The Bulletin

Issue No 19

January 2009 The Kano Society

In This Issue • Jigoro Kano in North America Old Injuries in Judo Veterans By Kenji Hirohashi • Time Tunnel - Judo and the Art Old injuries in judo veterans everyday activities or their judo. They expected in a sedentary person of the of living - Gunji Koizumi were asked only about injuries that same age even of joints where there by Kenji Hirohashi (editied by M had prevented practice for a week or was no history of any injury. They • Richard Bowen collection Hodkinson) more. Of 380 questionnaires sent, suggest that this is due to the heavy • Videos available 198 were returned and were offered use of the joints Editor’s note: This edited account is an examination by doctors and x- In this edition - We are publishing an based on a paper published in rays during their attendance. Forty-seven percent admitted to their articleThe Bulletin edited - Editor’s by Malcolm comment Hodkinson Japan By Dr Hirohashi, (a consultant injuries affecting their current judo based on a paper by Hirohashi We orthopaedic physician at Osaka Without exception, all these men practice. Nonetheless, they were still also continue to reproduce some of University Department of Health and had had injuries, the average per determined to take part in the the articles which authors have Sports Medicine who I met whilst individual being 3.2. Commonest competition. Of the participants, 124 contributed to the website and follow visiting Japan in 2006) and his injuries were those of the knee gave explanations of why they Kano’s journeys with Richard Bowen’s colleagues Drs Ebine, Tomatsu and (22.8% of all injuries), shoulder continued to practise judo despite piece on the visit to London and the Uchitani. Dr Hirohashi is a 6th dan (20.2%), lower back (10.7%), foot their chronic injuries. The commonest . and is a close friend of Kisaburo and ankle (10.1%) and elbow reasons given were: ; training as an Watanabe (9.6%). ascetic exercise for oneself News - In the last issue we said that 83%; in order to teach and guide we would be providing more services All the competitors aged sixty or The authors found that x-rays of the younger judoka 83%; because it to clubs and the first in line was over who were planning to attend participants showed far more would not be good for their health to Dorking Judo Club. We had a very the 2003 annual All-Japan osteoarthritis than would be stop 58%; as a mental and successful session of the newaza competition for judoka ranked 5th presentation featuring Len Hunt with dan and higher were contacted and Reasons for continuing Practice if Judo commentary by Larry Ralph. We have questioned by questionnaire. They An Ascetic exercise 83% quite a collection of video material were asked about the length of time Teaching and Guiding 83% they had practised judo, what now and would be happy to arrange Good for their health 58% showings for clubs. Remember you chronic injuries they had sustained, can buy copies through the website. how they had been treated and what Mental and physical training 57% Sets of Bulletins may also be was their present condition. They Accustomed part of life 30% purchased on CDs. were asked to rate how much than Gain a higher grade 15%. chronic injuries affected their Regards Diana Birch Other 38% physical training 57%; because it was a part of their accustomed life 30%; because they hoped to gain a higher dan grade 15%. Other reasons given (37%) included such aspects as maintaining quality of life, seeking for truth and the renaissance of judo.

Perhaps these veterans continued to practise judo despite their injuries because they saw it as a martial art not a mere sport and one which continued to provide them with mental as well as physical training and a sense of achievement. The wish to teach the young and give their support to judo were also prominent among the reasons. It seems that these high grade veterans were motivated by a wish to give back to judo something of that which they Hirohashi , Watanabe and the Hodkinson’ s at the Golden Temple Kyoto themselves had gained from it. Page 2

