Kito-Ryu Jujutsu and The Desolation of K PDF
Kito-Ryu Jujutsu and The Desolation of K PDF
Kito-Ryu Jujutsu and The Desolation of K PDF
*Professor Carl De Crée, Laboratory for Exercise Physiology and Endocrinology, Sports Medicine Research Laboratory, B-
2800 Malines, Belgium. Fax: +44-870-762-1701. E-mail: prof.cdecree@earthlink.net
1. Introduction
From the 19th to the 20th October 2013 Kyōto, Japan’s old imperial capital, was host city to
the Fifth International Judo Federation (IJF) World Kata Judo Championships. One of the highlights
for many was an enbu 演武 [public martial arts demonstration] of a demanding exercise known in
Kōdōkan jūdō 1 under the name koshiki-no-kata (De Crée, 1999, Ōtani, 1992, Tōdō, 1978). The
exercise at this special occasion, however, was going to be shown in what allegedly would be its
original form as practiced in the centuries-old school of Kitō-ryū (Inoue & Okajima, 2013), where it
is formally called Kitō-ryū jūjutsu yoroi kumi-uchi-no-kata, or in translation, the “Forms of wrestling
in armor from the Kitō-school of the art of giving way” (De Crée, 2018).
Demonstrating the exercise were a small elderly man by the name of Inoue Shōji 2 井上彰二,
and his much taller and larger middle-aged practice partner. This less than 10 minutes lasting
exhibition served as the first introduction of the person named Inoue Shōji to most of the foreign
jūdōka who were present and to the international jūdō world in general. In Japan, at least the
Kudenkai 口伝会, a regularly meeting small group of senior Japanese jūdō teachers at the Kōdōkan
jūdō Institute in Tōkyō dedicated to the advanced study of koshiki-no-kata, had been somewhat
familiar with the gentleman for a number of years. The reason, no doubt, was his a frequent
participations in yearly koryū public demonstrations held throughout Japan, predominantly in the
Tōkyō, Kyōto, Okayama, and Hiroshima regions.
Despite Inoue’s passion and what he might have been able to offer in terms of knowledge, it
seems that no one at Japan’s leading jūdō institute had ever bothered to involve him in any of the
previous pedagogical or curricular events it organized. For that reason, his demonstration at the 5th
IJF World Kata Judo Championships, with many of the Kōdōkan’s senior jūdō teachers in attendance
and attentively observing him, was a small but significant personal victory for Inoue and the
tradition of Kitō-ryū. In the following years Inoue largely moved back into obscurity as far as any
official interaction with the world of international jūdō was concerned. However, the genie was out
of the bottle, and several of Inoue’s videotaped demonstrations in the meantime had been
eternalized on YouTube (Inoue & Okajima, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013), while frequently being
mentioned or linked in jūdō-related Internet blogs or online forums. The surrounding debate,
mostly devoid of much erudition and meaningful insights on the topic of kata quickly gave rise to
the sort of questions that tend to annoy those who see the topic of jūdō kata as an opportunity to
claim expertise.
At least one major objective reason that one might initially struggle to properly put into
context the value of Inoue’s contributions is that very little, if anything, beyond banalities and
1 For absolute rigor, long Japanese vowel sounds have been approximated using macrons (e.g. Kōdōkan) in
order to indicate their Japanese pronunciation as closely as possible. However, when referring to or quoting
from Western literature, the relevant text or author is cited exactly as per the original source, with macrons
used or omitted accordingly.
2 Japanese names in this paper are listed by family name first and given name second, as common in
traditional Japanese usage and to maintain consistency with the order of names of Japanese historic figures.
conjecture was known within jūdō circles about the man himself and about how precisely the
exercise he brought related to everyday jūdō, to his personal development as a būdōka, and to the
Kōdōkan’s recent approach to teaching koshiki-no-kata. For this reason it is important for this
obituary to put the legacy of Inoue Shōji into perspective in this way preserving his contributions
for future generations and building a foundation that will produce a better understanding of the
current situation of Kitō-ryū and koshiki-no-kata.
