk thousands of miles west to Xinjiang (which borders Russia and India) - they got the boat from Naha (Okinawa) to Fujian (China) the equivalent of going Dover to Calais.

The Fujian area was rich in martial arts like White Crane, Black Tiger, and Lion Boxing - and unsurprisingly it is these arts that influenced Toshu Jutsu or Karate.

Similarly in Japan, we don't hear of Samurai travelling from Hokkaido in the north to train in China, we hear of Akiyama from Nagasaki going to China to study Hakuda - or Matsumura of Shuri going from Okinawa to Satsuma to train.

So in researching and developing Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu we must mostly look to these traditions:

1) The Quan Fa schools of Fujian
2) The Toshu Jutsu schools of Shuri, Naha and Tomari
3) The Hakuda schools of Nagasaki
4) The Bujutsu schools of Kagoshima (Satsuma)
5) The percussive arts of Thailand
6) Influences from other neighbouring nations such as Taiwan and Vietnam

Returning to the history for a moment, we have discussed the influences of Japan and China dating back to the 1200s and also the possibility of Ti'Gwa (Siamese boxing) developing.

In the 17th century, surprisingly the first Quan we meet in Okinawa is Wansu, a style that owes its origina to the Hsin-I Quan.

Hsing-I master Wang Ji visited Okinawa in 1685 and taught his skills to Hama Higa who combined these Chinese forms with Okinawan Kobudo weapons (Emono Jutsu) and the art of Toshu Jutsu (Chinese hand skills) emerged. Takahara Peichin was the next notable master and in his lifetime is the first written reference to "Te".

In the 1800s Toshu Jutsu (or Toshukuken) became influenced by Japanese styles such as Jigen Ryu and Hakuda Kempo (also called Taku or Baida).

In 1828 Matsumura and Kojo visited Fujian, later followed by Aragaki and Higaonna and studied styles like Lion Boxing and Monk Fist with masters like Iwah.

Other stylists taught the Okinawans, such as Ason who may have been Taiwanese and taught Naihanchi Quan. And Anan who may have been Vietnamese and taught Chinto Quan.

Finally masters Gokenki and Tang Daiji (To Daiki) came to Okinawa to export tea (as in the drink not Kara-tea!) but ended up teaching, respectively White Crane and Tiger Boxing to Chojun Miyagi and Kenwa Mabuni.

The influence of Gokenki and Tang Daiji is an often understated one, but Goju Ryu and Shito Ryu would probably be very different if not for these two masters.

In the 1920s-1950s the old ways of Toshu Jutsu and Karate Jutsu were largely forgotten, as modern arts like Karate-do and Taekwondo became popular throughout the world.

There were of course still surviving masters of the old ways of Toshuken and Hakuda - notably Kanken Toyama who taught the founders of both Keishinkan Karate (parent style of Budokan) and Taekwondo. Toyama was also a senior of Kinjo Hiroshi, Hideo Tsuchiya and Makoto Gima.

In my view Toshu Jutsu, as it was practiced by Matsumura, Azato, Itosu, Motobu and Toyama was an excellent and vibrant fighting arts - not just a watered down sport.

I have developed Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu into its present system over the last 10 years I have been teaching in the Bushinkai school. I have looked into and trained in many arts to arrive at the present system, including:

- Shoto Ryu, Shotokan, Seiki Juku, Shobukan and Karate Jutsu
- Jujutsu, Hakuda, Aikijujutsu, Aikido and Judo
- Okinawan and Japanese Kobudo & Bujutsu
- Goju Ryu, Niseikai and Feeding Crane Quan Fa
- Taiji Quan, Hsing-I, Shaolin and Chinese weapons.

But after ten years teaching and developing - and several more years studying - this system, the evolution and learning is far from over.

I am now overseeing the research and development of Toshu Jutsu along with Laoshi John Dang.

John's father's side of his family is Chinese-Vietnamese and he has grown up with his family's method of Kung Fu. From what little I know I can describe this school as looking something like Hung Gar Quan. He has also studied Jeet Kune Do, an art he still trains in.

His mother's side of his family is Thai and since childhood he has trained with some of Thailand's most renowned masters of Muay Thai - some of whom were also specialists in the Korean art of Taekwondo.

Having spent around 25 years studying Kung Fu and Muay Thai - teaching privately for the last 12 years - John is a valuable asset to our developing of Toshu Jutsu. He has studied Taekwondo poomse (the equivalent of Shotokan kata) and competed in both Muay Thai and Taekwondo.

On a research level, I believe it is important for Toshu Jutsu to acknowledge its relationship with the martial arts of Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and China, but on a practical level, John's expertise in Muay Thai and Kung Fu also gives an edge to our training and I believe makes for a more vibrant system.

Classes and instructors are currently:

Tuesday (Salford): Simon Keegan & Dan Sanchez
Thursday (Manchester): Simon Keegan & Jamie Tozer
Sunday (Manchester): Simon Keegan & John Dang.

Email: kaicho@runbox.com

Following on from my last blog, I thought I'd talk about the five schools of Toshu Jutsu and their kata.

SCHOOL ONE: Channan Quan
KATA: Pinan/Heian

Chang Quan (Long Fist) was developed in the 10th century by Zhao Kuangyin, founding Emperor of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). His style was called Tàizǔ Chángquán, which means "the Long Fist style of Emperor Taizu. Chang Quan was famed for its deep stances, lunge punches and dynamic kicks.
By the 16th century the practice of solo forms had fallen out of vogue and had all but disappeared but one military general saw value in them.
Qi Jiguang (November 12, 1528 – January 5, 1588) was a Chinese military general and national hero during the Ming Dynasty.
He wrote various martial arts manuals and his interpretation of the Chang Quan seems to have influenced many different arts including Chen Taiji Quan and Karate.
Chang Quan was probably introduced to Okinawa in th 1750s when "Kushanku" taught Tode Sakugawa. In turn Sakugawa taught Matsumura and Matsumura taught Itosu.
Originally there was a style called Channan (perhaps the local pronunciation of Chang Quan) and Itosu renamed this Pinan. Funakoshi in turn renamed it Heian.
It is said of Chang Quan: "The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system. In some Long Fist styles the motto is that "the best defense is a strong offense," Long Fist uses large, extended, circular movements to improve overall body mobility in the muscles, tendons, and joints. Advanced Long Fist techniques include qin na joint-locking techniques and shuai jiao throws and takedowns.

Key techniques: Stepping punch, Front kick, Rising Block, Lower Block.

Characteristics: Long range techniques with short range techniques disguised. Dynamic movement, stepping and turning.

Hidden gems: A wealth of short range locks, chokes and hidden applications. The forms may also be performed with weapons, notably the sai, bo and nunchaku.


SCHOOL TWO: Naifanchi Quan
KATA: Naihanchi/Tekki

Naihanchi may come from a Taiwanese style of White Crane Boxing, known as Dan Qiu Ban Bai He Quan (Half Hillock, Half White Crane Boxing). One form from this style is called Neixi (inside knee) in Mandarin. This form includes the same sweeping action found in the nami-gaeshi (returning wave) technique of Naihanchi. Neixi is pronounced Nohanchi in Fuzhou dialect, which could indicate Neixi is the forerunner to Naihanchi.
Naihanchi was introduced to Okinawa in the mid 19th century by a master named Ason. He taught the form to Sokon Matsumura.
From this point Naihanchi was the first form taught in Shuri and Tomari. It was considered more fundamental that the Channan/Pinan forms.
Notable practitioners include Matsumura, Matsumora, and the famous Choki Motobu.
Naihanchi does not move on a forward-back embusen like the Channan group.
The kata assumes a close-in clinch range.
If you watch MMA and see the two fighters standing in a clinch with one with his back to the cage, you will see the strategies of Naihanchi.
In MMA this is called "dirty boxing" because the only techniques that are possible at this range are those outlawed in boxing - such as rabbit punches, kidney punches, headbutts, knee strikes and stamps.
Here are two pictures to compare:

 

Key techniques: Clinch, returning wave kick, neck cranks

Characteristics: Short range techniques with only side movement.

Hidden gems: Ripping, tearing and throwing techniques


STYLE THREE: WUTANG QUAN
FORMS: Bassai Dai, Bassai Sho, Kanku Dai, Kanku Sho, Empi

In Chinese martial arts, different schools are either defined as Shaolin/Buddhist or Wutang/Taoist. This doesn't really mean these arts all originated from either the Shaolin Temple or Mount Wutang, but it is an easy way of categorising.
Generally the Shaolin arts are quite external but have an Indian/Buddhist influence which is quite Yoga-esque.
The Wutang arts are culturally Chinese (without Indian influence) and have Taoist symbolism. They usually are considered internal and include Chi training.
Examples of Wutang arts are: Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), Hisng-I Quan, Bagua Zhang and Baji Quan.
In Okinawa, the very first Quan to strongly influence Toshu Jutsu was "Hsin-I Quan" (the forerunner of Hsing-I which was taught by Wang-Ji (Wansu) to Hama Higa and his student Takahara Peichin.
This art emphasises the rising and swooping of the swallow and its light movements.
Within this art is also a powerful Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) called San-Ti which resembles the opening move of Heian Yondan.
Key techniques in Wansu are the Gyaku Tzuki and Shuto Uke as well as the stepping in and sinking movement.

The Bassai forms, I believe come from a forerunner of Baji Quan called Bazi Quan and represent the powerful stomping and sinking movements of the Lion. Matsumura learnt this art in the 1830s around the time he was also studying Jigen Ryu in Japan.
Key techniques are the "lion's jaw" (Yama Zuki, mountain punch) and the lifting and sinking of weight.

The Kanku forms, like the Channan were introduced to Okinawa in the 1750s and as I described in my previous blog are both related to Taiji Quan. Within Kanku are the movements of the crane and the snake that are fundamental to Taiji Quan.

Characteristics: Light techniques, lifting and sinking, changing of rhythym

Hidden Gems: takedowns, tackles, throws and slams


STYLE FOUR: SHOREI QUAN
FORMS: Gekisai, Seishan and other Goju Ryu forms

In 1828 Sokon Matsumura and his friend Peichin Kojo went to Fujian, China. Matsumura was already armed with knowledge of the Wutang school having studied Wansu quan under Sakugawa and Kushanku quan under Chatan Yara. Matsumura studied a form called Seishan and posisbly also Useishi (Gojushiho) and brought them back to Shuri.
Subsequently Kojo and Seisho Aragaki maintained their study in Fujian and brought many more forms back to Naha including Sanchin.
Aragaki's student Higaonna Kanryo went to Fujian and studied under Ryuru Ko and this was to be the beginning of Naha Te (forerunner of Goju Ryu, Ryuei Ryu and Pangai Noon).
These forms, thought to be related to Fujian white crane, include Sanchin, Seishan, Suparimpei and are very typical of "Southern Temple" Shaolin.
We must also understand that Goju Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi (student of Higaonna) studied White Crane with Gokenki and Tang Daiji.
My own teacher Reiner Parsons was taught by Tadanori Nobetsu who studied both branches - Goju Ryu and Feeding Crane.

Key techniques: Inside block, reverse punch

Characteristics: Close-in fighting, solid grounded base, sliding in

Hidden gems: Internal training, hard Chi Kung


STYLE FIVE: SHORIN QUAN
FORMS: Niseishi, Jutte, Wankan, Sochin, Unsu etc

The true Shorin school (Shaolin) represents the forms introduced to Tomari by Anan in the 1850s and the forms brought back from China in the 1840s by Seisho Aragaki.
If we take Niseishi (Nijushiho) as a prime example we see various Shaolin traits such as the Buddhist numbering (Nijushiho meaning 24 steps, 24 being a factor of the holy 108).
Niseishi begins close range with a clinch, coils back, closes off the opponent and strikes. It moves like a dragon.
Niseishi, like Wankan also contain Aragaki's famous technique of catching the arm or leg of the opponent and taking them down.
Whereas the Channan method disguises its grappling, the Aragaki group make no bones about its traps and breaks.