Judo in England - Its Roots and Early History—Richard Bowen

Judo in England - Its Roots and twelve. Once in Tokyo he en- Early History rolled as a trainee telegrapher And Some Other Early Matters under a government scheme. Richard Bowen It was during this period that he started Tenshin Shinyo On Saturday, January 26th 1918, Ryu, a leading school of ju- The Budokwai opened its doors jutsu. Once qualified as a tele- for the first time. Two days later, grapher he worked for a while on the Monday evening, those in Tokyo before volunteering training on the mat heard the to work on the railways in sound of gunfire - London was Korea. By now another ambi- still being subjected to the occa- tion had arisen, he wanted to sional bombing. It was to be study electricity and, in his many months and many thou- opinion, the best place to do sands of deaths before the Armi- that was in America. Having stice on November 11th 1918 little money he decided to brought the carnage on the work his way to the West in a Western Front and elsewhere to series of 'hops', which he did an end. via Shanghai, Hong Kong, But how did The Budokwai come Singapore, India, arriving in cal engineering, and also at- (when asked why he never into existence? north Wales in 1906. There is tending evening classes and became British he would give a no space here to relate the taking a correspondence gentle laugh and, pointing to Gunji Koizumi - Early Life many unusual experiences course. Feeling confident of his his face, remark, "The face is It could hardly be a case of or- and adventures he had en ability he returned to London in wrong!" ). The contribution ganizational spontaneous gen- route. 1910 and attempted to set up took the form of starting an eration, so to speak. The story as an electrician in Vauxhall institute for the study of the begins many thousands of miles Koizumi comes to Britain Bridge Road. But to set up a martial arts and their related away, in the village of Koma- He arrived in London on Au- business one needs what he did cultural activities. He found tsuka in Ibaraki Province, Japan, gust Bank Holiday 1906 and not have - capital! This caused and leased two shops in Lower in July 1885. There Koizumi took a job as a teacher at a another change of plan. Seek- Grosvenor Place, Victoria. As Gunji was born, the younger son school in Golden ing an occupation more akin we have seen, the premises of a tenant farmer, Koizumi Square, Soho, which had been with his artistic leanings, he opened on January 26th 1918. Shukichi (1853-1903) and his set up a few years earlier by studied lacquer-work and set up There was one dojo (training wife Katsu (1855-1920). As the Uyenishi (Raku). This is the a business based on this. Suc- hall) of about twenty feet by younger son there were only two last time he taught jujutsu cess followed and within a few twenty feet. The baby Budok- paths open to him: start his own professionally, for the rest of years he had thirteen or four- wai was solidly democratic, farm, or be adopted into a family his life he was a strict ama- teen people working for him with an elected committee, without a male heir - a Japanese teur. Nine months later, in and numbered The Queen Mary annual general meetings, a custom. He liked neither option 1907, he had saved enough to and Lord Kitchener among his constitution and so on - al- so, at the age of fifteen, he left sail for America. Once there, clients. though these took a little time home to seek his fortune in To- and after several minor jobs, By 1917, married and with a to establish. kyo. He had already embarked he was employed as an elec- thriving business, he felt that he Koizumi was an iron-willed on his life-long fascination with trician's help at the Newark had to make some contribution man of the highest probity. He the martial arts, having started Public Service Railway Com- to help his adopted country was also a strict democrat kendo at school when he was pany learning practical electri- insisting on democratic proc- esses being followed, remark- ing a number of times that otherwise, "Dictators will arise." He foresaw the future accurately! Apart from being responsible for the rent of £130 per annum, he paid his fees along with other mem- bers within a day or two of the opening. By the end of the first year the membership amounted to fifty-four, mostly Japanese. The first Englishman to join was O.D. Smith as member number thirty-seven: was member num- ber fourteen, and W.E. Steers number fifty-two. Steers was to introduce Ernest John Harrison in May 1919; they had been friends in Japan. The first woman member, number sixty, Miss Katherine Cooper-White, Fukogawa 1902 Issue No 19 Page 3

Judo in England - Its Roots and Early History—Richard Bowen (cont.)

