Jōdō and jōjutsu Because Shintō Musō-ryū has had no single head-organization or single governing body since the late 1600s, there is no standardized way of passing on the tradition. Dōjos belonging to individual SMR groups have individual ways of training and passing on the tradition. As with several other arts, such as
iaidō and
aikidō, Shimizu Takaji renamed "
jōjutsu" "
jōdō" in the year 1940. (Note that the use of the appellation "
jōdō" is still not universal for all SMR practitioners and groups.) The words
jōjutsu and
jōdō are normally used interchangeably by the various groups.
Staff methods Being a
koryū, an old school with a traditional way of teaching, SMR relies on verbal instructions (as opposed to the detailed manuals of the more modern era) in order to teach the large majority of the practical applications in the art. The teacher-student relationship is very important to koryu-arts. The training forms (
kata) alone do not (and cannot for practical reasons) reveal all the large number of practical applications and variations of the techniques. This can only be done properly by an experienced teacher who spends many years passing on the teachings to the student in person. Many
koryū arts have deliberately hidden some, or all, applications inside their training forms, making them invisible unless properly explained by a teacher knowledgeable in the art. This was done as a way of making sure the secrets and principles could not be copied by rival schools or individuals, should an outsider accidentally (or by deliberate spying) observe the techniques in action. The SMR tradition has been shaped over the centuries as to teach the student the proper value and application of combative distance to the opponent (
maai), posture (
shisei), and mental awareness (
zanshin), among other skills. The result was the
Zen-Nihon Kendo Renmei Seitei Jōdō system consisting of twelve forms and twelve basic techniques. Ten of these forms are drawn from the existing Shintō Musō-ryū Jō forms with minor modifications, and two other forms were created specifically for Seitei Jōdō and based on Uchida-ryū Tanjō-jutsu forms. The latter forms are taught in various Shintō Musō-ryū dōjōs outside the main series of Kata.
Grades – new and classical For many of the classical martial arts organizations the highest rank available is the "License of Complete Transmission" (
Menkyo Kaiden) of the teachings of the system, and includes the technical as well as oral transmission. This rank is used in many classical martial arts of Japan. In SMR, a student considered for a
Menkyo Kaiden must first attain the separate rank of
Menkyo. This process will take many years, depending upon the skill, dedication and maturity of the student. Shimizu Takaji himself was issued his
Menkyo Kaiden very early in his life in comparison to modern western standards, though he trained for several hours each day. A person with a fully valid
Menkyo Kaiden has the right to teach the art to whoever he or she chooses and also holds the right to issue scrolls of transmissions to his students. The
Menkyo Kaiden holder may also, if he so chooses, implement modifications in the SMR system to techniques or kata. As Shintō Musō-ryū does not have a single organization with a single leader, these changes will only be relevant to that teacher's direct students, and will not be universal. Instead, every person who has been issued a
Menkyo Kaiden can technically be described as teaching their own variation of the
ryū, known as "
ha". "
Ha" is a variation of a martial arts system taught by a
Menkyo Kaiden but is still a part of the main
ryū. An example of this is the
Ittō-ryū school of kenjutsu. After the first generation died out, the school transformed into the
Ono-ha Ittō-ryū. However, if a
Menkyo Kaiden decided to make radical changes to the system, such as adding or removing parts of the art, he would be departing from belonging to a
ha, and in effect be creating a new style. So far in the post Shimizu Takaji SMR history, there has been no organisation who has taken the "-ha" description for their respective new branch. Shimizu Takaji himself, who introduced a set of basic techniques (kihon), and even a new series of kata (Gohon no midare) to the SMR Jo system, did not name his expanded system as "Shimizu-ha Shinto Muso Jo". There are five classical ranks in Shintō Musō-ryū, as follows in ascending order of seniority: • 1. The classical system of giving licenses of transmission: "Oku-iri", "Shomokuroku", "Gomokuroku", "Menkyo" and "Menkyo Kaiden". • 2. The
dan/
kyū system which is used in the majority of modern Japanese martial arts today. • 3. The "Shoden, Chūden and Okuden" ranks, put into effect by
Donn F. Draeger and Pascal Krieger. It is used today by the International Jodo Federation and its sub-organisations including the European Jodo Federation.
Grades in the International Jōdō Association The IJA follows the grading system used by Ichitarō Kuroda. Students grade up to 5th dan and thereafter receive licenses of transmission. Students must also grade with the Zen Nippon Kendō Renmei in the Seitei series of Kata. • 1. The classical system of giving licenses of transmission: "Oku-iri", "Shomokuroku", "Gomokuroku", "Menkyo" and "Menkyo Kaiden". • 2. The dan/kyu system. Grades are issued up to 5th dan.