Key techniques: Cat stance, crane stance, double palm heel

Characteristics: Light fast movements, relentless attacks, Chin na breaks

Hidden gems: Coiling and springing power, deceptively advanced power generation.

This concludes my introduction to the five schools of Toshu Jutsu.

When I was 16 our club was a fairly physical one. We did lots of sparring, both semi-contact and full contact. We also grappled on the ground (back to back start) and did lots of self defence. Although there were other aspects to the training myself and my peers prided ourselves on being able to "handle" ourselves.

My friend was training in a traditional Goju Ryu club and all he ever seemed to do was kata, and predictably when we sparred with him he didn't have the skills we had.

Kata seemed to be a necessary evil to us. We fought all lesson and then for the last 15 minutes, did some kata. Maybe it was a Japanese thing, take the rough with the smooth. I certainly never found much value in it.

Remember that in, say 1995 nobody had the internet so if you wanted to read up on kata you had to buy a book, and my local town wasn't exactly cosmopolitan when it came to specialist cultural arts!

Granted, some of the kata - particularly Bassai Dai - looked dynamic wen the black belts did them, but our kata like the first three Taikyoku forms seemed like an exercise in being obsessed with Gedan Barai - a move we never did in sparring.

In 1996 I found an old book on Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate. The book was from the 1960s I would guess and emphasised Karate's Chinese - rather than Japanese - origins. It showed Chinese weaponry but also showed a two man drill featuring many of the moves I knew from kata.

Then I asked Sensei about the kata and he said: "A block is a strike and a block is a throw."

It started to fit together. Maybe I needed to forget about the long range techniques that we used in Karate sparring and concentrate on the self defence moves I had learnt. Sensei had taught us lots of Judo throws, Aikido locks and so on. Maybe it was these moves that were within the kata.

By 1999 I was also studying the Yang Style Long form in Tai Chi and once again I saw techniques that were open to interpretation. Some of them were fairly obviously punches - but what about "Fair Lady Works Shuttles", "Needle at Sea Bottom" and "Carry Tiger to Mountain" - it was almost as if the person designing the forms wanted us to choose our own applications.

In 2000 Sensei let me open my own club and in February 2001 the "Northwest College of Martial Arts Bushidokan" (later Bushinkai) was launched. Although at this point I was training for my 2nd Dan as well as studying Jujutsu and Tai Chi I still very much viewed my martial arts as separate and compartmentalised. My arts themselves may have been kept separate, but by this point I had a decent repertoire, a good collection of reference books and an understanding of the different approaches in Chinese, Japanese and Okinawan martial arts.

In 2001 I was training in Karate under Sensei Bob Carruthers and in Jujutsu under Sensei Jaimie Lee-Barron's group.

I also began training with another instructor who opened my eyes to another facet of Karate.

Sensei Steven Brennan was one of Bob Carruthers' senior students. He had started training in 1974 with the KUGB under Billy Higgins, he then joined Bob as a blue belt and later trained under Joe Ellis and Roy Stanhope. Since 2000 though he had been attending seminars in Yorkshire with one of Patrick McCarthy's Koryu Uchinadi instructors. Steve and I paired up for his 3rd Dan grading and my 2nd Dan. We both passed since you asked - his grading kata was Hangetsu, mine was Empi.

Steve Brennan introduced me to what he called TNT Karate - the TNT stood for "techniques not taught" namely the nasty breaking, ripping and pressure point techniques found within kata. He also re-aquainted me with the idea of two-man flow drills.

One of my senior students at the time Steve Chriscole masterminded a martial arts magazine designed purely for the kata enthusiast called Kata Unlimited. I contributed to every issue, usually with puns like "let's stance" and he also got contributions from the likes of Patrick McCarthy, Rick Clarke, Iain Abernathy, Bill Burgar and Reiner Parsons (who would later become my teacher). Ideas were exchanged (and pinched) and it all went towards shaping understanding of this thing we call Bunkai.

So I came to realise that Kata was not just a dance or a pointless tradition - or a classical mess as Bruce Lee called it.

I realised kata was a database of techniques. Every throw I could find in Judo, I found in a Karate kata. Every lock, throw, twist and crank in Aikido is in a Karate kata.

My real syllabus was not the A4 booklet in my kitbag my real syllabus was kata.

I began to catalogue every single technique (including the intermediate "stack ups") in every single kata I knew and came up with a variation of realistic bunkai based on Patrick McCarthy's 36 HAPV theory.

By 2003 I was training in both "branches" of Karate - in the Shoto/Shuri/Shorin school with Bob Carruthers and in the Goju/Naha/Shorei branch with Reiner Parsons. I was still working through "TNT" Uchinadi with Steve Brennan, and was also studying Jujutsu and Judo on seminars (under the late Shizuya Sato) with the likes of Jack Hearn and Ray Walker. I was maintaining my Tai Chi study (which also included a little Hsing-I) and teaching my own class.

Now at this point, I was a firm believer (as I am now) that Kata is a mneumonic (memory aid) to act as a database of techniques already learnt.

In other words, the old practitioners learnt a technique (say a wrist lock) and then when they learnt the kata, they recognised the movement and were able to understand the kata based on a lesson already imparted.

I had spent some years reverse-engineering this process - learning the kata and then deciphering the applications. Once I had done that I could teach my students the correct method.

So we learn our basic fighting techniques and theory - punches, kicks, throws, knees, elbows, breaks, heabutts etc and then when we come to learn the kata I point out where in the form these moves occur.

As an aside we also learn to perform each kata with a weapon.

So if we take the opening two moves for Heian Shodan (lower block and lunge punch) we get a myriad of applications. But first we must realise that these two moves are not just two moves. They are as follows:

1) Yoi Position. Body facing the front. Weight distributed evenly
2) Turn and "stack up" as if to begin a Gedan Barai.
3) Move into Gedan Barai and Zenkutsu Dachi Position
4) Gedan Barai hand moves upwards as punch begins and feet arc to centre
5) Move into Oi Tzuki and Zenkutsu Dachi

So we can interprite this technique as simply a block and punch or we can work an application from a full clinch where the stack up and gedan barai are done to Kuzushi. We can also use the "stack up" as a Jeet Kune Do style guard in itself and slide in with the Gedan Barai as a throw. The Gedan Barai can be a Tai Otoshi throw, it can be an Aikido robuse ("Ikkyo") and the Oi Tsuki can be an Osoto Gari throw. It can also be a parry and strike with a sai, a tonfa, or a Bo.

And that's just the first two moves of the basic kata. Wait til we get to move 56 of Kanku Dai!

So now, assuming you (as reader of this humble blog) take my word for it that the techniques contained within kata represent all the most effective self defence techniques known to man... You may still be left with a question: Why not just learn the self defence without the kata. You may think: Why do I need 13 kata to be my syllabus when I have a printed curriculum, a book, a DVD and clips on Youtube. Why can't we just learn the self defence without the kata?

The thing is, if you are an experienced martial artist who has many years training behind them, you probably can get by just by learning new self defence tricks, because you already have the skills, reactions, temperament and knowledge necessary to apply them but if you are new to martial arts I believe in learning a style in the right order. Learn the letters, then the words, then the sentences.

So am I saying that kata is for beginners and advanced should forget them? No.

I'm saying advanced can discard one aspect of kata. And that aspect is kata. I'm saying they can. I'm not saying they should.

Put it like this, could Mohammad Ali have won some of his fights without a trainer in his corner, coaching him. Yeah, probably. But should he have done this. No. Did he do this? No.

Kata has many other advantages. Certain moves in the forms exercise the brain in unique ways. When we step with the left and punch with the right we are exercises the part of the brain that governs "fight or flight" - exercicising this part of the brain therefore keeps us calm under pressure.

Now, think about my previous paragraph: "Discard one aspect of kata. And that aspect is kata" - how can kata be an aspect of kata?

Because in the old days (and I don't mean the 1980s) the word for kata and the word for style where the same thing.

Nowadays Shotokan has about 27 kata and Goju Ryu has about 13. In ye olden days each style had one form and that form was the stylistic representation of that style? Make sense?

Gichin Funakoshi knew this when he classified his kata as either Shorin Ryu or Shorei Ryu - the trouble is he needed to elaborate on this a little.

In Tai Chi (Taiji Quan) there was the Yang family. And each member of the Yang family practiced the same form. Yang Lu Chan practiced his form one way, and Yang Ban Hou practiced it another. Nowadays we call this form the "108 step" but back then it didn't need a name. It was just the Yang family "Quan" - it was their style, their form, their syllabus and their way of keeping healthy.

Similarly in Fujian, you may have learned Monk Quan, Crane Quan, Lion Quan etc and the idea of style and form were one and the same.

Eventually Fujian (particularly the vaunted Kojo Dojo) came to be a melting pot and drop-in centre for martial artists and practitioners of different STYLES learned each others' FORMS.

Think of it like this, in Tai Chi, a Yang master could have learned a Wu style form. But he would not be a master of Wu style, just a practitioner of one aspect of the style - namely the form.

Karate masters like Funakoshi and Mabuni took a hotchpotch of forms from different styles and attempted to make them into one style, respectively Shoto Ryu and Shito Ryu. But the idea of one style having 27 forms is a pretty modern one.

This is why in Bushinkai, our Toshu Jutsu forms are treated as different styles.

Style 1: Channan Quan (the five Pinan or Heian forms)
The fundamental method of Karate. Covers all ranges and weapons. Essentially a type of "long fist," stances commonly used include front stance, back stance and horse stance. Techniques advance laterally and sink into stances. Weapons include Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Dip Dao and Nunchaku. This style uses a fairly basic 1-2-3 rhythym. We keep in mind master Itosu, a lean agile and powerful warrior.
Associated exercises: Forearm hardening and wrist drills. Sparring and weapons training. Aikido type controls and Tenkan.

Style 3: Naihanchi Quan (the Tekki forms)
Movements in this style are softer and the rhythym is more advanced. There many be many fast hand movements for each foot movement. The feeling is of tearing, breaking and crushing. We keep in mind master Motubu, a stocky powerful close range fighter fond of elbows and low blows. This style may come from a style taught by Ason called "half crane half hillock boxing."
Associated exercises: Makiwara, Close-in grappling, ground-fighting, Judo type throws

Style 4: Shorei Quan (the Goju forms including Gekisai)
The body is held more squarely and there is a sense of internal power. There is no hard "kime" and moves are more circular. Techniques drive relentlessly toward the opponent. A typical sequence being the kick, elbow, backfist, barai, reverse punch in Gekisai. Kata can also be performed with weapons such as Sai. We keep in mind master Miyagi, a strong muscular powerful master.
Associated exercises: Okinawan strength training with apparatus, slow speed flow grappling. Two-man flow drills. Breathing exercises for power.

Style 5: Bazi Quan (the Bassai or Passai forms)
The Bassai form looks much like the Heian forms (particularly Heian Godan) but the feeling is slightly different. The rhythym is more "urgent" and it includes techniques (such as the opening move) where we must adopt an attitude of rising and dropping. We lift and we suddenly crash into the opponent. We keep in mind master Matsumura, the king's bodyguard in Shuri Castle. He was not a big stocky man, he was lean and wirey but he had tremendous explosive power. It is easy to see why people thought Bassai (to extract) meant "to storm a fortress" - this is the mind-set of this style. It has attributes of old Baji Quan and uses lifting, stomping, cannon-like techniques. If Bassai were an internal art it would be most like Pakua Zhang.
Associated exercises: Bassai Sho may be performed with a katana, showing Matsumura's Jigen Ryu influence.