I was born on January 13th of Shōwa 7 [1932] and now I am 78 years old. Currently, I am a jūdō
therapist, but for 36 years I have served my career as a prison officer being engaged in re-
educating so-called criminals. Jūdō, kendō, and self-defense techniques were regular onsite
organized courses, but at that time and under the given the circumstances I took the option to
qualify as a jūdō therapist.
I have been doing jūdō since I was in the former (government educational) system’s middle
school. My genealogy was a family lineage where my father and grandfather had done jūjutsu, so
for that reason I was already familiar with martial arts. My grandson is also 26 years old this
year, but I am teaching him Kitō-ryū now.
It was at the age of 18 that I entered the Kōdōkan. Kōdōkan Jūdō, as you know, was created by
Kanō Jigorō in Meiji 15 [1882]. One can say with certainty that it was developed from Tenjin
Shin’yō-ryū and Kitō-ryū. Kōdōkan jūdō’s throwing techniques come from Kitō-ryū, while its
controlling techniques, choking techniques, and arm locks come from Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū.] (…)
(Bukkyō Daigaku Tsūshin Kyōiku-bu, 2010)
No further information is given about whom his father’s and grandfather’s teachers were or
what their exact lineages were, nor does he provide the names of his father and grandfather. He
makes it clear, however, that he was never taught any Kitō-ryū by his grandfather in this way
definitively debunking any further speculation about a potential family lineage of learning Kitō-ryū:
Consequently, in 1950, Inoue became a Kōdōkan member, and in February 1955 a student of
Odaka Shigeru 尾高茂 (1908-1985) (Figure 1). Odaka-sensei, was one of the last two official Kitō-
ryū teachers in the Kansai region in the 1980s. Odaka-sensei took up Kitō-ryū in April 1923 at the
famous Meibukan Dōjō 明武館道場 in Okayama-city 岡山市, where his Kitō-ryū teacher there
initially was Onoda Sakatarō 小野田坂太郎, a 12th generation teacher 4 from the Kitō-ryū Takao
Bicchū-ha 起倒流高尾備中派 lineage (Kanemitsu, 1958).
3 In an article authored by Inoue Shōji at the occasion of a visit to Tōkyō Shiba Atago jinja 東京芝愛宕神社
[Shiba Atago Shrine] in Tōkyō, he specifies that he was born in Awa 阿波, Tokushima-ken:
“私の生家は阿波徳島にあり、祖父は起倒流、父は天神真楊流の柔術家だった” (…) (Inoue, 2012)
4 Determining or counting the genealogical position of a teacher in the complex Kitō-ryū lineages depends on
where exactly one pinpoints the historic beginning of Kitō-ryū. Although Kitō-ryū likely started with Ibaraki
Matazaemon Toshifusa 茨木又左衛門俊房 alias “Sensai” 専斎 and “Sōzen” 宗然, the school at that point was
named Midare Kitō-ryū 乱起倒流. Consistently with this timeline, Onoda Sakatarō is a 12th generation teacher.
However, a number of Kitō-ryū branches tend to consider the actual beginning of the school at Terada
Kan’emon Masashige 寺田勘右衛門正重 (later “Terada Mitsuhide” 寺田満英), because of the significant
changes in the school’s philosophy, techniques, densho 伝書 [scrolls with the school’s teachings and secrets],
Rev. Artes Marciales Asiát., 13(2), 155-171 ~ 2018 | 157
De Crée, C.
Figure 2. The former Kitō-ryū Takao Dōjō 高尾道場 in Figure 3. Inoue Shōji 井上彰二 (1927-2018),
Saidaiji-shi西大寺市, Mitsu 光津, Okayama-ken. Kōdōkan jūdō 8th dan, in 2010 during an interview.
If Inoue’s grandfather was issued these four scrolls, then this ―in most Kitō-ryū lineages―
would imply that he held the rank of menkyo, but not menkyo kaiden in Kitō-ryū although in the
same publication Inoue simply indicates “Kitō-ryū shugyō” 起倒流修行 [Kitō-ryū trainee] (Yoshida,
and name. At that point in time, the different Kitō-ryū lineages did not yet exist, and the school’s name was
not yet Kitō-ryū jūjutsu, but Kitō-ryū heihō yoroi kumi-uchi 起倒流兵法鎧組討. However, if one starts counting
generations beginning at Terada Mitsuhide, then Onoda would be an 11th rather than a 12th generation
teacher.
