The Tradition of Soke

William Durbin

Soke Kiyojute Ryu

Kempo Bugei

Other Books by William Durbin

An Anecdotal History of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo BugeiArts of Death, Spirit of Life (novel) Fight for Peace (novel)Fistmaster: Dragons of the Sun (novel)Fistmaster: Yakuza Tigers (novel)God Is GroovyJujutsu: A Stones ThrowKagekiyo no ShinwaKiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei Teaching NotesKiyojute Ryu Kempo HandbookKoen: A Martial Arts Book of LecturesKoga Ryu Ninjutsu: The Ancient Art of Stealth and Strategy Mastering KempoRenzoku Ken: Combat Combinations of KempoShimpo: The Mind of the Martial ArtistThe Gospel of JesusThe Guitar Mans Chord BookThe Illustrated Book of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Shodan Waza The Intergalactic Guide to ChristiansLiving on the Planet Earth The Magical Fox (novel)Unified Religions of the WorldZen Useable Spiritual Development

Copyright 2008 by William Durbin9781257357680

All rights are reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronicor mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without proper permissionfrom the publisher, except by a reviewer who may use concise passages in a review.

Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei founded by William Durbin

Superstar Enterprises a branch of the Christian Martial Arts Association, Inc.

NOTE OF WARNING

The practice of the martial arts is a serious physical endeavor. While this book preserves aninterpretation of a fighting art, no one should practice these techniques without the supervision of aqualified instructor. Neither the author nor the publisher accept responsibility for injury oreffectiveness of the herein techniques. A physician should always be consulted before engaging in anyform of physical activity to be sure that the person is capable of such activity. Each state in the UnitedStates and each country have their own interpretation of law, as to what is deemed justifiable selfdefense. It is the readers responsibility to know what is allowed under their local legal system inregard to actual self defense. Neither the authors nor publisher accept responsibility regarding thelegality or appropriateness of the application of the demonstrated techniques in this book. Most of all,these techniques are for the preservation of true fighting skills of the ancient martial arts and shouldnot be used in sporting or frivolous activities.

Table of Contents

Title PageOther Books by William DurbinCopyright PageNOTE OF WARNINGAcknowledgementsDedicationRod Sacharnoski - Shodai Soke Juko Ryu BujutsuA note by the Author: - William Durbin Shodai Soke Kiyojute Ryu Kempo BugeiIntroduction: Tsung Chia, from China to JapanChapter One: Temple Kempo to Samurai BugeiChapter Two: The FoundersChapter Three: SuccessionChapter Four: The Reason to ExistChapter Five: A Personal JourneyGlossaryAbout the Author

September 1, 2008

I would like to commend William Durbin, Shodai Soke of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei, on thepublication of his book The Tradition of Soke. This is the first book I know of that brings to lightwhat traditional Sokeship consists of. This is a well written and researched publication that is longoverdue in the Western world.

I remember back to 1973 when I founded the first non-Asian Sokeship organization (Zen KokusaiSoke Budo/Bugei Renmei) in the United States; martial artists at that time, and for many yearsthereafter, had no idea what the term Soke meant, or what was required to found a recognizedmartial arts style. It took many years of interviews, demonstrations, articles, and whatever, to finallyacquaint the non-Asian world with the concept of traditional Asian foundership.

Bill, who has been my personal student since 1978, and who has earned Shihan (master instructorlicense) in several of my closed arts, is an authorized and registered ZKSBBR Soke. He structured aSogo (comprehensive) bujutsu ryu that is an excellent representation of what a traditional ryu shouldconsist of. In addition, he is an excellent teacher and leader, as well as a very knowledgeable martialarts historian.

He still actively trains with me in the martial arts and continues to add to his overall knowledge andexpertise. I highly recommend this publication and the vast amount of factual information that itcontains. All black belts, regardless of system, should know and understand the ancient andtraditional workings of the martial arts. This publication will certainly be a step in the right direction.

Rod Sacharnoski, Shodai Soke, 10th Dan Juko Ryu Bujutsu-kai, Juko Kai International President, Zen Kokusai Soke Budo/Bugei Renmei Administrative Director, International Okinawan Martial Arts Union 9th Dan Hanshi, Seidokan Karate, Kobudo, and Toide, Okinawa/Japan

Acknowledgements

In regard to my knowledge regarding the martial arts, I must thank my three teachers, those whom Ihave spent the most time training with; Richard Stone, Rod Sacharnoski, and Bill Wallace.

These three men taught me about the arts of Kempo, Jujutsu, Aikijujutsu, Karate, Kobujutsu, Ninjutsu,Toide, and others. Without their instruction and supervision, I could not have developed as a martialartist.

There are certain individuals whose books have been instrumental to people outside of Japanknowing and understanding the nature of Soke (headmaster). Among those who have helped theWestern world the most are; Donn Draeger, Serge Mol, Karl Friday, Fumon Tanaka, MasaakiHatsumi, and Im sure there are others whom I have failed to mention who hold equal importance.

I want to thank my students who have encouraged my research, purchasing me books for myprodigious library and asking questions to which I dedicated myself to answer. I want to thank MattDolan for many of my books and the endless depth of knowledge he seeks. I thank old friend DaveOToole for the many books he bought for me, asking me to search them for nuggets of truth and thenpass them on to him. I thank my number one question asker, Bob Pruitt for always keeping mementally searching and seeking.

Some of my top masters who have helped the Ryu grow over the years should be mentioned for theirassistance in teaching Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei to students around the country and even in othercountries. To name a few; Brad Gardone, John Curtis, Tom Griswold, Eddie Gatewood, ShirleyHogan, Missy Gatewood, Matt Dolan, Brendan Post, Eric Schildmeyer, Alan Creech, CharlesSebastian, James Bradley, Jeremy Briley, Matt Brown, and Kenneth Newton. If Ive forgotten anyone,please forgive.

Most of all I want to thank my wife, Carol, for allowing me to pursue my dreams and my mission fromGod. Not everyone would be as caring and patient as she is and I appreciate her desire to see theministry of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei reach out to as many people as possible.

This book is dedicated to

Rod SacharnoskiIn bringing the traditional martial arts to the public eye and introducing the higher ranks to theWestern world, there has been no one of greater consequence than Rod Sacharnoski.

From bringing ancient and traditional arts to the American public, to assisting European martialartists in the seventies, to introducing the title of Soke and setting a good example of the title tomodern practitioners he is owed a debt of gratitude.

Personally he has instructed me in the depths of the traditional martial arts and set a good example asto what a Soke must be and do. With that in mind, I dedicate this book to my instructor, mentor, andfriend.

Rod Sacharnoski

Shodai Soke Juko Ryu Bujutsu

A note by the Author:

William Durbin Shodai Soke Kiyojute Ryu Kempo BugeiIn the course of tracking and tracing the methods that have been used for passing on Ryu, I have foundthat many methods have been used and that many people have misused the methods over the years.

What is sad is that, even in Japan, many people do not understand how a succession should be passedon and what to do in our modern society to be sure their Ryu are not usurped. In example during myresearch I have found a couple of Ryu that are currently claimed by multiple people. More than likelythe passing Soke meant for one of the claimants to have the Ryu, but because of improper handlingthere are multiple people claiming to be the Soke of a single system.

This is true in Japan, where I know of at least three people claiming to be the Soke of the same Ryu,in Okinawa where I believe a system has been usurped and may be lost because the usurper doesntreally know the true system, and in America and Canada where five people claim to be the inheritorof a system of whom no one has the actual proper papers.

Now it could be that the previous Soke made mistakes in awarding the proper certification, or thatpeople are taking advantage of a situation, but I hope that this little manual can lay down the propermethods for the proper founding of a Ryu and for the proper and legal method of succession so thatcurrent Soke can be sure that the right people inherit their systems and false claimants can be easilydiscerned.

In telling stories of past mistakes that have been made, both in Japan and elsewhere, I will avoidnaming names. I have no desire to embarrass masters who have made mistakes, people who aremaking claims that could be honest mistakes, or people who have inherited systems and arent surewhat to do if they dont want to maintain the systems themselves.

I hope this book will help clear up the situation and make succession easier and clearer in the futurefor those systems which are extant and true.

May those who read this book find the guidance they need, history of interest, and the true spiritualheart that should form the foundation of all Ryu. Let me say here, as will be repeated in the book, theonly reason to found a Ryu is a divine and spiritual experience. The only reason to maintain a Ryu isthe continuation of that divine and spiritual tradition. If a system outlives its heritage, then it is timefor it to end.

This is the tradition and true way of an authentic Ryu, may it always be so in the future and heritage ofhumanity.

Introduction: Tsung Chia, from China toJapan

Many years ago, generations in the past of the martial arts and the philosophies of China, theredeveloped the idea of the head of the house who was responsible for the training and wellbeing ofthose who practiced the way of the house.

In particular we can see this in the school of Zen, though some say the same names and ideasapplied, or eventually were applied, to various other school, temples, and sects of religions in China.