Style 6: Kushanku Quan (the Kanku or Kushanku forms)
Kanku is also related to the Heian forms but is also a distant relative of Taiji Quan. Masters Sakugawa and Yara who pioneered this kata trained under Wang Xong Yue prior to him coining the phrase Taiji Quan. He taught them Qi Gong, Hsing-I Quan and twin swords (Dip Dao).
The opening move of Kanku Dai may be used as Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) which aids relaxation and circulation. It includes several Taiji techniques including Snake Spits Tongue and Snake Creeps Down. The feeling of Kanku Dai is similar to Heian but has a more "open gate" approach. Kanku is the closest the Shuri/Shoto family has to a form that is representative of its style. It is no coincidence that when Funakoshi first demonstrated Karate for the Japanese he chose this kata. When we practice this kata we keep in mind master Sakugawa and Master Funakoshi.
Associated exercises: Butterfly swords, chi kung, zhan zhuang

Style 7: Wansu Quan (the Wansu or Empi kata)
I have discussed Empi at length in a previous Blog post so I won't repeat myself here. Except to say that Wansu is representative of the Swallow Form of Hsing-I Quan and has a distinct method of fighting. Like Sun Style Taiji Quan (which is also derived from Hsing-I), this form teaches an advancing and retreating method (think like the way a featherweight would fight a heavyweight). Its shuto and gyaku tzuki are the splitting and pounding techniques of Hsing-I and Shuto can also be held as a standing posture (San-ti). Whereas the Heian forms teach the first level of striking power (sinking) this teaches the second level (rising). We keep in mind the old Tomari masters such as Takahara.
Associated exercies: Hsing-I fists, San-Ti, Chinese straight sword (Jian).

Style 8: Aragaki Quan (Nijushiho/Niseishi, Wankan, Sochin, Unsu)
The forms Aragaki Seisho studied in China are the first Shaolin forms we meet. Not for nothing was he nicknamed the Cat and these forms make generous use of cat stance. The style of fighting is one of relentless, yet beautiful Kung Fu with the agility and unpredictable movements of a a tiger. When practicing these forms we must remember these are a completely different style to what we have learned before - in fact it is likely Master Funakoshi never even knew these forms. He certainly never taught them publicly or in his books. We keep in mind master Aragaki. These forms teach dynamic entering techniques, close in elbows, traps and a certain efficiency of fighting. Unsu is one of the most athletic and gymnastic forms in the whole canon. The Aragaki forms Unsu and Nijushiho have equivalents in Goju Ryu.
Associated exercises: Shaolin breathing exercises

Style 9: Advanced Shorei (Hangetsu/Seishan and higher Goju forms)
In Goju Ryu, the backbone are forms such as Sanchin, Seishan, Suparimpei and Seiunchin. They are clearly related and may have originally come from one source. Of these the Shoto family only practices Seishan/Hangetsu. This style is thought to have been taught to Matsumura by Iwah and to Kanryo Higaonna by Ryuruko at the Kojo Dojo in Fujian. Patrick McCarthy has suggested that the style was "whooping crane" but they have more charcteristics of Lion Boxing. With this style, what is important is not so much the applications as the power generation in the movements. I don't think anyone would look at Sanchin and think it was the combat equivalent of Bassai. These forms epitomise the five principles of martial arts that were taught to me by Reiner Parsons:
1) Relax
2) Use the waist
3) Breathe
4) Train Slowly
5) Two Directions.
The contrary actions of the kata (step with left, block with right) provide a workout for the brain. These kata also contain a hard chi kung type of breathing which invigorates the body and the blood cells. With these forms we keep in mind master Higaonna.

Style 10: Tomari Quan (including Jutte/Jin/Jian, Chinto/Chinte, Meikyo)
These forms were most likely introduced to Tomari (a rocky cavernous part of Okinawa) by a master called Anan or Chinto. He may have been Vietnamese but the style has definite hallmarks of white crane as well as Five Ancestor Fist. Like the Aragaki branch, these forms resemble Shaolin crane and monk styles. Perhaps the Okinawans in rocky Tomari valued the one-legged crane stances for fighting on uneven terrain. Jutte has some similarities to Taiji (the hold the ball posture) and can also be performed with a Bo staff which again gives that "Shaolin Monk" feel.
Associated exercises: Bo kata

I will now divide these forms into groups, combining their origin with a classification:

1) Channan Quan (Long Fist)
(a) Pinan (Heian 1-5)
PIONEER: Yasutsune Itosu


2) Naifanchi Quan
(a) Naihanchi (Tekki 1-3)
PIONEERS: Ason and Sokon Matsumura


3) Wutang Quan
(a) Bazi Quan (Bassai Dai, sho) PIONEERS: Iwah & Matsumura
(b) Kushanku Quan (Kanku dai, so)PIONEERS: Wang, Sakugawa, Yara
(c) Wansu Quan (Empi) PIONEERS: Wansu & Takahara Peichin


4) Shorei Quan (Southern/Fujian type)
(a) Goju basic (Gekisai, Saifa) PIONEER: Chojun Miyagu
(b) Goju advanced (Seishan etc) PIONEER: Higaonna Kanryo & others


5) Shorin Quan (Shaolin type)
(a) Aragaki group (Nijushiho, Unsu, Sochin, Wankan) PIONEER: Aragaki
(b) Tomari group (Jutte, Jin, Jion, Chinte, Gankaku, Meikyo)
PIONEERS: Anan, Mastumora, Gusukuma
(c) Useishi (Gojushiho) PIONEER: Matsumura


So we have now grouped our curriculum into five Quan. The first is Channan Quan (Long Fist) comprising Heian katas, which is our basic starting style from white belt up to purple belt. It introduces students to long and short range techniques as well as weapons.

We are next introduced to Naifanchi Quan (Tekki) and the first of the Shorei Quan (Gekisai) both introduce us to more close-in grappling.

The fourth style we meet is from the Wutang style that is to say forms derived from the arts of Hsing-I Quan, Bazi Quan and Taiji Quan. They have a light internal quality and make use of lifting and dropping power. They also have a Qi Gong aspect.

The fifth style is the Shaolin forms like Nijushiho and Jutte. They introduce a new type of body mechanics and power generation.

So kata (style) is not just about kata (form).

When we practice with Sai, we do so in the manner of the Channan (Heian) forms.

When we practice our slow, flowing close-in sparring we are training in the Shorei method.

Everything we do in Toshu Jutsu, from the simplest throw to the most precise pressure point is one of these traditions.

Therefore can we discard kata? No. Because if we did there would be no Toshu Jutsu.

A punch is a block and a block is a throw, but a kata is a style and a style is a kata.

The Heian katas are often said to have been developed by master Itosu. They were called Pinan and the name was changed by Gichin Funakoshi to make it more appealing to the Japanese.

The problem with the theory about Itosu creating the Pinan forms is that at least two of them (Nidan and Shodan) seem to predate Itosu.

Styles, seemingly derived from Itosu's teacher Matsumura also include these forms and Chokki Motobu also related a story about them.

Motobu said he saw Itosu practicing the Channan kata - but practicing it differently - and when he asked about it, Itosu said: "This is the way we do it now, the young people tell me Pinan is better than Channan."

So from this we can conclude that the five Pinan forms were derived from the previous Channan form. Or where they?

Another story states that the Pinans were derived from the kata Kushanku (Kanku Dai) and certainly there are similarities. But for every similarities there are many differences. For instance the opening moves of Nidan, Sandan and Yondan are nowhere to be seen in Kushanku.

Perhaps Pinan were derived from both Channan and Kushanku.

So where did Itosu and his teacher Matsumura learn these forms?

It is unlikely that Matsumura learnt these forms on his excursions to China. His training with Iwah alongside the Kojo family and Aragaki seems to have yielded forms which still have counterparts in the Shaolin tradition like Useishi (Gojushiho), Seishan (Hangetsu) and Jutte.

Rather it is likely that Matsumura learn this kata from his original teachers Chatan Yara and Tode Sakugawa.

There is a version of the kata called Yara no Kushanku and this would seem to be the origin. An Okinawan tale recalls that a master called Kushanku taught the form to Sakugawa and Richard Kim tells us that one of Kushanku's students was called Yara. So that seems to clear things up.

But Kushanku himself may have also been a practitioner of Chang Chuan (Long Fist) which may be the origin of Channan.

Long Fist includes techniques very similar to some found in Pinans.

Chang Chuan was pioneered by a sixteenth century general called General Qi.

I enjoy the Pinan forms because I believe they are very versatile and their myriad of applications give us a broad grounding before we meet more close-in fighting forms like Naihanchi and Seishan.

In examining the Pinan forms:

Pinan Shodan (Heian Shodan) gives excellent Tenkan movement and has some very nice Aikido style locks and throws

Nidan has some great fundamantal flinch blocks, throws and takedowns.

Sandan is the most circular of the forms and its applications resemble Pakua Zhang.

Yondan is the closest to Kushanku and also works well with a knife or twin swords.

Godan is the little brother of Bassai and begins to introduce more close range grappling that will take us onto Naihanchi. It also works well with a bo staff.

In Bushinkai we learn the Pinan/Heian forms, then Naihanchi and Gekisai and finally Bassai and Kushanku. Then we begin on the advanced forms.

In my previous blog post, I talked about my great uncle first studying Jujutsu in 1945. His teacher's teacher was a practitioner of Daito Ryu which traces its origins back to the famous Minamoto clan.

The original art of the Minamoto clan was called Hakugen Ryu which I would like to talk more about.

One of the first Japanese martial arts schools was Kashima no Tachi Shinmyoken, which was founded by Kunima Masato in 400 AD. From this style Jigensai Kazutou Jiichibou created a school called HAKUGEN RYU in 931AD.

Hakugen Ryu was passed to the Minamoto clan (Genji) which held its secrets in a set of two scrolls, “Ryuko Nikan no Hidensho (the two secret scrolls of Dragon and Tiger).

The art was passed to Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039 – 1106) who decoded the secrets and created a system which he called “Ten Chi Jin In Yo Godan no Houkei” (the form of the Five Techniques of Heaven, Earth, Human, Darkness and Light).

Yoshiie's younger brother Minamoto Yoshimitsu (1045 – 1127) created a branch of the tradition later known as Daito Ryu, famed for its Aikijujutsu.

Minamoto Yoshiie passed Hakugen Ryu to Kiichi Hougan and he to Minamoto Yoshitsune (1159 – 1189) who was the brother of the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo.

Yoshitsune passed the art on to Shunjobu Jugen who taught it to Yaobettoh Kenko.

Yaobettoh passed the art to Tose Nagamune who also mastered Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō Ryu and called his teachings Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu. Nagamune moved to Satsuma and changed the name Jiken to 'Jigen' and changed his own name to Setoguchi Masamoto.

He explained: "The origin of my style traces back its roots to Jouko Ryu Kashima no Tachi Hakugen Ryu. The style has incorporated many other different styles by the past successors. “Gen” also contains several meanings like; the source of everything in the world, the war strategy (Heiho) of the Minamoto (Genji) clan. I hereby name my style as Tenshinsho Jigen Ryu Hyoho with absolute certainty and confidence.”

Setoguchi died in 1519 but left behind hidden in Satsuma all the secrets of his art, that was passed down to only one disciple of each generation and royal guards of the Shimazu clan for about 500 years.

Within Satsuma the art of Jigen Ryu was further developed by Togo Chui (1561-1643) in Satsuma Province, now Kagoshima prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

This branch of the art was passed through to Togo family and then a branch of it, called Kojigen Ryu was taught to Toshu Jutsu masters from Okinawan including Sokon Matsumura and Yoshitsune Azato.

Matsumura created numerous forms that are used in Toshu Jutsu and Karatedo including Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho, the latter includes some resemblance to Jigen Ryu sword movements and the kata Empi shares its name with a Jigen Ryu form.

