What is Kodenkan Jujitsu & Danzan Ryu Jujitsu
Jujitsu is a system of unarmed self-defense that was practiced by the warrior class of Japan as an auxiliary art to the bow, spear, and sword. It was later practiced by commoners who were by law forbidden to carry arms. Its earliest forms were crude but effective throws, chokes, joint-locks, and strikes (kicks and punches) to vital points of the body.
There are many "styles" of jujitsu, called systems or schools; the system to which our jujitsu is based of is Danzan-Ryu. The Danzan-Ryu is a synthesis of the best techniques of the ancient jujitsu schools (Yoshin, Kosogabe, Shibukawa-Ryu, Yoshin-Ryu, Namba-Shoshin-Ryu), Okinawan Karate, Chinese Kung-Fu, Hawaiian Lua, Filipino knife fighting, and traditional Japanese restorative massage and healing techniques. It was developed by Professor Henry S. Okazaki whose school, the Kodenkan, was headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Danzan-Ryu translates to Cedar Mountain School or Hawaiian Island System.
Kodenkan translates to The School of Ancient Tradition or The School in which Senior Students Transmit the Tradition. Both are accurate translations, in that Danzan-Ryu is based on ancient jujitsu schools, and the method of instruction requires that senior students teach junior students in the spirit that Okazaki declared was inherent in the Hawaiian word kokua:
Danzan-Ryū (檀山流, "Sandalwood Mountain System" from a Chinese name for Hawaii) is a Ryū of jujutsu founded by Henry Seishiro Okazaki (1890–1951) in Hawaii. Danzan Ryū is ubiquitous in the United States, particularly on the west coast.
Henry Seishiro Okazaki was born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan in 1890. In 1906, he immigrated to the island of Hawaii. Soon after, he was afflicted with a pulmonary condition which may have been tuberculosis.[citation needed] It was during this time, however, that young Okazaki began studying under Yōshin-ryū jujutsu sensei by the name of Yoshimatsu Tanaka in Hilo, Hawaii. Okazaki intensely pursued his studies under Tanaka and he found after sometime that his respiratory condition had gone into remission. Okazaki felt that the study of martial arts had played a large role in his physical recovery and as a result he decided to dedicate his life to the study and teaching of jujitsu and related disciplines.[citation needed] Later in his life he would adopt the western name, Henry.
In 1924, Okazaki returned to Japan and underwent a study of the various schools, or ryū-ha, of the then most popular Jūjutsu styles of Yōshin-ryū, Namba-Shoshin Ryū, Iwaga Ryū, Kosogabe Ryū, Kōdōkan Jūdō, and several others. Later that year when he returned to the Hawaiian Islands, he continued the study of jūjutsu under the various masters who had emigrated from Japan to Hawaii. Incorporating not only traditional jūjutsu, but also Hawaiian Lua, Okinawan Karate, Eskrima, Kung Fu, and wrestling, he began to synthesize the most effective aspects of these various styles into an eclectic system which he called 'Danzan Ryū'. Okazaki used this name to honor his Chinese martial arts teacher, Wo Chong. The Chinese name for Hawai'i is T'an Shan (or in Japanese, Dan Zan) which translates as 'sandalwood mountain'. Hence the term Danzan-Ryu means Sandalwood Mountain School.
Okazaki's school was founded in Hawaii. The name Kodenkan may be translated as 'The School of the Ancient Tradition' or as 'The School in Which Senior Students Transmit the Tradition.' Both translations are accurate. Okazaki's method of instruction prescribed that senior students to teach their junior students in the spirit of mutual assistance. Okazaki declared that this method of instruction was the foundational philosophy of the AJJF; Okazaki called this philosophy kokua, which in Hawaiian is defined as to mutually help one another.
Another notable aspect of his philosophy was that he was willing to teach both people of non-Asian extraction and women the arts. This was frowned upon by parts of the Asian community in Hawaii at that time. By all accounts[citation needed] the original classes were grueling, and as below, Okazaki taught different courses to different individuals. (Esmailzadeh 1) Around the time of the founding of Kodenkan it took approximately four years to earn a Shodan ranking. During this time students trained 6–7 days a week.[citation needed]
The seifukujutsu was Okazaki's gift to honor the traditions of martial arts, from which he derived benefit in his initial study of martial arts after arriving in his new home of Hawaii.
Upon completing about a year of study," Okazaki wrote in his Esoteric Principles (contained in the Mokuroku scroll given to his pupils who mastered his system), "I acquired a body of iron" (paraphrased), so he dedicated his life to the study of martial arts and the healing techniques associated with each style he took up. Some among his students carried on his healing traditions. In 1984 third and fourth generation devotees standardized his style of massage from notes by Okazaki's students into the AJJF certification program in Okazaki Restorative Massage (recognized by the AOBTA as ORM, but also known as Okazaki Long Life, Nikko Restorative Massage).
Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, Okazaki, along with many Japanese, was interned for six months. (Note: This is alleged, but not substantiated through FOIA requests to the U.S. Government. It is possible that he was only held under arrest and not placed in an interment camp.) He was released relatively quickly because of the intervention of Curley Freedman who used his FBI contacts to aid in Okazaki's release. Curley was the 1st Tile Contractor in Honolulu and installed tile in the homes and businesses of many Japanese. Because of his craftsmanship, he was well liked and widely known. The FBI asked his assistance in identifying Japanese Fishing Sanpans that may have been contacting Japanese Subs and relaying US Naval Pearl Harbor activity. The FBI would also ask Bud Estes, who worked for Curley in the tile business, to assist in identifying drug dealers on another island during the harvest period. As Bud had knowledge of the island from his Salvation Army missionary days, he agreed and assisted the FBI until his cover was revealed.
Okazaki was also fortunate in that his dojo was unmolested, as his students protected it from looters who ransacked Japanese homes and businesses. Because of the preservation of his assets, he was able to lend aid to the Asian community who had formerly shunned him. In this way he became accepted by them.
During wartime, Okazaki continued teaching and also assisted the US military in creating a hand-to-hand combat curriculum (based largely on the 120 Commando Technique list). Ironically, at the same time, Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern Karate, was responsible for hand-to-hand training of many members of the Japanese military (Funakoshi 88). Okazaki is sometimes said to have been responsible for the WWII US Army Field Combatives Manual FM 21-150, but that manual gives credit to those from the American Judo Club of New York City.
Okazaki suffered a stroke in July 1948, from which he recovered somewhat in 1949, when he continued teaching. Okazaki died on July 12, 1951 at the age of sixty-two. He left a rich martial arts legacy which has grown and branched for more than fifty years.
