Budo Ryu Karate - Student Manual
Budo Ryu Karate Do
Student Manual
Compiled by the instructors of Budo Ryu - 2004
E:\Budo_Ryu\Manual\Manual All.doc
Updated 28 January 2001
Introduction
The Goals of Budo Ryu
Self Protection vs. Self Perfection
Kindness of spirit
The road ahead
Training Principles
Dual Road - Physical and mental/spiritual
The Mental Principles
Budo weapons
Belt Rank and Advancement Testing
Kyu Requirements
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Yellow Belt......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Yellow one stripe......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Yellow two stripes......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Green Belt......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Green one stripe......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS- Green two stripes......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS BROWN......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Brown - one stripe......
PRE-TEST REQUIREMENTS Brown - two stripes......
Terminology Dictionary......
Recommended Reading for further study......
Introduction
What is Budo Ryu
Budo Ryu is a self-defense oriented style of Martial Arts derived from Japanese traditional arts and incorporating techniques from many martial disciplines. While rooted in traditional forms, Budo Ryu is an evolving style which grows and changes to perfect it’s techniques. Practicality is central to our style and techniques which have limited application or require special physical skills are not part of the core of Budo Ryu techniques.
The Goals of Budo Ryu
Budo Ryu was founded to provide students practical self defense techniques with a “low investment - high yield” philosophy. Low Investment means that techniques which are simple to learn and apply are taught first and these techniques show immediate results. The idea that a student can learn effective self defense strategies in just a few classes is central to the teachings of Budo Ryu. As the student progresses, more complicated techniques are introduced, but the goal is to provide effective self defense first before moving ahead to techniques which may take years to perfect.
Because of this philosophy, these techniques do not require radical physical changes in the student. How can a self defense technique which requires extreme flexibility be effectively learned in a few weeks when obtaining the flexibility to execute it properly may take years ? The core techniques of Budo Ryu can be applied by the average student right away.
Budo Ryu is also called a “No Way Way”. A style unbounded by adherence to conventions. This means that while specific techniques are taught in a strict form to be performed a very specific way, this is intended for the beginner. For new students, these rules are necessary to provide a framework from which to expand and eventually break free of the rules of “standard” karate. Many great teachers over the centuries have rejected strict formalism in styles because they become static - “concretized” - over time and lose their vitality. Jeet Kun Do, Bruce Lee’s famous martial style, was such a method as were the sword techniques of the greatest Japanese swordsman of all time, Miyamoto Musashi. Musashi directly rejects the various schools of his day saying that once having learned the basic postures and cutting techniques through repeated practice, the student will discover methods which extend and then break the confines of the limitations of form.
Budo Ryu grew from these same motivations. As times change, so must self defense tactics. Tactics developed to stop an unarmed attacker may remain a constant, but more and more attacks with more dangerous weapons by people who may be numbed by the effects of drugs or alcohol, call for new strategies. Who knows what might self-defense challenges we may face 50 years from now. A static style will never learn to deal with attacks which are evolving. Budo Ryu’s founder also realized the power of a flexible form and when he later read the writings of Musashi, his vision of an evolving style was crystallized.
Self Protection vs. Self Perfection
In ancient times the primary function of any martial art was self protection. The “martial” aspect was emphasized and the “art” was secondary. The Japanese word for “Martial Art” is BuJutsu. “Bu” being “military or martial”, “justu” becoming translated as “art”. The character for “Bu” consists of the radicals “to stop” ( ) and “spear” ( ), the ancient implication being a military man’s foremost duty was of protection and defense. The character for Jutsu does not mean “art” as we commonly think of it. It means “useful” or “technique”. So the original meaning of BuJutsu was a “practically useful martial form”. During Japans 300 years of civil war which ended in the 1600’s, the various Ryu or “schools” developed their particular form of BuJutsu to a high degree. Self Protection was the goal, not just of the self, but of the clan, the family and one’s sovereign lord.
Over time, as civil unrest ceased and armed conflict became more rare, the energies of many Ryu became completely focused on developing the character of those practicing the martial arts. The practical combat aspect was slowly suppressed. As a result, the various Ryu found themselves teaching non-combative techniques focusing on the individual’s self-perfection. These styles were no longer “Jutsu” forms, they became “Do” forms. “Do” means “way” or “path”, the implication is a path to self-improvement, enlightenment or education. It does not mean self-protection.
Today there are many Ryu which focus on the “Do” aspect - Kendo - Japanese Fencing, Karate-Do, Judo - Wrestling, Iaido - the art of drawing the sword, etc. These forms are self-perfection forms which teach techniques whose roots are in the Jutsu traditions but which have became more stylized and less useful in combat situations. In many schools the line between Do and Justu forms is blurred and they are often taught side by side without distinction. “Do” forms have great power to mold character, teach discipline and tradition. What is lacking is the practicality of the older forms.
