THE ROLE OF GENDAI JAPANESE SCHOOLS
IN THE MODERN MARTIAL ARTS
This is a report on the role of Japanese gendai martial arts schools. The report is intended to inform others in a reasonable fashion on the subject addressed. Although considered common knowledge at many levels (certainly so among the Japanese), current trends seem to ignore and malign the facts and circumstances in such a fashion as sometimes result in injury or loss to practitioners and professionals alike.
Before proceeding into the body of the report, allow me to point out that not everyone will accept this information despite that the basis of it's foundations are obviously correct. And despite the fact that the subject material has been considered common knowledge and reported in many various forms of literature on the subjects written between the years of 1944 and 1985. Some people might want to dismiss this report and its content outright, but before you do, please examine the schools (ryūha) listed and reasonably consider what the report says on the subject.
The Gendai and Koryū Schools
It is widely recognized that Japanese fighting arts occur in two classifications: gendai and koryū . The role and import of the koryū schools are generally understood. The role of the gendai are not. That is because there are a proliferation of different types of gendai ryūha (modern age schools). For example, there are 新伝現代 Shinden gendai (New style modern schools) some of these include (in Japan) schools of Brazilian jujutsu and, believe it or not Western style boxing and wrestling. The 'new style' martial arts schools also include judō, aikidō and most forms of karate. Then there are what is called 古伝 Koden or sometimes 神伝 Shinden gendai (schools which are Old style or 'traditional-by-Japanese-standards'). These types of gendai school are often Shintō based and have a somewhat 'religious' orientation such as the original forms of aikidō had – and for this reason, some sources consider those forms of aikidō to be 神伝 Shinden martial arts. Here and in several other examples of its usage, the term 'shinden' kills two birds with one stone: it covers both 神伝 and 新伝 since both are pronounced the same, “shinden”. So it acknowledges that such forms of aikidō are both newer styles and also of 'traditional' orientation.
The gendai that are Koden or Shinden are of particular interest to this report, and to martial artists in general since they include schools that are based off or even derived from the koryū schools themselves. There are, and always have been, dojos in Japan of these types of gendai martial art that teach and bear the name of koryu type schools. FOR ANY KORYŪ SCHOOL THERE ARE GENDAI EQUIVALENTS BEARING THE SAME OR NEAR-IDENTICAL NAME and often teaching the same or near same curriculum and content.
For example, there are all over Japan, China and Korea (gendai and koden gendai) school dojos of Yagyū ryū, Yagyū shinkage ryū, Yagyū shingan ryū, Yōshin ryū, Takenouchi ryū, Takagi ryū, Takagi yōshin ryū, Tenshin shinyo ryū, Shin shin ryū, Shingan ryū, Shinkage ryū, Shintō yōshin ryū, Kuki ryū, Kukishin ryū, Katori shintō ryū, Bokuden ryū, Asayama ichiden ryū and so forth in great proliferation.
THIS IS NOTEWORTHY AND INTERESTING BECAUSE THESE ARE ALL RYŪHA NAMES STRICTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE KORYŪ THEMSELVES and are often a current koryū school that is still extant and practicing in society. The Japanese are quite used to this fact of their society and are also well aware of the fact that Westerners (especially Americans) nowadays do not generally recognize this fact and argue about it and its meaning all the time. The Japanese do not understand our obstinacy in regard to the subject since they have always drawn attention to this fact and our own society as often acknowledged that it is the case. Worse, we have an innate tendency to discredit the dojos, martial arts and instructors in our own country as if somehow they were fundamentally not 'authentic' martial arts from Japan when in fact they really are (and they came mainly from the mentioned gendai dojos addressed in this report.)
When we are told by a dojo operator or martial artist that they practice or teach “Shintō yōshin ryū”, we have an amazing tendency to automatically assume and claim that somehow the martial art is not really Shintō yōshin ryū but was instead concocted by the dojo operator himself or by his instructor since “...everyone knows that Shintō yōshin ryū is an extinct school of jujutsu...” Or similarly we hear that said dojo operator teaches “Takagi ryū” or “(Yagyū) shinkage ryū” or perhaps some other koryū-based school name and since it is (or is very similar to) a known koryū school name they get immediately dismissed as somehow intrinsically fraudulent. In some way, shape or form it HAS to be a concoction of some sort and in no way represents an actual school of Japanese martial arts.