Hakugen Ryu is the ultimate ancestor of Daito Ryu (from where the Bushin Ryu family tradition of Nihon-den Jujutsu derives).

Hakugen Ryu is also the ultimate ancestor of Kojigen Ryu which was studied by the masters of Toshu jutsu who influenced our school.

Hakugen Ryu was also an influenced on the original Yoshin Ryu school of Hakuda which influenced much of our Jujutsu.

Another reason why I highlight the name Hakugen Ryu is the name of my clan in Gaelic is MacAodhagain which in English is pronounced MacKeegan but in Irish is pronounced more like 'Makugen' - so Makugen and Hakugen are only one letter out! The irish syllable 'Aodha' is pronounced 'Hugh' making my clan name sound like Makugen rather than Makeegan.

My great uncle (my grandad's brother) was, as far as I know, the first in my family to study Japanese martial arts. This was in 1945. I'd like to tell you a bit more about this.

Bill Nelson, was born on Christmas Day 1925 in Bootle, near Liverpool.

His parents were William Henry Nelson and Violet Stephens. William Henry was the son of Swedish immigrants and Violet came from a very old Cornish-Welsh family that dates back to the days of King Arthur!

William Henry's father was a formidable Swedish sailor named August Nilsson. There is some significance to why I mention this.

August, born in 1866 served in the Swedish Navy during which time he would have learnt various combative arts including "hand to hand combat" (ie boxing) and also a type of fencing using short sticks which was common in the navy across Europe.

Singlestick was developed as a method of training in the use of backswords such as the cavalry sabre or cutlass. It was a popular pastime from the 18th to the early 20th century, and was an event at the 1904 Summer Olympics.

Sweden has not been actively involved in war since 1814 but the Swedes like the Danish trawlers were renowned for their far-flung adventures. Some even made it to Okinawa. In fact Richard Kim recalls a 19the century Karate master (Itoman Bunkichi) who was the son of a Skandinavian sailor and tells of a technique [headbutt] called a "Danish kiss."

August was a very big man, I'm guessing well over six feet tall, whereas his son William Henry was much smaller. William Henry fought in World War I with the King's Liverpool Regiment ad won several medals.

William Henry's oldest son was my grandad Charles James "Jim" who was born in 1924, with Bill following in 1925.

My grandad told me that when they were children in the 1930s their dad had pairs of boxing gloves hanging in the shed and would teach them unarmed combat which he had learnt from his father. My grandad recalled even having his nose broken sparring with his dad.

In 1939 when World War II started Bill joined the merchant navy aged 14 and travelled around the world getting into many adventures including being torpedoed by a German u-boat.

When the war ended in 1945 he took up Jujutsu.

In a previous blog post, I've talked about the introduction of Jujutsu to Liverpool but I will briefly mention it again. In 1905 Gunji Koizumi made a fleeting visit and in around 1912 one of Yukio Tani's students Jack Britten set up a Jujutsu Dojo.

In 1928 Gerald Skyner established a Jujutsu club at 67 Mount Pleasant near the city centre.

Skyner claimed he was a student of Japanese master Mikonosuke Kawaishi.

Kawaishi studied Judo in Kyoto with Master Tomio Kurihara (later 10th Dan), a student of Isogai Hajime 10th Dan (who was taught by Kano) and also studied Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu with Master Yoshida Kotaro.

Kawaishi sailed from Kobe to Seattle and then went to New York in 1926. He is even reputed to have fought legendary boxer Jack Dempsey.

When Kawaishi came to Liverpool he taught Jujutsu and earned his money as a professional wrestler named Matsuda.

Kawaishi taught many aspects of Bushido including Jujutsu, Aikijujutsu and Kenjutsu.

Skyner himself was a formidable man who taught unarmed combat to the RAF.

In WWII He was asked to be an army combat instructor but was fired after one day for smashing a recruit in the face with a steel helmet (anecdote courtesy of Liverpool combat instructor Dennis Martin). Among Prof Skyner's students were PC O'Neill, a local police office whose son grew up to be one of the UK's greatest Karateka, Sensei Terry O'Neill.

Prof Skyner was an unarmed combat instructor for the RAF and police, while Kawaishi went on to be a resident instructor at Oxford University and head of the French Judo Federation.

My uncle Bill trained with Skyner from 1945 at his Dojo in Catherine Street (it moved from Mount Pleasant) and graded to black belt. He later trained with another Jujutsu teacher at Arnott Street School in Walton.

There has been some suggestion that Kawaishi was not in Liverpool long enough to have taught Skyner very much, but all the same, this is how Jujutsu came to be introduced to my family.

Some reference sources:

KAWAISHI:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikonosuke_Kawaishi

judoinfo.com/new/alphabetical-list/people-in-judo/366-mikonosuke-kawaishi

SKYNER:

www.thefreelibrary.com/Martial+arts%3A+IT+SHOULD+BE+A+REAL+BELTER.-a0111250234

selfprotection.lightbb.com/t182-overview-of-combatives

On this website I include a page of my influences, from my main teachers to instructors I have been inspired by on seminars.

There's various reasons why I include this. The first one is lineage. What lineage means in martial arts is that you can trace your art back to its founder. For example in Shotokan, one of my teachers trained with one of Gichin Funakoshi's students. Therefore there is a clear path from founder to instructor.

Another reason is in the interest of cataloguing the origins of a school. I was always fascinated when my instructors told me about their instructors, and I don't want my teachers or their teachers to be forgotten.

Over the years I've trained in literally dozens of different martial arts but I try to focus on three, namely;
- Karate (Toshu Jutsu, Hakuda and related Okinawa-Fujian-Kagoshima Kempo based arts)
- Nihon-den Jujutsu (including styles derived from Daito Ryu & Hakugen Ryu)
- Tai Chi and related arts

I have been lucky enough to train with some of the world's senior masters and grandmasters and I will address these before I return to my personal teachers.

Among the masters I have trained with are:
- Tadanori Nobetsu 9th Dan (Niseikai Karate)
- Shizuya Sato 10th Dan (Nihon Jujutsu)
- Mitsuhiro Kondo 9th Dan (Nihon-den Jujutsu, Aikido, Karate)
- Terry Wingrove 9th Dan (Yawara)
- Allan Tattersall 9th Dan (Myoshin Ryu)
- Patrick McCarthy 8th Dan (Koryu Uchinadi)
- Li De Yin & Zhang Xiu Mu (Tai Chi)
- Alan Ruddock (Aikido)

I mention these men, because they are all either founders of a martial art (ie Sato is the founder of Sato Ryu Nihon Jujutsu) or else trained with the grandmaster of their art (ie Alan Ruddock trained with Morihei Ueshiba). One day, sadly these men will be gone and along with them much will be forgotten.

I have had many great conversations with the likes of Hanshi Terry and Hanshi Allan and to hear about men like Morihei Ueshiba, Kenwa Mabuni and Minoru Mochizuki from first hand experience is wonderful.

This is why, even though these gentlemen were not my personal teachers, I cite their names. Yes, I have trained with them, but more importantly is who they have trained with. They are a living bridge to a legendary era.

Of my personal teachers, the names are well documented throughout this website.

My dad, David Keegan was my earliest martial arts source. When I was a nipper, obsessed with Kung Fu and Ninjas he would help me train and punching the heavy bag in his garage dojo is fondly remembered. My dad, my uncles and my great uncle all trained in martial arts before the decade I was born.

The next name I will mention is Sensei Stephen Bullough, my teacher from my teenage years. I trained with him for eight years and was his student inside and outside the Dojo. He taught me Karate, Judo, Aikido, weapons and above all, fighting spirit.

I next trained with Sensei Bob Carruthers, and on occassion with his senior student Sensei Steve Brennan. Two wonderful, humble men who gave freely their time to help me learn about Shotokan Karate and Karate Jutsu. Last year (2010) I held a course which celebrated 10 years of Bushinkai and 10 years of me having trained with Bob.

Around the time I started training with Bob I was also guided by a number of Jujutsu instructors within one association. I can't say any where my "personal" instructor (in the same way Steve and Bob were) but those who helped me along include Jaimie Lee-Barron, George Scarrott, Joe Carslake, Terry Hall and Andy Wilshaw.

After this "era" I became a student of Goju Ryu/Niseikai instructor Sensei Reiner Parsons, who has been perhaps my main instructor, along with Bob for the last eight years. I have also been helped along by Reiner's sons, senior Goju Ryu instructors in their own right.

At the time I met Reiner I also met my great friends Colin Hutchinson (Judo) and Craig Bailey (Kyushindo) - and I was also helped in the art of Judo and Nihon Jujutsu by two very skilled instructors Jack Hearn and Ray Walker.

Today, many years after treading the path for the first time, I am learning new skills all over again from the arts of Muay Thai and Kung Fu from my friend John Dang.

Back in 1999 I was a 1st Kyu training for my black belt. I was so keen to gain the skills necessary to pass, I was training literally every opportunity I could. Not just in classes, but also at Sensei's home at weekends.

After one particular class, my friend said to me, "I'll pick you up after Karate on Sunday night and we can go for a drink."

I said: "Ok, but no beer for me - I'm in training!"

So my friend picked me up and we went to the pub. I drunk my lime and soda and began to walk home.

I was walking along an unlit country lane with no path. I was close to the hedgerows and carrying my kit bag.

I looked back over my shoulder and saw a car zooming towards me. I would estimate the speed was around 65mph. I turned round and his headlights shone on my face so he must have seen me. I moved in as closely to the hedgerows as I could to let him past but as he got a few yards away I realised he was about to hit me and I had no place to go.

The car hit me, full speed, I took the worst of the impact in my legs. I flew backwards over the bonnet, windscreen, roof and felt myself land with a side breakfall in the hedgerow.

The breakfall took a lot of the impact and my sports bag helped but I was still in a bad way.

I don't know why, but my first thought in that first second was one of triumph. FI thought, "Ha! I'm ok!" I guess my initial reaction was that the driver had purposely hit me - but failed to do me in. I think now that's not the case. But that was my first thought.

My second thought was, "I better get up before something else hits me."

I stood up and looked back down the road. One of my shoes was about 20 feet away. The car had literally knocked me out of my shoes and carried me that far. I limped over to my shoe, put it on and hobbled across the road and onto the start of the path.

As I crossed the road I realised my nose was bleeding, I had a cut on my forehead and my face was generally a bit mushed. Nothing too drastic though. But my legs weren't good. I certainly wasn't going to make it home.

I made it a few hundred yards to the nearest phone box and called my dad.

He picked me up in the car, I got in, he took one look at my face and said: "Tough class?"

I got in the house and realised me jeans were stuck to my legs with blood. I ripped them off, wiped some of the blood away and saw on both legs I had yellow and blue bruises from my feet to my hips.

When things like this happen, the adrenaline gives you a big "high" but then when it wears off you get a massive "low". I probably should have gone to hospital, but I just wanted to go to bed (with a small whisky for my nerves!"

On Monday morning I went to hospital, limping from the car. I told the doctor what had happened and he looked at my legs and said: "We need to see just how many bones are broken. Quite a few I should think."

I had an x-ray and no bones were broken. None were cracked, none were fractured. I still haven't got much feeling in my left shin though.

"Rest your legs", he said. "No Karate for a few weeks"

The next day I said to my dad, "The doctor said I shouldn't do Karate for a few weeks."

Dad replied, "Well he never mentioned anything about Tai Chi. Grab your bag. You've got a grading in a few weeks."

On that Tuesday night's Tai Chi lesson we did single posture training in deep stances for most of the lesson. Because I was a brown belt in Karate, I was expected to have a good deep stance. Of course my legs were wobbling like crazy.

A few weeks later I went into a seven hour black belt Karate grading and passed.

I've learnt a lot since that night 12 years ago. But I still think that was my best and certainly hardest breakfall.

