Budoshin Ju-Jitsu
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| Focus | Hybrid |
|---|---|
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Creator | George Kirby, Sanzo Seki, William Fromm |
| Olympic sport | No |
| Official website | http://www.budoshin.com/ |
Budoshin is a modern style (ryū) of ju-jitsu rooted in ancient Japanese techniques, with a strong emphasis on practical, contemporary self-defense.
With origins in the 2,500-year-old “parent” martial art of ju-jitsu, Budoshin incorporates newer martial ways such as judo (throws, sweeps, groundwork), aikido (leverage, momentum, pressure points, joint locks) and karate (kicks, blocks, strikes) to offer a highly varied fighting system.[1]
Unlike Brazilian Ju-Jitsu (BJJ), Budoshin does not focus primarily on ground fighting and is not a sport, although many practitioners take part in tournaments featuring waza (technique) and kumite (sparring) competitions. George Kirby--prolific author[2] of instructional publications and Black Belt magazine's “Instructor of the Year” in 2007[3][4]--has been a key proponent of Budoshin since helping found and codify the style beginning in 1967.[5]
History
Budoshin originated in the teachings of Sanzo “Jack” Seki (1914-98), who was born in Los Angeles to a Japanese ju-jitsu master father and an Irish-American mother. While Seki was still young, his father sent him to Japan to study with the eminent Kanō Jigorō, an expert in Shinyo Tenjin Shin Ryu and Kitō-ryū ju-jitsu, but best known as the founder of modern judo, an Olympic sport that grew out of ju-jitsu. In addition, Seki studied ju-jitsu as taught by his father, moving back to the U.S. in the mid-1930s. He served as a weaponless defense instructor in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, then settled in Southern California.
At the Burbank YMCA and Los Angeles Valley College in the 1960s, Seki founded ju-jitsu programs that became extremely popular. In the fall of 1967, he asked two of his top students, George Kirby (1944-) and William Fromm (1935-2003), to take over the Burbank program and create an organization to promote the art.
Prof. Seki thought there was "only ju-jitsu" and not any styles. Believing that naming the style would be valuable, however, Kirby and Fromm proposed “Budoshin”, which means “to conduct oneself in a respectable, honorable manner". This was acceptable to Prof. Seki, as “Budoshin” was as much an appropriate attitude and philosophy as a technical style.
In the mid-1970s, Kirby also studied with noted master of Ketsugo Ju-Jitsu, Harold Brosious. Although Prof. Brosious's approach to instruction was radically different from Prof. Seki's, many of his teachings were integrated into and enriched Budoshin. The ju-jitsu styles of Profs. Seki and Brosious trace their lineages back to 17th-19th century Japan.[6]
Starting in 1983 with the publication of the classic introductory text Basic Techniques of Ju-Jitsu, the Gentle Art (1983; expanded edition 2011), Budoshin increased its formalization as a ryū. Eight more books on Budoshin have appeared since then, plus the Black Belt Budoshin Ju-Jitsu Home Study Course (eight-video series; 2015), as Budoshin emerged as a distinct style for two reasons: first, many instructors, practitioners, and organizations began referring to it as a ryū; second, Budoshin had an established instructional approach, promotional procedure, and published materials that delineated the style.
Techniques
Budoshin techniques are taught for self-defense situations involving one or more assailants (armed or unarmed), enabling practitioners to control and subdue them in varied contexts.[7] Techniques typically include throws, sweeps, joint locks, nerve attacks, punches, kicks, strangles, and chokes. Many core techniques that work from a standing position also work from the ground.
Budoshin is notable for its manipulation of the body's pressure and balance points, with an explanatory book, Ju-Jitsu Nerve Techniques appearing in 2001. By the time they reach black belt rank, students can identify and manipulate over 100 of the body's pressure points.
The style teaches defenses to knife, club, and gun attacks, as well as the use of improvised weapons and the traditional Japanese bō (long staff), jō (short staff), koshi-no-bo or yawara (short baton), and jutte or jitte (metal shaft with one guard; see Kirby's Jutte: Japanese Power of Ten Hands Weapon from 1987). In addition, some Budoshin sensei with a background in Japanese swordsmanship instruct students in fundamental techniques of the bokken and katana to complement unarmed training.
Budoshin Ju-Jitsu offers not only technical expertise, but also a sound theoretical and philosophical grounding in the art. Most dojos led by Budoshin instructors focus on a common core of essential kata (forms) and waza (techniques) for testing purposes, yet these are augmented by scores of additional techniques that compose the ryū. Prof. Kirby's definitive treatise on Budoshin appeared in 2019 and lists over 800 distinct techniques: Budoshin Ju-Jitsu: Densho, also known as the comprehensive “Big Book”.
The focus of Budoshin Ju-jitsu has always been on extreme practicality: If a technique works well for a given student in light of his training background and physiology, then he is encouraged to make it part of his “tool-kit”. Students thereby develop an individual self-defense system appropriate for their abilities and body types. Women are well-represented among Budoshin practitioners because the art enables them to defend against larger, stronger assailants.