5 Later renamed Genyūkai Dōjō 玄友会道場.
6Named after famed Kitō-ryū teacher Takao Uheiji Mochitsugu 高尾右平次以受, after whom the Kitō-ryū
Takao-Bicchū-ha 起倒流高尾備中派 lineage was named.
7 In April 1949 Odaka also took up a permanent job of professor of Kōdōkan jūdo at the Okayama Kenritsu
Saidaiji Kōtōgakkō 年四月岡山県立西大寺高等学校 [Okayama Kenritsu Saidaiji High School] and at the
Saidaiji Jūdō Renmei 西大寺柔道連盟 [Saidaiji Jūdō Federation]. In 1952 he also became responsible for
instruction of jūdō at the Saidaiji Keisatsu 西大寺警察柔道 [Saidaiji Police].
n.d. (a), (b)). The confusion may simply arise from the fact that technically speaking menkyo is not
the terminal rank in Kitō-ryū, which means that the holder, although entitled to teach, is still
learning and progressing. While it was relatively easy to obtain menkyo in Kitō-ryū and this typically
after 3-6 years of training, only a very small proportion of menkyo holders would ever progress all
the way to menkyo kaiden in Kitō-ryū (Yoshida, n.d. (a), (b)). As no facsimile of Inoue’s grandfather’s
Chi-no-maki [Scroll of Earth], which inter alia, details the school’s lineage, has been published, we
are at this moment in time unable to specify the Kitō-ryū branch Inoue’s grandfather was part of.
The only further information provided by Inoue (Shōji) is that Inoue Chika’ichi held the rank of
kaiden 皆傳 in Shibashin’yō-ryū jūjutsu 柴真揚流柔術 (Inoue, 2009). 8
While Tōdō Yasusada and Suzuki Seibei Kuninori were both students of Takino Yūken, we
are not aware of any historic document supporting that Suzuki ever was a student of Tōdō (De Crée,
2018, Mol, 2001, Oimatsu, 1982, Tōdō, 2007, Yoshida, n.d. (a)). Admittedly though, whenever the
name “Suzuki Heibei” is used in its abbreviated form, room for error is created because there were
three successive Kitō-ryū masters bearing the name “Suzuki Heibei” 鈴木清兵衛, but having a
different given name, i.e. Kuninori 邦教, Kunimichi 邦通, and Yoshikuni 好邦. As their exact
biographical data (dates of birth, death) are not known it is essential to include their first name if
one desires to avoid infusing confusion. 9
In this case, the most serious issue with the lineage proposed by Inoue-sensei is that … while
Matsudaira Etchū-no-kami Sadanobu was indeed a student of Suzuki Seibei Kuninori, both had
nothing to do whatsoever with Takenaka Tetsunosuke Issei who was never their student, but
instead a student of Takenaka Motonoshin 竹中元之進, himself a direct student of Takino Yūken,
8 Shibashin’yō-ryū jūjutsu created by Fujita Ginhachirō 藤田銀八郎 of Enshū 遠州 (now Hamamatsu City
浜松市) is an offshoot of Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū 天神真楊流, and its two parent schools, Yōshin-ryū 楊心流 and
Shin-no-shindō-ryū jūjutsu 真之神道流柔術. Kaiden 皆傳 in koryū schools usually is pars pro toto for menkyo
kaiden, which mostly is their terminal rank, although there do exist schools where kaiden is a separate rank
that precedes menkyo kaiden.