It was about 1997 and Sensei told us that we would be going to compete at a martial arts championships in Sheffield. I wasn't fighting at this particular event - I wanted to do kata.

I decided on a weapons kata. I wanted to use my katana, but I didn't want to show a traditional Iai form, I wanted a more dynamic freestyle form.

Sensei had showed me a bo kata which he felt we could adapt and I finished up with a nice looking form. Some of the movements looked a little like Bassai Sho but I believe the Bo form was called Ichi Chikara Bo.

Before the event there was a special weapons demo by the world weapons kata champion. He was using a pair of kama (sickles)- he moved beautifully and with great speed and dexterity.

As we were signing in and the fighters were weighing in, an instructor arrived with a coachload of students. He was, to this day, one of the most unpleasant, arrogant and rude instructors I've ever met. He was belittling other competitors, mocking people if they had not training in Japan and making fun of people's equipment and even their sword bags.

A member of my club heard an official say: "Look how many students he's brought, make sure he leaves with something" - meaning make sure he gets a trophy!

I felt demoralised but was determined to give a good showing.

One of his students was up first. They performed a pretty sloppy demo of the first Iaido kata "Mae" - it was nothing special.

Next up came a man with a Yari (spear) his demo was good and I felt he was the man to beat.

Sensei said: "You and him will get first and second - not sure which way round."

The arrogant instructor was up next. He performed a pretty good katana form but nothing to write home about.

I went on and gave my best ever performance of my kata. I received a standing ovation from the audience. Sensei looked pleased.

The winners names were read out and the arrogant instructor had won. And his student finished second.

I was quietly disappointed but as the names were read out, instead of applause there was an audible gasp of "WHAT!!???"

The promoter herself, a very experienced lady, came over to me and said: "That decision is wrong. You won that."

I felt a little better, but still went off to the changing rooms disappointed I had been beaten by such a poor performance.

As I was at my locker, I heard a voice. "Your sword kata...." I half expected it to be the winner come to gloat.

It wasn't. It was the world kata champion. His ponytail swept back and his kama strapped to his rucksack, he looked every inch the modern day Samurai.

"Your sword kata..." He continued, "was excellent. You were the clear winner. That other man should not have won. Well done to you."

I realised my performance may not have gained me a trophy, but I'd won the respect of superior martial artists.

When I got home that day my parents said: "Another trophy son?" I said, "No, not this time."

"Are you disappointed?"

"No, not this time."

It was instant kama!

Within the Bushinkai school we train in various weapons. We begin with Jo (four foot staff), then move on to Sai, then Nunchaku. Next we learn the tonfa.

Before brown belt we introduce bladed weapons, either Japanese knives (Tanta - dagger, or Aikuchi - knife) or Chinese knives (Dip Dao).

Finally we revisit the staff, but this time using the Rokushaku Bo (six foot staff).

Once students attain black belt they may also specialise in a sword. Either Japanese (Katana) or Chinese (Dao, or Jian).

Throughout the syllabus we also study Tanjo (Escrima stick) as a generic weapon.

Before I proceed, there are a few FAQs or myths I would like to clear up.

MYTH 1: You shouldn't be teaching Japanese weapons and Chinese weapons together.
RESPONSE: These weapons have always been taught together in Okinawa, since the Ryukyu kingdom was influenced and governed by both China and Japan.

MYTH 2: The Chinese Dip Dao (butterfly swords) belong in Wing Chun, not Karate.
RESPONSE: Read Richard Kim's "The Weaponless Warriors" particularly the account of Chatan Yara studying the Chinese Twin Swords. Also read Okinawan Karate by Mark Bishop, reference the Kojo family studying the Chinese curved sword and introducing them to Okinawa.

MYTH 3: The Japanese sword has nothing to do with Karate since swords were banned in Okinawa.
RESPONSE: Two of the most influential Karate masters ever, Bushi Matsumura and Anko Azato were both masters of Jigen Ryu, a school of Japanese sword. And they were by no means the only Karate masters to train in this school. In particular the Motobu Ryu was based on the katana.

MYTH 4: The Jian (Chinese straight sword) was never taught in Okinawa
REPONSE: The Chinese straight sword was taught in Okinawa, together with a shield (usually made from a giant turtle shell) the weapons were called Timbei and Rochin. The sword was used almost like a spear in a stabbing fashion across the shield, in the same way Roman legionnaires used their gladius swords and spears in their shield formations.

Now these cultural points are addressed we can approach more technical points.

HOW DO THE WEAPONS FIT IN WITH THE SYLLABUS?

Firstly they add a wonderful new dimension to kata. Of course we explore (bunkai) kata for its myriad of grappling applications (oyo) but the forms may also be performed with weapons. My preferred forms with each weapon are:

Heian Shodan: Sai or Jo
Heian Nidan and Sandan: Nunchaku
Heian Yondan: Tanto or Dip Dao
Heian Godan: Bo

They also add a new dimension to self defence - that of weapons defences.

HOW ARE ARCHAIC WEAPONS RELEVENT TO SELF DEFENCE?

Easy. Substitute "Jo" for "pool cue", "Tonfa" for "police truncheon", Sai for "crow bar" - it doesn't take much imagination. And depending on where you live, you may be surprised how often machettes and katanas are still used in violent crime.

BUT I DON'T CARRY A WEAPON AROUND WITH ME. SO WHAT'S THE POINT IN BE ABLE TO FIGHT WITH ONE?

You probably do carry a weapon. Have you ever carried an umbrella, a rolled up magazine, a bunch of keys, a handful of coins, a cup of coffee, a pen. Have you worn a leather belt? Maybe you have carried a walking stick or even a dog lead.

And as for the contents of a woman's handbag... I once taught a group of women self defence and some of the potential weapons in their bags would put a Ninja to shame! One even carried a can of mace with her at all times.

A stick weapon is a stick weapon, a chain weapon is a chain weapon. Of course in the Dojo we use nice laquered oak Tonfa, but it could just as easily be a rolled up Daily Telegraph. Don't believe me? Take a broadsheet newspaper, roll it up as tightly as you can and hit a table or tree with it. It's like carrying a truncheon. (Or fold it again and you have, what back in the 80s, football hooligans termed a "Millwall brick"

Am I encouraging people to carry weapons? No. I'm encouraging people to think laterally about their surroundings and to improvise.

A FINAL WORD...

Most of what we learn is practical-application based but there is also something to be said for self expression and gaining a skill is self improvement and confidence building in itself. Choose a weapon, make it part of you, specialise in it. Know it back to front, inside out. And then come to realise what you have learnt could be applied to any weapon.

When I was 18 I was in the Territorial Army, a cavalry regiment with a particular pedigree for riflemanship. That weapon, the SA80, went everywhere with us. We slept with it in our sleeping bags (very cold), you take it to the toilet with you. It goes under your seat when you're in the canteen and when you get up for another slice of toast, you pick it up and take it with you. Now I don't have any fondness for guns. But part of that discipline stayed with me. I always know where my weapons are.

I am also reminded of the time a very senior Jujutsu teacher named Brian Dossett turned up to a weapons kata competition with a gardening fork wrapped in tinfoil. He was told "that's not a weapon, it's a gardening implement." He pointed at the Nunchaku and Kama that other competitors had and said: "So are they!" This tale struck me as apocryphal, until I asked his then-uke Jo Biggs if it was true and he said: "Yeah, but only because he couldn't fit a lawnmower into the back of my Mini!"

Kanken Toyama is of great interest to us since he was one of the last masers to study authentic Hakuda, Toshu Jutsu and make study of Chinese Lion Boxing.

The late great martial arts grandmaster, Kanken Toyama, was born in Shuri, Okinawa on the 21st year of Meiji, September 24, 1888. His given name was Kanken Oyadamari and he born into to a noble family.

In 1897 Toyama Kanken began his formal training in Toshukuken (Toshu Jutsu or Karate) under Master Itarashiki. Later, he apprenticed himself to Anko Itosu, who then became his primary teacher and was his inspirational guide. He continued studying under Itosu until Itosu's death in 1915.

Itosu was of course the founder of Shorin Ryu Karate with many famous students including Gichin Funakoshi (founder of Shotokan) and Kenwa Mabuni (founder of Shito Ryu.)

Toyama was a school teacher by profession, and his chosen field of instruction was karate-do. In 1907 Toyama was named Shihandai (assistant) to Itosu at the Okinawa Teacher's College in Shuri City, and in 1914 he held a high office at the Shuri First Elementary School. Toyama was one of only two students to be granted the title of Shihanshi (protege); Gichin Funakoshi was the other to receive this title from Itosu.

In 1924 Toyama Kanken moved his family to Taiwan where he taught elementary school and studied related systems of Chinese Ch'uan Fa (Kempo). This included Taku (Hakuda), Makaitan, Rutaobai, and Ubo.

Taku is one of central China's Hotsupu (northern school) Ch'uan Fa and is further classified as Neikung Ch'uan Fa (Shorei Kempo), that is, an internal method.

In previous blogs I have suggested that Taku (Hakuda) is synonymous with the Chinese Lion schools and of Bazi Quan.

Makaitan and Rutaobai, which the techniques of nukite (spear hand) came, and Ubo, all belong to the Nampa (southern school) Ch'uan Fa and are external methods or Waikung Ch'uan Fa (Shorei Kempo).

These later three styles hail primarily from Taiwan and Fukuden, China. Toyama sensei was also known to have studied and taught Tai Chi. Koyasu sensei learned Tai Chi from Toyama.

Early in 1930 Toyama moved again from Taiwan to mainland Japan and on 20 March 1930 he opened his first dojo in Tokyo. He called his dojo Shu Do Kan meaning "The Hall for the Study of the Way" (in this case the karate-way). Toyama sensei did not claim to originate a new style, system or school of thought, nor did he combine the different styles he had learned. Those who studied under him basically learned Itosu's Shorin Ryu and the related ch'uan fa.

In 1946, Toyama Kanken, now a Dai Shihan, founded the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (AJKF). There is some evidence that the AJKF actually got its start in 1930s, however the federation evolved into a full fledged organization when it was officially documented and sanctioned in 1946.

Toyama's intention when establishing the AJKF organisation was to unify the karates of Japan and Okinawa into one governing organization, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and technique.

Toyama's specialties in karate-do were strong gripping methods, Useishi No Kata [Gojushiho] and the Aku Ryoku Ho of Itosu and Itarashiki and similar Chinese methods of finger and hand strengthening. He was the author of books Karate-do Taihokan and Karate-do.

In 1949 Toyama was awarded a special title of honor by the Governor of Okinawa, Mr. Shikioku Koshin. Aside from learning Shorin-Ryu from Itosu, Toyama studied and mastered other styles of karate from other notable masters of Naha-te and Tomari-te which also included Okinawan Kobudo. A few of his other teachers were Aragaki, Azato, Chibana, Oshiro, Tana, and Yabu.

It is also thought that when the Korean (Ch'uan fa) master, Yoon Byung-In came to train at his gymnasium, he also studied Northern Manchurian Kwan-bop with him. It is alleged that Toyama Kanken said that he and Yoon Byung-In should share techniques.

Toyama wrote of Lion Boxing, saying: "If you are seized from behind by a thug, the most exquisite technique is the Lion Method. Although there are many different techniques when being seized from the rear, the Lion Method is the only method in which to repel and opponent and deliver a mortal blow."

Although Toyama never really created his own school, he taught many masters, some of whom have influenced our school. These include:

1) Makoto Gima, founder of Shoto Ryu
2) Masanao Takazawa, founder of Keishikan, teacher of Malaysian Budokan founder Chew Choo Soot
3) Hideo Tsuchiya, Karate Jutsu master
4) Kinjo Hiroshi, Koryu Uchinadi master

When I was a child, I viewed martial arts as very easy to define. Karate was about striking, Judo was about throws and Aikido was about wristlocks! Little did I know there were strikes in Judo, and throws in Karate. Today the martial arts are not so easy to define, and really, any effective martial art should teach a full range of attacks and defences at different ranges.