Budoshin is also appropriate for students with injuries or physical limitations; they simply adapt the wide-ranging techniques of the style for their own use. For example, it includes many defenses that can be used from a sitting position (e.g., pressure-point attacks). This extremely diverse range of options makes Budoshin practitioners highly unpredictable when defending themselves, effectively adapting traditional techniques to modern self-defense. The ryū also enables practitioners to control the amount of pain applied when subduing an assailant to avoid injuring him unnecessarily (e.g., by using joint locks or nerve manipulation).
Training Police and Private Security Firms
The real-life applicability of Budoshin became clear in the 1980s, when Prof. Kirby was asked to develop a defensive tactics program for the state of Nevada.[8] In 1994, he was appointed Defensive Tactics Consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department, serving on its Civilian Martial Arts Advisory Panel and improving the department's arrest-and-control program. In addition, he has taught arrest-and-control techniques to private security firms and other local and national law-enforcement personnel.[9]
Budoshin Ju-Jitsu Yudanshakai
In 1994, the Budoshin Ju-Jitsu Yudanshakai (black belt association, abbreviated “BJJY”) was established. Given the wide circulation of Budoshin materials among martial artists, as well as the many inquiries related to its Black Belt Home Study Course, the BJJY provides a central information source for its students throughout the world. It also offers those studying the art through the video series a convenient way to measure their progress.
Philosophy/Code of Ethics
Budoshin is governed by a philosophy/code of ethics, to which all its practitioners are expected to adhere. Reflected in the meaning of Budoshin (honorable or respectable), the ryū sets high standards of personal conduct, inside and outside the dojo (training hall).
The three primary tenets of the code are integrity, humility, and respect. By exemplifying all three, practitioners serve as role models to others and acknowledge the responsibility that comes with knowing Budoshin techniques. Because serious or lethal injuries are possible, practitioners follow a philosophy of non-violence; bodily confrontations are avoided whenever possible, and all verbal or other methods of de-escalating conflicts are attempted before resorting to physical means.
Regular Events
The major annual event of the ryū is Camp Budoshin, held in Santa Clarita, CA. This multi-day event includes seminars by national experts in addition to a shiai (tournament), bringing together distinguished martial arts masters to instruct enthusiasts at all levels of experience.[10] Regional tournaments focused on Budoshin are held throughout the U.S., usually once a year or more.
Affiliated Organizations and Styles
All Budoshin practitioners are expected to join the American Ju-Jitsu Association (AJA), which was founded in 1972 to bring together different styles of the art in an atmosphere of cooperation and respect.[11]
The AJA has many Budoshin practitioners who also hold yudanhsha (black belt) rank in other ju-jitsu styles, including American Combat Jujitsu, Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, Danzan-ryū, Hakkō-ryū Jujutsu, Small Circle JuJitsu, and Taiho-jutsu, as well as in iaido, karate, and sambo.
Budoshin co-founder George Kirby is a Grandmaster of the World Head of Family Sokeship Council and a Senior Advisor with the Institute of Traditional Martial Arts.
Instructional Publications
The techniques, theory, history, and philosophy of Budoshin Ju-Jitsu are described in depth by Prof. George Kirby in the following publications (presented below in order of publication):
Basic Techniques of Ju-Jitsu, the Gentle Art (1983; expanded edition 2011)
Intermediate Techniques of Ju-Jitsu, the Gentle Art (1985)
Jutte: Japanese Power of Ten Hands Weapon (1987)
Ju-Jitsu Nerve Techniques (2001)
Ju-Jitsu: The Science Behind the Gentle Art (2006)
Ju-Jitsu Figure-4 Locks (2009)
Advanced Ju-Jitsu: Advanced Techniques for Redirecting an Opponent's Energy (2015)
Black Belt Budoshin Ju-Jitsu Home Study Course (eight-video series; 2015)
Budoshin Ju-Jitsu: Densho--The “Big Book” (2019)
Ju-Jitsu: Toward One Technique (2019)
References
- ^ https://maytt.home.blog/2019/12/02/interview-with-george-kirby/
- ^ "George Kirby, Jujitsu Pioneer for 50 Years". Black Belt. Page 11. April–May 2017.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Jon, Sattler (December 2007). "Instructor of the Year, George Kirby". Black Belt. Page 126.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "Meet Sensei Kirby: Santa Clarita Resident, Celebrating 50 Years of Community Service". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ Warrior Ju-Jitsu: A Complete Training Guide in the Art of Ju-Jitsu, George W. Alexander and Ken Penland, Second Ed. 2015, ISBN 978-1-312-87802-0
- ^ https://ensomartialarts.com/japan/budoshin-ju-jitsu/
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAAOJIKUFc
- ^ https://www.usadojo.com/george-kirby/
- ^ Kirby, George (2001). Jujitsu Nerve Techniques: The Invisible Weapons of Self-Defense, ISBN 9780897501422
- ^ https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/33462/face-to-face-encounters-with-modern-day-martial-arts-masters
- ^ https://americanjujitsuassociation.org.