9 There is additional room for confusion because of the existence of another line of three successive
generations of Kitō-ryū masters with the name of Suzuki with one father and son also bearing the same name,
i.e. Suzuki Suzuki Banjirō Toshimasa 鈴木伴次郎俊政 and Suzuki Banjirō Shigetsuyo 鈴木小伴治郎重強. The
first Suzuki of this line, Suzuki Masaemon Shigemine 鈴木正右衛門重峯, was a student of the famous Kitō-ryū
master and samurai Katō Chūzō Nagamasa alias (Katō) “Ūkei” 有慶 (1706-1786), himself a direct student of
Takino Yūken, hence why this line of Suzuki masters belongs to the Kitō-ryū Katō-ha 加藤派 lineage contrary
to the other line of Suzuki masters mentioned in the above text, who belongs to the Kitō-ryū Suzuki-ha 鈴木派
lineage.
although his name appears to have been omitted in toto from Inoue’s proposed genealogical
lineage. However, even if that part of the lineage would have been correct and truly did exist, it
remains puzzling why Inoue introduces this lineage as his own, since it ends with Kōdōkan jūdō’s
founder Kanō Jigorō, but neither Inoue, nor his teacher Odaka Shigeru ever were direct students of
Kanō-shihan … After all, Odaka Shigeru descended from Onoda Sakatarō 小野田坂太郎, menkyo
kaiden 免許皆伝 10 (= Kitō-ryū Takao Bicchū-ha 起倒流高尾備中派), and Kanemitsu Yaichihyōe
金光弥一兵衛 (1892-1966), Kōdōkan jūdō hanshi 講道館柔道範士 9th dan (= Kitō-ryū Noda-ha
起倒流野田派) (Figure 4), not from Kanō Jigorō, and neither did Abe Kenshirō, apparently Inoue’s
jūdō teacher in Tokushima prefecture.
Historically, Inoue’s lineage, in our opinion, is part of the
Takao Bicchū-ha 尾備中派 (De Crée, 2018, Ōtani & Uchino, 1985),
and logically should also carry that name. This is, however, not the
end of the story since questions remain as to why Inoue did not use
or feel comfortable to apply that predicate. One likely explanation
could be that lacking official transmission of and/or teaching
authority in Kitō-ryū (Takao) Bicchū-ha, introducing the concept
“Terada-ha” could then constitute a more ‘elegant’ way to prevent
being accused of illegitimate claiming of a lineage, something that
culturally and socially would not be looked favorably upon in
Japan. As nothing pertaining to Kitō-ryū is simple, examining this
issue beyond conjecture would require several pages of
explanation to provide insight into the system and evolution of
teaching and promotion credentialing within Kitō-ryū.
Figure 4. Kanemitsu Yaichihyōei 金光弥一兵衛 (1892-1966), Kōdōkan
jūdō hanshi 講道館柔道範士 9th dan (Kitō-ryū Noda-ha 起倒流野田派).
pp. 173). 12 The Kōdōkan saw an opportunity in this development to use to its own advantage to get
rid of the powerful Butokukai whose budō and jūdō ranks and certificates by many were held in
higher esteem than those from the Kōdōkan. With the Butokukai never re-opening again budō
teachers, in consequence, could no longer gain Butokukai shōgō titles. As in time holders of those
titles reached advanced ages and passed away, those still involved with Kitō-ryū now were labeled
exclusively with a Kōdōkan jūdō dan-rank. This change did not occur abruptly, as this was already
so before the closure of the Butokukai for those practicing Kitō-ryū but who did not (yet) hold a
shōgō title.
This situation might cause confusion as one might think that Kitō-ryū adopted “Kitō-ryū dan-
ranks” to replace the menkyo system. This was not so. The dan-ranks were never “Kitō-ryū dan-
ranks”, but “Kōdōkan jūdō ranks”. In other words, by 1950 virtually no one doubted the authority to
practice and teach Kitō-ryū on the basis of jūdō dan-ranks. In all fairness though, the average Kitō-
ryū curriculum at that time in most dōjō contained only a small fraction of what it had contained in
the late 17th and early 18th centuries (De Crée, 2018). Needless to say that this situation makes the
debate, frequently held by Western jūdōka or budōka on whether Kitō-ryū as a school at any point
was dead or not, or whether this or that person was a headmaster who had authority to teach or
transfer the school or not, often a non sequitur, except perhaps for the rare factions in Kitō-ryū that
held on to and continued the traditional menkyo system. As Kōdōkan jūdō by then was largely
overshadowing Kitō-ryū in popularity, anyone or anything Kitō-ryū not associated with Kōdōkan
jūdō moved towards operating in the shadows.