Jigoro Kano, Gunji Koizumi. and others joined in April 1919. Following tems at the time. It was certainly jujutsu to Britain and indeed Jutsu as Practised in Japan her lead other women joined not the Kano Ryu of jujutsu, as Europe. He died leaving no which was published in 1906. By and within a few years there Kodokan Judo was first named in funds and, without relatives, circa 1908, when Raku left Brit- was a regular women's section. early sources. On his return to consequently rests in an un- ain, the school was taken over Koizumi, as many will attest, London in 1898 Wright set up a marked grave in Kingston by William Garrud, another of his had a droll, a very English, School of Arms in Shaftesbury Cemetery. Perhaps some pupils. Tani, along with Miyake sense of humour; a tax inspec- Avenue where boxing, fencing, kindly judo organization will (there were other Japanese ex- tor and member of the Society, wrestling, la savate and, with the one day erect a suitable me- perts around by then, including related to the writer that for advent of the Tani brothers, ju- morial. Ono and Maeda - the latter being many years Kozumi completed jutsu was taught. Indeed, before Following the break with Bar- the originator of the Gracie ju- his Tax Return in Japanese. the Tanis arrived Wright was ton Wright, Tani was taken jutsu style), also opened a "There was nothing to stop him already given demonstrations of under the wing of William school, this in Oxford Street, doing this, so we had to get it what he called . This was Bankier. Bankier, whose stage which was to last about two translated." While something of actually not much more than name was Apollo, performed years. Koizumi's personal history has jujutsu with a few special fea- as a strongman. He was what Early in 1906 Tani and Miyake been given, what of the others tures added in. Tani, and indeed Barton also a published a book, The mentioned above who made Soon the Tani brothers were Wright, was not - an experi- Game of Ju-Jitsu - for the Use of important contributions to the joined by Yamamoto. Apart from enced showman. During the Schools and Colleges. It is worth baby Budokwai? teaching at his school, it became four or five years he and Tani mentioning that Mrs Emily Watt, obvious that Wright wanted the were together they performed a pupil of Raku, also wrote a Japanese to perform on the mu- in many places around Britain, book, The Fine Art of Jujitsu, in sic halls. Tani's elder brother and Apollo doing his strongman 1906. A further work was pro- Tani Yukio Yamamoto disagreed with this act and also assisting Tani in duced by Bankier, Ju-Jitsu: What The first professional teacher of and returned to Japan. Shortly the jujutsu. Apollo dealt with It Really Is, in December 1904, the Society was Tani Yukio (in after, Wright brought in Uyenishi the business side, arranging this being based on a series of Japanese usage the surname Sadakazu who, along with Yukio, engagements in theatres and articles published in the Apollo comes first). Tani (1881-1950) had no objection to appearing on music halls. Eventually the Magazine of Health and Strength arrived in late 1900 accompa- the boards. They caused a sensa- partnership was to split. Many and containing many photo- nied by his brother, brought over tion, taking on all-comers of any years later, Bankier was to join graphs of Tani and Uyenishi. It by E. W. Barton Wright. Wright, weight and ability and beating The Budokwai thus being must be said, that while all the who was obsessed all types of them. Within a couple of years united with Tani once more. works noted are excellent, those fighting, spent three years in both Tani and Uyenishi broke Uyenishi, who used the stage- by the Japanese are superior to Japan where he learned jujutsu. with Wright who now disappears name Raku, opened the those of Bankier and Watts. It It is unknown which school he from the story. But all honour school in Golden Square men- also has to be said, that all other attended, but it was probably must be accorded Edward Wil- tioned earlier. .Uyenishi, with jujutsu books published in Eng- the Tenshin Shinyo Ryu, the liam Barton Wright (1860-1951) the aid of his pupil Nelson, lish over these years should be most popular of the older sys- for it was he who introduced wrote The Text Book of Ju regarded as objects of curiosity and not worthy of serious study. The Kano Society

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The Richard Bowen Tap in good time! Collection

In 1949, Richard Bowen began judo training in London at the Budokwai, of which became Vice-President. He lived in Japan By Keni Hirohashi (edited by M Hodkinson) for four years to deepen his studies. A former British Interna- tional, he fought in the first ever World Judo Championships in Japan in 1956. He was the author of more than eighty arti- The case is of a man aged 26, ranked 2nd dan, who cles. Richard Bowen built up an extensive Judo Library in the course of research for his articles and books, and he kindly had practised judo for 14 years and who was taking donated it to the University of Bath Library. Items in the col- part in the US Open Championships. His opponent lection are for reference use only (not available for loan). applied jujigatame to the right arm and he resisted Items can be viewed between 9am-5pm. If you would like to this with his full strength. The result of this was that look at an item from The Richard Bowen Collection, please he tore his right pectoralis major muscle from its at- contact the Subject Librarian, Peter Bradley. +44 1225 tachments to the humerus (long bone of the upper 384784 arm). Fortunately he had a good result from surgical A copy of the video ‘An Interlude with Richard Bowen’ has repair. Nonetheless, this was a painful and serious also been donated to the collection. injury.

The obvious moral of the story is that, even in the Martial Arts and Zen most competitive situations, judoka need to retain a Titles Available from www.Dial-Media.com commonsense approach to submission to arm locks Or email the Kano Society at [email protected] Videos and DVDs

NEW - ‘Ko-Izumi, Little Spring’ - NEW DVD or VHS 35mins £10 donation plus p&p Sword and mind The flowers of the heart Judo for life The soft and the hard The Stone sermon Tips and icebergs Tapes by Trevor Leggett Zen Titles All above titles £10 donation each plus p&p.

An Interlude with Richard Bowen £15 donation +p&p Gunji Koizumi 35mins £15 donation plus p&p; Go-shin jutsu Part I & Part II £15 plus p&p each; Kawamura technique & gokyo - 55min-£15 +p&p Helio Gracie performs Ude Hishigi Juji Gatame An Englishwoman in Japan - Sarah Meyer and Ichiro Hatta - Based on letters to Gunji Koizumi - 15 mins - £10 donation plus p&p Budokwai advert 90 secs clip £3 donation Allan Zipeure Judo Man at 90 £10 donation Len Hunt – Judo Newaza Legend VHS or DVD 35mins £15 donation plus p&p Martial Arts Videos (Proceeds of sales to charity) In preparation—Kimeno Kata