Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu Essex

Another influence on Hakuda Ryu Kempo was via former members of the Association of Oriental Fighting Arts (Founded in 1968)  with whom we have had many opportunities to train with over the years. The Association of Oriental Fighting Arts was founded in 1968 and was later reformed and renamed as the British Fudoshin Association. This organization was founded by Master Robert Lawrence,who was one of the earliest and perhaps one of the most influential figures in the development of Kempo Jutsu in the UK and Martial arts in Essex.

Master Lawrence had trained in Judo and Ju Jitsu in East Essex and was graded by Gunji Koizumi at the Budokwai in London where Mr Lawrence was to later train under Kenshiro Abbe Sensei, T. Abbe and M. Otani.  Later Master Lawrence had opportunity to travel to and train in Japan with a letter of introduction from his Sensei. Whilst in Japan,  he studied studied Judo and Ju Jitsu at the Kodokan, Goju Kai under Yamaguchi Gogen, Shotokan under Nakayama and Kyokushinkai under Mas Oyama and gained his Yudansha grade in Karate. He also had the opportunity to get some exposure to Katana (Sword), WakizashiTanto (Dagger) and Naginata (Halberd) before travelling to Okinawa, where he learnt Nunchaku, Jo, Bo, Yawara Bo, Tanjo, Sai and Kama. Shortly after this and during the Korean War Bob Lawrence is reputed to have studied a Kempo system under Sergant G Lom of the Southern Korean army.  See further more detailed account of Bob Lawrences martial arts background at   http://www.britishfudoshin.co.uk/index.php?page=2.Information.menu/Soke%20Lawrence (Short Sword),

Therefore outlined below is something about two of Mr. Lawrences Shorei Ryu teachers in Japan:   

Yamaguchi Gogen headed a Japanese version of Goju Ryu that has become known as Goju Kai. Yamaguchi Gogen whilst at High School had learnt Jigen Ryu Ken Jutsu and had been taught the basics of Karate by an Okinawan called Mr Takeo Maruta. Eventually Yamaguchi Gogen opened a Karate Dojo at Ritsumeikan University in 1930 with his friend and teacher Jitsuei Yogi, a student of Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Okinawan Goju Ryu . In 1931 Jitsuei Yogi introduced Gogen Yamaguchi Chojun Miyagi, who had studied under Naha Te's restorer Kanryo Higaonna.  By 1935 Nei Soh Choo (Primary Goju teacher of Mas Oyama) was also training at the Ritsumeikan Dojo  in this same year Chojun Miyagi visited the Ritsumeikan dojo again and Yamaguchi Gogen, Jitsuei Yogi and Nei Soh Choo formulated  the All Japan Goju Kai Karate-DoDojo and arranged for weeklong exhibitions in Tokyo of Chinese martial arts that he had encountered over the years along side traditional Japanese arts. It is believed that Gogen Yamaguchi got much of his Goju Kata from Meitoku Yagi, another student of Miyagi,who founded the Goju Ryu Meibukan.  The life story of Yamaguchi Gogen, the founder of Goju Kai, can be found in an article written by Graham Noble here:  Association. During the war Yamaguchi Gogn was drafted into the Japanese Military Intelligence Service and served in Manchurian, where he had much opportunity to become exposed to a wide range of Chinese Martial Arts. In 1945 after the war he re-opened his  http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/articlej.htm 

Mas Oyama who founded the Kyokushinkai style of Karate  was born in South Korea and at the age of 9 was sent to live in North East China where he learnt the martial art of Kempo from a Korean Man living on the same farm. When he was 14 Mas Oyama's family moved to Japan and when he was 15 enlisted in the Japanese Imperial Army. After the war he studied Shotokan Karate for two years under its founder Gichin Funakoshi  at Takoshoku University in Tokyo before going to study Goju Ryu under Nei Soh Chu , another Korean living in Japan, and a direct senior student of Yamaguchi Gogen at the  Ritsumeikan dojo.  It was during this same period that mas Oyama studied Judo, eventually gaining the rank of Yondan. You can read more about Mas Oyama here: http://www.fightingmaster.com/masters/oyama/index.htm

There has through the evolution of Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu also been some separate influences at various points from Okinawan Goju Ryu, Japanese Goju Kai and to some minor extent Kyokushinkai.

Between 1994 and 1997 we were fortunate to have had the opportunity to gain some exposure and further insight into the Te of the Sogo Bugei No Kai, due to the relationship of mutual co-operation and friendship that Nihon Go Shin Kage Ryu and Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu had with Sogo Bugei No Kai and the Shin-te-do Karate of Mick Powell. The Sogo Bugei No Kai was a creation of the author Mark Bishop (who had trained at the Bugeikan of Seitoku Higa for some years and had also had the opportunity to study some  Motobu Udun Ti ) and Kinjo Eiji aka Saburo(1899-1995) who had practised his family Ti grappling and weaponry techniques along with Tai Chi Chaun and Fuijan Quan (See further Bishop 1996: Zen Kobudo: mysteries of Okinawan Weaponry and Te). Shin-te-do Karate was a creation of Mike Powell whilst he was a direct student of Mark Bishop. Shinte-do combined elements of various Ti, Tai Chi Chaun and Shotokan Karate with a therapeutic exercises and Shiatsu.       

Mick Powell's Okinawan Te Integral Martial & Health Art can be found here:  http://www.freewebs.com/okinawante/index.htm

Prior to and since our association with Sogo Bugei No Kai and Shin Te Do our Sensei has also had opportunity to train in Seidokan Karate and Kobudo of Shian Toma and Seiki Toma, both senior students of Seikichi Uehara, during the same period that Seitoku Higa was associated with Motobu Ryu Udun Di.   

Hakuda Ryu Kempo Jutsu between 2006 and 2008 has been working on the classical Kata with Roger Sheldon of Shinseido Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo which has its basis in Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu KarateKobudo which he helped introduce to the UK in 1985 through the Kenshin Kan of Fusei Kise. His primary teacher being Ronald Lindsey.In 1992 together with Rick Woodhams of Goju Ryu and the Bugeikan UK he helped establish Bugeikai UK which eventually became the Okinawan Martial Arts Association.  We have through this association been able to place  emphasis on some Classical Shorin Ryu Kata (Seisan, Naihanchi, Passai, Chinto and Kusanku) including some aspects of Yuichi Kuda's (Who also trained at the Bugeikan) Passai Dai, a Bugeikan weapons Kata using the Tankon and other Bugeikan aspects and influences. The Tankon kata has been passed down from Seitoku Higa to Rick Woodhams. For information about the links between Shindo (which became Shinseido) and the Bugeikan, see this link here:

 http://website.lineone.net/~rogersheldon/friends.html