The two martial arts I have trained in the most are Karate and Jujutsu. Both include strikes, throws, locks, grappling and weapons. So if this is the case, what is the difference between the two?

I will attempt to answer this with a number of comparative points. There will of course be a grey area and that grey area is literally where Japan and Okinawa meet. Okinawa is an island off the coast of Kagoshima, and so the Jujutsu of Kagoshima (often termed Hakuda) has much in common with Karate. Similarly the weapons of Kagoshima (ie Jigen Ryu) has much in common with the weapons of Okinawa. Both of these regions also had influences from Fujian, China more so than the rest of the quite literally insular Japan.

So I will ignore this grey area, so please assume I am refering to, for example the Jujutsu of Tokyo, contrasted with the Karate of the Okinawan capital Shuri.

1) Karate is Okinawan; Jujutsu is Japanese

2) Karate uses prescribed stances (ie Zenkutsu Dachi), Jujutsu uses prescribed hand positions (ie Ichimonji no Kamae)

3) Karate uses solo forms, Jujutsu uses paired kata

4) Karateka were primarily empty-handed; Samurai were primarily armed

5) Karate kata hides its applications within the form; Jujutsu applications are seen and are self evident

6) Karate uses many hand shapes (knife hand, single knuckle punch etc); Jujutsu does not (because Samurai wore restrictive gauntlets)

7) Karate was practiced by bodyguards, officials and civilians; Jujutsu was practiced by professional warriors/knights

8) Karate was developed by a handful (maybe a dozen) pioneers across a few hundred years; Jujutsu was developed by thousands of warriors over a thousand years. Karate was taught by individuals on an informal basis; Jujutsu was taught by professional instructors within each warrior clan and taught in a formal arranged fashion

9) Jujutsu was developed almost solely in Japan. Perhaps around 99% of Jujutsu schools were developed purely by Japanese teachers in an isolated fashion within their Ryu; whereas Karate was developed with direct influences from Okinawa, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. Japan was a nationalistic cultural art; Karate was a mixing pot of influences

10) Jujutsu was designed to be practiced in restrictive clothing from full armour to sandles, riding hakama, kimono, while wearing weapons; Karate may be freely executed in a minimal attire, not much different from today's gi.

I've been using this blog to explain some of the thinking behind Bushinkai. Why do we refer to our Karate as "Toshu Jutsu", why to our Jujutsu as "Hakuda Kempo" and why my branch is called "White Lion Academy." Now why do we wear black, red and white.

I think every club should have "club colours", they do in other sports but even if we look back hundreds of years ago in Japan, each clan would have its own banner, its own crest and its own colours to distinguish on the battle field.

For us we use three colours which have a significance. A student begins as a white belt, the first colour they get is a red belt, then when they've gone through all the coloured belt they get a black belt. In theory when we reach 10th Dan (very theoretical) we wear a red belt again and upon reaching 12th Dan (basically improbable) we once again wear a white belt.

White, red and black are birth, life and death. Coal begins black, burns red and returns to white. Steel comes out of the black fire, glows red and returns shining.

White, red and black are Okinawa, China and Japan.

They are Karate, Bujutsu and Kung Fu.

Many hundreds of years ago my clan shield was red with a white lion. Our tartan was red and black.

At my first Karate club the Bushido Academy when I was a youngster the colours were Black, red and white (they since chanced to blue and yellow - but I kept the old ones).

Many traditionalists say "it's traditional to wear a white gi" but this is not so. Old Toshu Jutsu and Karate masters from Sakugawa to Funakoshi to Miyagi often wore a black kimono to teach. The gi was only adopted from Judo in the 1920s. In fact in the earliest Karate demos in the 1920s Funakoshi's students wore T-shirts! Chokki Motobu usually wore shorts - so much for traditional white gi.

Black, red and white are our clan colours, our tradition and symbol the three sides of our tradition.

In previous blogs I've introduced the phrase "Hakuda Kempo" which is representative of the "Jujutsu" part of our school. Now I would like to talk about my use of the phrase "Toshu Jutsu" as distinct from Karate.

In the written Japanese language words can be written in either of three "alphabets" Hiragana, katakana or Kanji. The latter is the "last resort" and is a classical Chinese pictographic "alphabet" which is what we know as "Chinese writing."

Kanji can be pronounced in two ways in either Onyumi or Kunyumi, or in Japanese or Chinese therefore the Kanji for the surname Minamoto can also be pronounced "Genji" and the Kanji for the surname Taira can also be pronounced "Heike." And Ju (as in Judo or Goju Ryu) can also be pronounced Yawara.

Gichin Funakoshi changed the Kanji for Karate from "Chinese Hand" to "Empty Hand"

The Kanji for "Chinese hand" can either be pronounced Kara Te (Kunyomi), Toshu (Onyumi), To te (On & Kun) or Tang su (Korean).

The Kanji for "Hand" can be either Shu/Su or te/ti/de/di


The various translations are:

KARA TE (Empty hand)

KARA TE [Chinese hand - in Kunyumi]

TO SHU [Chinese hand - in Onyumi]

TO TE [Chinese hand in On & Kun]

TANG SU [Chinese hand in Korean]

The word Toshu (Chinese hand) is therefore the same as Karate but I use Toshu Jutsu (Chinese hand combat techniques) to differentiate betweenthe practical Toshu Jutsu and the more sporting Karate Do (Empty hand Way).

Interestingly in 2009 my uncle John went to Gyokusendo, Okinawa and there a local Dojo was teaching "Toshu Jutsu."

Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu means is fully expressed as meaning "White Lion Fist Law method of Chinese Boxing"

A bit of a mouthful! So I understand when students just call it "Toshu Jutsu" or "Bushinkai Karate"

The Bushinkai Academy is comprised of two schools, the Metal Tiger Academy and the White Lion Academy. The former teaching Chinese Internal Martial Arts (Tai Chi etc) and is run by my dad and the latter teaches Toshu Jutsu and is run by me.

I originally chose the name White Lion Academy because it was personal to me. My clan coat of arms is a white lion (and a crown and a half moon). And because it fits in nicely with Metal Tiger Academy (my dad was born in the Year of the Metal Tiger.)

My martial arts and my clan heritage are related. Just like the Takeda clan heritage is synonymous with Daito Ryu.

But there's another reason for the name - one more relevant to Karate and Jujutsu.

In researching the history of the kata Bassai Dai I came across some interesting information. The Chinese style Baji Quan includes forms called Baji Da and Baji Xiao - Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho anyone

But Baji doesn't sound anything like Bassai. No but Bazi does. And that was Baji's original name.

Bazi means "rake boxing" because of its clawing techniques.

The Ba in Baji is supposed to mean "eight" but what if it means "white"?

In the Fukien dialect Sai means "Lion". Therefore Bassai would mean "white lion" and the clawing techniques would be the lion's claws.

But does Bassai move like Lion Boxing? At least one Japanese master thinks so.

Akio Kinjo, believes that the name of this Kata in Chinese means 'leopard-lion', and was pronounced as 'baoshi' in Manderine, 'Baasai' in the Fushou dialect and 'pausai' in Quan Shous dialect (kinjo 1999). Kinjo, a respected researcher, believes that the movements of the kata also resemble the leopard boxing of china. The Leopard style uses a lot of blocking and striking while standing in a cross leg stance, for instance. He also points out that the Lion boxing style is well represented, as it holds a great deal of openhanded techniques while using a stomping action.

So could this White Lion Boxing have been the style Matsumura studied to formulate Bassai Dai? It seems possible.

In my previous blog post I talked about Kagoshima's striking system "Hakuda" which seems related to Karate. Hakuda means "white hand" but let's compare Hakuda, Baida and Shubaku to Bassai Dai. We will take the "Baji Da" version of the name "Da" rather than the modern "Dai"

Haku: White
Da: Hand

Shu: Hand
Baku: White

Bai: White
Da: Hand

Ba: White
Sai: Lion
Da: Hand.

Therefore Bassai Bai may mean "White Lion Hand" and Hakuda may also mean "White Hand".

Perhaps the art Jigoro Kano described (Hakuda) and the form Matsumura studied (Bassai Dai)were the very same art - White Lion Boxing.

Bubishi: The Bible of Karate tells us that Lion Boxing was around in Fukien and teaching Karate-like forms. It reads: "Tiger Boxing also uses Saam Chien, Sanseiru, and Peichurrin, among others. Dog Boxing also uses Saam Chien and Sanseiru among others. Arhat Boxing, also known as Monk Fist, uses Saam Chien, Seisan, Jutte, Seipai, Ueseishi (Gojushiho), and Peichurrin among others. Lion Boxing uses Saam Chien and Seishan among others."

So if Lion Boxing taught Sanchin (Saam Chien) and Hangetsu (Seishan), two of the oldest and most widely used Karate forms, it certainly could have also used Bassai.

The name of our system "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu" and our school both "White Lion Academy" both pay homage to Chinese Lion Boxing in this way.

If the ancestor of Goju Ryu is white crane, perhaps the ancestor of Shoto is white lion.

Jujutsu is defined as unarmed (or lightly armed) combat methods of Japan, the name of which suggests using suppleness and pliancy to subdue rather than brute force.

Judo developed from Jujutsu, Kendo from Kenjutsu, Aikido from Aikijutsu... right? Well only sort of.

Although nowadays we often think of any Japanese grappling system prior to 1860 as being Jujutsu, that term itself is often retrospectively applied.

It's a bit like living in the Dark Ages or living in Medieval times. People didn't actually say: "So how do you like medieval times?" or "These dark ages are rough aren't they?" The terms were applied afterwards.

And so with Jujutsu. Hardly any of the schools that we now think of as Jujutsu actually used that term.

Some used the term "Yoroi Kumiuchi" meaning "fighting in armour".

Others used "Torite" meaning "attacking hands"

Some schools used "Kogusoku" meaning "lightly armed."

Others used "Taijutsu" meaning "body techniques"

These terms were all common across Japan prior to the 1600s.

Then Japan began to observe Chinese influences in its styles. The Chinese concept of the soft overcoming the hard was expressed in the word "Yawara" in Japanese or "Ju" in Chinese, meaning softness. This is the root of the phrase Jujutsu.

Other Chinese concepts were Koppo (destroying the bones) and Kosshi (tearing the flesh).

One Japanese master named Akiyama from Nagasaki learned a style called "White Hand" (Baida) in China. In Japanese this becomes Haku Da (white hand) or Shu Baku (Hand white). It has been suggested the origin of this phrase is "to strike without impurity.

Another is Kempo, a direct translation of the Chinese "Chuan Fa" meaning Fist Law.

So we have seen the following phrases used to express Japanese hand-to-hand combat:

Kumiuchi
Kogusoku
Torite
Tai Jutsu
Yawara
Jujutsu
Koppo
Kosshi
Hakuda
Shubaku
Kempo

So why did the phrase "Jujutsu" become a catch-all for Japanese grappling?

One reason is that wrestling resonates with the Japanese psyche better than pugilism. Japanese gods wrestled, the national sport is Sumo, the Japanese teach Judo in schools, Puroresu (pro wrestling) is popular in Japan.

Now name a famous Japanese boxer...

Kempo, Koppo Jutsu and Hakuda were percussive methods of fighting and may be considered the sister of Okinawan Karate. They were viewed in most of Japan as rather undignified.

Whereas "Jujutsu" expressed the par excellance of wrestling. Subduing another wrestler using gentleness. What skill could be greater?

While Kagoshima prefecture (uncoincidently the bit of Japan nearest to Okinawa and China) enjoyed Hakuda, northern Japan especially around Tokyo wanted to learn Yawara or Jujutsu.