BodhidharmaTamoDarumaKnown in India as Bodhidharma, in China as Tamo, and in Japan as Daruma, thisIndian monk is believed to be the founder of Zen and the creator of the ideal of themartial arts, by harnessing fighting skills and virtue. This is the first martial art; ChuanFa, Kempo,the law of the fist .

Bodhidharma is credited with founding not only Zen but also the martial arts. We must keep in

mind that what he founded was modified heavily before influencing what spread from the Shaolintemple, but most important of all is the development of Wute, that is Butoku in Japanese, martialvirtue. This will be explained later in the book.

After the great Zen master Sokei Eno, known in Chinese as Hui Neng, passed on his method of Zenthere developed the Goke, in Chinese Wu Chia, meaning the five houses. These five sectsdeveloped from the Go Dai Sosho, in Chinese Wu Da Tsung Chiang, the five great teachers of the art.Eventually the Tsung was combined with the Chia to form the title Tsung Chia, master of the house,pronounced Soke in Japanese.

The Tsung Chia was the head of the temple, responsible for the wellbeing of all the monks at thetemple. This included not only the monks who were only working on their spiritual training, but alsothe martial arts monks who provided security for the temple.

Many of the Tsung Chia were proficient martial artists in their own right and due to this the feelingwas that the Tsung Chia was not only responsible for the arts that led to enlightenment, but also for themartial arts which allowed the temples to survive the harsh times of criminal behavior and politicalcorruption.

Keep in mind that many sources say that the original martial arts of the temple, Chuan Fa (Kempo),were not just forms of combat, but also methods of spiritual development. So Doshin, MichiomiNakano, the founder of Nippon Shorinji Kempo, said that Zazen was seated meditation while Kempowas moving meditation. To his way of thinking, real spiritual training in the temples in the past wouldnot have been complete unless it contained both Zazen and Kempo. This is a very reasonable idea.

DojoWhen the Buddhist religion came to Japan, while the names were pronounced in the Japanese

manner, Japanese monks and priests accepted many of the ideas. The head of the temple was calledSoke; the place where they practiced religious discipline was a Dojo. In the Dojo one practiced bothZazen and Kempo.

Eventually the monks began sharing their martial arts with the rural Samurai who had become theirmost ardent believers. The Ji Kempo, temple martial arts, became the foundation for all of the martialarts, which developed in Japan, merging with already preexisting forms of fighting.

Kempo to some became known as Kempo Taijutsu and Taijutsu became the father and mother of allother martial arts, which developed in Japan, according to traditional sources. All forms of emptyhand fighting and weapon combat were derived from these original sources.

All of our martial arts that we appreciate from Japan; Nimpo, Jujutsu, Aikijujutsu, and the manyweapon arts, Bojutsu, Jojutsu, Kenjutsu, Iaijutsu, Battojutsu, Sojutsu, Naginatajutsu, and so on, allderive from the original martial art, Kempo.

As all the different martial arts developed into Sogo Bujutsu, comprehensive martial arts, andBugei, the older name for the martial arts of the warrior, the Samurai began to build halls in which topractice. They adopted the name Dojo from the Buddhist temples.

The Dojo was the place where they practiced the ways of meditation that allowed forenlightenment and the martial arts, which allowed for survival. To the Samurai the martial arts weremethods of enlightenment. This is why even today martial arts training halls are called Dojo.

With that in mind it must be remembered that a Dojo is not a gymnasium, or place for violentbehavior. A real Dojo must be a place of peace, with practice being done in a manner that isconsistent with spiritual development. People should never be hurt needlessly or practice done in areckless way.

Regardless of the martial art, system, or school, if a Dojo is to be regarded as a true place ofpractice it must have at its heart the enlightenment of its practitioners through the art that is practiced.Anything less is pointless. A true martial art is only as good as the heart it engenders in its adherents.

SokeThe head of the Dojo, the head of the martial art, and eventually the head of the system of martial

arts, became known as the Soke. Not everyone should be a Soke. This title is relegated to someonewho has had a Tenshin Sho, which will be explained later, or who has inherited a system of martialarts, a Ryu, because they have had a Kensho, insight into the creative experience of the founder, andcan carry on the tradition.

To be a real Soke a person needed to have a philosophical ideology, which formed the heart of thetraining. This method, in Japan, was based on various religions. This will be dealt with more inchapter three.

But it is important that a Soke be many things, especially one who is a founder. A founding Soke,known as Shodai Soke, was a person inspired by God, through the method of his spiritual discipline,to found a martial art or eventually system of martial arts. This will be fully explained in chapterthree as well.

A Soke needed to be a master martial artist. They needed to understand all facets of their chosenmartial art, or the totality of the Bugei. This will be dealt with further as we go along.

The important point at this juncture is to know that a true Soke, one who is the true head of themartial art or system, must be a master martial artist.

Now too often we think of a master martial artist as someone, who knows the physical skills of themartial arts, but this is the least part of the martial arts, there truly is so much more to the real martialartist.

First of all, a true martial artist must understand Heiho, strategy. Now this is not the strategy offighting someone in a sport match, but the strategy of genuine combat. A true martial artist is a masterof self defense, this takes more than the competitive adage, may the best man win, it takes knowinghow to analyze environment, use acquired weapons, turn an enemys strengths against him, use onesnatural talents, and have a righteous heart.

Second it takes a disciplined mind. One of the least talked about arts of Japan is Shimpo, alsoknown as, Shinjutsu. This is the art of the mind, heart, and spirit. It is the development of Mushin,Zenshin, Honshin, and many other facets. Without this advanced form of mental training, whichincludes many aspects of spiritual development, a person cannot possibly be a complete martialartist.

The highest level extends from the mental into the spiritual. At the highest level of Shimpo is achange from the mind to the spirit. This is the level of Mukei, no form, spiritual attainment.

It is at this point that a martial artist becomes a practitioner of Kijutsu, sometimes referred to as

Aikijutsu or Kiaijutsu. This is the spirit art where the spirit manifests itself through the body. At thispoint the Ki fills the body and exhibits itself through martial creativity, known as Busan.

This is sometimes known as Kamiwaza, divine techniques. A true martial arts master who isworthy of becoming a Soke must have reached this point. It is not just a matter of learning the skills ofthe martial arts or knowing the intellectual side of the arts, it is a matter of truly being a spiritualmaster.

The movements of the martial arts begin to flow from the Ki. This is because the true mastermartial artist recognizes that their Ki flows from the Universal Ki. This connection to God is thenmanifested as the overall philosophy of the master martial artist and becomes the foundation of thesystem founded by the nascent Soke.

In the next chapter well talk about how the many martial arts developed from the temple Kempoand the idea of Bugei or Sogo Bujutsu, why Ji Kempo was taught to the Samurai and how they becamethe martial arts of Japan, as well as, what all those arts were, and what other names were used formartial arts founder and headmasters.

William Durbin, Soke of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei practices Sanchin which isconsidered a method that originated with Bodhidharma from the breathing of India andapplied to the martial arts at the original Shaolin Temple.

Chapter One: Temple Kempo to SamuraiBugei

Temple Kempo in China was originally an empty handed art and in Japan the first arts to developfrom the original Kempo were empty hand arts. Among the many names used for the Samurai emptyhand arts were; Taijutsu, Shubaku, Koshi Mawari, Wajutsu, Torite, Yawara, Gotenjutsu, Kumiuchi,Hakuda, and others.

From the empty hand skills the monks developed arts of using various types of Bo, staff and sticksfor self defense. These included small sticks, sometimes referred to as Kobo, up to Jo size sticks,around four feet, and up to the Bo, which were usually around six feet. There were other names andother sizes as well, according to the system being practiced.

Goshi and JisamuraiAs Buddhist temples began being built in Japan, many of the rural warriors accepted the new

faith and became followers of Buddha. The Goshi, country Samurai, were sons of the royalty who hadbeen sent out to the outlying areas to deal with the Ainu, barbarians. These country warriors build upstrong fiefs with farmers tilling the soil. They were the peacekeepers and protectors of their areas.

The farmers who worked the land were called upon in emergencies to battle under the direction ofthe Goshi. These farmer warriors were referred to as Jisamurai.

Eventually the monks taught the Goshi and Jisamurai their martial arts of the empty hand andwooden weapons. The rural warriors adapted the skills as noted above but then also applied them toregular battlefield weapons. The monks too, because of the need to battle against swordsmen or otherweapon-wielding opponents, began to practice the real weapons of war.

The weapons that developed into arts of combat were; Tachi, Wakizashi, Yari, Naginata, Katana,Kyu, Kusarigama, and many others. The arts that developed were; Kenjutsu, Iaijutsu, Battojutsu,Naginatajutsu, Sojutsu, and so on.

Prince Shotoku supported the Buddhist temples and helped the religion grow in the early years.Upon his death there was a power struggle, but eventually Buddhism was accepted in Japan andcontinued to grow among the rural warriors and country folk.

For many Japanese they considered themselves believers in both Shintoism and Buddhism, so thatthe faiths influenced each other and blended on many levels, allowing distinctive Japanese thoughtconcepts to develop giving birth to unique sects and religions, such as Shugendo and others.