What we have just explained is also the reason that in the case of Inoue Shōji, who taught (a
part of) Kitō-ryū (but also Kōdōkan jūdō) at every enbu (Figure 5) or in every publication in relation
to Kitō-ryū, had his name being mentioned as “Inoue Shōji, Kōdōkan 8th dan”, with no indication
whatsoever of any traditional Kitō-ryū credential. The situation was exactly the same before 2007
under the previous Kitō-ryū representative at the Nihon Kobudō Kyōkai 日本古武道協会 [Japanese
Classical Martial Arts Association)] (Ōtani & Uchino, 1985), who too was always mentioned with his
Kōdōkan rank. The only significant difference is that it happens to be that the Kitō-ryū Takao
Bicchū-ha from which both Inoue and this author proceed is one of the few Kitō-ryū lineages in
which at least some teachers maintained continuity in sticking with traditional menkyo
certifications, though ironically not those who were teachers to Inoue. 13
Understanding the above situation will also help understanding the relative anachronism of
some of these recent Kitō-ryū students, teachers, or practitioners wearing blue jūdōgi, jūdō belts,
including kōhaku obi 紅白帯 [red- and white-paneled belt] over their hakama 袴 [divided
traditional Japanese skirt-pants] during enbu. It is self-evident that none of these existed in
traditional Kitō-ryū, especially the kōhaku belt, which was invented by Kanō only around 1930.
Without judging whether such incongruities are proper or not, one can understand why most of
these modern day Kitō-ryū practitioners seem to have less qualms about them, since their entire
martial arts graduation history is in Kōdōkan jūdō, not in Kitō-ryū.
When Kanō in 1882 founded his Kōdōkan dōjō he had just 4.5 years of training that included
barely a year of Kitō-ryū training. Kanō clearly had been doing his best and in his autobiography he
points out that at the time his second Tenjin shin’yō-ryū jūjutsu master Iso Masatomo died, he had
been training daily. Kanō was also intellectually gifted. Despite Kanō’s limited experience, with the
encouragement of his Kitō-ryū teacher Iikubo Kōnen, he opened a dōjō of his own to further
research his ideas about kuzushi with junior students.
Kanō-shihan in his May 11th, 1889 lecture 14 about the foundations of Kōdōkan jūdō held for
the Dai Nippon Kyōikukai 大日本教育会 [Great Japan Education Society] explained that the theory
behind the kata of Tenjin shin’yō-ryū and Kitō-ryū kata are “extremely complex” 15. He did not say
“somewhat difficult” or “demanding”, he literally said “extremely complex”. Kanō-shihan added that
the kata of Kitō-ryū are even more difficult than those of Tenjin shin’yō-ryū jūjutsu (Kanō, 1889).
Figure 5. Inoue Shōji 井上彰二 (1927-2018), Kōdōkan jūdō 8th dan, and Okajima Jun 岡島順, at the time
Kōdōkan jūdō 6th dan (now 7th dan) showing the Kitō-ryū Omote- and Ura-kata during an enbu 演武 [public
martial arts demonstration] at the Shimogamo-jinja 下鴨神社 (Shimogamo Shrine) in Kyōto, held every year
in early May.
14 The lecture was integrally published by the Kōdōkan in its periodical Jūdō of April 1975.
15 zuibun komi itta 随分込入った [extremely complicated].
possess the supposedly ‘correct’ information to pass the exam or obtain a medal in kata
contests 16;
in order to achieve their coveted black belt ranks the jūdōka either need to be nominated by
or pass a highly subjective test in front of top-ranked Kōdōkan instructors while having no
option to appeal results;
through a carefully crafted Confucianism-based framework of ‘respect’ and other moral
values which the dominant jūdō elite effectively uses to preclude discourse, criticism and
challenges to the accuracy of its curricular contents, especially in relationship to history and
core of kata. 17
16 Although international kata contests fall under the umbrella of the International Judo Federation (IJF), it
bases its kata-judging rules on what it believes would represent a supposed Kōdōkan kata standard,
something that in reality too is historic reinvention, and that are generally practiced, supported, defended
and taught, by what the IJF calls “IJF Kata Experts”, which it handpicks only from people who have shown a
willingness to subscribe to its historic reinvention through strictly adhering to its own rules with a degree of
loyalty as shown by their participation and preferably winning top medals in IJF kata contests.