The Kito Ryu school took this concept one further and called its art "Ju-Do" - softness as The Way. That's right - the phrase Judo was used before Jigoro Kano created Kodokan Judo.

Kano's writings talked about how Judo was developed of Jujutsu.

In 1887 Kano told the Asiatic Society of Japan: "In feudal times in Japan, there were various military arts and exercises which the samurai classes were trained and fitted for their special form of warfare. Amongst these was the art of jujutsu, from which the present judo has sprung up. The word jujutsu may be translated freely as "the art of gaining victory by yielding or pliancy." Originally, the name seems to have been applied to what may best be described as the art of fighting without weapons, although in some cases short weapons were used against opponents fighting with long weapons. Although it seems to resemble wrestling, yet it differs materially from wrestling as practiced in England, its main principle being not to match strength with strength, but to gain victory by yielding to strength."

Of Hakuda he stated: "There once lived in Nagasaki a physician named Akiyama, who went to China to study medicine. There he learned an art called hakuda which consisted of kicking and striking, differing, we may note, from jujutsu, which is mainly seizing and throwing."

The name of my system is "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu". My senior students are graded in both Karate and Nihon-den Jujutsu. Our system name includes the phrase "Hakuda Kempo" rather than "Jujutsu" since our school most strongly owes its origins to the percussive methods of Okinawa and Kagoshima, rather than the softer wrestling of Tokyo Jujutsu.

I will discuss the phrase Toshu Jutsu in a future blog.

If we take the Kata of Shotokan, (or indeed Wado Ryu, Shorin Ryu, Budokan etc) we find the forms fit into groups.

The Taikyoku (Kihon) forms are relatively recent innovations to be taught to beginners. The five Heian (Pinan) forms can be fairly reliably traced back to Master Itosu.

Kanku Dai has its little brother Kanku Sho; as Bassai Dai has Bassai Sho.

These are the forms typical of the Shorin (Shuri) school with big stances, powerful movement and movement in all directions.

Then we have the "Aragaki" forms, oweing more to Chinese White Crane and Monk Fist. These include Nijushiho (Niseishi), Unsu, Wankan and Sochin.

We have the "Temple forms" of Jutte, Jion and Jin and the Tomari forms of Chinte, Meikyo and Gankaku (Chinto) which again pay homage to Chinese Crane and Monk boxing.

We have the Naha Te form Hangetsu (Seishan) which has siblings like Sanchin and Suparimpei in styles like Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu.

We have the three Tekki (Naihanchi) forms which have some hallmarks of white crane but also seem to owe to grappling drills.

And finally we have Gojushiho (Useishi) Dai and Sho, advance forms which seem to tie together all the Shotokan forms in a style remeniscent of Tiger boxing, drunken boxing and - according to master Funakoshi - of the woodpecker.

But one form remains - Empi. It has no siblings and its parents are unknown.

Empi (flying swallow) was previously known as Wansu in Okinawa. Some suggest it means "dumping kata" and that the characteristic jump at the end symbolises a "fireman's carry" and body slam, dumping the opponent to the ground.

I first learnt this kata in about 1997 from Sensei Stephen Bullough in the Bushido Academy. He taught me the form very similar to the Shotokan version but with a front kick as part of the characteristic "stepping in" sequence. Interestingly in the 1970s master Kanazawa also put a kick in this sequence (a roundhouse kick) but later abandoned the idea.

Empi became one of my favourite forms and I performed it as my Tokui Kata for both my 1st Dan and 2nd Dan gradings.

I later learned two versions of this form from Sensei Bob Carruthers. The first was the Shotokan version, the second was a form called Wansu, the origin of which I'm not sure except to say he was taught it by Sensei Joe Carslake and it most closely resembles the Kobayashi Ryu version.

I attended an excellent Empi seminar with a Slovenian Karateka named Nejc Sever, a student of master Kase. The interesting thing was that Nejc was also a Tai Chi student (as was I) and he demonstrated relating Tai Chi relaxation to this form.

It would be a while before I learnt to do this (see my previous Blog post about learning Goju Ryu) but I came to realise that Empi had a real internal power about it.

As luck would have it my Tai Chi teacher began teaching us another internal martial art called Hsing-I. I found this art strange at first, because although it was grouped together with Tai Chi and Bagua, its "five fists" (the basic forms) seemed to move rather like Shotokan Karate. A coincidence I thought.

In 2001, I left the Bushido Academy and attended about four lessons with another instructor. I must emphasise I only attended four classes (or perhaps three or five) but they were very thought-provoking to this day. The style was based on Malaysian Budokan Karate.

Budokan in turn (founded by Chew Choo Soot) was based on Kanken Toyama's Tomari Te Karate.

The interesting thing was, this Karate method performed its Shuto quite like Hsing-I's "splitting fist", and its Gyaku tsuki like Hsing-I's "pounding fist."

I discovered something else one of the "12 animals" of Hsing-I was the Swallow. Remember Empi means "Flying Swallow."

I looked into the history of Empi and found a reference to it being introduced to Okinawa in 1683. This would make it the first extant kata in Okinawa - and explain its lack of "siblings."

The master who introduced this form to Okinawa was named Wang Ji (Wan Su in the Ryukyu dialect). Wang Ji was a contemporary of the founder of Hsing-I Quan, Ji Ji Ke. Perhaps he was even a relative.

I no longer have the opportunity to learn Hsing-I Quan, and I never made it past the first few "fists" but when I practice Empi I keep in mind the internal qualities of this kata. Although I teach it to my students the "Shotokan way" when I practice it for myself I substitute the Shuto with Splitting Fist and the punches with Pounding Fist.

My other discovery is the Chinese weapon that works beautifully with this form, and it also includes an excellent groundwork armlock (oh you didn't know?) but that's another story for another Blog.

When I think about Empi, I remember how over the last 14 years I have been taught versions of this kata by about six different instructors (some I have not mentioned in this Blog post), I have looked into its possible relationship with Hsing-I Quan, I have looked into performing it with weapons and I experiment with its postures as Zhan Zuang (standing meditation) - and still I find this kata has much more to give me. It amuses me then when I hear people say "I know 20 kata" when all they really know is how to perform the kata as a dance routine.

In the late 19th century various methods of Jujutsu were introduced to England. Japan's masters demonstrated in the musichalls and one Briton, EW Barton Wright trained in Kobe, Japan and brought his findings back.
Barton Wright called his art Bartitsu (Barton-Jujutsu) and it gained such a cult following that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Bartitsu into Sherlock Holmes' repertoire.

Soon after a Manchester newspaper sub editor called EJ Harrison became England's first Judo black belt.

In around 1905, an advert appeared in Liverpool advertising Jujutsu classes under a master called Kara Ashikaga. This is thought to have been a marketing ploy and the existance of Ashikaga is doubtful.

A few years later the famous Gunji Koizumi left Japan with dreams of joining the British Navy. He'd studied Tenjin Shinyo Ryu in Japan, another style in Singapore and sailed from Bombay to Wales. Next he arrived in Liverpool and contacted the Kara Ashikaga school with designs on becoming the new resident instructor.

Eventually Koizumi relocated to London and established the Budokwai. He was joined by another instructor of the Fusen Ryu named Yukio Tani and together they promoted Jujutsu in England. At the time Jujutsu was not taught as it is now, but rather as a musichall showpiece and often Jujutsuka would fight boxers and wrestlers in grand challenges.

Tani met a Scotsman named William Bankier who introduced Tani to some wrestlers, Percy Longhurst, W H Garrud, Bruce Sutherland and Percy Bickerdike. Between them they went on to set up the British Ju-Jitsu Society.

In the years before WWI, one of Yukio Tani's students named Jack Britten relocated to Liverpool and opened a pet shop and a Jujutsu Dojo. The Alpha school became the north of England's first real Dojo.

In 1928 Liverpool's second Dojo emerged. It was run by Gerald Skyner, a tough instructor who claimed to be the personal student of Mikonosuke Kawaishi (Judo and Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu).

When WWII started in 1939, Jujutsu was frowned upon because Japan was the enemy, but what the war did do for Jujutsu was expose many soldiers and sailors to the fighting methods of Japan, Singapore and Korea.

Gerry Skyner was recruited as an army combat instructor but was sacked after smashing a student in the face with a steel helmet.

In the post war years Britten and Skyner had a number of students worth a mention. Britten's students included Andy Sherry, now the UK's top ranked Shotokan Karate instructor, currently graded 8th Dan; Ronnie Colwell, now one of the UK's senior Jujutsu and Karate instructors, currently graded 9th Dan; and Bob Clarke, later head of the World Jujutsu Federation.

Skyner's students included a police officer named O'Neill whose son Terry became one of the UK's greatest Karateka, currently graded 7th Dan. Another of Skyner's senior students was Bill Nelson my great uncle.

One of the merchant sailors who claimed to have studied martial arts while in the Far East was James Blundell, later head of the British Ju-Jitsu Association. His students include the likes of Allan Tattersall now head of the Dai Nippon Butokukai's UK branch who later studied in Japan under the heads of various Koryu including Takenouchi Ryu.

In the late 1950s while my great uncle Bill Nelson was studying Jujutsu in Walton, my dad and uncle were studying Jujutsu at school in nearby Kirkby.

At the other end of the country at this time, there was another exciting development in martial arts - the introduction of Karate.

In the early 1950s Aikido and Judo master Minoru Mochizuki (more on him in a later blog), who had also studied Jujutsu and Karate took two European students, Jean 'Jim' Alcheik and Claude Urvois. They convinced him to send students over to Europe and in 1956, Hiroo Mochizuki flew to France followed by Tetsuji Murikami, Shoji Sugiyama (who went to Italy) and Mitsuhiro Kondo (who went to Switzerland).

By the time Hiroo and Murikami arrived in France Mikonosuke Kawaishi had left Liverpool (via America) and set up a Judo and Jujutsu Dojo in France. And so Mochizuki and Murikami, along with Urvois, Alcheik and a local Judoka named Henri Plee concentrated their efforts on Karate.

In 1956 Essex Judo instructor Vernon Bell began to visit his Judo friend Plee in France, taking Karate lessons.

Bell introduced Karate to England, teaching in his back garden in Essex.

From these humble beginnings, with a few loyal students including Terry Wingrove, (now a Jujutsu 9th Dan and Karate 8th Dan)the British Karate Federation was established.

Soon new Dojos appeared, with Alan Ruddock running the Irish branch, Fred Gille (with a young Andy Sherry and Terry O'Neill) in Liverpool and before long Dojos as far afield as Scotland.

Karate was introduced to Manchester by Martin Stott and the legendary Danny Connor who apparently trained under a Vietnamese instructor in France.

In 1966, Karate exploded in the UK with visiting masters from Wado Ryu (Tatsuo Suzuki), Shotokan (Kanazawa, Enoeda, Kase, Shirai) and Shotokai (Harada), but these early years 1956-1966 should not be forgotten.

I will return to more Karate and Jujutsu history in a future Blog post.

In my own school, students must train regularly for a minimum of four years before attaining black belt. In the last 11 years I have only awarded one black belt and that student had trained for over 25 years at the time! At the moment I have three students graded 1st Kyu, who I would like to see grade for their black belts in the next year. I think I am fairly centre ground when it comes to Dan grades. I wouldn't expect a student to be Miyamoto Mushashi to get his black belt but neither would I Dan-grade every Tom, Dick or Harry who simply turns up for four years.
To me, a black belt is not just about experience, it's about skill, dedication, attitude, aptitude and more. It's the start of a new journey but it's also a benchmark.
I'd rather have no blackbelts than a bad black belt.

But now I'd like to talk about the two extremes of grading students to blackbelt. I call them the "macho criteria" and the "spiritual criteria"

THE MACHO CRITERIA

In 2001 I asked one instructor what his criteria for a Dan grade was. He said: "About 12 years study, then they have to work on the doors as a bouncer for at least 18 months."