Titles of FaithAs the Samurai developed their faith and built Dojo in which to practice their meditation and

martial arts, they also adopted the titles used by the head priests of the temple. Besides Soke, the mostcommon term for a headmaster, there was also Soshi, head teacher, and Osho, peaceful spirit.

James Bradley, Shihan, executing a throw on William Durbin, Soke. Setting anexample for his students is important to Durbin, who in his fifties, continues to Uke forhis students as he teaches them the many arts of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei.

Overtime other terms were developed for the headmaster of a system written sometimes withdifferent Kanji. Sodenke was one and there were a few others. But currently the main accepted termfor a headmaster of a martial arts system is Soke.

Most of the time the Soke was not only in charge of the organization, but also in charge of themartial arts training itself. In the beginning, the master was the highest skilled practitioner of the art.While others would learn from the Soke, because he was always training and working on the skills ofthe martial arts, the true Soke was incomparable.

While illness or injury may debilitate a Soke, under normal conditions the headmaster wasexemplary in his or her martial arts ability. The Soke was able to teach every art of the Bugei thatwere representative of their tradition and this should still be so today, barring the debilitation ofillness, injury, or age.

Other Teachers of the FaithEventually there came a time in some systems history where the Soke chose not to teach publicly or

even practice. What could happen in that circumstance is that the previous Soke would have chosen aShike or Shihanke, a teacher of the house, who would carry on the tradition in a physical mannerwhile the Soke was still in charge of the political aspects of the Ryu.

Now in some cases the Soke was skilled and teaching his own children and a few chosendisciples, while the Shihanke was teaching more publicly. In this situation the Shihanke was alwayssubject to the Soke of the system. In other circumstances, the Soke line was in charge of the family,but the Shihanke possessed all teaching skills.

There have been a few times in history where the Soke line, having lost touch with the skills, haveproduced a person who wanted to be the true functioning headmaster of the Ryu and so learned theskills once again from the Shihanke and resumed full authority as the active and acting Soke.

In a few instances a Soke has died without really naming a successor and in those cases a Shihankemay continue the line of the system so that the art doesnt die out, but in terms of the true lineage, it

has been broken and cannot be replaced unless a person of the bloodline chooses to train under aShihanke and resume their place as Soke.

In the next chapter we will see how the original Ryu was founded and how the lineage began to becreated. We will see how the idea spread to the rest of Japan and influenced the development of thevarious Ryu that followed. Most important, we will see that the Japanese specifically allowed nonJapanese to develop Ryu for the first time, setting the precedence for non Japanese Ryu today.

Rod Sacharnoski Soke ~ Juko Ryu BujutsuPossibly the most well known non Asian Soke of modern times;Rod Sacharnoski has appeared on numerous television shows in the United States,Japan, and other countries demonstrating his incredible martial arts skills and CombatKi techniques.

Chapter Two: The Founders

Fighting skills have existed since the beginning of time. Some people may have passed certain skillswithin the family or clan for a time, but there was no particular way in which the skills werepreserved, so much was lost over the generations.

We believe that Bodhidharma created an idea that changed the nature of fighting arts to martial artsand created the situation, which allowed true ongoing traditions to be passed on for posterity.

Bodhidharma linked training in fighting skills to religious tradition and spiritual development.What this means is that Bodhidharma linked the arts of self defense to an ethical reason for practicingwhile making the practice itself a religious form of austerity.

As the Japanese learned the temple Kempo and created their own interpretations, they learned fromthe monks the idea that the arts should only be used for ethical purposes, the most important being theestablishment and maintenance of peace. They were also taught that to perform their training was toengage in the moving meditation upon which their own faith was based.

People think that this only applies to those systems with a Zen background, but the truth is, Mikkyosects, Shugendo (and other Taoist influenced sects), as well as, Shinto, all had meditation as animportant part of their belief systems. Thus as martial arts were understood as forms of movingmeditation, this applied to the warrior of all faiths and sects in Japan.

Even Christian Samurai understood the importance of meditation, seeing as they did in the very actof meditating the idea of being still and knowing God, as was instructed in the Psalms of the warriorking David. This would have been very comprehensible to someone raised in a meditative society, aswas ancient Japan.

Choisai Iizasa IenaoWhile this might be an arguable contention, according to Donn Draeger, the first system founded in

Japan was the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu. The Ryuso, system founder, was Choisai IizasaIenao. A devout Shinto practitioner, after many years of performing the martial arts, serving as awarrior, and surviving into a ripe old age, especially for the time, Ienao entered the Katori shrine andmeditated for many days.

He received a divine illumination where he realized that the Heiho, arts of war, were really theHeiho, arts of peace. Using this idea he created the first Bugei system that was codified in a Ryu.

ChoisaiIizasaIenaoShodai Soke

TenshinShodenKatoriShinto RyuHeihoThe great man who showed the world what a real martial artist should be and how topass on the Way for others to follow.

Tenshin Shoden literally translates, the divine right tradition. Ienao believed he had been given adivine right to found his system of martial arts and make it a Ryu, a flowing stream, a heritage, which

would continue to flow through time. A martial arts Ryu was an ongoing tradition that flowed from thefounder to the students, from founding headmaster to the next headmaster, and on and on forgenerations.

The most important point that Ienao gave to us is that the only reason for founding a system is aTenshin Sho, when one is given a divine right. The author has seen many people create their ownsystems out of a desire to be the supreme grand master and have every one bow to them and treatthem like a king.

A person who creates a system for egotistical reasons is not a true Soke at all. A Ryu is created forthose who will benefit from the Ryu as it flows through time, not for the sake of the founder or thefollowing Soke who are to come. A Ryu should be an altruistic organization which wants for itsfollowers, physical fitness, good health, mental development, moral cultivation, spiritual insight, andenlightenment.

If a Ryu is devoid of these characteristics, then it is not a real Ryu and the person heading it is not areal Soke. This is from the ideology of the man who created the Ryu concept and became the firstSoke, Choiisai Izasa Ienao.

It is probable that Ienao never meant to found a tradition that would become the standard for allmartial artists in Japan, but fate, the workings of God in the world, sometimes has other plans. Ienaoinfluenced a great many martial artists in his time and many of the Ryu that we know of today havesome lineage connection to the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu.

In example using my art as an example, I as the founding Soke of Kiyojute Ryu trained undervarious masters who had studied Kodokan Kano Ryu. Jigoro Kano the founder of the Kodokanstudied Kito Ryu. One headmaster of the Ryu, Tomoyoshi Hichirouemon Masakatsu Fukuno hadstudied the Shinkage Ryu, which had derived from the Kage Ryu. Kamiizumi Ise no Kami Hidetsunathe founder of Shinkage Ryu had studied Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu.

Back in those days Ienao shared the idea of founding a martial arts tradition with those he thoughtworthy. Some say that he was the one who authorized the founding of the subsequent systems and setthe stage for the development of the many Ryu that followed.

A founding headmaster was known as the Shodai Soke. His successor would be the Nidai, secondgeneration, Soke and so on. Under Ienaos idea, a Ryu was a Bugei, complete martial art, todaysometimes called a Sogo Bujutsu, comprehensive martial art. This means that all skills of combatwere contained in the curriculum of the Ryu. Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu taught under thebanner Heiho; Kenjutsu, Iaijutsu, Naginatajutsu, Sojutsu, Bojutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Ninjutsu, Jujutsu, andothers.

Originally all of the Koryu, old systems, were comprehensive in that they were practiced by theSamurai for the purpose of real combat effectiveness. Many systems were influenced by the TenshinShoden Katori Shinto Ryu back in the early days and just to name a few; Shinkage Ryu, KashimaShinto Ryu, Shindo Isshin Ryu, Shingyoto Ryu, Ryugo Ryu, Tendo Ryu, Homma Ryu, Arima ShintoRyu, Shindo Muso Ryu, Ittatsu Ryu, Ippa Ryu, Mijin Ryu, Hozoin Ryu, Kashiwara Ryu, and IcchuRyu.

Eventually the Ryu idea spread all over Japan so that many martial artists who were practicingideologies handed down in their family or from an ancient source created a Ryu through which to

hand down the tradition. At times the actual person founding the Ryu named a specific philosophy asthe foundation of the Ryu, while at other times they actually carried on the philosophy of someone inthe past whose philosophy they had accepted.

The actual Ryu concept we believe was founded in the fifteenth century. Those systems that claimto be older actually date from the fifteenth century, though they may be of traditions, which started inthe past with someone deemed the founder of their tradition.

Tokugawa ChangesPrior to the Tokugawa era, Ryu had to be comprehensive since a person actually fighting on a

battlefield had no idea what situation they might face. They might start the battle with a Yari, only tohave it broken and have to carry on with Bo techniques. If the shaft was damaged more, the warriormight have to change to Jo techniques.

The warrior might have a sword at his side and need to draw it to battle. Then again there might notbe time to draw the sword and so the warrior needed to be able to fight empty handed and grab whatwas available, Naginata, Yari, or Tachi and continue fighting.