Actually, in many cases, it is an actual ryūha of Japanese budō BUT IT IS ONE OF THE KODEN OR SHINDEN GENDAI SCHOOLS being indicated in this report. This is especially true wherein said school name presented is any of the following (which are the most common of the koden gendai schools): Yagyū ryū, Yagyū shinkage ryū, Yagyū shingan ryū, Yōshin ryū, Takenouchi ryū, Takagi ryū, Takagi yōshin ryū, (Tenshin) shinyo ryū, Shinkage ryū or Shintō yōshin ryū. These are and always have been very common koden or shinden gendai ryūha names among the indicated class of Japanese schools AND HAVE BEEN READILY ENCOUNTERED SINCE ABOUT THE 1930'S.
Books and magazines on the martial arts written from 1945-1985 in English language (whether American or British) especially on the subjects of judo, jujutsu and karate have almost always mentioned the gendai schools being reported on AS THE SOURCE OF THE INSTRUCTOR AND AUTHOR'S FIGHTING ART. This is because the instructor and author were quite often ex-soldiers whom had studied these fighting arts whilst in the military and it was much more affordable to study with these gendai dojos than the more expensive 'orthodox' schools. The intent was to bring back to the home country such techniques as were lucrative and readily easy to sell to the public whether by opening a dojo or by publishing books and so forth. They almost always name the Japanese sensei who were the gendai dojo instructors, and list what city or town the dojo existed in at the time. Osaka had and still does have many many examples of these gendai dojos, because it was always easy to sell the cheaper gendai version of judo, jujutsu or karate to the American and British soldiers whom frequented Osaka on leave beginning as of the Korean war era and continuing to do so throughout the occupation of Okinawa. Almost all judo, jujutsu and karate schools in the United States have their origins in these Japanese gendai schools and REALLY DID COME FROM JAPAN during the indicated period of time. They are and always were fully authentic (gendai) versions of the indicated martial arts.
A CURRENT AND VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THESE GENDAI SCHOOLS
This phenomenon is not by any means a thing of the past and even today one can readily locate these authentic Japanese gendai schools... from the ease of one's arm chair by merely surfing the Internet. Recognition is the problem and so I will help you along by pointing out one very fine example of a VERY NICE school along these lines that offers the more 'koden' type of training and practice... very comparable to the experience of koryu practices.
Yamato yōshin ryū, jujutsu (click the name to go to the all Japanese language website)
Here's the English language version of the website: English version of the Yamato yōshin ryū website.
And here's a separate website to help explain the Yamato yōshin ryū.
The name of this school is pronounced: Yah-MAH-toe yo-SHEEN REE-yew and means “the Willow Heart School of Ancient Japan” which is a very nice and traditional sounding name.
Notice that the separate website mentions that the famous koryu school Hontai yōshin ryū and another school, the Hontai yōshin takagi ryū, are the two schools that combined to form Yamato yōshin ryū. And notice that the English language version of the Yamato yōshin ryū website expressly identifies that it is... “one of the new styles of jujutsu...” this identifies that it is NOT a koryu school. It is gendai instead.
This school is A VERY FINE EXAMPLE of the subject of this report, and coincidentally has an English language version of its website since it is willing to accept non-Japanese practitioners. You yourself might be able to join and get in on the benefits it offers. I will help you understand what this school is and where it's techniques come from AND WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS and any similar schools VERY SERIOUSLY.
This ryūha Yamato yōshin ryū is a very nice gendai school that belongs to the koden type martial arts which sometimes in English get called “neo-koryu” schools. It teaches as a gendai school very traditional Japanese fighting arts based upon two older schools: the Hontai yōshin ryū and the Hontai yōshin takagi ryū. This is particularly noteworthy because the two schools are practically one and the same school: the koryu version is called Hontai yōshin ryū and another school, the Hontai yōshin takagi ryū, is the non-koryu form.
Hontai yōshin ryū is a known koryu school, the Hontai yōshin takagi ryū is perhaps more interesting for the purposes of this report. This particular ryūha, Hontai yōshin takagi ryū is a modern gendai version that is thought by many to be very old itself (but unable to be classified as 'koryu'.) Some call it a 'revived' koryu but in fact it wasn't revived in this century (perhaps the very early 20th, but not in the 21st century.) The (gendai) school Hontai yōshin takagi ryū is still around and practiced in many gendai dojos under various names.
