Shindo Jinen-ryu
神道自然流Japanese karate of Konishi Yasuhiro, who also trained in jujutsu and kendo. According to Wikipedia the style arose in 1933 and is now led by Ryobukai.
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Training
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
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About Shindo Jinen-ryu
Shindo Jinen-ryu is a Japanese karate style which, according to the Nipponica encyclopedia on kotobank, was founded by Konishi Yasuhiro (1893 to 1983), one of the early students of Funakoshi Gichin alongside Otsuka Hironori, the founder of Wado-ryu. English and Japanese Wikipedia both give 1933 as the year the style arose. Black Belt wrote in 2024 that Konishi began with the jujutsu of the muso ryu school at the age of six, soon moved on to takeuchi ryu as well, and seven years later started kendo. According to Black Belt, Konishi opened his own dojo Ryobu-Kan in 1923, where he taught kendo and judo, and in 1924 Funakoshi asked to rent the space from him for training. Black Belt says Ryobu-Kan was also used by Motobu Choki and Mabuni Kenwa. Green (2001) states that Mabuni taught for some time at Konishi's Ryobukan and that together they created the kata Aoyagi and Shinpa, with Ueshiba Morihei also contributing to Aoyagi. Black Belt explains the name as follows: shindo means the divine way and the second word is usually read shizen, natural, and with it Konishi linked the style to Shinto. After his death in 1983 the system was taken over by his son, according to Black Belt. English Wikipedia names Japan Karate-Do Ryobu-Kai as the governing organization.
History
Kotobank states that Konishi, together with others, demonstrated karate at the celebrations of Dai Nippon Butokukai, that karate became a discipline of the Butokukai in 1933, and that in 1937 Konishi became one of the first to receive the title of kyoshi in karate. Black Belt writes that he first learned karate from the Okinawan Tsuneshige Arakaki of the Keio University kendo club, where Konishi led kendo. Japanese Wikipedia places the meeting with Funakoshi only in June 1925 and the opening of the dojo in 1924 or 1927, Black Belt in 1923. English Wikipedia names among Konishi's earlier schools Takenouchi-ryu, Muso-ryu, Jikishinkage-ryu, Kyoshinmeichi-ryu, Ono-ha Itto-ryu and Shindo Munen-ryu. Japanese Wikipedia states that in 1959 Konishi became vice-president of the then all-Japan karate federation.
How it differs
English Wikipedia names as predecessors of the style karate Shotokan, Shito-ryu and Motobu-ryu and several koryu schools, among them Takenouchi-ryu, Muso-ryu and Ono-ha Itto-ryu. Kotobank writes that thanks to his experience with kendo and jujutsu Konishi strengthened the position of karate in Dai Nippon Butokukai, and Black Belt describes him as a host of Okinawan masters. We have not found a source on the style's own competitions.
Technique
English Wikipedia states that Shindo Jinen-ryu combines elements of karate, aikido, jujutsu and kendo in its curriculum and also stresses philosophy and education. According to it, Konishi named the style out of the conviction that natural training leads to mastery of the body and to the foundation of a moral life. Black Belt writes that Ueshiba Morihei encouraged Konishi to create kata with an emphasis on a formal system of footwork. Green lists the kata Aoyagi and Shinpa as the joint work of Konishi and Mabuni.
Training
Japanese Wikipedia states that Konishi's dojo Ryobukan was, before the war and after it, a place where young people learned kendo, karate and judo. Black Belt writes that Konishi also practiced sekkotsu, a treatment similar to chiropractic, and ran a real estate business, and from the proceeds financed the dojo as a meeting place for fighters and supported karate teachers, among them Motobu Choki.
Today
In 2024 Black Belt called Shindo Jinen-ryu a small but energetic system with practitioners and teachers around the world, taken over after Konishi's death by his son. English Wikipedia states that the organization Japan Karate-Do Ryobu-Kai is led by the founder's son Yasuhiro (Takehiro) Konishi, 10th dan, and that the international director is Kiyoshi Yamazaki. Japanese Wikipedia lists branches in Japan and abroad. We have not verified the official Ryobukai website.
Did you know
Black Belt states that in the early 1930s the boxer Tsuneo Piston Horiguchi came to Konishi to train, who won the Japanese featherweight championship the same year. Green lists Konishi, written Kunishi Yasuhiro in his account, among the Japanese supporters of Taira Shinken's association for Ryukyu kobudo. Japanese Wikipedia lists Konishi's books on karate and kendo from 1952 and 1954.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Shindo Jinen-ryu?
Konishi Yasuhiro (1893 to 1983), an early student of Funakoshi Gichin, who had previously trained in jujutsu and kendo. Wikipedia places the style's origin in 1933.
What does the name Shindo Jinen-ryu mean?
Black Belt states that shindo means the divine way and the second word is usually read shizen, natural. English Wikipedia links the name to the belief in natural training.
What was Konishi's relationship with the Okinawan masters?
According to Black Belt, Funakoshi, Motobu Choki and Mabuni Kenwa trained in his dojo Ryobu-Kan. According to Green, he created the kata Aoyagi and Shinpa with Mabuni.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.