Written and translated by Motobu Naoki
Generally speaking, atemi (striking techniques) in koryū (old style) jūjutsu rarely include a punching technique like the seiken-zuki of karate. Seiken-zuki is a technique in which the fist is held at the side of the body with the palm facing upward, and then the back of the hand is turned upward while the fist is rotated inward to strike. In jūjutsu, on the other hand, tate-ken (vertical fist) or ura-zuki (strike with the palm facing up) is often used.
Ura-zuki of jūjutsu. From Iguchi Yoshitame's "Kakkatsu Jizai Judo Gokui Kyōhan" (1934).
In jūjutsu, the fist is generally made by covering the thumb with the other four fingers, and the elbow is not fully extended as shown above. According to Takahashi Ken, "Sagawa Yukiyoshi Lineage: The Truth of Daitō-ryū Aiki" (2007), Takeda Sōkaku's striking style was similar to that of koryū jūjutsu.
The "striking techniques" of the previous master Takeda included unique techniques such as the elbow strike and the shutō (knife hand) strike. However, the previous master Takeda's "punch" was generally a "punch" with the palm of the fist facing upward or a "punch" with the thumb of the fist facing upward (vertical fist strike in karate). Both of these punches were peculiar to koryū jūjutsu, and there was no seiken-zuki like in karate, where the punch is made by twisting the fist and punching with the back of the hand facing upward (p. 272).
* The previous master Takeda (武田先師): means the master before Takeda Tokimune (son of Sōkaku).
Also, the way Takeda Sōkaku clenched his fists was in the manner of koryū jūjutsu, enveloping his thumbs (Ibid., p. 272).
Jūjutsu Fist. From "Sagawa Yukiyoshi Lineage: The Truth of Daitō-ryū Aiki."
However, today, in Daitō-ryū books and videos, there are some examples of striking in a manner similar to the seiken-zuki of karate.
As shown in the photos above, the punch in which the uke (attacker) first positions the left hand downward, then executes a seiken-zuki with the right hand from the hiki-te (pulling hand) position and simultaneously positions the left hand in hiki-te is similar to the punch in karate.
The group of techniques called "Sōden" (literally, all transmission) in the video above is a group of techniques handed down in the lineage of Hisa Takuma (1895-1980). Hisa studied under Takeda Sōkaku and the pre-independent Ueshiba Morihei, and took photographs of the techniques he learned and compiled them into the 11-volume "Sōden" book with commentary.
In koryu jūjutsu, as shown in the illustration in the "Judo Gokui Kyōhan" above, the hand opposite to the striking hand is often held in front of the waist and not taken in the position of the hiki-te as in karate.
The techniques that Takeda taught Hisa at the dojo of the Osaka Asahi Newspaper were not necessarily the same as those in the book. However, his son, Takeda Tokimune, assured the students of Daitō-ryū that the techniques in the Sōden were indeed those taught by Takeda Sōkaku ("Takeda Sōkaku and Daitō-ryū Aiki Jūjutsu"). It would then follow that the karate-like punches in the Sōden were techniques taught by Takeda or Ueshiba.
In addition, a prewar photo of Ueshiba shows him with karate-like fist clenches.
Ueshiba Morihei's Morote-zuki (double-handed punch) with vertical fist and ura-zuki. Noma Dōjō, 1936. Source: Pinterest
The photo above was taken at a time when Ueshiba was seeking independence from Daitō-ryū. Whether these karate-style strikes and fists were transmitted from Takeda must be carefully considered. Few photos of Takeda's actual techniques have survived, making it difficult to determine whether the techniques were handed down by Takeda himself or added by his students. In addition, in the case of postwar demonstrations, if the performer had karate experience, it is possible that karate "habits" may have appeared unconsciously.
If the karate-style striking and how to make fists were transmitted from Takeda, were they the result of his "martial arts training" in Okinawa? In the late Taisho era (1912-1926), Funakoshi Gichin and Motobu Chōki began teaching karate in Tokyo and Osaka, and whether or not Takeda visited their dojo directly, he may have had the opportunity to see karate in action. Also, one of Takeda's students was Satō Keisuke (a student of Funakoshi Gichin), so there was also contact with karate through him.
In Daitō-ryū's atemi, shutō (knife hand), vertical fist, and ura-zuki are used more frequently overall, and as in koryū jūjutsu, their use is only auxiliary and not aimed at defeating the opponent with the atemi alone.
However, as discussed above, karate-like punching techniques and fist clenching can also be found in some cases. Kicking techniques are also used in Daitō-ryū. Kicking techniques are also found in koryū jūjutsu, but their use is more limited than punching. Kicking techniques have been eliminated in Ueshiba's aikido.
In 1879, when Takeda is said to have traveled to Okinawa, neither the term karate (空手, empty hand) nor the term karate (唐手, China hand) existed yet, and the term tī (手, hand) was generally used, with the categories of Okinawa-te and tōde (唐手, China hand).
In any case, it is possible that Takeda Sōkaku was influenced by Okinawan martial arts, but it is difficult to distinguish the difference from the additions made by his students, so careful consideration must be given to this issue. In writing this article, I also asked the opinions of some Motobu-ryu students who practice Daitō-ryū and koryū jūjutsu.
References
Hirakami Nobuyuki, Secret Koryu Jujutsu Techniques, Airyūō, 1992.