But with the peace era of the Tokugawa things began to change and many Ryu were establishedduring that time that focused on only one weapon, since the warrior might fight a duel, but would beunlikely to find himself in all out combat.

Some Ryu focused almost exclusively on the sword. A few focused on weapons such as the Bo, Jo,or Shuriken. Some taught a handful of weapons, but nothing like the Sogo Bujutsu of the preTokugawa era.

In the change from fighting in full armor, to personal duels of combat in regular clothing, thetechniques of engagement began to change, since the practitioner no longer thought of having to bypassthe protection of the armor. A level of sophistication entered some of the martial arts, especially thesword, and a diminished emphasis on armor characterized the training of the Ryu of the Tokugawaera.

In some cases the sword, and other weapons, became looked upon as weapons of self defense, notbattlefield combat. But even in the Ryu that were founded at this late date, the spiritual significancewas highly emphasized. The sword or other weapon was trained with as a form of spiritualdiscipline.

With the advent of the gun and the coming of peace, the warrior knew that it would be unlikely thathed be in a combat situation, but at the same time he was aware that he needed to continue hisspiritual training, for all humans face their death at some point.

Thus the Ryu continued to emphasize spiritual discipline in its adherents regardless of the situationof life, whether in an era of war or peace. This is the most important aspect of the martial arts, theyare for always.

A person might start their life in peace, face a war in their youth, to have peace again in theirmiddle age, only to see war develop again in their golden years. The martial arts are always there tokeep ones skills ready for self defense in peace and for survival in war.

Meiji Era and the Martial Arts

As Japan began to modernize during the change from the feudal age to the industrial age, the martialarts were found to be wanting on the international stage. Rapid fire guns, cannons, and othertechnological advancements in warfare made the sword and bow of much less use, still the aspects ofempty hand fighting were considered valuable for self defense, as well as, for instances when a gunran out of bullets, or one found oneself disarmed in combat.

Rod Sacharnoski and William Durbin both study Jujutsu as a combat art as was donein the ancient Ryu and it continues to be a strong part of their self defense.

During the Meiji era many Samurai turned their skills to either police work or military service. Inpolice work the empty hand skills were still valuable and led to an emphasis by many Ryu on theJujutsu skills of fighting and restraint (the generic term now applied to empty hand fighting, subsumingthe many pervious arts mentioned beforehand).

During this time some of the Ryu, which were Sogo Bujutsu, put forth only a Jujutsu image, thoughamong the initiated, all of the arts were taught. Some of these old Bugei systems hid the totality oftheir training, presenting a public persona of limited knowledge and skills. Some Jujutsu Ryu werefounded during this time, that emphasized only Jujutsu and in some cases their founders knew nothingmore than empty hand fighting skills.

Regardless, those Ryu, which were deserving of the name, really emphasized the spiritual nature ofthe content of their art. The idea still resonates through history that the only reason to found a systemis a spiritual one. Without a Tenshin Sho, a divine inspiration that gives one the right to found a

system, then a person should not organize a Ryu.During this era of modernization some people actually gave up the idea of founding Ryu as spiritual

traditions and only founded Kan, schools of martial arts, or Kai, associations of martial artists. TheRyu was too divine oriented and tradition based for many to accept the responsibility to be aSoke.

Even at this time the Soke was looked upon as a master martial artist, who was the head of thefamily which included everyone in the Ryu, and who was every bit as much a priest as he was amartial artist.

Thus some people didnt even try to found a Ryu in the traditional sense and only became Kancho,school presidents, or Kaicho, association presidents. This is appropriate, unless a person wants thereal duties of a Soke, they should not seek to hold the title or accept it when it is offered. Only aperson who is ready for the spiritual responsibility should accept the calling of being a Soke.

Know this from the first, a person is called to be a Soke on a divine level, they cannot makethemselves a Soke or seek the position unless it is based upon a divine call. Then, if you really shouldbe a Soke, the opportunity will present itself to you, you will not need to seek it.

Okinawan RyuOriginally the Okinawans passed their martial arts, known by various names, down through the

family. Fathers and mothers taught their children. Aunts and uncles were sometimes called upon toteach their nieces and nephews. Grandparents were called upon to help with advanced training, andthe traditions were passed on in secret.

In the old days of the Ryukyu kingdom, only the royalty practiced the martial arts and it was keptfrom all others. This was their advantage and helped them maintain their rule and keep the peace.

Generically the Okinawan art was called Te and spoken of as the Okinawan form of Kempo. Toexpress its special nature, it was many times called Bushi Te, the warrior skill. As more Chineseinfluences came in, the term Tode or Karate was used and it is believed that each family had theirown special name for the art they practiced. We are told that the Motobu family specifically calledtheir art, Gotente, which means, palace hand.

Some time in the early 1900s, after drafting some of the Okinawan youth into the Army, theJapanese found out that the Okinawans had a form of Kempo and became intrigued by this secret formof martial art. After researching it and finding it a powerful form of combat, the Japanese beganencouraging the Okinawans to teach it to them and to found systems which would be the traditions ofKarate.

There are many theories as to what were the actual first Ryu of Okinawa, but basically it can besaid that the terms Shorin Ryu and Shorei Ryu were among the first Ryu mentioned, though they werenot talking about Ryu in the Japanese sense at first, but rather meaning only two temples in Chinawhich influenced the Okinawan martial arts.

The first Ryu name ever used in the same context as Japanese Ryu is Hanko Ryu, which wasactually a style that didnt exist. A student of Chojun Miyagi went to a meeting in Japan and whenasked what Ryu he practiced didnt want to admit they he didnt practice a Ryu and so made up thename Hanko Ryu on the spot.

He told Miyagi upon his return from Japan and so Miyagi used the term for a time, as did hisfellow student and martial artist, Kenwa Mabuni. Eventually Miyagi adopted the name Goju Ryu forhis school, while Kenwa Mabuni coined the term Shito Ryu for his, and around the same time the mandeemed the successor to Sokon Matsumura, Chotoku Kyan used the name Shorin Ryu, with the Shorinwritten the same as the Shaolin temple in China, as the name of the tradition which he carried on.

Technically speaking all Ryu names on Okinawa dont go back past the 1930s, with many beingcoined around 1934 to 1936. It was in 1936 that a group of masters met to make Karate morestandardized for presentation to the Japanese.

Gichin Funakoshi never really thought of his school as a Ryu but rather as a Kan. But otherOkinawans readily adopted the Japanese concept of the Ryu and accepted the tradition andresponsibility of founding a true Ryu and being a Soke in the traditional sense.

In example, Shoshin Nagamine founded the style of Matsubayashi Ryu (which can also bepronounced Shorin Ryu). Nagamine was a very devout Zen Buddhist and led his students in Zazen asa part of his Karate training. Other systems on Okinawa are; Uechi Ryu, Shorinji Ryu, Chubu ShorinRyu, and there are others.

One particular Ryu preserves a family tradition, which goes back twelve generations. SeikichiUehara was taught the family art of Gotente by the last Motobu master, Choyu Motobu. He at firstdidnt know what to do after the death of the last son of Choyu Motobu, finally deciding to preserveand teach the art to others, he had the style formally recognized as Motobu Ryu in order to honor thefamily from whom hed learned the art.

So while the martial art of the Motobu family is twelve generations old, the Motobu Ryu wasestablished by Seikichi Uehara in 1947. Like in the ancient Japanese past, an old tradition was madeinto a Ryu generations after it was created.

In the next chapter we shall look at how a Ryu once established should be passed on, some of thethings that can go wrong, and how these emergencies can be handled.

Chapter Three: Succession

No man lives forever. All founders will die, this is the circle of life, the cycle of nature, and the wayit is. At some point in each mans life he begins to realize that he must prepare to pass on his traditionfor it to survive. This realization came to the first Soke and the others who followed Choisai IzasaIenao ideas of establishing a Ryu.

There were many ways that developed over the years for preserving a tradition, with the first beingthe passing on of the Makimono, scrolls written by the Soke or in some cases dictated by him. All thescrolls were called the Densho, the traditions writings. Some of the Ryuso or successive Soke wereskilled artists and created Emakimono, which were picture scrolls, preserving the Ryu teachings.

An Emakimono could be full of elaborate pictures or stick drawings, according to the artistic skillof the particular master. It was always considered an honor to view and possess the drawings of aSoke.

Along with scrolls there also developed types of books, which contained the secrets of the Ryu.These Densho were passed from founding Soke to his successor. The Shodai, founder, passed the artto the Nidai, who passed it on to the Sandai, and so on through the generations. There were otherterms, such as Sei meaning generation, but in most Ryu the terms ending in Dai is the most common.

Passing on the ScrollsTo be sure that everyone knew whom the true successor was, the Soke would only pass the Densho

to one person. This was done in two ways. If the Makimono were in good shape, the original scrollsmight be passed on to the succeeding Soke. However the Japanese understood that paper will wearout and disintegrate in time, thus another method of passing on the scrolls has been developed.

