Ryōi Shintō-ryū Jūjutsu 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 ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

( 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 term for jūjutsu)." 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

Ryōi Shintō-ryū is one of a web of schools that can be traced back to Fukuno-Ryū (福野流), and it's founder, Fukuno Shichirouemon Masakatsu. Fukuno-Ryū (福野流), along with

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

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 at ...

(楊心流) make up the three primary lineages of Jūjutsu in the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

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

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

. It's related 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), from which Kōdōkan Jūdō ( 講道館

柔道 is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Nippo ...

) can be seen as being partially descended; Jikishin-ryū yawara (直心流柔) and Ise Jitoku Tenshin-ryū Jūjutsu (為勢自得天眞流柔術) also known as Jigō Tenshin-ryū Jūjutsu (自剛天真流柔術). 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, 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 1527 – 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 ...

(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 ...

(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 th ...

(相撲) and a Tatsujin (達人 – master expert) of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. 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 (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 (中村半助) 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 (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.

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 o ...

(宗家) line of the Ryōi Shintō-ryū in Japan is now lost. The only related school currently taught in Japan is Ise Jitoku Tenshin-ryū Jūjutsu (為勢自得天眞流柔術), which is a derivative of the Ryōi Shintō-ryū (良移心當流)that was combined with techniques from Yōshin-ryū Jūjutsu (楊心流柔術). Ise Jitoku Tenshin-ryū (aka Jigō Tenshin-ryū 自剛天真流) was founded by Fujita Chosuke Roku Norisada (藤田長助麓憲貞) (died 1844) and is 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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