RYUU SHIN
Dragon Spirit Martial Arts
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Founding Masters & Styles that have influenced Ryuu Shin Goshin Jujutsu
Sokaku Takeda
Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu
The most famous modern-day master of Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu. His most famous student was Morihei Ueshiba.
Morihei Ueshiba
Aikido
Founder of Aikido, he took the more aggressive parts of Daito Ryu out and constructed a gentler, very flowing martial art.
Kodo Horikowa
Kodokai
Kodo Horikowa’s techniques were very subtle yet strong. Awarded Shihan from Takeda, he established Kodo Kai in 1950, totally emphasising Aiki over strength to execute higher-level techniques.
Seigo Okomoto
Ropokkai
One of the most important students of Horikowa and the Head of Roppokai. Some Ryuu Shin students study his teachings from one of Okomoto’s personal students, Howard Popkin, at Ginjukai in New York, USA.
Takuma Hisa
Takumakai
A key student of both Takeda and Ueshiba. His style, Takumakai, can be easily differentiated by its focus on very complex “pins”.
Yukiyoshi Sagawa
Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu
Sagawa was originally considered to be the successor to Takeda Sokaku. One of the most accomplished of his students, he often served as his teaching assistant.
Gozo Shioda
Yoshinkan Aikido
One of Ueshiba’s most senior students who founded the Yoshinkan style of Aikido. The Japanese Riot police all have to undergo the brutal one-year “sensushi” Yoshinkan course to qualify.
Jigaro Kano
Judo
Kano was a Japanese educator and athlete and founder of Judo – a sport, not a martial art. He also introduced the Dan Ranking system of white to black belts.
And, so what's all this with the Dragon, then Sensei Dave .......
In both Chinese and Japanese cultures,
the dragon is a very important spiritual character.
My own martial arts history really started with a Chinese art - Kung Fu.
My generation were the first to discover Bruce Lee and Kwai Chang Caine!
The name of the kung fu association that I joined at 20 was Fei Lung Kwan, meaning Flying Dragon Association.
Our club emblem was of the Rising Celestial Dragon, chasing the Pearl of Wisdom.
The dragon is revered as a divine mythical creature.
A potent symbol of strength, good fortune and transformation.
The pearl is viewed as a metaphor for wisdom, enlightenment and spiritual essence.
Also viewed as Yang energy, in early Taoism.
The image here is of a plaque presented to name me by my Sifu as a personal gift.
After a break from martial arts for a few years in my late 30's
I went on to study Jujutsu and gained my black belt.
When I relocated to Cornwall, I added Aikido to my skillset.
As well as extra study in other Japanese arts.
By the time Ryuu Shin was formed,
my core style had become very Japanese in flavour.
Although on the mat you can still clearly see my kung fu origins in the way I move.
Ryuu Shin means Dragon Spirit, so of course we had to have a Dragon as our emblem.
I commissioned an illustrator friend to come up with a new Dragon,
taking facets of both the Chinese and the Japanese styles.
The background of course is the Taoist symbol for Yin & Yang.
As most people know, it symbolise the idea that everything in nature should be viewed as part of a whole.
That opposites are complementary forces that balance themselves out.
The fact that both Yin and Yang contain the seed of their opposite
means that Yin can become Yang and Yang can become Yin.
The concept has very deep meaning in so many ways in martial arts.
And so the Ryuu Shin symbol was born.....