Sometimes the Hontai yōshin takagi ryū is taught under the name Hontai takagi yōshin ryū. Sometimes under the name Hontai takagi ryū or Takagi hontai yōshin ryū or Takagi yōshin ryū or simply Takagi ryū, or even simply Yōshin ryū. Until 1966 it was very common to find this school being taught under the names Yōshin ryū or Shintō yōshin ryū, not any relationship to the Akiyama lineage of that school name, mind you. IT WAS ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD TO BE A GENDAI SCHOOL, not a koryu. Today it is most common to find it (this Hontai yōshin takagi ryū) taught under the simple name “Takagi ryū.” There is a website on the net now (as of this date) in Japan teaching it under that name. But I won't provide the link to that page, because I am focusing on this Yamato yōshin ryū. UNDERSTAND THAT TECHNICALLY THIS RYUHA NAME (Hontai yōshin takagi ryū) IS A VERY VERY OLD SCHOOL NAME ASSOCIATED WITH THE TAKAGI LINEAGES AND REPRESENTS A TRADITION THAT EXISTED ABOUT 400 YEARS AGO – it is understood to be a revived school and that name applied (probably sometime around the turn of the century.) It still exists as a gendai school and is taught under a proliferation of names.
What is the content of this Hontai yōshin takagi ryū, by any name under which it might be taught? A reasonable question and I have a pleasing answer. It is evidenced today amid several different classes of gendai schools in Japan and for a number of purposes. It may be getting taught as part of another school, such as this gendai Yamato yōshin ryū, or it may be part of what is taught under the roof of a budokan organization. Or it may be the only school taught at the dojo. It's content and approach differs somewhat from dojo to dojo, but when in its more traditional forms, it has a curriculum and content far more akin to the takagi-kukishinden lineages and so it strongly resembles any of the koryu schools of that variety (Hontai yōshin ryū, Hontai takagi ryū, Yōshin takagi ryū, Takagi ryū, Takenouchi ryū, Kukishin ryū and even Kukishinden tenshin hyōhō all of the koryu.)
The website of the Yamato yōshin ryū, jujutsu mentions basic patterns that are almost identical to the Hontai yōshin ryū (and I remind you, that koryu school is near identical to the gendai school Hontai yōshin takagi ryū) but the kata geiko Formal patterns are not mentioned. These formal patterns are the very core of the curriculum in these kinds of schools and tends to be fairly uniform (more or less.) I do not wish to offend these ryuha by exposing (their near identical content) but it is public access information over the Internet so...
Hontai yōshin takagi ryū is here. Curriculum is at the bottom of the page.
My translation of that http://jtweymo.angelfire.com/HYTR-Mok.html.
In keeping with their own customs and traditions, such gendai schools as the Yamato yōshin ryū, and the Hontai takagi yōshin ryū (by whatever name it is taught under) ascribe to the older histories of their parent schools and so frequently claim direct connection to those histories. Hence it is possible to find them claiming to have been founded as early as the 1600's but what they mean is that their school tradition was founded back in those time periods NOT THAT THEIR LINEAGE OR SCHOOL ITSELF IS THAT OLD. They know that they are gendai schools.
American and British servicemen learning such gendai arts back in the 1950's-1980's were told this common historical claim of longevity and repeated it upon returning to their own countries. They did not understand the difference between the koryu and the gendai, and did not mean to misstate or misclaim anything. That's where your common American brand jujutsu and karate came from. In fact? The jujutsu schools billed in both Great Britain and the United States as Yōshin ryū or Shintō yōshin ryū jujutsu ACTUALLY CAME STRAIGHT OUT OF the Hontai yōshin takagi ryū mentioned in this report. I should, at this point, tell you an important fact about the name meaning of this ryuha being spoken of: the word: 'hontai' also has a meaning of 'source' or 'origin' and so it is marked in it's ryuha name as being an important "source" of many (gendai) martial arts schools. From gendai dojos teaching that school under the name “Yōshin ryū” or “Shintō yōshin ryū ”, a basic review of these western schools reveals a ready connection in content and curriculum (not to mention in ryuha name.) Similarly, there are still these gendai dojos, the Yamato yōshin ryū listed in this report and two others which I know of (posted to the Internet as we speak) going by the name Takagi ryū and Takenouchi ryū in Japan (teaching some form of the aforementioned gendai 'neo-koryu' school.) CAN YOU IMAGINE an American or British person having studied these schools, currently operating in Japan and accepting Westerners... and when they come home to open up shop or publish a book... we might try to tell them that their martial art is somehow phony and not of Japanese origin? The gendai dojos I listed actually operate in Japan and are posted to the net as we speak.
jtweymo