17 In Kōdōkan jūdō the Confucian foundation of jūdō’s moral values is glorified without addressing its flaws.
These flaws are well known by scholars in Chinese and Japanese philosophy or religion as, for example, they
are partly responsible for causing the implosion of Confucianism-dominated Chinese societies such as the
Han-Dynasty 漢朝 (220-280 AD). One of the major weaknesses of Confucianism is that a corrupt elite tends to
use ‘moral values’ to blackmail commoners into obedience with the sole purpose of exploiting those
commoners. This is somewhat comparable to how priests in the Catholic Church would attempt to use
religious morals to justify sexual abuse and discourage those abused from talking about it or filing complaints
with law enforcement authorities.
18 Obviously, the International Judo Federation, National Governing Bodies and Kōdōkan, like to refer to their
developments and curricular evolution by using tendentious euphemisms such as “improvement” even if it
means making a 180° turn regarding an earlier “improvement” …
日韓親善交流少年柔道大会), held on Jeju Island 濟州島 [Kor.: 제주도], Korea (figure 6). Inoue’s
demonstration during the 5th IJF World Kata Judo Championships in 2013 in Kyōto (Inoue &
Okajima, 2013) could be considered as an act of rebellion in the Japanese jūdō world. That he was
going to demonstrate koshiki-no-kata was hardly unknown to the Kōdōkan prior to the
championships. Still, the blatant differences with about anything the Kōdōkan or the IJF were
teaching did not go unnoticed (Dax-Romswinkel, 2015, De Crée, 2016).
Figure 6. Inoue Shōji 井上彰二 (1927-2018), Kōdōkan jūdō 8th dan, and Okajima Jun 岡島順, at the time
Kōdōkan jūdō 6th dan (now 7th dan) during an enbu 演武 [public martial arts demonstration] at the occasion of
the Nikkan Shinzen Kōryū Shōnen Jūdō Taikai 日韓親善交流少年柔道大会 [Japan-Korea Friendship Exchange
Youth Jūdō Tournament], held on Jeju Island 濟州島 [Kor.: 제주도], Korea, on Saturday March 21st, 2010.
That being said, one should also not overestimate the demonstration’s effect in Japan. Did
anyone think that either the Kōdōkan was going to conclude that it was wrong, or the IJF that it was
clueless? Not really. Instead, what happened could have been anticipated, i.e. some Japanese
Kōdōkan instructors in attendance laughed at, or even mocked, Mr. Inoue. The Westerners
meanwhile did, as they always do. They got their video cameras out wondering where his rendition
would rank among other koshiki-no-kata clips on YouTube. Lacking the necessary background there
was not much else left to do, besides wondering if Inoue made this step or that step so, and a
Kōdōkan instructor did it differently, then which one was correct and what should they do? Do they
ever think any differently when kata is involved? Try explaining that koshiki-no-kata has little or
nothing to do with mechanical steps and techniques or with satisfying juries, but everything with
principles…
Was Inoue’s koshiki-no-kata good, brilliant, or not so good? As it is not our aim to
posthumously force Inoue-sensei into becoming a pawn in an IJF sports competition, let us simply
recall the words he spoke himself in a personal conversation: “I know my kata is ugly and even
funny in my age, but I do not mind. I am happy that I can move my body still, though not exactly in
the way I want to.”
As a Japanese colleague knowledgeable in these matters once told me in reaction to Inoue’s
demonstration: “Perhaps younger people with better physical ability could perform more beautiful
kata in people’s view, but doing just that will not always be jūdō or jūjutsu either. There is
something more important ...”
There certainly were times during demonstrations when Inoue forgot a technique, turned
the wrong way, and basically did everything that would make our IJF kata judges in their wisdom
vigorously subtract marks while seated on their behinds on a chair behind a table. Inoue-sensei
adhered to the principles he felt were relevant for him in his position. Moving, being dynamic, and
still throwing on a wooden floor without tatami while in his 80s was his way of keeping himself
active and mobile. What should his principles and ambitions have been? Winning an IJF medal?
