# Hakkoryu Jujutsu?



## Xue Sheng (Oct 13, 2014)

Just out of curiosity can anyone tell me about Hakkoryu Jujutsu. 

I found their webpage by accident and there a Shihans in my state. I have not had time to go though the webpage as of yet, but I will

Since (Japanese) Jujutsu was my first art I am always curious when I discover there might be a school in my area and I briefly get delusions of grandeur that I could go back a train it again...and then reality set in and my knees, back, hip, and shoulder remind me that I am insane  So I am mostly just curious here 

Interesting to me is that there seems to be no way of contacting any of these people and none of the schools they have are advertised. (sorry its the CMA background coming into play there)


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## the8th_light (Oct 14, 2014)

Xue Sheng said:


> Just out of curiosity can anyone tell me about Hakkoryu Jujutsu.
> 
> I found their webpage by accident and there a Shihans in my state. I have not had time to go though the webpage as of yet, but I will
> 
> ...



If after reading through the site you still have some questions, feel free to contact me via the site by selecting "Secretary" from the pull down menu. If you'd let me know in which state you're looking, I could also find out if any Shihan or Study Groups there are accepting students.

Regards,

Devon Smith, Secretary
Hakkoryu Jujutsu & Koho Shiatsu, North America


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 1, 2014)

Been going through the site and watching a few videos (and I liked what I saw).... and being a guy over half a century with knee issues a shoulder issue and a hip issue.... I believe I would be suffering from delusions of grandeur if I were to start Jujutsu again.... I will admit after sitting through one of my kids Aikido test today I had this strange desire to train and work on belt ranks..... and being a CMA guy that has not cared about belts in over 20 years that thought came as a bit of a surprise to me.... I would really like to give it a try but I can't even sit in seiza anymore...... that and I keep hearing this in my head


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## the8th_light (Nov 6, 2014)

Xue Sheng said:


> Been going through the site and watching a few videos (and I liked what I saw).... and being a guy over half a century with knee issues a shoulder issue and a hip issue.... I believe I would be suffering from delusions of grandeur if I were to start Jujutsu again.... I will admit after sitting through one of my kids Aikido test today I had this strange desire to train and work on belt ranks..... and being a CMA guy that has not cared about belts in over 20 years that thought came as a bit of a surprise to me.... I would really like to give it a try but I can't even sit in seiza anymore...... that and I keep hearing this in my head



Don't sell yourself too short, now. I'm pushing 50 (not there yet). Practicing in seiza in Hakkoryu isn't any kind of requirement, and it certainly isn't taught as some kind of "techniques done while kneeling in the presence of the emperor" stuff which unfortunately was propagated by folks years ago in regards to other Japanese arts.

In Hakkoryu, seiza is just a teaching point, kind of a "cutting off of the legs" so that from the beginning a student can start to get an idea of why posture, centering, relaxation, hara (tanden) and things like that should be the focus. I think everyone would agree, there's no "martial" value to any kind of encounter between two people while they're both kneeling in front of each other. It's just a lesson.

The goal of the seiza teaching point is to help a student with those things in particular early on, not just so that students are a little less likely to screw it up when they're on their feet, but in the hope that they carry the lessons onward. A little pressure testing along the way is a great indicator.

That being said, if you're interested in Hakkoryu, don't worry about seiza. Anything and everything that's to be taught in the curriculum can be taught standing up, and its execution can happen in a pretty small spot without much footwork or moving around. 

In short, a lot of us have knee, shoulder, hip issues; shiatsu helps a bunch, but it doesn't stop me from getting older!

Devon


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## Xue Sheng (Nov 7, 2014)

the8th_light said:


> Don't sell yourself too short, now. I'm pushing 50 (not there yet). Practicing in seiza in Hakkoryu isn't any kind of requirement, and it certainly isn't taught as some kind of "techniques done while kneeling in the presence of the emperor" stuff which unfortunately was propagated by folks years ago in regards to other Japanese arts.
> 
> In Hakkoryu, seiza is just a teaching point, kind of a "cutting off of the legs" so that from the beginning a student can start to get an idea of why posture, centering, relaxation, hara (tanden) and things like that should be the focus. I think everyone would agree, there's no "martial" value to any kind of encounter between two people while they're both kneeling in front of each other. It's just a lesson.
> 
> ...



Thanks, and to quote the last line of an old T Rex song "meanwhile I'm still thinking" I have a couple other things I am going to check out and see if my knees can handle them and if they can then maybe... but I still hear Clint in the back of my head talking about "limitations"....and for the record I've pushed past 50 already 




the8th_light said:


> In short, a lot of us have knee, shoulder, hip issues; shiatsu helps a bunch, but it doesn't stop me from getting older!
> Devon



True, acupuncture helps to.... and it does not stop me form getting older... but my knees have stopped me from walking before and I really kind of like walking


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## oaktree (Nov 7, 2014)

hi xue i'd definitely check out hakko ryu if a dojo was near me some cool stuff.
I practice Daito ryu and if hakko ryu is anything like we do
Some great painful locks and throws but the hiden and kudens are really awesome.


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