Yamagawa Bujutsu Renmei　山川武術連盟

Yamagawa  山川

Yamagawa is made up of two Japanese words. Yama 山 which means mountain and Gawa 川 meaning river.  Together -Mountain River.  Today, a Mountain river is defined as a river that runs through mountains in narrow, deep valley with steep banks, rocky stream bed, and accumulated rock debris.  Mountain rivers are characterized by high slope and flow velocity, insignificant depth, frequent rapids, and waterfalls with steep grades and fast moving water.  So why do we call our association Yamagawa?  A little background first.

Nature and the icons we find in nature have long inspired martial arts.  Founders of many ryu based their systems on  “enlightment” gained through shugyo (austere training) often in the mountains or around the rivers.  Techniques are named for natural events (Yama Arashi – Mountain storm). Kata may be named for, or depict natural icons, like Mountains and rivers.

Mountains are associated with the sun, rain and various gods of thunder. In the feminine godhead traditions, mountains are a symbol of the earth and femininity.  Spiritually, mountains represent a state of fully aware consciousness. Embarking on a pilgrimage up a sacred mountain is a sign of spiritual aspiration and the renunciation of worldly desires.

The shape of a mountain expresses multiplicity, the expanding universe and materialization. The mountain represents the point of contact between heaven and earth.  Some of the other things that a mountain can symbolize:

• obstacles.
• overcoming obstacles to make progress.
• spiritual or mental improvement.
• permanence and immovability

The secret of the mountain is that the mountains simply exist, as I do myself: the mountains exist simply, which I do not.                                                                                 The mountains have no “meaning,” they are meaning; the mountains are.
― Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard

There is a famous Zen parable about the master for whom, before his studies,believed mountains were only mountains, but during his studies mountains were no longer mountains, and afterward mountains were again mountains. This allegory could be interpreted as being about the perpetual paradox that – when one is closest to a destination one is also the farthest from it.

The river is typically used to symbolize the power of nature.  The river is also used as a symbol of the passage of time.

You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you. — (Heraclitus of Ephesus (540 BC – 480 BC), On the Universe

The symbolism of the river is centered around its nature as a moving body of water. Moving water is able to find its way through nearly any kind of physical block. The source of the river, typically small mountain streams, depicts the beginnings of life.  The river is also used as a sign of boundaries.  In Shinto, waterfalls are held sacred and standing under one is believed to purify the individual.  Water incarnates the purity and simplicity of life.

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins; not through strength, but through perseverance.

Bujutsu  武 術
It is often difficult to delineate the difference(s) between budō  武 道  (martial way) and bujutsu 武 術 (martial art or craft).  Some people see no difference other than linguistics. For others the differences are considered historical; still others cite differences in training methods, training philosophy, or emphasis on spiritual development.  In modern usage, bujutsu is often typified by its practical application of technique to real-world situations.  In contract, Budō  has a more philosophical emphasis on personal development.  Many consider budō a more civilian form of martial arts, as an interpretation or evolution of the older bujutsu, which they categorize as a more militaristic style or strategy.  They see budō and bujutsu as representing a particular strategy or philosophy regarding combat systems, but still, the terms are rather loosely applied and often interchangeable.

Another view is that a bujutsu is the martial art you practice, whereas a budo is the lifestyle you live and the path you live. For example, the practice of the Jujutsu leads to obtaining the lifestyle of Judo (Judo was originally Dr. Jigoro Kano’s style of  Jujutsu).  This could also be said for arts such as kenjutsu/kendo and iaijutsu/iaido.

For our use, we translate Bujutsu as martial art.  You can delve into the philosophy as it suits you.

Renmei  連 盟

Renmei is an association or federation.  It is a more common usage in sports and athletics than some other Japanese words that might be defined this way but which have more political meanings.  Our intent is to keep politics out of our practice while providing our members with a a comfortable group from and with whom to learn and travel on their martial arts path.