Budo Ryu’s core principle is that of the ancient “Jutsu” forms - practical self-defense. Ultimately though, a trained fighter without self-discipline is like a loaded gun with no safety. All martial arts, whether they be hand-to-hand or weapons oriented require more than merely memorizing physical techniques.
Self Discipline
Discipline is the cornerstone of the martial spirit and the single most important lesson to be gained from your training. Without it, instructors have no way of knowing if what they are teaching will be used for aggression or for self-defense. In class and out, the student must remember the responsibility which comes with the power behind their techniques. Reinforced in class through drill and absolute obedience to instructors and senior students, the discipline of the student will be seen in their every day lives in the actions and words.
Kindness of spirit
With the knowledge of the power of the students training and the discipline which tempers it comes and natural progression to a kind and generous spirit. Courtesy, honesty and integrity show through.
Respect for others
Discipline in the training hall inevitably flows out into the students everyday life. Respect for others is central and this attitude, perfected in class through rigorous training, permeates the students daily life both in an out of class.
The road ahead
How long will it take to get to the “end” of your journey ? Many years ago, a young student approached a Karate master and asked the same question - “How long will it take to reach Black Belt ?”. The Master replied “6 years”. “What if I train twice as hard?” The master replied - “10 years”. “What if I train everyday with all my effort ?” Again the master replied - “12 years”. The puzzled student asked ‘ Master, I don’t understand. If I train harder than anyone else, if I train everyday with all my energy, why will it take me 12 years to earn my black belt.” The master smiled and said, “With one eye on your goal, you will have only one eye to find the way.”
And so it will go with your training. You will learn the journey has no end and that the road you will travel - the training in class - is the reward. Keep both eyes on the training at hand and the improvement we all seek will find it’s way to us.
Brief History of Karate
Earliest forms
Martial disciplines are as ancient as mankind. Certainly before recorded history rudimentary systems of martial combat were practiced. These forms have been lost in time, but modern Karate’s roots extend thousands of years into the past.
The earliest evidence of martial forms comes from clay tablets carved in Greece around 300 BC. These crude fighting forms, called “Pankration”, were practiced by Alexander the Great’s soldiers and carried throughout the near east during Alexander’s conquests. In India, Pankration was influenced by the Indian warrior class whose Vajramushti disciplines were taught to all of the caste. At the time, the nobility were educated in martial disciplines and a young Buddhist monk named Bodhidahrma studied the new forms. His life is a story which has long ago been transformed by myth and legend. Much of what is known has been passed down by oral tradition and therefore many “facts” of his life may be fiction. But to the martial arts, Bodhidharhma’s life story is central.
Bodhidharhma left India sometime during the 6th Century and traveled to Liang Province, China where he was greeted by Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu was greatly interested in Bodhidharma’s new religion and his martial background. But Wu found the teachings difficult to understand and the long hours of silent meditation were too much for him to bear. He banished Bodhidharhma from Liang. But Bodhidharhma was certain his philosophy that only “Jiriki” - self effort through protracted meditation and self discipline - would lead one to true enlightenment. Bodhidharhma devised exercises to improve the physical nature so that his students could endure the long meditation sessions. To this day meditation remains a central precept of Mahayana[1] Buddhism.
The exercises and the Buddhist philosophy were contained in two books, the I-Chin-Ching and the Hsiensui-Ching. These exercises were called the Shin Pa Lo Han Sho or the 18 Hands of Lo Han. Very likely they were developed using Bodhidarhma’s Vashramushti training as a basis. In modern times, Hun-Gar Kung Fu schools teach a variation of this early form.
To build endurance and strength, the exercises were done slowly and resembled modern Kata[2]. Slow movements are a characteristic of modern T’ai Chi, a Chinese martial form which focuses on inner harmony. As the students mastered the slow forms, they increased their speed. Chinese Kempo (boxing) developed around the same time and these forms were combined with Bodhidarhma’s regimen to form Shaolin Kempo. Later, these forms were known as Shaolin Ch’uan Fa (Kung Fu). Forbidden to carry weapons of any kind, the Shaolin monks were well known for their prowess in unarmed combat using Shaolin Ch’uan Fa.
Sometime after Bodhidarhma’s death, a Ch’uan Fa master named Ch’ueh Yuan Shang-Jen combined the 18 hands of Lo Han with his own forms. Traveling to Shensi province Shang-jen met another Ch’uan Fa master name Li. Together they developed 170 movements and named the best of these “Snake”, Dragon, Crane and tiger. Shaolin Ch’uan Fa became the first school of unarmed fighting known as the external school.
