Origins of Hakko ryu Ju Jutsu

History: Yoshi Okuyama
The Origins of Hakko ryu Ju Jutsu
Okuyama Yoshiji (Shodai Soke Ryuho Okuyama – Founder of Hakko-ryu Ju Jutsu. 1901-1987) studied under Sokaku Takeda and eventually received the techniques of the secret art of Daito Ryu. Mr. Okuyama studied traditional oriental medicines such as Chinese Yin/Yang theory, acupuncture, acupressure, massage and diet. One of the more exotic remedies that Okuyama studied was "western" style medicine. Mr. Okuyama also studied martial arts including sword drawing, sword techniques, stick techniques, sickle chain techniques, spear techniques and throwing weapons. In 1936, Mr. Okuyama received an instructor's certificate in Daito-Ryu and began to study the secret techniques of the school from Sokaku. After two more years of study, Mr. Okuyama finished his studies of the secret techniques of Daito-Ryu and then focused on the creation of Hakko-ryu.
On June 1, 1941 at the Shiba Tenso Jinja, Okuyama held the Hakko-ryu Kaiso Hokokusai (A ceremony proclaiming to the Shinto Deities the Birth of Hakko-ryu Ju Jutsu). Mr. Okuyama practiced and taught this art to the elite of Japan from 1941 until his death in 1987. In 1945, Mr. Okuyama fled Tokyo to avoid the bombings and went to the region of Yamagata. Eventually, after the war, Mr. Okuyama settled in Omiya City and established the Honbu Dojo or headquarters of Hakko-ryu Ju Jutsu where it exists today and is taught by his son. Before his death, Mr. Okuyama personally supervised the training in the secret arts of Hakko-ryu Ju Jutsu to all the master practitioners of the world. Once a year the Okuyama family gave a demonstration of their art for the general public.

Toshio Okuyama:


Hakkoryu JuJutsu was developed by Okuyama Yoshiharu in 1941. Mr. Okuyama had studied medicine and many martial arts including Daito Ryu. Mr. Okuyama's vision was to develop a martial art that was effective but humanitarian. He wrote extensively about the philosophy behind his art ( a few samples of his writings http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/6914/masters.html ). He did not approve of the brutal techniques of the other ryuhas of the day. Mr. Okuyama, or Sho Dai Soke (First Great Originator), saw the need for self protection from two enemies:

1. the enemy who physically assaults the person, and
2. the dis-ease or sickness that assaults the person from the inside.

With this in mind, he redefined, organized and categorized the thousands of techniques he had learned until he had created a unique system that he named Hakkoryu. The forte of Hakkoryu is its wrist techniques. Koho Shiatsu Igaku or Imperial Finger Pressure Medicine, a form of acupressure massage that is emphasized as much as the "self defense" techniques, provides practitioners with knowledge of the body's meridian system. This knowledge combined with the unique applications of Hakkoryu principles create devastatingly effective wrist techniques. It also equips the Hakkoryu practitioner with the ability to put a person at ease with the soothing effect of Koho Shiatsu massage.
Sho Dai Soke Okuyama died in 1987, his son Toshio Okuyama now resides over the Hakkoryu Hombu in Omiya, Japan. The pen name "Ryuho" or "spine of the dragon" was adopted by Sho Dai Soke and inherited by his son Toshio as was the title Nidai Soke or second great originator.

Hello,

I wanted to share the video of Shodai Soke Okuyama Ryuho here with everyone that I have posted on Youtube in four parts. Here is the first part. It is nice to see Shodai Soke Okuyama alive and in action! In the background you will see a man with a long flowing white beard. This is Haizan Minami, one of Okuyama Sensei's medical teachers.