 

Yamagawa Nihon Jujutsu  柔術

Yamagawa  (山川）as we mentioned translates to mountain river or mountains and rivers. Our association is named in large part for our style of Nihon Jujutsu.  The choice of the name is intended to show the multifaceted nature of our jujutsu style:

     go and ju – hard and soft;                                                                     linear and circular;                                                     angles and curves;

     yin and yang;                                                                                         fast and slow                                                               stability and movement;                                                           

     newaza and nage;                                                                           atemi and uke waza;                                                  koyru and gendai – old and new.

Yamagawa Jujutsu has a direct lineage from Shingo Ryu Bujutsu Kai which draws primarily on the koryu arts and concepts of Kito Ryu and Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu.  Both Kito and Yoshin Ryu have their roots in feudal Japan dating back to the 1600’s.  Yamagawa jujutsu strives to take theses koryu techniques and adapt them to modern self-defense while encouraging students to adapt the core skill set to meet their own individual self-defense needs.

The core skills fall into seven general catagories:

Atemi Waza        (striking techniques)

Kensetsu Waza  (joint taking techniques)

Nage Waza         (throwing techniques)

Newaza Waza    (ground techniques)

Shime Waza      (choking techniques)

Ukemi Waza     (falling techniques)

Uke Waza         (blocking techniques)

These techniques are executed both in a tachi (standing) position and, where possible, in a suwari (seated) position. Many of these techniques are further classified as goho (hard) and juho (soft).  These two areas correspond and overlap the two styles of jujutsu at our core (Kito Ryu and Yoshin Ryu).

Many other concepts and principles are taught along with educational and historical study. The spectrum of teaching ranges from proper breathing, to the study of angles, to the history of various jujutsu ryu, to the study of Zen, to topics of health and fitness.

The focus of Yamagawa Nihon Jujutsu is, always, the application of martial arts to self defense.  We believe that to avoid a need for hands on self-defense by way of common sense, deescalation, and awareness of the environment is implicit. We believe that in a situation warranting hands on self-defense there are no rules.  We train for close quarters encounters in the defense of ourselves and others.  Going home after such an encounter is the objective.

Kitō Ryū is translated as “the school of the rise and fall.” It is similar to forms of aikijutsu, including the principle of ki (energy) and aiki .                                                 Equally, it uses principles such as kuzushi no ri or “breaking of balance” now associated with modern judo.

Yōshin-ryū   “School of the willow heart” The Akiyama line of Yōshin-ryū is perhaps the most influential school of jūjutsu to exist in Japan.                                                This line of Yōshin-ryū is noted for a curriculum including kyūsho-jutsu atemi (vital points striking) and the development of internal energy.

 

The Other Arts of Yamagawa Bujutsu Renmei

Kodokan judo

Judo consists primarily of nage-waza (throws), along with katame-waza (grappling).  Katame waza includes osaekomi-waza (pins), shime-waza (chokes), and kansetsu-waza (joint locks). Additional techniques, including atemi-waza (striking), various joint locks, self defense and weapons are found in the Judo katas and taught at higher levels.

Judo training has many forms for different interests. Some students train for competition and enter the many tournaments that are available. Other students study the traditional art and forms (kata) of Judo. Other students train for self-defense, and yet other students practice Judo for fun and recreation.  Unlike many other martial arts, Judo competition is an Olympic sport and the rules, training methods, and rank systems are relatively uniform throughout the world.

Judo is derived from jujutsu and is sometimes called a style of Jujutsu.   It was created by Professor Jigoro Kano who after mastering several styles of jujutsu including Kito-Ryu and Tenjin-Shinyo Ryu in his youth, began to develop his own system.  In 1882, he founded the Kodokan in Tokyo where he began teaching.  The name Judo was chosen because it means the gentle or yielding way.  Kano emphasized the larger educational  value of training in attack and defense.  He desired  judo to be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from. He eliminated some more dangerous jujutsu techniques and changed training methods so that most of the people could practice without injury. Judo later became a part of the Japanese physical education system and began its spread around the world.

