Kiai Yamabushi Ryu

 

Introduction

 

Kiai Yamabushi Ryu combines the schools of Yamabushi Ryu Jiu Jutsu and Kiai Aiki Bu Jutsu into a single supporting body with a common philosophy and repertoire of techniques. KYR was founded in 1993 by Shihan Jamie Lee Barron, Shihan George Scarrott, Shihan Jo Biggs and Renshi Garner Thomson, longstanding, well qualified martial artists of good reputation who were fed up with the political wrangling of their own associations. Initially under the World Kobudo Federation the association now organises its own memberships, insurance and gradings and affiliates associated clubs through the Bugei Remni. The senior, guiding and decision making, members of the Ryu are listed below:

 

 

Kiai Yamabushi Ryu aims to build from within, currently our clubs are small but new Dan grades are emerging gradually and new clubs are always being announced. Members of the Bugei Remni have access to gradings and courses run by the ryu even though they are not recognised as teaching Kiai Yamabushi Ryu Jiu Jutsu or Aiki Bu Jutsu.

 

 

Jiu - Jutsu : The Warrior Path of Yamabushi

 

The mountain warrior school should seek to emulate the traditional principals of warrior enlightenment. Within the confines of the dojo, the student should find peace and harmony and love, the seeds of which should be planted in their heart and nurtured by their training. As well as martial endeavours, the students should strive hard to perfect themselves inwardly by the understanding and concern for the well-being of others. This is why our training includes certain aspects of philosophy, psychology, sociology and theology, in order to better comprehend the problems of those around us, as well as making sense of our own.

 

The true path of the warrior enlightenment teaches us the totality of being, the inescapable fact that all people and all things are related at very complex levels. Thus we know that the self is not a fixed entity and that the images we create are constantly being modified by both our expectations and experiences. By practising outside of the dojo that which we are taught within, each of us can add to the light of the world.

 

Yamabushi Ryu translates as the of the mountain warrior school of martial arts. It is a system of combat that encompasses three warrior traditions.

 

*The arts of theShadow warrior

*The arts of the Peasant warrior

*The arts of the Samurai warrior

 

The many different methods of the school may be grouped under six main headings:

Go Waza

Hard techniques: Striking, kicking, constricting, and gouging. That is the arts of koppo and koshi jutsu, karate jutsu, atemi jutsu and shime te and shime waza.

 

Ju Waza

Soft techniques: This includes the principles of compliance and harmony and manifest itself in the aiki jutsu, jiu tai jutsu and jiu jutsu of the school.

Bu Gei Ju Happan

The weapon arts: Bo Jutsu, the arts of the staff which include hanbo (3ft stave) Tanbo (1ft stave) Jo (4ft stave). Biken Jutsu, the arts of the blade which includes iai (drawing the sword) ken (the use of the sword) tanto (knife). Kusari Jutsu, the arts of blade and chain, and So Jutsu the art of the spear.

 

Gunryaku Hei ho Jutsu

The arts of the field: This includes silent movement, climbing, the use of ropes, shelter building and techniques which use the land for help, sustenance and nourishment. That is the arts of Inton, Gotonpo, and Tenchijin Jutsu.

 

Healing arts: Shiatsu, kappo, kuatsu, ninyaku jutsu,

Which includes basic first aid, bone manipulation, herbalism, massage, resuscitation and revival.

 

Seishinteki kyokyo.

Personal or spiritual development: Which includes the study of philosophy, and theology in relation to the warrior path or the do of the martial arts. It may also include the study of modern skills of psychology e.g. N.L.P., creative visualisation and relaxation methods and self development.

 

Aiki Bu Jutsu - Kiai Yamabushi Ryu.

 

Yamabushi ryu is the school of the mountain warrior, training within this ryu is in eighteen arts one of which is Aiki Jutsu. Aiki bu jutsu is a comprehensive martial art in its own right is predominantly a form of Tai jutsu, based around circular movements and a combination of Ju waza (soft techniques) and Go waza (hard techniques).

 

As an Aiki Bu Jutsu practitioner you are a member of the Kiai Yamabushi Ryu and therefore should seek to emulate the traditional principals of warrior enlightenment. Within the confines of the dojo, the student should find peace and harmony and love, the seeds of which should be planted in their heart and nurtured by their training. As well as martial endeavors, the students should strive hard to perfect themselves inwardly by the understanding and concern for the well-being of others.

 

This is why training includes certain aspects of philosophy, psychology, sociology and theology, in order to better comprehend the problems of those around us as well as our own, and by this training find ourselves equipped with certain tools with which we can help in some small way to improve the situation. The true path of the warrior enlightenment teaches us the totality of being, the inescapable fact that all people and all things are related at very complex levels, connected by the benign love of the cosmic. Thus we know that the self is not a fixed entity and that the images we create are constantly being modified by both our expectations and experiences. By practicing outside of the dojo that which we are taught within, each of us can add to the light of the world.

 

Rekishiki No Aiki Budo

 

The principle of Aiki is concerned with using the body as a weapon of combat in accordance with the principles of Ai (concepts of harmony) and Ki (release and flowing of internal energy or "life force"). It is these principles which combine to produce the dynamic circular motion and nage waza (throwing techniques) of Aiki Jutsu.

 

The schools of Aiki Jutsu have a history that stretches back to the ninth century, sometime before the founder of Daito Ryu and Takeda Ryu Aiki Jutsu , Minamoto No Yoshimitsu (1056 - 1127). In Japanese historical records there is mention of a school of mountain Fuji that taught the "combat art of divine harmony" to nobility and their retainers. Certainly the existence is known of a Teijun Fujiwara, son of emperor Seiwa Fujiwara (850-888), who formulated some grappling techniques which passed down through the family line until they were codified by Minimoto No Yoshimitsu.

 

The history of Aiki Jutsu has been passed down through two main schools, the Daito Ryu and the Takeda Ryu. These schools were bu jutsu schools, that is to say schools of complete systems of military combat, members of the schools not only learnt Aiki Jutsu but also swordsmanship, strategy, swimming, horsemanship, archery and other important battlefield skills. It is from these schools that Morei Usebaya received his training and formed as a result the school of Aikido which has grown and flourished over the last fifty years in to a Do, a martial way, with emphasis less on combat effectiveness and more on personal development. Within the Kiai yamabushi ryu aiki bu jutsu efforts have been made to retain the effectiveness of technique and to include a number of the other traditional bu jutsu arts as well as concentrating on the Do, the way to personal development.

 

Back to the introduction