Teaching at the Kōdōkan International Summer Kata Course? Getting the approval of people
watching a computer screen while sitting on their behinds? Applying to become a member of the
Kyōto Prefectural Riot Police to use koshiki-no-kata against criminals or terrorists? It is no different
from the situation surrounding the meaning of jū. Few jūdō competitors at the height of their career
are concerned about it. Fortunately, it may become a concern for the best of teachers when they
reach maturation. Like the jū in jūdō ultimately is about mental and moral development, the
principles of koshiki-no-kata are about mental self-development. Beethoven did not write his
Emperor piano concerto with the purpose of people coming to a concert hall with the music score
on their lap, metronome in their hand, and ready to scrutinize whether the pianist missed any note
or violated the composer’s tempi indications. Having the ability to read notes, to read a score, to
understand the sensitivity of the piano’s keyboard, to have developed the sufficient dexterity and
hand-eye coordination are essential foundations, but entirely meaningless if one lacks the
emotional intelligence and idiomatic comprehension of both the composer and the Emperor
concerto itself.
The situation is not any different with koshiki-no-kata, apart from the fact that there are far
many more decent piano teachers around than there are qualified or even just adequate koshiki-no-
kata teachers, and this both in Japan and in the West. Unfortunately, whenever we are confronted
with yet another public demonstration or recording made available on the Internet they invariably
can be described as plain grotesque.
19 For example, the Tenyōkai 天楊会 now led by Kubota Nobuhirō 久保田修弘 from the Yagi Torajirō
八木寅次郎 lineage is a member of both the Nihon Kobudō Kyōkai and the Nihon Kobudō Shinkōkai, while the
Shinyōkai Shibata Dōjō 真楊会柴田道場 led by Shibata Kōichirō 柴田孝一 from the Miyamoto Hanzō 宮本半蔵
lineage is a member of the Nihon Kobudō Kyōkai but not of the Nihon Kobudō Shinkōkai; what remains of the
Rev. Artes Marciales Asiát., 13(2), 155-171 ~ 2018 | 165
De Crée, C.
With regard to Kitō-ryū, the first appearance of Inoue-sensei and his Kyōto dōjō showing up
on the website of the Nihon Kobudō Kyōkai 日本古武道協会 [Japanese Association of Traditional
Martial Arts] as a representative for a Kitō-ryū branch was probably during 2007-2008 (Inoue,
2008). Printed materials related to enbu or representation of Kitō-ryū dating back to 1997 still
listed Uchino Yukishige 内野幸重 from Okayama as representative of both Kitō-ryū jūjutsu Noda-ha
and Bicchū-ha.
What the future will bring as far as koshiki-no-kata or Kitō-ryū is concerned is unknown. The
material remains complex, far too complex for the average jūdōka, and requires a decent grasp of
advanced jūdō technique, of all preceding kata, an understanding of Kōdōkan’s as well as of the
underlying philosophies, and, preferably, knowledge of Japanese and Classical Japanese to obtain
access to essential sources. That is, admittedly, asking quite a bit. While jūdō scholars have the
ability to make a difference, the question is whether they will be prepared to. Overall, they certainly
have not done a very good job identifying the historic reinvention that since Kanō’s passing in 1938
has been and is still being spread by the Kōdōkan and that extends to the issue of kata, and notably,
koshiki-no-kata. The mechanism is simple: the Kōdōkan continues to possess the power of defining
the discourse on Kanō Jigorō by its exclusive access to primary sources (e.g. Kanō’s diaries), 20 or as
Niehaus wrote earlier this year: “the Kōdōkan works to ensure that its own reading and
interpretation of history remains dominant, hegemonic, and unlikely to be challenged.” (…)
(Niehaus, 2018). 21 22
While the subservient attitude of future jūdōka-examinees and sports-kata competitors
might be understandable, Japanese and even Western scholars with few exceptions, have not put
much effort into changing this situation (Higashi, 1992). The reason for this conundrum is simple,
or to quote the late Urbain Vermeulen (1940-2016), a well-known scholar of Oriental Studies from
the prestigious University of Leuven: “Concealing the truth is a constant in our profession, because
there is a holy fear of reality, of the truth. Talk with scholars in Japanese or Chinese Studies, and you
will find them equally reluctant to speak even one critical word about the horrors today and in the
past in China and in the past in Japan. Scholars entertain a love bond with their professional field,
and instinctively like to keep that passion pure.” (…) 23
The late Inoue Shōji in his own way did what he could …
References24
Bukkyō Daigaku Tsūshin Kyōiku-bu [Department of Distance Learning of Buddhist University].