From this beginning, the arts found their way to many Asian and southeast Asian countries. In each, the forms found a unique expression, combining with locally developed styles to form new schools. During this period of time from around 600 AD to the late 1300’s, the development of martial forms was wide spread. In 1372, the origins of modern Karate found their way to the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. The ancient Ch’uan Fa forms landed there and when combined with the native Okinawan forms, was called Tode. Tode Ch’uan Fa was modified through the years until the early 1600’s.
After 300 years of civil war, Japan came under one ruler - the Tokugawa family whose leader Tokugawa Ieyasu [3]was named “Shogun” (military ruler) of all Japan. To placate the defeated Satsuma clan , the Shogun granted permission for the Satsuma to subjugate the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. This attack in 1609 ended Okinawan independence. To ensure against civil uprisings, Shimazu Iehisa issued a ban on all weapons and a house to house search was ordered to collect them. The Okinawans, stripped of their only means of self defense turned to their unarmed combat forms. Local Ch’uan Fa and Tode schools joined forces in 1629 and the Ryu’s alliance resulted in the “Te” - literally “Hand” - form of Martial Arts.
Because of the martial rule of the Satsuma, “Te” was forced to exist as a secret style for many years. Kata were disguised as dance and all written accounts of the style were suppressed. Te divided into two schools, the Naha Te which was primarily defensive and the Shuri Te which was offensive. Also during this time, Te practitioners developed Kata and individual techniques using farm tools as weapons. Most of the weapons taught in modern Karate schools were at one time simple farms tools. For example, the most famous, the “Nanchuka” was at one time a rice beater used to separate the rice grains from the plants.
In 1890, Japan annexedOkinawa. “Te” was renamed “Karate-Jutsu “ or the “China hand art”. In 1903, impressed with the physiques of the Okinawan students who studied this martial art, the Japanese government authorized Karate-justu as physical education in all Okinawan schools. Funakoshi Gichin Sensei[4], a prominent Okinawan instructor was invited to Japan to demonstrate his forms at Japanese Universities. By 1924 Funakoshi Sensei showed that Karate could be part of the university curriculum and Deio University in Tokyo became the first to organize a dojo. Other Karate masters followed Funakoshi and each founded new styles. Funakoshi founded Shotokan Karate. Mabuni Sensei the Shinto Style of Karate.
By 1932, all Japanese universities had their own dojos. The character “Kara” meaning China was replaced with the character for empty - still pronounced Kara - to form “Karate-justu”, the empty hand art.
Karate comes to the US
In 1922, a Ch’uan Fa school opened in Hawaii. Accepting only Chinese students it was the first martial arts school in the US. In 1927 Yabo Kensu Sensei, an Okinawan master, traveled to Hawaii to demonstrate his techniques at the Honolulu YMCA. Okinawans living in Hawaii convinced another master Motobu Chokei Sensei to open a school in Hawaii.
Following Chokei Sensei, two masters Mustu Suiho Sensei and Higaonna Kamusuke Sensei opened the Karate Seinen Kai in Hawaii in 1933. Public demonstrations of the new art followed and the first westerners to train studied under Mustu Sensei and Higaonna Sensei. From 1936 to 1942 interest in the arts waned. But in 1942 Dr. James Mitose opened the official self defense club at Beretania mission in Honolulu. When he retired he left five students Thomas Young, William Chow, Paul Yamaguchi, Arthur Keawe and Edward Lowe to carry the arts forward.
The Okinawan forms flourished after WW II when US servicemen who had studied the arts abroad brought them back to the US. In 1960 Hirukazu Sensei of the Japan Karate Association was sent to Hawaii to teach Shotokan, Funakoshi Sensei’s style. Popularity soon followed and with it, Karate landed on mainland America.
The first known school opened in Provo, Utah in 1954 under Edward Parker Sensei. [5] Parker’s demonstration during half-time at a basketball game attracted the interest of local police. Parker Sensei soon began teaching his form to the Provo police department. In 1959, Parker Sensei move to Pasadena, California where he opened a Kempo Karate school where he trained celebrities such as Elke Sommer, Robert Culp, Ruta Lee and Elvis Presley.
By 1957, Karate had reached the eastern United States. Don Nagel Sensei opened an Isshin Ryu dojo (an Okinawan form founded by Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei ) in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Nagel Sensei later opened a school in NJ which soon helped spread the arts through the New York metropolitan area.
Other styles, from Korea, China, Thailand, Indonesia and elsewhere developed along with Karate. These styles demonstrate a wide variety of techniques and are unique to their countries of origin. Budo Ryu has it’s roots primarily in the Okinawan and Japanese traditions and therefore their history is presented here.