Danzan Ryu History
(from the American Judo and Jujitsu Federation)
Danzan Ryu is a system of martial and healing arts that captures the essence of traditional Japanese Budo (warrior skills) and delivers it with the warmth and power of Hawai’i nei (Hawaiian culture) The system was created in the early 1920s by Henry Seishiro Okazaki. Professor Okazaki had immigrated to Hawai’i from Japan at an early age in search of work in the islands. When as a young man he was diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis he committed himself wholeheartedly to his martial arts training and put his health in the hands of his sensei. He ultimately recovered and dedicated his life to the practice and teachings of what is now Danzan Ryu.
During the years 1927-28 Okazaki developed a complete, integrated martial arts system:Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. A synthesis of several older styles of Jujitsu, Okazaki included in the system elements of his studies of Okinawan Karate, Chinese Kung-Fu, Hawaiian Lua, Filipino Knife Fighting (Escrima), Boxing and Wrestling, as well as traditional Japanese Restorative Massage and Healing Techniques (Seifukujitsu).
Jujitsu is a Japanese philosophy of self-defense, relying on skill and technique rather than strength and size. Judo is the practice of the “Way” of Jujitsu. It’s the elevation of one’s total self by understanding and adopting the principles of Ju into your manner of being. Professor Okazaki referred to his style of Jujitsu as “Judo” because he believed it was a path to greater self-awareness and health. Danzan Ryu Judo/Jujitsu training is systematic and comprehensive. It involves learning to roll and fall (Sutemi), to move and balance (Tai Sabaki), to escape from grabs and manipulate joints (Yawara), to throw & project (Nage), to submit an opponent (Shime), to counter and transition (Oku), to reverse damage and heal injuries (Seifukujitsu), as well as many other in-depth areas of focus. Training is completed in phases or “transmissions.”
Within these transmissions are the following training goals:
Condition the Body: Flexibility, Balance/Coordination,Stamina
Focus the Mind: Patience, Sensitivity, Concentration
Awaken the Spirit: Intuition, Creativity, Compassion
The ultimate goal of your training in Danzan Ryu is to align your physical, mental, and emotional self. This alignment represents completion of your character and gives you access to your ultimate power, which is the full integration of your body, mind and spirit. Danzan Ryu is practiced by men and women both young and old. It is a highly effective method of self-defense and a great way to stay healthy and in touch with all aspects of your being.
The Kodenkan was the name of Master Okazaki’s school (dojo) 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. The method of instruction requires senior students to teach less advanced students in the spirit that Master Okazaki declared was inherent in the Hawaiian word Kokua: “to mutually help one another”. This spirit of Kokua is the foundation & philosophy of the AJJF. AJJF Established in 1958 The American Judo and Jijitsu Federation (AJJF) traces its history from Master Okazaki. Several of his students came to the mainland in the late 1930’s established schools and began teaching the techniques of Danzan Ryu. Four of Master Okazaki’s students, founders John Cahill, Bud Estes, Ray Law, and Richard Rickerts wished to help fulfill Master Okazaki’s dream of having a Danzan Ryu Jujitsu school, in every state of the union. They founded the AJJF, which was incorporated as a non-profit State of California corporation on May 21, 1958.