When a master picked his successor, he would personally go over the scrolls with the disciple.They would read the scrolls together to be sure that all of the Kanji were recognized and understood.Then the successor would copy the scrolls, adding his own name to the genealogy usually containedsomewhere among the Densho, though this was not always true, which is why not all systems canaccurately discern their lineage.

When the previous Soke died, all of his scrolls would be destroyed, usually by fire, so that the onlyextant set of Densho for the Ryu would be the ones of the now reigning Soke. This was a way to besure that a person was the Soke of the Ryu, by his possession of the scrolls.

However it was feared by some, living in a land where fire was a great threat, living in woodenand paper buildings, that any one set of scrolls could be destroyed, so some masters allowed severalcopies to be made. However this has led to some confusion in that several masters now claim to bethe Soke of the same systems.

For those of us who want to be sure that our system is passed on as we want, there needs to be abetter method of passing on ones system and this has been addressed in the distant past by previousJapanese Soke.

Soke at some time in Japanese history began to award Menkyo, licenses to their students. Therewas no one method, but each one had a chain of command. Two examples from history are asfollows.

Systems of LicensesIn one system a disciple who had been training for several years and showed dedication to the

system would received a Kirikami (Kirigami). If the students learned all of the techniques of thesystem which could be as few as sixteen or so, and as many as five thousands according to somesources, they would receive a Mokuroku which could be a catalogue of the learned techniques.

However, Mokuroku were sometimes lists of spiritual qualities that were expected from theadvanced practitioner. Regardless of what was recorded in the Mokuroku, the presentation of it to themember of the Ryu was an acknowledgement that this person was a serious dedicated member of themartial arts family. In some cases receiving a Mokuroku was like being presented a masters license,in other cases the Mokuroku was closer to what we would think of as a black belt certificate.

Finally the Soke might present a Menkyo, license to his successor that showed that they were theone who knew the entire system and was the successor.

However in some systems there were several licenses, designating different levels of teachingknowledge, with the highest Menkyo presented only to the successor, many times called MenkyoKaiden, meaning that the recipient was licensed in all of the traditions of the Ryu.

The second method we will consider also began with a Kirikami, but then was followed by arank called the Shoden, which could be a Mokuroku of what someone should know of the firsttradition, the meaning of Shoden.

Next followed possibly another Mokuroku referred to as Chuden, middle tradition. This wasfollowed by an Okuden, meaning the heart or inner tradition, and could also have been a Mokuroku.Finally, the person was awarded a Kaiden, the highest level of all traditions.

In some cases a person was awarded a Kaiden certificate to show that they politically held theauthority of the Ryu, even if they didnt yet know all of the tradition. This was a Sokes way ofprotecting the family from having someone taking the system away who knew more than the youngfamily member.

Technically all practitioners should feel an obligation to the family and support even a lessertrained Soke, helping him (or her) to complete their training, or chose another fully trained successor.The authority to make that decision rested upon whoever had the proper paper.

Some masters only gave one Menkyo Kaiden or Kaiden, while other gave out several certificatesto all the students who achieved the highest level of the Ryu. In those cases where multiple MenkyoKaiden or Kaiden were awarded there was a certificate of Soke succession given to the next Soke.

Thus a Shodai Soke would make a certificate out to the Nidai Soke. The Nidai Soke would make acertificate out to the Sandai Soke and so on as long as the Ryu continued.

Modern CertificatesBeginning with Jigoro Kano and his desire to advance martial arts training along modern

educational lines there began the idea of awarding certificates of achievement. When a person

learned a certain amount of knowledge they would be awarded a Menjo saying they were of a certainrank. A Kyu rank was under the black belt or teaching rank level, while a Dan rank was given torecognize a person had achieved enough knowledge to be a teacher.

There developed three actual level of ranks over the years. A Mudansha was a non black beltholder, a Yudansha was a black belt holder and considered a potential teacher, and a Kodansha was asenior black belt, a master as it were, who was of a level to supervise and teach teachers.

Within each Ryu there developed a list of titles and ranks unique to that system. Kano haddeveloped a six Kyu, twelve Dan system. Since he only awarded up to tenth Dan before his death,most other martial artists who adopted the belt system also ended their ranking system at tenth Dan,though some increased the Kyu to ten levels.

Today there are a few people who have increased the Dan level to as many as fifteen, though manystill hold that no legitimate belt system should go beyond ten. However, a Soke has completeauthority of his system and can organize his material and set up a ranking structure in any way theywant. But Soke must keep in mind the idea of being considered intelligent and honest by the studentsand the public.

There are special martial arts associations who give recognition to senior martial artists who keeptraining their whole lives. These associations usually use the titles, Renshi, Kyoshi, and Hanshi asrecognition of a persons teaching status and these titles are usually awarded by age. If a person is acontinuing, practicing martial artist, regardless of ability, at certain ages they can be awarded thesetitles from these organizations. But these titles have nothing to do with what is going on in a particularRyu.

But the ranks and titles of a Ryu are awarded in regard to knowledge attained, skill accomplished,and dedicated service to the Ryu. A person does not need to be a great athlete to achieve these levels,but merely have a love of the martial arts, dedication to austere training, and loyalty to the Soke andthose who will be successors.

Now having looked at the past, it is important that we look to the future. Most modern systems usea combination of Menkyo and Kyu/Dan methods of ranking, even as some of the current Soke ofancient Ryu have adopted into their systems the modern ranking structure of Kyu/Dan.

Ranks of knowledge are usually symbolized by the color of belt and are referred to as the Bukai, ormartial ranks. Teaching titles are usually a part of every Ryu and are many times called the Hokai,which can be translated as principle ranks (law or doctrine ranks), meaning that the bearer of a titlehas a deeper understanding of the principles which make the martial arts actually work.

But still it is important for a Soke today, whether inheriting a system or founding a system, to knowthe proper method of passing on their system for the next generation. There are several things to keepin mind and several precautions to take. Letters of authority, certificates of succession, andconsolidating the traditions, are all important points to consider.

Normal SuccessionIf everything goes well and a Soke lives to train and pick his (her) successor, then all that Soke

needs to do is issue a certificate of succession, designating the person the next (Nidai, Sandai, Yodai,Godai, Rokudai, Shichidai, Kudai, Judai, etc.) Soke. If a Ryu has multiple arts or traditions, then itwould behoove the current Soke to issue the succeeding Soke with a Menkyo Kaiden or Kaiden, to

say that the successor has authority in all traditions.It is best not to divide a tradition for this leads to confusion, especially among the students of a

Ryu. Keep one authority, even if there are several masters who will have to help pass on thetraditions. If a succeeding Soke has mastered all but one of the traditions and one of the Hanshi is themaster of that tradition, then together they should work so that the succeeding Soke can learn and passon to the next Soke the full tradition.

If there is some reason the succeeding Soke cannot master a specific tradition, then that Sokeshould train their successor in all that they know and allow the Hanshi to teach that coming successorthe tradition they know. Thus with the next Soke all traditions will once again be in one person.

With modern legality, along with the succession certificate and the Menkyo Kaiden, I wouldrecommend a letter of authority which is dated to show that this supercedes any previously writtendocument, affirming the appointment of the chosen successor as Soke with full legal rights to run allthe affairs of the Ryu.

This should be all a person needs to do to pass on their Ryu in modern times. However, manythings can go wrong in planning a succession, especially if no one has actually mastered all traditionsand is ready to take the current Sokes place.

In the following sections we shall look at some of these matters and how they can be dealt with andhandled appropriately.

Highest Rank, No GuaranteeMany years ago a man planned for his offspring to succeed him and so make sure that the child was

the highest ranked person in the association, thinking that would guarantee their ease in succession.However, there were other people who had been with the master longer who believed they hadgreater right to the position and as soon as he died, they began to attack the successor and demandtheir right to position.

They too held very high rank, for they had been with the master for a long time, but the master madethe assumption that everyone knew that he wanted his child to succeed him. There was a long drawnout situation, with many people fighting for the right to be the successor.

Finally many of the masters friends of other martial arts sided with the offspring and made it clearthat the child was the recognized successor from their points of view. This made everything finallysettle down. However, if the master had just known the proper procedure and awarded his child theproper Soke succession certificate and letter of authority, there never would have been any doubt.

High rank is not a guarantee of succession, especially if you have several people at such a highlevel. Without proper certification and written authority, there will always be a power struggle,which is unnecessary when proper procedures are followed. All Soke who want their children tohave succession need to plan for this on many levels, not only teaching their children all they need toknow, but also issuing them whatever certification is necessary to guarantee succession.

Guardian SuccessorEvery once in a while a Soke will die before actually fully training his or her successor. In that

situation a Soke needs to have a backup plan on how their Ryu will survive.

First of all a Soke should try to have all of their arts taught to at least one person or if that has notyet been achieved, then there should be at least one person per art fully trained to the level of master.

In example, in Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei there are eight arts. If possible I should try to get at leastone person trained to master in each of the arts just in case anything were to happen to me. In that waythe whole art is preserved.