Because of Dr. Kano’s involvement in education, Judo emphasizes mental, moral and character development as much as physical training. Seiryoku zenyo (maximum efficiency) and Jita kyoei (mutual welfare and benefit) are the best known of the principles of Judo.  Instructors typically stress the principles of yielding to overcome greater strength or size, as well as the scientific principles of leverage, balance, efficiency, momentum and control.

Judo is a good choice for most children to learn because it is safe and fun, and because it emphasizes education and proper development of the body, mind, and character.

“The world is changing and Ju Jutsu has to change too. I don’t think it’s practical to limit ourselves to one particular style. I no longer see any point in keeping the techniques of each Ju Jutsu school a secret. It would be better to experiment with a whole range of techniques and select the ones you want to use, changing them if necessary. I’d like to take the best techniques from the Yoshin style and the best techniques from a lot of other styles and combine them all to create the ultimate form of Ju Jutsu. Last year after we performed for President Grant, Master Fukuda spoke of bringing Ju Jutsu to the rest of the world. To do that, we can’t rely on just one particular style – we need a combination of the best techniques from all the major schools of Ju Jutsu. That’s what I’d like to teach to the rest of the world.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          — Jigoro Kano, 1880

Tenjin Shinyo-ryu  “Divine True Willow School”, founded by Iso Mataemon Ryūkansai Minamoto no Masatari, Tenjin Shinyo-ryu is the amalgamation of two separate systems of jujutsu: the Yōshin-ryū and Shin no Shinto-ryu.  The distinctive feature of this particular school is the use of atemi or strikes to disrupt the balance of the opponent as well as a more flexible and flowing movement of the body than seen in some older schools of jujutsu.

Myoshinkan Karate-do

Myo: Mysterious or Miraculous
Shin: Mind (also heart and spirit)
Kan: School

This is traditional Japanese Karate.  A focus is put on kata (forms) and the self-defense applications such as blocks/strikes, throws, joint locks, pressure point attacks, etc… contained therein. The founder of this style is Jason Gramling, a retired military officer. He continues to train actively in several Japanese and Okinawan martial arts and brings lessons and concepts from these other styles into his teaching of Myoshinkan Karate.  Myoshinkan karate has its roots in Chito-ryu karate through Katsuo Yamamoto (Yoshukai karate) who was a student of Dr. Chitose, via Dr. Mike Sadler (Shingo-ha Yoshukai) who was a student of  Yamamoto-sensei.

 

Shoshin-ha Itto Ryu Kenjutsu 剣術 (Sword)

This style of Kenjutsu is from William “Bill” Stockey – Meijin (a direct student of Hiroyuki Tesshin Hamada)  Mr. Stockey is the Buchō for the USA for the Kodo Butoku Renmei. He has been training for more than 45 years.  Stockey Meijin was the first non-Asian to be licensed as “Kyoshi” by the Dai-Nippon Butokukai and has a great knowledge of the history of the martial arts, a wide range of both knowledge and expertise.

 

Self-Defense for  EMS, First Responders, and Other Specific Groups

Yamagawa Nihon jujutsu is at its’ roots self-defense.  It is extremely fluid and adaptable to individual needs and situations.  As such, we have found that it has been useful for training EMS personnel and other first responders and individuals with unique needs in self defense.  Programs are tailored to the needs of the individual group and may include training in: environmental awareness, deescalation, defensive tactics, controlling people without injury, and other topics relevant to individual needs.

 

 

Yamagawa Bujutsu Renmei is sponsored by and affiliated with the following organizations:

Dai-Nippon Seibukan Budô/Bugei

Kodō Butoku Renmei (Old Ways Martial Virtues Federation)

Myoshinkan Sogo Budo Renmei

Shoshinkan Sogo Budo Renmei