Kosen Judo
高専柔道A branch of judo defined by its rules, arising around 1914 at Japanese technical schools. With no limit on groundwork, the emphasis shifted from throws to newaza.
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About Kosen Judo
Kosen judo is not a separate martial art but a branch of judo defined by its rules. It arose around 1914 at the Japanese higher technical schools called kosen, which ran their own inter-school tournament. Its rules differed from the Kodokan's on a single but decisive point: a wrestler could be pulled to the ground without a clean throw, and groundwork then continued without a time limit. The consequence was predictable — the schools stopped training throws and concentrated on newaza, that is on pins, strangles and locks. The result is a system differing from sport judo in proportion rather than content: the same techniques, a different centre of gravity. The Kodokan never formally banned this direction, but judo's competition rules moved the other way and progressively restricted groundwork. The tradition continues today in the tournament of the seven former imperial universities. There is an interesting external connection: the groundwork that developed in kosen resembles what the world now knows as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and both come from the same Kodokan base transmitted in the early twentieth century. The seven-university tournament is held annually, and its rules still allow pulling guard, which sport judo penalises.
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