Carol McCoyDurbin

Soke DaiKiyojute RyuKempo Bugei

Number one assistant and wife to the SokeCarol has supported and aided in the proliferation of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei byassisting in teaching at various functions and encouraging her husband to greaterendeavors.

Using modern technology, which is available to us today, a Soke can record most of the techniquesof his art. I am sure there are aspects that each Soke would only consider teaching privately, as wellas, some things, which can only be developed intuitively under direct tutelage of the Soke.

In the situation that a Soke doesnt have a successor, but has recorded his art and has variousmasters of his respective arts, what needs to be done is for the Soke to have various assistants, somecan be Soke Dai or even Shihanke and then choose a guardian for the Ryu.

There are several names for a guardian, one being Banto. Currently there is a Banto of Koga RyuNinjutsu. The term I use for Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei is Kokennin. Over the years as some peoplehave come and gone for several reasons, there have been different people put in the guardian position.

It is important for the Soke to issue guardian papers, but keep them to themselves so that if changesneed to be made, they can be. One must always worry that a disaffected student who was in the Ryuhoping for power, who is recognized as not being worthy of handling the position is not able to makeclaims of guardianship because of duplicate papers.

A dated letter needs to accompany dated guardian papers noting that only the latest date indicatesthe official papers. This will keep old certificates from being used to confuse the issue onguardianship or succession.

The guardian needs to be instructed on how to issue the next set of Soke certification to someonewho is worthy and capable of being the succeeding Soke. To use an example of what can happen, notethe following genealogy.

Shodai Soke|

Nidai Soke|

Shihan Kokennin Soke|

Sandai Soke|

Yodai Soke

Note in this imaginary scenario, the Shodai awarded the Nidai his papers, but the Nidai diedleaving a guardian in charge, who then awarded Sandai Soke to the next generation who was able todesignate the Yodai.

Sometimes the Kokennin or Banto (or whatever name for guardian is used) can award a Sokecertificate in short order, while at other times a child might have to be trained from youth to receivethe position. A guardian must be a very trustworthy individual because the future of the Ryu rests inhis or her hands.

Many years ago a person had picked a successor only to have a falling out with that person. It isimportant to keep a successors name confidential until a Soke is absolutely sure that the person willbe right for the position. This is true of the guardians name and if guardianship changes, a publicannouncement needs to be made for the sake of the Ryu membership.

A guardian should only be used when necessary. A Soke should try to train or designate asuccessor if at all possible. Keep in mind that a Soke may not always be fully trained, but if they havethe right spirit, which we will deal with in chapter four, then they can be the successor and continueon until they learn what they need to know.

It is essential that if a guardian is used, they be loyal to their Soke, dedicated to the Ryu, and veryspiritual, so that they can show sound judgment in choosing the next Soke.

Soke Dai or Soke Dairi is not the SokeThere is a title that is used in many styles to stand for the Sokes number one assistant or assistants

in the case of there being more than one. This is Soke Dai, some styles use the title Soke Dairi, forbasically the same position. It must be understood that just having the title Soke Dai or Soke Dairidoes not assure transmission, especially in the case where there are more than one.

It must be emphasized, that in order to insure that the right person receives the proper recognitionas successor that a succession certificate be awarded to whomever is the successor. This isespecially true in regard to titles like Soke Dai or Soke Dairi. In Japan there have been successionproblems when the person in charge did not issue the correct papers and the body of the Ryu werentsure what they should do.

While a person holding a Soke Dai or Soke Dairi may have precedence with a student body, thisdoes not mean that they will be guaranteed the succession, if this was not stated by the reigning Soke.

It is extremely important that a Soke be perfectly clear about, and makes his wishes and desiresknown plainly, so that the right person who is the legitimate successor will be guaranteed theposition. Just a certificate designating Soke Dai or Soke Dairi does not make that clear in the eyes ofhistory and tradition.

While a Soke Dai might be the perfect assistant, they may not be the chosen successor or they mightbe the chosen successor and it is necessary that the right papers are there to back up succession.

Split SuccessionOne thing that can be done, though it must be used with caution, is to split the succession. One case

happened in Japan where a Soke knew he was going to die, so his young son, a man in his twentieswas designated the next Soke, however because the son was young and immature, the Soke appointedhis top student as the Kaicho, or head of the organization.

The Soke instructed the Kaicho to head the organization until the young Soke was mature enough tohandle the operation of a large organization. This the Kaicho did. When the son felt ready, he told theKaicho that he wanted to assume the responsibility of Kaicho, and the Kaicho relinquished hisauthority.

Now the Kaicho was dedicated to the Ryu and honorable, so that when the Soke felt ready toassume the responsibility of Kaicho, the senior man immediately turned the title and authority over tothe Soke. If the man had been less ethical, there could have been a great deal of trouble.

This method can be used to great effect, as long as the person given the title Kaicho is honest andwill relinquish the authority at the proper time, and if the Soke is humble and will wait until they aretruly ready to assume the position.

But I would say that under normal circumstances a Soke passing on a Ryu should not split authorityunless absolutely necessary. It would be better to give a guardian all authority and have him or herpass on that authority when the time is right to the succeeding Soke.

In the letter of authority, if there is a Kai as well as a Ryu, it would do well to note that thesucceeding Soke gets all authority in the Ryu, Kai, and any other organization which the current Sokedirects.

Unwanted SuccessionSometimes a Soke can try to do everything right and there still be problems that develop after his

death. A chosen successor has certain responsibilities that must be fulfilled. Lets review a story ofan actual Ryu that ran into a problem after the Soke died and his system was passed on to his chosensuccessor.

There once was a system whose Soke had picked his child as his successor. (The name of the Ryuwill not be given here in order to avoid embarrassing those involved in the forthcoming events.) Theperson chosen to be a Soke didnt want the responsibility, something they should have told their fatherwhile he was alive, but failed to do so.

Upon receiving the reigns of power, they denied them and said they didnt want to be Soke andwere not Soke. This created a power struggle where uncles, sons-in-law, and others began fightingfor the right to be the Soke. The whole Ryu was thrown into confusion until the largest group ofstudents got behind the most senior student and asked him to assume authority.

Technically the situation exists where this line of the Ryu, the main line, could cease to existbecause successorship was not handled properly. What the unwilling successor should have donewas issued a Soke certificate to whomever they believed would be better suited to the job. Withproper certification given to the other person then they would have the responsibility as noted aboveand the person not wanting the responsibility would have been absolved of any further responsibility.

If a person has been given such responsibility they should honor it and do their best to pass thesystem on, even if they choose not to exercise the authority, they should at least pass on the Ryu tosomeone who will take care of maintaining and sustaining the tradition.

Ending a RyuSad to say, over the generations there have been several times when a Soke did not want his Ryu to

survive after him. This has been for a variety of reasons.In some cases no successor was found who was worthy, in another situation the Soke knew that he

had not taught the full art and it would be lost even if a successor were named, and finally some pastSoke felt their art had outlived its usefulness and didnt need to survive.

In the mid twentieth century one Japanese master had only around fifteen students. Among thesestudents none were particularly dedicated or were really learning the spiritual lessons of the Ryu.Even the physical skills were being practiced in a mediocre manner.

The Soke was nearing death and the students were arguing, each thinking that they deserved to bethe next Soke and battling it out verbally over who would be the leader when the old man died.

Shortly before his death he called all of his students to his bedside and told them that none of themwere worthy. He told his students that with his death, the Ryu would cease to exist, and so it was.

If a Soke really feels that it would be best for his Ryu to cease to exist, they should write a letter tothat effect, which starts upon my death, and then the reason the Ryu should cease to be. This shouldbe given to someone who is trustworthy and will read the letter to the Ryu after the death of the Soke.

At that point it is extremely important that the Sokes wishes be upheld. Those who want tocontinue in the martial arts should move to another Ryu and continue their training in that way, but if aSoke truly wants to end his or her Ryu, it is their prerogative.

Now it is important to understand the real reason why a Ryu comes into existence, why it shouldcontinue to exist, and the responsibility of the reigning Soke. For a Ryu to exist, it must have a truereason to exist. If the reason for its existence had ended, so too should the Ryu, therefore let us lookat the real reason a Ryu should exist.

Chapter Four: The Reason to Exist

Choisai Izasa Ienao began the tradition of the Ryu when he received what he perceived as a divineright from heaven to create a tradition that would flow throughout history.

While this first Soke was a Shintoist, the idea was nonsectarian. The important aspect was that aperson who was to found a Ryu must be someone who feels a Tenshin Sho, divine right, from heaven,regardless of how that person relates to heaven.

The idea of being a Soke then is a philosophy of the spirit, the belief in a Divine Source fromwhich flows the divine right to establish a Ryu, which also flows from the Divine. Even the verytechniques are believed to flow from the divine so that the highest level of technical proficiency of aRyu manifests in Kami Waza, divine techniques.