Grades in the Nihon Jōdōkai NJK was headed by Kaminoda Tsunemori and incorporates two separate grade-systems. • The classical system of giving licenses of transmission: "
Oku-iri", "
Sho-mokuroku", "
Go-mokuroku", "
Menkyo" and "
Menkyo Kaiden". • A new system developed by Kaminoda Tsunemori's organization to replace the
Dan/Kyū system. The new system involves three ranks in three
jō-kata series, , and , after which the classical grade-system is used. Ranks attainable in the
Omote series: • • • Ranks attainable in the
Chūdan series: • • • Ranks attainable in the
Kage series: • • •
Weapons and training gear Jō – The staff •
The jō
is featured in several Japanese martial arts. For more information see the jō and Jodo articles. The
jō is a cylindrical wooden staff approximately 128 cm in length. In modern times, the measurements have been fixed at 128 cm in length and between 2.4 and 2.6 cm in width, though in the Edo-period the length of the
jō was customized to suit the height of the wielder. The
jō is used in several
gendai and
koryu martial arts, such as
aikidō and
Tendō-ryū. The
jō, like its larger sibling the
Bō, was never an effective killing-weapon on the battlefield in comparison to the sword, spear, glaive and bow. Although the
jō and most other staves could be used to lethal effect when thrust at vital points of the body, when faced with a fully armored opponent those vital points would in most cases be covered by armour-plating. As a result, there were very few
ryu that were dedicated to the staff-arts in the warring era with other more effective weapons were available, but there are several ryu that include jō techniques in its system. One example is the jō-tradition found in the koryū art Tendō-ryū Naginatajutsu, founded in 1582. In Tendō-ryū, which uses the Naginata as the primary weapon, there are techniques with the jō that simulates a scenario where the naginata has been cut in two and the wielder has to defend himself with the staff-portion only. With the onset of peace with the start of the Edo-period (1603–1867), the conflicts with heavy armored warriors became a thing of the past. In this era, the jō art would come into its own against non-
armored samurai, rōnin, bandits, and other opponents. It was extensively used to police the local clan domains. Various other martial arts also include elements of
jō that are not necessarily related to Shintō Musō-ryū. One of the most famous promoter of the
jō outside of Shintō Musō-ryū in modern times, and indeed in the martial arts community as a whole, was the founder of Aikidō,
Morihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba trained in a variety of ryu including Yagyū swordsmanship, but is not known to have trained in Shintō Musō-ryū. Ueshiba also used the long staff
bō to perform the same techniques.
Ken – The sword •
The sword is featured in several Japanese martial arts. For more information see the Kenjutsu article. , the traditional pairing of two Japanese swords which were the symbol of the samurai, showing the traditional Japanese sword cases (koshirae
) and the difference in size between the katana
(top) and the smaller wakizashi
/kodachi'' (bottom). The Japanese sword, with its long history and many variations, has a prominent role in Shintō Musō-ryū. For training purposes, wooden swords (
bokken) are used to minimize the risk of injuries. Practitioners use both the long wooden sword, generally called a bokutō or bokken, and the short wooden sword that is referred to as a kodachi (meant to represent the wakizashi, or simply "short sword" in both interpretations). Every form (
kata) starts with the attacker, called uchidachi, attacking the defender (shidachi), who in turn defeats the opponent. In a few of the kata, the bokken is used in tandem with the kodachi, but most forms require only the kodachi or bokken. In addition to the sword training provided in jō kata, an addition of twelve kenjutsu-kata is found in SMR.
Clothing In the majority of dōjos today, the jōdōka essentially uses the same clothing as practitioners of kendō, minus the armour and other protective padding: A blue/
indigo uwagi (jacket), an
obi (belt, often the same type as used in iaidō), a blue or black
hakama (wide trousers used by samurai). The type of clothing worn is not universal for all Shintō Musō-ryū dōjōs. In some dōjōs, which in addition to jōdō may also have aikidō practitioners, the white keikogi and regular white trousers are allowed. All-white keikogi and Hakama are also used in various dōjo and/or on special occasions such as public demonstrations or competitions.
Fuzoku Ryūha (Assimilated Schools) of Shintō Musō-ryū The original Shintō Musō-ryū tradition is composed of around 59 jō kata and is divided into seven sets. (The "Gohon-no-midare" kata series and the 12 "kihon" are a modern invention.) Together with the 12 kenjutsu kata they compose the core of the SMR-tradition. From the Edo period to the
Meiji period, several other arts were assimilated (
fuzoku) into the various branches of Shintō Musō-ryū and were meant to be practiced alongside the main jō forms. But, for all intents and purposes, each of the fuzoku ryūha retain a separate identity with their own history and tradition and are generally not taught to people outside the SMR-tradition. Over the years several lineages of Gonnosuke's original art have added or dropped other fuzoku ryūha. Matsuzaki Kin'emon was the third headmaster of SMR and is credited with the creation of the
Ittatsu-ryū and the
Ikkaku-ryu. These two arts were taught in the Kuroda-domain as a complement to the combat-arts of the
bushi (warriors) which included the staff, sword and musketry. The arts were not specifically SMR-arts though they were taught to the same students. After the fall of the Samurai the two arts found their way into the SMR-tradition as taught by Shiraishi Hanjirō, the art's 24th unofficial headmaster. In many Shintō Musō-ryū dōjo, the assimilated arts are not normally taught to a student until he/she has reached a designated level of experience & expertise and a certain level of proficiency in the jō forms. These designated levels are not standard but vary according to each organizations preference.
