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Hakko-ryu Jujutsu

八光流柔術

Japanese jujutsu from 1941 with no strikes and no kicks. Its whole content is work on the joints with the least possible force — a joint must not be broken.

Quick Facts

Country of OriginJapan
Founded1941
RegionAsia
Primary FocusGrappling
Contact LevelLight contact
Belt System6 levels

Character & Origin

StatusLiving, organized
LineageTraditional
Era of Origin20th century

Training

AttireGi required
SparringPartner drills only
Role of WeaponsWeapons optional
Role of FormsForms at the core

Who It Suits

Kids ProgrammesNot taught to children
Senior FriendlySuitable for seniors
Physical Demand2/5
Injury Risk2/5
Learning Curve5/5
Self-Defence Value3/5
Fitness Value3/5

Organisation & Competition

Grading SystemCertificates
Competition FormatNo competitions
Weight ClassesNo
Olympic StatusNot Olympic
Estimated PractitionersUnder 10k

What the style is built from

Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.

Hand strikesMarginal
KicksNot used
Throws & takedownsCore
Ground fightingNot used
Locks & holdsCore
WeaponsMarginal

Catalogs & Databases for Hakko-ryu Jujutsu

👥 People & Masters1 items

About Hakko-ryu Jujutsu

Hakko-ryu jujutsu was founded in 1941 by Ryuho Okuyama, born Yoshiji Okuyama, who lived from 1901 to 1987. He came out of Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, studying under Hosaku Matsuda and later under Sokaku Takeda. The name means the school of the eighth light and refers to the spectrum: there are seven visible colours, and the eighth, infrared, is not seen but felt as heat. With it Okuyama expressed what he wanted from his system — a technique that cannot be seen and is known only by its effect. Hakko-ryu has no strikes, no kicks and no sporting throws. Its whole content is work on the joints applied with the least possible force, with the aim of making the opponent yield through pain rather than injuring him. From the first lesson the student is taught that a joint must not be broken; the hand stays soft and the pressure comes from the thumb and fingers, not from a grip. A peculiarity of the school is that alongside the martial part it also teaches its own therapeutic method, koho shiatsu, which Okuyama likewise assembled. Both branches are transmitted together, which is unusual among Japanese schools. The hombu is in Omiya in Saitama prefecture, and the founder''s son took over its leadership. Several independent schools split from Hakko-ryu in the second half of the twentieth century.

Similar styles

Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.

Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsuTenjin Shin'yo-ryu JujutsuTomiki AikidoSekiguchi-ryu JujutsuJikishin-ryu JujutsuShibukawa-ryu Jujutsu