In other words, learn to handle yourself in streetfights or you don't get the black belt.

To me, this is too far to the extreme. One should be able to study martial arts without engaging in streetfights or working in a violent environment.

THE SPIRITUAL CRITERIA

I once remarked to an Iaido instructor that one of his 1st Dans was noticeably less competant than his others Dan grades - in fact he wasn't even as good as any of the Kyu grades.

I asked him why this person was allowed to pass his 1st Dan and he said: "Because on his own journey this student has come much further than the others, because when he started he was 'further back'."

This makes sense if we take martial arts (Do) as being a way of life, but surely the "martial" in martial arts counts for something?

To me, these two views - the macho and the spiritual - are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I try to take the middle ground.

Back when I was a 2nd Dan I met the man who would become one of my main teachers. And he changed the way I approached Karate.

At the time I was 2nd Dan in Shotokan Karate & Shoshin Ryu Karate Jutsu and also 2nd Dan in Jujutsu and in another style of Ju-Taijutsu which also encompassed Aikijujutsu and other arts. I'd also done Tai Chi at that point for about four years. So in other words I'd been around - I hadn't only trained in one way. I thought I knew my stuff.

I was teaching on a seminar in Birmingham. Still one of the biggest I've taught on. I showed Karate kata applications (bunkai) and demonstrated something that back then was still pretty seldom taught, Karate Oyo (applications) consisting of grappling, throws, locks and pressure points. At the end of the session, a Judo 6th Dan said to me "that was the best Karate demo we've ever seen."

I was feeling pretty good.

Then Reiner Parsons (a 5th Dan Goju Ryu at the time) came over to me and said: "I like what you did...."

Again, I was feeling pretty good....

But then added: "But I don't like the way you move."

I should point out that Reiner's English (he's German) can sometimes come across as a little blunt. He added: "It looks like that Shotokan shit." I don't think he meant that Shotokan wasn't a very good style. I think it was just his choice of words (although...)

We got talking and I mentioned that I did Tai Chi. He asked me to do a Karate Kata and then do a Tai Chi form. He shook his head throughout the Karate form, but when I did the Tai Chi he said: "So you do know how to relax!"

I pointed out that the way I had been taught Karate, you were to relax and then at the point of impact tense the whole body. This was Kime. This was locking out the technique. This was focus. This was Shotokan.

This was wrong.

Over the next eight years or so, Reiner taught me how to do my Karate the way I did my Tai Chi. With one, constant, flowing stream of power. Of course you still finish techniques and you still speed bits up, but this is simply done in time with the breath. It is natural, not forced. There's no dynamic tension and no burst blood vessels and no asthmatic wheezing.

He showed me how to test this principle. He would have me punch him in the stomach, at first the Shotokan way, then this way. The first way I just bounced off. The second, I knocked him back.

Each time I saw him, he jokingly made fun of my Karate and would say, "So can you punch yet?" and I'd say, "No Sensei, can you show me just once more."

I never converted over to Goju Ryu. I kept my Shotokan/Shoto Ryu family of forms, but Reiner showed me how to generate a new level of power and relaxation in them. A few years later he graded me 3rd Dan and gave me two certfificates, one in my own style and one saying "Goju Ryu".

He had trained in western Goju Ryu as well as in Shoto Ryu but his main teacher was Tadanori Nobetsu, a Japanese master who had gone back to the source, studying Feeding Crane Kung Fu.

I told Reiner that I had seen many Goju Ryu instructors and they all punched more like the Shotokan way rather than this "White Crane" way and he said: "Yes but they are all Go and no Ju."

I saw Reiner a few months ago and he was on the panel which awarded me my Renshi (title awarded after 4th Dan) award. He said to me: "So, have you learned how to punch properly yet?"

I said: "No Sensei, can you show me just once more."

Martial arts are either defined as traditional, classical or modern. But which are we? Well, a little traditional and a little modern. With some hallmarks of classical. And we're not alone in this respect.

Here I talk about the different approaches:

CLASSICAL
In Japan, a classical martial art (Koryu Bujutsu)is one that has been preserved - unchanged - since before the Meiji Restoration. In other words, it was created in Samurai times and has been passed through the generations, without changing anything.

And example of a classical school is Tokyo's "Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu," which specialises in swordwork, another would be "Tenjin Shin'Yo Ryu" which has Jujutsu as its primary focus.

Generally classical martial arts don't use coloured belts (the Dan-i system) and instead present scrolls of competency. These may be in particular areas ("Aikijujutsu"), they may represent a certain number of techniques or they may represent a level of mastery (Menkyo Kaiden).

Often Koryu schools are transmitted within a family or clan, and sometimes the headmaster is not necessarily the best practitioner, but he is well-placed to continue the transmission. For example if a headmaster is 90 and his senior student is 80 there is little point passing the school to him, since he probably won't be around much longer than his predeccesor, so sometimes it is passed to a younger student and "caretaker" headteachers groom him for succession.

Dress for a Koryu school is usually a keiokogi (short sleeved kimono jacket) and hakama (pleated wide trousers). The jacket may include a clan crest.

TRADITIONAL
Traditional martial arts in Japan tend to be those created between the Meiji Restoration (1868) and the mid 20th century. Examples include Judo, Aikido, Shotokan Karate and Kendo.

Traditional martial arts were usually founded by a Japanese master, often from a Koryu style. For instance Judo founder Jigoro Kano studied various Koryu Jujutsu forms and Shotokan Karate founder Gichin Funakoshi studied various old Okinawan Karate Jutsu forms.

These arts usually follow a coloured belt system, practitioners usually wear a plain white kimono (Budo gi) and in some cases (such as Aikido), a hakama.

In traditional martial arts, as opposed to classical, sporting contests (Shia, Kumite or Randori) are common and athletic prowess is a consideration. Most traditional martial arts having governing bodies, sports council recognition and have a greater degree of standardisation.

Traditional martial arts tend to use a fairly similar time-served principle for grades which is approximately four years to black belt, two more years to 2nd Dan, three more years to 3rd Dan and so on.

In traditional martial arts holders of 9th and 10th Dan are very rare. In the Kodokan, only 12 people have achieved 10th Dan since 1934.

In the case of Karate and Aikido, more modern sub-styles have developed. For instance, among the students of the Aikido founder Gozo Shioda created Yoshinkan Aikido, Minoru Mochizuki created Yoseikan and Kenji Tomiki created Shodokan. These styles are still viewed as traditional.

MODERN
Modern martial arts often include a western influence (ie boxing, wrestling) and include Freestyle Karate, Kickboxing, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)and Goshin Jutsu.

Modern martial arts are often a combination of traditional arts and sometimes wear more colourful costumes and it is common for practitioners to be more highly graded.

To take a famous example, Jeet Kune Do was created in the 1970s by Bruce Lee, combining Wing Chun Kung Fu with boxing, wrestling, Escrima, fencing, Savatte, Judo and other arts.

COMBINATIONS OF MODERN, TRADITIONAL AND CLASSICAL.

CLASSICAL/TRADITIONAL

Daito Ryu has all the hallmarks of a classical school - except that it was only formalised in 1900, after the Meiji Restoration.

Daito Ryu is synonymous with one clan (the Takeda), is passed down from father to son, uses the Menkyo system and is taught in classical atire. But it was officially formalised (despite boasting a 37 generation tradition) after the Samurai era had ended.

The debate rages on therefore - is Daito Ryu Koryu (classical) or Gendai (20th century traditional).

ALTERED CLASSICAL

The Iaido school of Muso Jikiden Eihin Ryu is classical (it was formed in 1590) but in many branches, such as that of the IMAF group, it is taught more like a Gendai Budo. Students are graded Kyu and Dan grades (albeit without coloured belts) and forms have been changed for safety reasons.

COMBINED CLASSICAL/ MODERN

Some modern schools have been created by combining different Koryu. For example the Bujinkan school ("Ninjutsu") of Masaaki Hatsumi includes the techniques of a number of Koryu such as Kukishin Ryu and Hontai Yoshin Ryu which have been combined with a "Ninja theme" and modern uniform.

MODERN WITH CLASSICAL CUSTOMS

The Brazilian Jujutsu style taught by the Gracies is undoubtedly modern. It is constantly evolving, adding techniques from styles from around the world, and geared towards MMA competition, but the way the style is built around one family (the Gracies) with a strong family patriarch (Helio Gracie, died 2009) is very typical of classical schools. Gracie Jujutsu is a trademark controlled by one family, much like "Daito Ryu Aikibudo: is a trademark controlled by the Takeda family.

Another example of this is the Yoseikan Budo of Hiroo Mochizuki. Hiroo took his father's Yoseikan Aikido, combined it with other arts like boxing and savatte and created a modern sporting Budo. However Minoru passed the "Sokeship" (headmastership) to his son Hiroo and in years to come Hiroo's sons Kyoshi and Michi are likely to succeeed as third generation heads.

TRADITIONALLY TAUGHT MODERN

An example of a modern school (founded since the 1970s - exact year unknown) is the Nihon Jujutsu system taught within the IMAF organisation.

IMAF's original Nihon Jujutsu division head was Minoru Mochizuki (Yoseikan) whose Jujutsu was a mixture of Gyokushin Ryu Jujutsu, Daito Ryu, Karate, Aikido and Judo.

The Nihon Jujutsu division is now headed by Shizuya Sato (10th Dan) who studied Judo under Ito and Mifune (students of the founder), Aikido under Kenji Tomiki and Wado Ryu Karate under Otsuka.

Sato therefore studied Karate, Judo and Aikido under first generation students of each art's founder. Although Nihon Jujutsu is modern, in th sense that it is new. It is taught with traditional trappings and would appear to be just as traditional as, say Yoshinkan Aikido.

SO BACK TO BUSHINKAI....

Well first and foremost we are a modern school. I established Bushinkai in 2000-2001 and the present syllabus was produced in 2007, but as we have seen, things aren't always so clearly defined.

Bushinkai has the classical hallmark of a family tradition. I study Jujutsu, my dad studied Jujutsu, my great uncle studied Jujutsu.. and his father and grandfather were taught unarmed combat. So we have a five generation family tradition, going back to before 1868. To my senior students (above black belt) I also award Menkyo certificates in addition to belt grades.

We are also traditional in the sense that I have trained and graded in traditional arts (Shotokan, Goju Ryu and Nihon Jujutsu)and my grades were traditional recognised by Japanese governing bodies (Kokusai Budoin and UK Dai Nippon Butokukai). This would not happen for a modern art like Kickboxing, MMA or Gracie Jujutsu.

So why, when there is much about our style that is traditional, do we go out of our way to be modern? Why do we wear black gi instead of white? Why do I teach Karate as well as Aikido and Jujutsu techniques?

The reason is, because I follow the mindset of the Okinawans, not the mainland Japanese Samurai. What do I mean by this? In Japanese Koryu techniques were preserved long after they outgrew their usefulness. They were preserved for the sake of preservation.

In Okinawa however - to coin a phrase - the only thing constant was change.

Sokon Matsumura who lived (1798–1890)and taught before the end of the Samurai class was in a sense a "mixed martial artist". He studied Koryu Bujutsu in Japan (the Jigen Ryu of the Satsuma) he studied Okinawan Te under Tode Sakugawa and he also trained under various Chinese masters including Iwah, Ason and Anan.

Matsumura was my teacher's teacher's teacher's teacher. He lived and died before Daito Ryu was formalised. When Matsumura was born, Tenjin Shinyo Ryu was only 60 years old.

Of course I don't teach the same syllabus as Matsumura did. But I'd like to think he would approve of my syllabus. And if he were around today, I bet he'd make use of modern pads, punchbags and he'd probably watch Brazilian Jujutsu and think "I'd love to learn that."

There is a saying in Budo that rather than simply follow the old masters we should seek what they sought.