(2010). O-sanpo Kyōtogaku: Edo-jidai-hen. Kobudō no seishin ni semaru ~ Kitō-ryū jūjutsu o
Inoue Keitarō 井上敬太郎 lineage is not a member of either since the death of its former shihan Tobari Kazu
戸張和. All three though, are legitimate Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū 天神真楊流 branches and dōjō.
20 … to which the Kanō family has blocked all access including from scholars in order to maximally sustain the
an smaller and lighter and lighter, according to some sources weighing just 40 kg, a body mass which
according to anthopometric tables in fact is that of a merely 10-year old male child … In other words, if so,
then in reality Kanō as an adult male would have a Body Mass Index of about 17.2 meaning that he would be
suffering from severe anorexia nervosa continuously on the brink of dying from malnutrition or starvation
despite the lavish dinners that were presented to him at embassies when travelling abroad ... As Niehaus
correctly points out, the supposedly weak body of Kanō really acts as a metaphor for the Japanese nation.
This narrative of the weak becoming strong is typical of martial arts biographies and ―via the example of a
founder or prominent members― serves to underline the authority of a school and its teachings. It also
functions as a promise to potential disciples (Niehaus, 2018).
23 o.c. Vermeulen, U. (2016). Do European Muslims want to integrate? t Pallieterke, 16 Feb 2016. Retrieved
from: http://pallieterke.net/2016/02/prof-urbain-vermeulen-overleden-zijn-laatste-interview-aan-t-
pallieterke
24
See Appendix 1 for the original Japanese scripts and Appendix 2 for audiovisual resources.
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~
Author's biographical data
Carl De Crée, efficiently combines his expertise as an exercise physiologist and sports medicine specialist,
with also being a senior scholar in Chinese and Japanese Studies. He first became a tenured full professor in
2000, and he has since been teaching and conducting research at several prestigious universities worldwide.
He holds a lifetime full professorship ordinarius ad personam and is currently also affiliated with Ghent
University. Having conducted research on jūdō since 1981, he has established a reputation as one of the
foremost jūdō scholars and remains research-active in all aspects of jūdō. He is one of only a few technical
jūdō-experts holding an EJU Level-6 Specialized Judo Teacher & High-Performance Coach qualification and a
Master’s degree in Jūdō from the University or Rome (following 4 previous other master’s degrees, an MD and
a PhD). He also holds double Trainer-A qualifications in both jūdō and jūjutsu from the Flemish Trainer
School, an International Judo Coach qualification and a Judo Master Teacher Class A Certificate from the
United States Judo, Inc. As a former international jūdō competitor his expertise has been sought by world
elite-class jūdō athletes. In addition to having been a jūdō student of the late Felix De Smedt, Marcel Clause,
Hirano Tokio, Fukuda Keiko, Imamura Haruo, Okano Isao and Kurimura Yōji, he also was a student in the
Inoue Keitarō-lineage of Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū jūjutsu under the late Tobari Kazu-shihan. He currently holds an
8th dan black belt in jūdō and the title of kyōshi, and became the first known non-Japanese to obtain menkyo in
the Takao Bicchū-ha lineage of Kitō-ryū jūjutsu (shiyū myōjutsu). He is the Instructor-in-Chief of the Royal
Judo & Karate Academy Bushido-Kwai Mechelen, Belgium’s oldest jūdō club. E-mail:
prof.cdecree@earthlink.net. Http://www.carldecree.net.