Flowing Spirit and LiberationWhile the first Ryu, and some subsequent Ryu, were Shinto in origin, quickly Ryu were established

from the Mikkyo Buddhist point of view, and others followed suit.The first Ryu, according to Ienao, was because of a Shinto revelation. Then came Mikkyo

inspiration, Zen enlightenment, and finally Christian liberation gave birth to some Ryu. Religions thatgave birth to martial arts founding over the years include, various Shinto sects, various Mikkyofactions, Zen groups, and even Christian denominations.

All of these religious perspectives had something in common, the achievement of freedom. Whilethere were rocky times in Japanese history, for the most part Japan did not succumb to exclusivitictendencies.

A person thought that they could believe in many ideas. While some might believe in only one mainreligion, the feeling was that all faiths should be tolerated.

To give an example of how a Christian might believe if they were of the fifteenth century, theywould consider Christina liberation the ability to live with and interact with others. Being taught thatJesus the Christ gave them the ability to be free indeed, they would exercise that freedom differentlyfrom common Europeans, since the idea of liberation had been a part of their upbringing in a differentmanner.

The highest level of all faiths as expressed in a martial arts fashion centers on love. Since thebeginning of the martial arts, going back to the temple martial arts of China and carrying through toJapan, the main principle of the arts is love.

When Bodhidharma taught the monks the idea of the martial arts and martial virtue, Wute inChinese, changed to Butoku in Japanese, the idea was that the martial arts should never be used unlessthey could be used with the Santoku, three great virtues.

Santoku: Three Great VirtuesFirst was love, never use your art unless love says its the right thing to do. In example, a person

defends his family out of love. Soldiers should defend their nation out of a love of the nation and itspeople, not out of hatred for an enemy. The reason this is so is because todays enemies may betomorrows allies, hate would keep the alliances from forming.

Next, the martial arts must be used with wisdom. If there is another way to resolve a conflict, itshould be used, if a battle is called for, then it must be done intelligently with a conservation ofresources and energy. People who genuinely understand self defense will know what I am talkingabout, while sport people probably wont have a clue, but then again, no Ryu should be established asa sport system, only those arts that are real self defense and combat oriented are worthy of theconcept of the Ryu.

Finally, the martial arts must be used with courage, so that a person will do what needs to be done,when it is time to do it. All the skill in the world mean nothing if a person is afraid to act. Thus themartial arts of China and Japan were founded upon the concept of Butoku, martial virtue, theprinciples of love, wisdom, and courage.

When Ienao founded the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, he too based them on the principles ofButoku, which had been shared for generations in Japan by those who were warriors. Love was thefirst and most important principle. As the idea of the Ryu spread, so too did the idea of basing thefoundation of the Ryu on love, wisdom, and courage, as well as other high level virtues.

All Ryu that develop over the years, whether Shinto, Mikkyo, Zen, Christian, or other sect, sharedthe idea of love as the central principle. While the arts used in combat were brutal, the guidingprinciple during times of peace was self control. A warrior did not use their art needlessly. Onlywhen it was necessary to fight would a warrior actually engage in the use of the martial arts.

All of the guiding philosophies, while expressed with different names and idea, shared the sametruism, love must be the main principle or else humanity becomes even less than an animal.

Without philosophies, the martial arts become only fighting arts and are a destructive force withinhumanity. Look at the harm being done to competitors in the mixed martial arts ultimate fightingcompetitions and you will see the damage being done to human beings because of fighting forms beingtaught without philosophies. In truth, the mixed martial artists and the so-called ultimate fighters donteven deserve the name martial artists. They pervert the nature of the very arts they espouse.

It is only when a martial art is taught with a philosophy, it is only when they are true martial arts,which are ways of peace, should they

SeikichiUehara

12th SokeMotobu RyuGotente

exist. A true Ryu, which teaches Bugei, Sogo Bujutsu, or even a single Bujutsu, must be a way ofpeace and that then is its reason for existence.

Every real martial art is an art of peace. Every true and pure Ryu, to use Mitoses phrase,teaches physical fitness, mental equanimity, and spiritual enlightenment through the arts of war in theway of peace. Only a true martial artist, a warrior, can understand that paradox, which is at the heartof not only the martial arts, but of all Ryu, and life itself.

No real martial art can be a sport, no real martial artist can engage in competition, for it breaks thepeace and disturbs the equanimity (harmony). There are many masters who forbade competition, themost famous being, Morihei Ueshiba (Kaiso Doshu of Aikikai Aikido), Michiomi Nakano (So Doshinof Nippon Shorinji Kempo), and Seikichi Uehara (Soke of Motobu Ryu). This is a sign of the way andcannot be ignored if we want to be true martial artists like the founders and practitioners of the past.

Deshi: Disciples or Students?A real Soke teaches what he knows, what he feels like he has been given, to Deshi. The term Deshi

has two connotations, one is student and the other is disciple.Students are just people who come to a class, pay for their instruction, and usually continue to

practice as long as it is entertaining and theyre having fun. Many of these students could care lessabout the spiritual side of the training, some wanting only to have an activity to take up their time, andsadly some come to the Karate, Jujutsu, or whatever martial arts school in order to have a place tofight and beat people up.

These are not the kind of students that a real Soke wants. I just got a call today from a man whowanted to sign up with his two children. Hed taken some martial arts in the military, as well as,having trained with an uncle in a form of Karate. Hed experienced the violent side of the arts andwanted more for his children.

The man explained that he wanted his children to learn the real philosophy of the martial arts andbe trained in a peaceful manner. These are the kinds of students a Soke wants.

A Soke wants a student who wants to learn, who wants to know the spiritual side, who wants tolive a peaceful life, who wants to work hard physically, mentally, and spiritually, but not bebrutalized in the process. Real Soke want complete human beings who want to learn to be true martialartists, not fighters.

These kinds of students are Deshi, in the classical sense. They are disciples of the Ryu who want tolearn the philosophy and true way of peace that are at the heart of real Bugei, Sogo Bujutsu, and evenBudo.

A Deshi does have responsibility. They must support the Ryu in whatever way they can. Over theyears Ive had students who could not pay for lessons, but they could work around the Dojo, mowinggrass, doing maintenance, and assisting in other ways.

Ive had students donate their time to demonstrations, teaching assignments, and general assistancein teaching at the Hombu Dojo. These students have shown the real spirit of a Deshi.

Top Deshi, sometimes referred to as Uchideshi, the innermost disciples, do what they can to assistthe Soke personally. Many times these students provide extra funds to help the Ryu financially.Sometimes they buy supplies for the running of the Dojo. Ive had students who have bought t-shirtsand other things to help improve the overall morale of the Dojo and Ryu.

All students should express loyalty, enthusiasm, and dedication. As the Soke does all he can toteach the students with love and respect, so too should the students return love and openness to thelessons of the Soke. The Soke is the head of the house, Deshi are family members, and there shouldbe a feeling of reciprocal love and dedication between all members of the Ryu.

Part of a Ryus existence is based on the presence of a strong student base. Whether big or small,

for a Ryu to exist, for a Soke to be real, he must have a group of loyal, dedicated, and loving Deshi. Ifyou are fortunate enough to belong to a legitimate Ryu and have a real Soke as your instructor, bethankful for it and chose to be a real Deshi.

Few are called to be Soke, but without dedicated and true Deshi who want to help them share theirart with the world and preserve it for posterity, the Soke doesnt have a real purpose or mission. It ishoped that for every one Soke there will be hundreds to thousands of Deshi who will learn thelessons of their Ryu and help their Soke pass it on to future generations.

Soke, if you have real Deshi, give them your best, not only in regard to your art, your philosophy,and your spirit, but give them your heart. Let all students feel the love you have for them, so that theycan learn heart to heart in the old manner of the Ryu when they were first established. There is no Ryuunless there is love, there is no love in a Ryu, unless the Sokes heart is full of love. This is the mostessential quality for a Ryu to exist, and never forget, that love comes from God.

It is hoped that those who will be the Soke of the future will want to be real headmasters, truespiritual leaders of the martial arts. In that regard, allow me to relate something of my personaljourney in the next chapter to help those who find themselves on the way to the tradition of the Soke.

William DurbinSoke ~ Kiyojute RyuKempo BugeiThe author and Soke, founding headmaster, of Kiyojute Ryu is an ordained Baptistminister who sees his Ryu as a fulfillment of his Christian ministry. Being awarded hisSoke appointment is, to him, on a level with his ordination, both divine callings fromGod.

Chapter Five: A Personal Journey

I remember Richard Stone, my first instructor, telling me that when he was a little boy, a friend of hisshowed him some Judo after spending some time in Japan. To Dick it was a magical thing and hewanted to learn all he could. Later as a Boy Scout he was taking his life saving training under asoldier at Fort Knox. During a conversation with the man Dick learned that he knew Judo and askedhim to teach them the art, the man agreed if the Boy Scouts would learn their life saving well. Theydid and so began Stones formal training in the martial arts.

Dick didnt know at the time, but he learned a lot more than just Judo. Ramon Lono Ancho, thesoldier, was one of the top masters of the martial arts and would be very important to a couple ofsystems in regard to posterity.

