Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu 良移心当流柔術, (also known as Fukuno-ryū 福野流, Shintō Yawara 神当和, or Ryōi Shintō-ryū Yawara 良移心當流和) is a traditional school ( Koryū 古流, old style) of

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

( 柔術), founded in the early 17th century by Fukuno Shichirouemon Masakatsu (福野七郎右衛門正勝).

Etymology

The 'Ryōi Shintō-ryū Denju Mokuroko' (良移心当流伝授目録) explains the meaning of Ryōi Shintō as follows: "The meaning of Ryōi Shintō-ryū is to shift (i 移) your heart (shin 心) well (ryō 良), then you will encounter (tō 当) harmony (wa 和, or yawara, an alternative tern for jujutsu)." Alternatively, the 'Ryōi Shintō-ryū Ryakushi' records Fukuno as saying that: "Ryōi Shintō means to: skillfully apply the mind (shin 心) and strike (tō 当) with ease."

History

Together with the

Takenouchi-ryū is one of the oldest jujutsu koryū in Japan. It was founded in 1532, the first year of Tenbun, on the twenty-fourth of the sixth lunar month by Takenouchi Chūnagon Daijō Nakatsukasadaiyū Hisamori, the lord of Ichinose Castle in Sakushū ...

(竹内流) and the

Yōshin-ryū ("The School of the Willow Heart") is a common name for one of several different martial traditions founded in Japan during the Edo period. The most popular and well-known was the Yōshin-ryū founded by physician Akiyama Shirōbei Yoshitoki a ...

(楊心流), the Ryōi Shintō-ryū was one of the three largest, most important and influential Jūjutsu schools of the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

(江戸時代 Edo jidai 1603 - 1868) before the rise of

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

. It's descendant styles include: the

Kitō-ryū is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of jujutsu. Its syllabus comprises ''atemi-waza'' (striking techniques), ''nage-waza'' (throwing techniques), ''kansetsu-waza'' (joint locking techniques) and ''shime-waza'' ( ...

Jūjutsu (起倒流柔術), Jikishin-ryū yawara (直心流柔) and Ise Jitoku Tenshin-ryū Jūjutsu (為勢自得天眞流柔術) aka Jigō Tenshin-ryū Jūjutsu (自剛天真流柔術). Also, through its Kitō-ryū roots, Kōdōkan Jūdō ( 講道館

柔道 is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

) can be seen as being partially descended from Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu. The 'Jigō Tenshin-ryū densho' (自剛天真流伝書) states that: "For grappling on the battlefield, Ryōi Shintō-ryū is unequalled."

Fukuno Shichirouemon Masakatsu

Fukuno was born (approx.) 1585 in

Settsu is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2017, the city has an estimated population of 85,290 and a population density of 5,664 people per km². The total area is 14.88 km². Surrounding municipalities *Osaka Prefecture **Higa ...

, Naniwa (the modern-day area of Osaka, Japan) and known as in his youth as 'Yuzen'. He studied with

Yagyū Munetoshi Yagyū Sekishūsai Taira-no-Munetoshi (柳生石舟斎平宗厳 1529 – May 25, 1606) was a samurai in Japan's Sengoku period famous for mastering the Shinkage-ryū school of combat, and introducing it to the Tokugawa clan. He was also kno ...

(柳生石舟斎平宗厳 1529 – May 25, 1606) of the

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who a ...

(柳生新陰流) of Kenjutsu (剣術). Fukuno was a Meishu (名手 - master) of

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

(相撲) and a Tatsujin (達人 - master expert) of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. Between 1626 - 1627, he also studied 'hoshu no jutsu’ (捕手の術 – hand taking) with a Chinese monk called Chin Genpin 陳元贇 (Chinese: ''Chén Yuánbīn'' 1587-1674) at the Kokushoji monastery in Azabu (麻布 in Minato, Tokyo). The ‘Jujutsu Hottan - Fukuno Shichirouemon den” states that Fukuno: ".... was an intrepid character, with great strength, he lifted mighty bronze pots. He took pleasure in learning the techniques of

Nomi no Sukune was a legendary figure in Japanese history, regarded as the founder of sumo wrestling. He was the founder of the Haji no Muraji clan. Life Sukune is said to have lived during the reign of Emperor Suinin (29 BC – 70). Allegedly, in 23 B.C., ...

