# Goshinkan-ryu jujitsu?



## Trimis (Jul 27, 2014)

Anyone know of a dojo near San Francisco?


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## Chris Parker (Jul 28, 2014)

Hi Trimis,

This particular system only seems to exist in Canada&#8230; can I ask why you're searching for this one itself?


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## Trimis (Jul 28, 2014)

Chris Parker said:


> Hi Trimis,
> 
> This particular system only seems to exist in Canada can I ask why you're searching for this one itself?



I am after instruction in yawara-stick, and so far, this is the only style I have found that is known to include Yawarajutsu. Apparently various juijitsu, karate, and aikido 'ryu' teach it, but I have failed to track down specific ones...other than Goshinkan-ryu.


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## jks9199 (Jul 28, 2014)

Trimis said:


> I am after instruction in yawara-stick, and so far, this is the only style I have found that is known to include Yawarajutsu. Apparently various juijitsu, karate, and aikido 'ryu' teach it, but I have failed to track down specific ones...other than Goshinkan-ryu.



Perhaps you've asked the wrong question, then.  Why not ask if anyone is aware of someone who can teach yawara near San Francisco?  You might be surprised at the answers...


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## Chris Parker (Jul 28, 2014)

Trimis said:


> I am after instruction in yawara-stick, and so far, this is the only style I have found that is known to include Yawarajutsu. Apparently various juijitsu, karate, and aikido 'ryu' teach it, but I have failed to track down specific ones...other than Goshinkan-ryu.



Hmm&#8230; er&#8230; right&#8230; 

Look, this is done as dispassionately as possible, but there's no way on earth I'd recommend that group for anything close to actual usage of weaponry, nor as being anything related to Japanese martial arts. Personally, I'd take it as a happy stroke of luck that there's no school in your area&#8230; going through the history of the system, it's a modern Canadian quasi-Japanese system based in other modern Canadian quasi-Japanese systems, with the main site so full of incredibly bad, obvious, simple mistakes in terminology, history, principles, translations, and far more that it's incredibly doubtful that you'd learn anything at all to do with usage of a "yawara-stick"&#8230; in a legitimate Japanese tradition kinda way, at least.

As an example, in describing the name, they mention that "Go" means "five", referring to the five virtues of the samurai&#8230;. and, when joined with "shin" to make "goshin", it refers to self defence.

Except&#8230; the kanji are completely different (&#20116; - "go", means "5"&#8230; "goshin", meaning self defence, is &#35703;&#36523;&#8230; as you can see, the first character "go" is completely different)&#8230; and there were 7 virtues of Bushido, not five. So, in just their knowledge of their own name, they get everything wrong entirely. And I'm not touching the idea that "kan" (house, club, organisation) is used as it also "represents Canada"&#8230. There is mention of the founder studying three named modern Canadian systems, all of which have basic judo, some karate etc as their basis, and fairly ordinary (that's putting it mildly) weapon usage, as well as two "traditional Japanese Jujutsu systems"&#8230; but these two, the ones that would actually give some credibility to the idea that this is, as advertised, a "traditional Japanese Jujitsu (sic) system", are never mentioned. At all. That's a huge red flag, by the way.

In terms of who teaches the usage of yawara, the thing to realise is that that term is not universal&#8230; and, when you see that term, it doesn't necessarily refer to the small stick&#8230; or could refer to a different hand-stick entirely. My question would be why you're interested in this weapon&#8230; of course with the additional question of what exactly you're thinking of when you use the term. There are versions that are sticks barely bigger than the inside of your palm, and attach with a cord loop around a finger&#8230; there are ones that don't have a loop, and are just a basic stick&#8230; there are longer versions, up to about 24cm&#8230; or some systems use the term "yawara" to refer to jujutsu techniques, not weaponry ones (the kanji for "Ju" in Jujutsu is the kanji for "yawara" &#26580;&#8230; it's just a different pronunciation).

If you're just after usage of the stick itself, it's become rather synonymous with Taky Kubota's karate system&#8230; in his art, he redesigned the weapon slightly, and renamed it a "kubotan", after himself. Other than that, various short sticks are used in the Kukishin Ryu, so you can get some exposure through groups such as the Bujinkan or Genbukan&#8230; the latter also including Asayama Ichiden Ryu, who teach their Taijutsu methods incorporating a 24cm stick, referred to as a "hishigi", in a skill called Bo Gyaku Dori at higher levels. Of course, these are only a very small area of study (if at all, in the Bujinkan&#8230; that'd depend on the instructor as much as anything else)&#8230; to have it as a major focus is pretty well non-existent. It was used as an enhancer to other skills, rather than being a particular skill set by itself in the main.


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## Trimis (Aug 11, 2014)

jks9199 said:


> Perhaps you've asked the wrong question, then.  Why not ask if anyone is aware of someone who can teach yawara near San Francisco?  You might be surprised at the answers...



Okay, anyone know of a teacher of the yawara (or kubotan) stick near San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont area?


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## Trimis (Aug 11, 2014)

Thanks! Will look around for the Ryu you suggested.


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