Isshin-ryū kusarigamajutsu Isshin-ryū kusarigamajutsu is a school of handling the chain and sickle weapon. The 24th unofficial headmaster of Shinto Musō Ryu, Shiraishi Hanjirō, received a full license (
Menkyo) in Isshin-ryū from Morikata Heisaku in the late 19th century,. Shiraishi would later transmit the Isshin-ryū to his own Jōdō students. Isshin-ryū should not be confused with the modern
Okinawan
karate system
Isshin-ryu.
Ikkaku-ryū juttejutsu Ikkakū-ryū juttejutsu utilizes the jutte as a way of self-defense for use against an attacker armed with a sword (katana). It was originally created by Matsuzaki Kin'emon, the third headmaster of SMR and originally did not limit itself to jutte training but had a variety of weapons. This weapon was mainly used by police forces of the late Edo-period of Japan. Chuwa-ryū tankenjutsu (中和流短剣術) is the name used for this art using the short sword (
tanken, 短剣) instead of the jutte.
Kasumi Shintō-ryū kenjutsu (Shintō-ryū kenjutsu) A collection of eight long-sword and four short-sword kata, including one two-sword kata are found in Shintō Musō-ryū. Neither the twelve kata nor the art itself had any known name in the Shintō Musō-ryū until the mid-19th century when "Shintō-ryū kenjutsu" started to be used and specific names were given for each of the twelve kata. In the 20th century, "Kasumi Shintō-ryū" or more recently "Shintō Kasumi-ryū" has surfaced as the original name for the twelve kata as taught in the Shintō Musō-ryū, though it is not yet an official name.
Uchida-ryū tanjōjutsu – (Sutekki-jutsu) Uchida-ryu is the art of using the tanjō (a 90 cm staff). It was originally created by SMR
menkyo Uchida Ryogoro in the late 19th century. It contains twelve kata, which at the time of their inception were loosely organised into a system called "sutteki-jutsu" and were derived mainly from Shintō Musō-ryū and Ikkaku-ryū techniques. "Sutteki" was the Japanese pronouncement of the English word "stick". Sutteki-jutsu was further developed by his son
Uchida Ryohei, who systematized his father's work and brought about the modern Uchida-ryū tanjōjutsu system. The art was first known as Sutekki-Jutsu and later named Uchida-ryū in honor of its creator. The art was adopted into SMR to be taught alongside the other arts.
Ittatsu-ryū hojōjutsu A school of restraining a person using cord or rope for use by police forces of the Edo-period and up to modern times.
Matsuzaki Kinueumon Tsunekatsu, the third headmaster is credited with creating the Ittatsu-ryū.
Weapons for integrated arts As with the staff, the weapons found in the integrated arts were not inventions of Shintō Musō-ryū headmasters, but had been created and used long before they were chosen to be taught alongside the Shintō Musō-ryū Jo forms.
Jutte (jitte) and tessen •
The jutte is featured in several Japanese martial arts. For more information see the jutte article. The jutte (or jitte) was a widespread
Edo period police weapon used to control, disarm, and subdue a criminal who would most likely be armed with a sword, without killing him (except in extreme situations). There exists at least 200 known variations of the jutte. The jutte used in Shintō Musō-ryū is approx 45 cm in length. In the integrated art of Ikkaku-ryū juttejutsu, the tessen, or war fan, approximately 30 cm in length, is used in tandem with the jutte in some of the kata.
Kusarigama •
The kusarigama is featured in several Japanese martial arts. For more information see the Kusarigama article. The kusarigama is a chain-and-sickle weapon. The weapon is used in several ryu and the design varies from school to school. The kusarigama used in Isshin-ryū has a straight, double-edged 30 cm blade with a wooden handle approx 36 cm long with an iron guard to protect the hand. The chain (
kusari) has a heavy iron weight and is attached to the bottom of the handle. The chain is 12
shaku long (3.6 meters) and the attached weight can be thrown against an opponent's weapon, hands or body, either disarming him or otherwise preventing him from properly defending himself against the kama. In some kata, the iron weight is thrown directly at the attackers body causing injury or stunning the opponent. The kusarigama also has non-lethal kata designed to trap and apprehend a swordsman, partially by using the long chain as a restraint. A famous user of the kusarigama outside of Shintō Musō-ryū was
Shishido Baiken, who was killed in a duel with the legendary Miyamoto Musashi. During kata practice a safer, all-wooden version (except the metal handguard) is used with softer materials replacing the chain and weight. For demonstrations (
embu) a kusarigama with a metal blade is sometimes used.
Tanjō The tanjō (,
short staff) is a 90 cm short staff used in the assimilated art Uchida-ryū tanjōjutsu. Although of the same length, the tanjo should not be confused with the
hanbō, which is used in other martial arts. The modern tanjō is the same width as a standard jō. The tanjō of the Meiji era were thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, as was the design of the walking-stick at the time. The original inspiration for the tanjō was the
western walking-stick which soon found a practical use in self-defense in the Meiji era. ==Organizations==