Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu
玉虎流骨指術One of the nine schools of the Bujinkan. Green (2001) calls it the oldest of them and describes it as a mostly striking art with hard joint dislocations.
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About Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu
Gyokko-ryu is one of the nine schools that make up the Bujinkan according to the city of Noda. The city writes it as Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu, Green (2001) as Gyokko-ryu Koshijutsu. Green calls it the oldest lineage among the nine schools. According to the legends of the school, which Green cites, Gyokko-ryu has its roots in Chinese Daoism, and Chinese military commanders came to Japan during the Tang dynasty. In his account, Gyokko-ryu is an art preserved from that period. English and Japanese Wikipedia give Tozawa Hakuunsai as the traditional founder and the years 1156 to 1159. On its website, the Genbukan traces the lineage from Chinese ancestors through Tozawa Hakuunsai and the Toda family to Takamatsu Toshitsugu. Green describes Gyokko-ryu as a mostly striking art with hard joint dislocations, in which techniques are performed with and without a weapon. The list of member schools of the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai association does not include Gyokko-ryu.
History
Green (2001) states, citing the school's legends, that Gyokko-ryu has its roots in Chinese Daoism and that Chinese military commanders came to Japan during the Tang dynasty. In his account, Gyokko-ryu is an art preserved from that period. English Wikipedia names Tozawa Hakuunsai Hogen as the traditional founder and the years 1156 to 1159, in the Heian period, as the traditional date. According to an unverified translation on the MartialTalk forum, the dictionary Bugei Ryuha Daijiten gives a different ancestor, Toda Sakyo Ishinsai, as the origin of the school. In a document on its website, the Genbukan traces the lineage from the Chinese figures Ikai or Cho-Gyokko through Tozawa Haku-unsai and the Toda family to Toda Shinryuken, Takamatsu Toshitsugu and Tanemura Shoto. Japanese Wikipedia states that the title of soke passed from Takamatsu to Hatsumi Masaaki and from him to Ishizuka Tetsuji.
How it differs
Two organizations transmit the school independently. In a document on its website, the Genbukan names Tanemura Shoto as Takamatsu's successor, to whom, it says, Takamatsu passed the secret teaching Kyohen-no-Jutsu a year before his death. English Wikipedia names Ishizuka Tetsuji as the holder in the Bujinkan lineage.
Technique
Green (2001) describes Gyokko-ryu as a mostly striking art with hard joint dislocations. A distinctive feature, he says, is the use of koshi in grabs, locks and strikes, and the techniques are performed with and without a weapon. A Genbukan document on the school gives the name Kosshi-jutsu and the older Shito-jutsu. Among the basics it names three stances, nine striking methods, three kicks and the body-change forms Ryuhen, Kohen and Hyohen.
Today
In 2022 the city of Noda named Ishizuka Tetsuji as the dai-shihan of the Bujinkan and a direct student of Hatsumi Masaaki. English Wikipedia states that Ishizuka died on 15 March 2025 and no successor was named. The list of member schools of the Nihon Kobudo Kyokai association does not include Gyokko-ryu.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Gyokko-ryu?
English and Japanese Wikipedia give Tozawa Hakuunsai as the traditional founder and the years 1156 to 1159. According to the legends of the school, Green (2001) traces its roots to China of the Tang dynasty.
How is the name Gyokko-ryu written?
The city of Noda writes Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu, Green (2001) Gyokko-ryu Koshijutsu. The Genbukan uses the name Kosshi-jutsu and also gives the older name Shito-jutsu.
Who leads Gyokko-ryu today?
According to English Wikipedia, Ishizuka Tetsuji, the holder of the Bujinkan lineage, died in March 2025 and no successor was named. The Genbukan keeps its own lineage through Tanemura Shoto.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.