Ramon Lono AnchoShihankeKosho Ryu KempoKodenkan JujutsuRichard Stones first instructor, possibly one of the best martial artists of the lastgeneration. A true war hero and patriot, he used his martial arts in the service of hiscountry and shared it with many others.

Ancho had trained under Henry Seishiro Okazaki, the great founder of Kodenkan Jujutsu. Hed alsotrained under James Masayoshi Mitose and William K. S. Chow in the art of Kempo. Ancho, whom Imet in the nineties, said that originally Mitose and Chow taught the same.

Stone continued his training in the martial arts, studying under Hiroshi Wada, a practitioner ofKodokan Judo and Aikikai Aikido. He then also trained under Takayuki Ebisuya, another KodokanJudoka. Dick also trained under some other martial artists, including further training in Kempo.

In 1970 Stone opened a club in Bardstown, the place of my birth, and I began my formal training inthe martial arts under him.

Judo and KarateBack in those days, Stone called what he did Judo and didnt really make a distinction between

what he had learned in Kempo and Jujutsu, from what he had learned in Judo, so to me, everything Iknew was Judo.

There was a Karateka who was in the class who agreed to teach a couple of us who wereinterested in exchange for the knowledge Dick had in Judo. Stone had been training for eleven yearsand was very much a master, though his political rank didnt reflect his skill.

Richard StoneKaicho ~ Kudu KaiHanshi of many artsRichard Stone had a vast martial arts career training under Ramon Ancho, HiroshiWada, Takayuki Ebisuya, and Rod Sacharnoski. He is an extremely spiritual man withgreat faith in God.

I threw myself into the training and learned all I could from Dick. I had a personal conversationwith him and explained that I was only interested in self defense. He pulled out two of his manuals,which contained not only the regular skills of Judo, but also the self defense skills of the original art.He instructed me to practice the Kime no Kata and Kodokan Goshinjutsu to improve my skills of selfdefense.

I also practiced the Tai Iku, which were techniques designed to improve health and fitness throughthe practice of punches and kicks. It was funny, because over the years as I met Judo practitionersfrom around the country many of them exclaimed very authoritatively that Judo had no punches or

kicks, and Id just smile, as I continued to practice the Tai Iku.When I went to college I organized a self defense club and invited anyone with skill to share their

knowledge with me, while I would share what I knew with them. Over the years I was exposed tomany styles of Karate (Shorin Ryu, Goju Ryu, Isshin Ryu, Shotokan, and Tae Kwon Do, to name afew), more Judo and Aikido, as well as, various weapon arts.

I did note that I knew throws, and many more variations of them, of which my Judo friends wereunaware. I also practiced methods of striking that were different than, not only my Judo peers, someof whom as noted earlier thought that Judo didnt even have striking skills, but also my Karatefriends. I was to discover why later.

Ki Yang Ju TeBy 1974, though I only held a formal rank of Yonkyu, and only wore a green belt, I had developed

into a self defense specialist. I had taken philosophy classes in college and come to express what Iconsidered my personal spiritual philosophy as Ki Yang, translating it as the spirit of all that ispositive in the universe.

In my own life Id had some problems with depression and found that by focusing on Yang, thelight of God, the creative force of the universe, all that was positive, I was better able to deal withthe depression and live a much happier life.

In regard to my martial arts, after having studied with many Karateka who seemed too rigid andJudo people who knew nothing of self defense or striking, I thought that what was needed was abalance between the Ju, principle of gentleness, and Te, the skills of real self defense. Thus I usedJute to stand for my physical skills of self defense.

During those years I practiced Judo Randori and Karate Kumite, having been instructed in the firstby Dick and learning the second from my Karate friends at college. Since I only trained for selfdefense, I thought that in reality competition was dangerous for people focused on self defense.

Over the years that concern grew and was validated, so that today in Kiyojute Ryu my students onlyengage in noncompetitive forms of actual self defense training, which focused on Kata and Embu.This includes a form of Randori Embu, which allows us to train in the typical skills of throwing, butin a noncompetitive manner.

In 1975 I was tested by a high ranking Judo instructor who later told me that I had passed the testfor black belt, but that he would not award me the rank unless I competed for his school. At the time Iwas a youth minister of a church and working as a security guard and had no spare time for thenonsense of competition, so I told him no.

He said that hed be sure that I was never graded to black belt. In great consternation I wasdevastated and didnt know what to do. I turned to Dick and asked him what he thought I should do, hesaid look for someone who was ethical who would give me an honest evaluation. Thus I beganlooking outside of the state for someone to help me and eventually learned about Takahiko Ishikawa,one of the greatest living masters of Kodokan Judo at the time.

I wrote to the great Judo master and explained to him that I was a self defense specialist and carednothing for sport Judo or any other martial sport for that matter and asked if he could help me gettested.

Ishikawa wrote back and said that while he was mainly involved in sport Judo, he had a formerstudent who was running an organization, which dealt with the arts of self defense exclusively. Thisstudent was Rod Sacharnoski. Ishikawas advice to me was seek out Sacharnoski.

Juko Kai and Rod SacharnoskiIshikawa explained that he didnt have a current address for his old student, but that Sacharnoski

had made a name for himself and that I should check out the martial arts magazines in order to findhim. It was a while later but sure enough I found Rod Sacharnoskis address and applied to joinedJuko Kai.

Rod SacharnoskiSoke ~ Juko Ryu BujutsuToday as powerful and vibrant as ever, the Soke of Juko Ryu teaches students fromaround the country and the world. Here he is giving instructions at the National Clinicin 2008. Those in attendance give rapt attention to the headmaster of the martial arts.

Originally I wanted only to test in Judo, but Sacharnoski, after seeing my martial arts rsum, saidthat I needed to be tested in all of my skills. Back in those days, Juko Kai had branches covering allthe major martial arts and I found after taking tests that I qualified for black belt in Judo, Tae KwonDo, and what was to be most important, Kempo Karate.

Sacharnoski encouraged me to research my roots and find out all I could regarding the training Ihad received from Stone, for it was obvious that it was more than Judo.

Talking to Stone I discovered that Ramon Lono Ancho had taught him the other skills besides thethrows, though the only term used back in those early days had been Judo. I began to search for Anchoand though I couldnt find the man right away, I did discover much about him and his training.

I learned that Ancho was a master of Kodenkan Jujutsu and Kosho Ryu Kempo, considered bymany the Shihanke, master of the house, of both styles. What this meant was that he had completeknowledge of both systems, though others were the headmasters of the systems.

I eventually met other masters of Kosho Ryu to complete and finalize my understanding of the rootof Kempo that I had been taught. Bruce Juchnik and Nimr Hassan gave me the final parts of Mitosesknowledge and I received formal recognition from Thomas Barro Mitose recognizing my knowledgeof Kempo.

Three of my most prized certificates are the ones from these three gentlemen acknowledging mylineage of Kosho Ryu and position as Soke of Kiyojute Ryu Kempo Bugei.

Professional Karate and Traditional BugeiIn 1978, around the same time that I joined Juko Kai, I was introduced, by one of my students, to

and began training under Bill Superfoot Wallace, the world middleweight Full Contact Karatechampion. At that time full contact Karate was not the same thing as kickboxing. Kickboxing is verymuch based on the art of Thailand, whereas the full contact Karate in America in the seventies wasvery much Karate done full out.

Bill Superfoot WallaceMaster of Many ArtsBill Wallace has been considered the greatest kicker of the era of Full Contact Karate.He has taught many people how to stretch and kick, but more important he hasemphasized health and fitness, one of the first of his generation to recognize thatKarate was more than fighting, it was fitness.

Working with Bill I met many of the full contact Karate fighters of the day. I even joined theProfessional Karate Association and my school was a certified PKA school. At the same time I wasmeeting traditional martial artists and learning that there was a world of difference between the skillsof the professional Karate people and traditional martial artists.

Most of the full contact fighters were excellent fighters in the ring, but with only a few exceptions,their self defense abilities seemed lacking. Since they fought with gloves on, many of the men had quit

practicing their Karate hand techniques and only worked on boxing skills. Id heard of one of themwho got into a fight on the street and hurt his hand when hed struck an attacker. Luckily the man wasintimidated enough that he ran away, which was good because the fighters hand was hurt so bad, hedidnt think he could have continued to fight. Learning to punch with a glove on does not prepare amartial artists hands and fists to make impact on an attackers body.

It seemed that, of the traditional martial artists I met, most seemed to have a good grasp of selfdefense, though they may not have been good in a ring, but then again, was that even important.

What was most relevant to me was that the sport artists seemed to be very brutal and uncaring ofthe harm they were doing to fellow competitors in order to win their bouts and gain money or famefrom doing so. Before someone could fight another person in a ring, especially with full contact, theyhad to have a level of disregard for the safety and well being of their opponent. This is why therehave been serious injuries and/or deaths in every form of martial competition.

The majority of the self defense instructors I met, who were traditional martial artists, were gentlemen who cared for their students and tried to teach in such a way that they were not injuredunnecessarily. While it seemed that sport Karateka and Judoka went from injury to injury, month aftermonth, many people training in self defense never suffered a serious