(野見宿禰). Fukuno endured mental tortures and developed his physique, and after twenty years or so, he finally acquired mastery of Nomi no Sukune's techniques. People spoke of him admiringly. He fights with great strength and battles with great valour. With his technique, he defeats an opponent in barely a minute, or two. His determination is to fight to the death. His techniques are correct, who could deny him victory.

Meiji period

Later, in the ‘Meiji period’ (1868-1912), Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsuka –

Hansuke Nakamura was a Japanese jujutsu practitioner. He was one of the best regarded jujutsu stylists in Japan before the rise of judo, and remains as the most famous exponent of the Ryōi Shintō-ryū school. Biography First challenges The son of feudal lord ...

was considered the toughest martial artist in Japan. In 1886, Nakamura fought a match against the famed Kōdōkan

(講道館柔道) champion

Yokoyama Sakujiro , was one of the earliest disciples of Kanō Jigorō. He was part of the Kōdōkan Shitennō or Four Guardians of the Kodokan along with Yoshitsugu Yamashita, Tsunejirō Tomita, and Shirō Saigō. Biography Early life Yokoyama was born in S ...

(横山作次郎), known as ‘Demon’ Yokoyama (鬼横山). Both men fought for 55 minutes, but as neither prevail the match was drawn. Nakamura was declared champion of East of Japan and Yokoyama champion of the West.

Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu in the United Kingdom

Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu 良移心当流柔術 was brought to the UK in 1924 by Takeda Tatsu (竹田辰), who taught a number of students, including Peter Shortt, who taught his son James Shortt. Takaeda was followed in 1957 by another Ryōi Shintō-ryū teacher; Komito Kaizō (小見戸戒三). Komito also taught James Shortt’s and eventually awarded him '

Menkyo Kaiden is a Japanese term meaning "license." It refers to the license to teach used by practitioners of various Japanese classical arts and martial arts certifying some license within the school or ryū. The ''menkyo'' system dates back to the 8th cen ...

' ( 免許皆伝 full teaching licence). Peter King began training in Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu with James Shortt in 1976 and was awarded Menkyo Kaiden 免許皆伝 by Shortt Sensei in 1997.

In Japan

Ryōi Shintō-ryū demonstration for Japanese Crown Prince In 1985, James Shortt and Peter King had the honour of demonstrating Jūjutsu 柔術 for Japanese now Japanese Emperor (then, Crown Prince) Naruhito (徳仁天皇) at the Anjinkai Festival in London. Ryōi Shintō-ryū Taikai in Japan The 2009 Ryōi Shintō-ryū Taikai (良移心当流大会) was held at the 'Budōkan' (武道館), Sanbu City, Chiba-ken, Japan. This event was taught by James Shortt Sensei and was attended by participants from Japan, Europe and Australia. During this Taikai, Simon Bell, Osanai Hideto, & Aleksis Konoshonoks also received Menkyo Kaiden (免許皆伝). Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu in contemporary Japan - As with many Koryū Jūjutsu styles, the main

Sōke , pronounced , is a Japanese term that means "the head family ouse" In the realm of Japanese traditional arts, it is used synonymously with the term ''iemoto''. Thus, it is often used to indicate "headmaster" (or sometimes translated as "head of t ...

(宗家) lines of the Ryōi Shintō-ryū are now believed to be lost, with only the Ise Jitoku Tenshin-ryū branch of the Ryōi Shintō, Kasahara-ryū (良移心當笠原流) remaining in Japan under the leadership of 16th generation Sōke (宗家) Mifune Toichiro.Classical Fighting Arts of Japan: A Complete Guide to Koryu Jujutsu. by Serge Mol (2001)

References

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