The Jitsu Foundation administers Shorinji Kan Jujitsu generally known as just Jitsu in Great Britain. Jujitsu is very highly fragmented, but this is the single most practiced style.
The Foundation itself was founded in the eighties, but the style has a long and complicated history. The following account is an attempt to piece that history together. Sources are few and it has not been possible to verify these facts.
Jitsuka would very much like to hear from anybody who has knowledge of these events.
Riukiu Myura (or Akira Miura) was a lifelong martial arts enthusiast. He worked as a policeman and some time in the 50's become an unarmed combat instructor to the police. He also taught judo seminars in Australia. It is believed that at some point he was a student of So Doshin the founder of Nippon Shorinji Kempo. Similarities between Jitsu and Nippon Shorinji Kempo have often been noted. It is possible that this is because sensei Miura developed his jujitsu style by adapting Nippon Shorinji Kempo to street fighting situations.
Matthew Komp was born in Germany and learned judo, jujitsu, aikido, wrestling and boxing as a young man. He learned jujitsu in Cologne from Hesser Mayer (who may have been Russian) and from another German, possibly called Wolfe who had trained in Japan before the Second World War. Another big influence was Kenshiro Abbe who spent some years teaching judo and aikido in mainland Europe before being invited to Britain in 1955.
Komp (a trained engineer) emmigrated to Australia in the 1950's. He established a dojo in Footscray near Melbourne. This was very successful and attracted many visiting instructors in different martial arts from Japan and Korea. One of these was Riukiu Myura and Matthew Komp also visited him in Japan. At that time, only a few specifically licensed martial arts could be taught in Australia and jujitsu was not one of them. This meant that officially, the Footscray club was a judo club. Students had to progress in judo grades before being taught any jujitsu.
Brian Graham is an Englishman who was one of the one of the early students at Footscray in 1957. He was awarded 1stdan in jujitsu in 1967 and stayed until he was a 5th dan in jujitsu and a 2nd dan in Judo. In the 1960's he returned to England by ship teaching on the voyage. He called the style Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu.
Peter Farrar began training at the age of 9 in 1969. He was one of Brian Graham's first students. In 1979 he set up a club called the Samurai Jiu-jitsu Club at their home town of Keighley, West Yorkshire. This was to become the first of many.
As well as being an astonishingly talented martial artist and instructor, Peter Farrar had the vision and drive to build new clubs to spread the style. In 1982, he handed the first club over to his second Dave Walker and opened new clubs in Leeds. He was also influential in setting up clubs around London. By now, a formal structure was needed so the Samurai Jiu Jitsu Association was set up headed by Brian Graham. Its purpose was not just to administer clubs but also to spread them.
In 1990, it was decided that "Jitsu" made a good brand name that provided a distinctive identity among the many jujitsu styles. The association was accordingly renamed The Jitsu Foundation.
In 1997, Matthew Komp visited Britain and awarded Brian Graham a 6thdan.
By the time Peter Farrar died in 1998, The Jitsu Foundation operated more clubs in Great Britain than any other style of Jujitsu.
Hello
My name is John Fetzer, from the states. I'm a Rokudan in Shorinji-ryu Jujutsu. I'm curious if this is the same Riukiu Myura Sensei, that trained with Teriyuki Tanaka Sensei under Yamaguchi Sensei. My instructor told me that his teacher Tanaka Sensei trained with a Policeman named Myura Sensei, in Japan. I don't have to much details but I remember this story very well. I hope this is true, this would join our lineages, if not I would still like to be friends and share the art of Jujutsu. I wish you all well and may God Bless.
Best Regards
Fetzer Sensei December 2003
Dear John
Thank you very much for this information.
I cannot tell you if this is true or not but it is certainly a possibility. The above article contains everything that I have been able to discover about the origins of our style.
I have passed on your letter to our head office in the hope that somebody might know more. Meanwhile, if you have any more information about Myura Sensei, I would be very grateful to receive it.
Jitsuka January 2004
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