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Kdkan Jds Elusive Tenth Kata: The G-no-kata Forms of Proper Use of Force Part 1

Carl De CreABCDE, Llyr C. JonesABCD

International Association of Judo Researchers, United Kingdom

Source of support: Self financing

Received: 21 January 2009; Accepted: 13 February 2009; Published online: 7 August 2009

Abstract

Background Kdkan JdisaJapaneseformofpedagogycreatedbyJigor Kan,basedinter aliaonneoconfucianistvalues,traditionalJapanesemartialarts,andmodernWesternprinciplesdevelopedbyJohnDewey,JohnStuartMill,andHerbertSpencer.ItwasKansintentiontoeducateboththemindandbody.Thepracticalstudyofjdincludesrandori(freeexercise),ninedifferentkata(predeterminedandchoreographedphysicalexercises),andkgi(lectures).Inrecentyears,G-no-kata(Prearrangedformsofcorrectuseofforce),agenerallyconsideredobsoleteandre-clusivetenthkataofKdokan jd,hasbecomethesubjectofsomerenewedinterest.Thepurposeofthepresentpaperistoprovideacomprehensivestudyofthiskatawhichonceformedapartofthestandardjdcurriculum.Wealsoaimtoremovetheconfusionandmysterywhichsurroundstheg-no-kata.

Material/Methods: Toachievethis,weofferacarefulcriticalanalysisoftheavailableliteratureandraresourcematerialonthiskata.

Results: Thenameg-no-katasporadicallyappearedinsomeofearlyWesternjdbooks.Flawedresearchmethods,aswellastheappearanceofatruehoaxpresumablycreatedwithcommercialintent,haveledtowidespreadconfusionandmisinformationintheWestaboutthecontentsoftheelusiveg-no-kata.

Conclusions: Theoriginofthemisinformationong-no-katacanbetracedbacktomodernjdauthorsfailingtorecognizebothimportantmistakescontainedinearlyWesternjdbooksandthefabricationinrecentyearsofabogusg-no-kata.

Key words: G-no-kata Jigor Kan jd kata Kdkan

Authors address: ProfessorCarlDeCre,P.O.Box125,B-2800Malines,Belgium,e-mail:[email protected]

Background

Accordingtothefounderofjdsownwords,theprop-erstudyofjdessentiallyhastoinvolvebothrandoriandkata[15]Thisimportantcohesionbetweenthesetwobuildingstonesofjdvirtuallyhasbeenlostinmoderntimes,partlybecauseoftheInternationalJudoFederations(IJF)andnationalgoverningbodiesem-phasison the sports-competitiveaspectsof jd andwinningmedals.Kataareintendedandrecognizedas

avaluabletrainingdrillinmostJapanesegendai bud1andkory2arts.Kata represent thegrammarof jd,andwithoutproperlymasteringthem,jdisoftenre-ducedtoacrudeconglomerateofisolatedthrowsmerelybasedonpower,endurance,andathleticachievement.Finn [6]providesaparticularly insightfuldefinitionofthesubject:

Kata: Prearranged forms in Japanese martial arts that are like a living text book. They contain all the fundamental

and Study Aim:

1 Gendai bud aremodernJapanesemartialartswhichwereestablishedaftertheMeijiRestoration(18661869).Inthatwaytheydistinguishthemselvesfromclassicalortraditionaloroldmartialarts(kory).Gendai budoftenarerootedinkory.

2 Kory isaJapanesetermthatisusedinassociationwiththeancientJapanesemartialarts.Thewordliterallytranslatesasold schoolor old tradition.KoryisageneraltermforJapaneseschoolsofmartialartsofwhichthecreationpredatestheMeijiRestoration(18661869)whichsparkedmajorsocio-politicalchangesandledtothemodernisationofJapan.

Jd: JdisaJapaneseformofpedagogy,createdbyJigor Kan,basedinter aliaonneoconfucianistvalues,traditionalJapanesemartialarts,andmodernWesternprinciplesdevelopedbyJohnDewey,JohnStuartMill,andHerbertSpencer.

Kata: Predeterminedandchoreographedphysicalexercises,whichtogetherwithfreeexercises(randori)andlectures(kgi)formthethreecriticalpillarsofKdkan jdeducation.

VOLUME 5 | 2009 | 55 ARCHIVES OF BUDO

REVIEw PAPERS

Authors Contribution: A Study Design B Data Collection C Statistical Analysis D Manuscript Preparation E Funds Collection

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information in animate form, with which to perfect technique and understanding of the particular skill. ()

ThereareninekatainKdkan jdtoday,asaccept-edbythetime-honoredheadquartersofthejdworld,theKdkan Jd InstituteinTky,Japan[79].Thesenine kataarenamedasfollows[710]:

Nage-no-kata (FormsofThrowing);Katame-no-kata (FormsofGrapplingorHolding);Kime-no-kata (FormsofDecisiveness);Kdkan goshinjutsu (KdkanFormsofSelf-Defense);J-no-kata (FormsofGentleness&Flexibility);Itsutsu-no-kata (TheFiveForms);Koshiki-no-kata (TheAntiqueForms);Sei-ryoku-zeny Kokumin-Taiiku (NationalPhysicalEducationaccording to [theprincipleof]bestuseofenergy);Joshi goshinh (MethodsofSelf-DefenseforWomen).

Ofthoseninekataonlysevenaremostcommonlyper-formed.BecauseofthisreasononewilloftenfindmorepopularliteratureincorrectlyclaimingthattherewouldbeonlysevenoreightKdkan jd kata[11,12].Withtheexceptionof theKdkan goshinjutsu and Joshi goshinh, all theabovekataarecommonlyattributedtothefounderofjd,Dr.Jigor Kan(18601938)[12].TheKdkan goshinjutsu wascreatedbyapanelofexpertsin1956(seethetextKdkan Judo3[13,pag-es145251]forfulldetailsaboutthefirsteightoftheabovekata).Joshi goshinh,theninthkata,thoughoffi-ciallyrecognizedbytheKdkan,hasnevergainedgreatpopularity,notinJapanandevenlesssoabroad,anditisusuallyomittedfromlistsofkataorfromjdtext-books.GoshinhcanbeconsideredastheequivalentofKdkan goshinjutsu,designedspecificallyforthefemaleandtakingintoaccountthetypesofattacksofwhichfemalesusuallyarethevictim;thecreationofthiskatawasorderedbyJir Nang,thesecondPresidentoftheKdkan inthe1940s,andcompletedbyatechnicalteamofexpertswithintheKdkan.TheItsutsu-no-kata,thoughalsoofficiallyattributedtoJigor Kan[13,14],accordingtorecentresearchdealtwithelsewhere,wasnotcreatedbyKan-shihaneither[15,16],andneitherwasKoshiki-no-kata[7,9,15],thelatterwhichconsistsoftwoseriesofformsdirectlytakenfromKit-ry jjutsu,moreparticularly,fromitsTakenakaha-style[15].

TwootherKdkan katawhichareomittedfromtheabovelist,namely,kime-shikiandj-shiki,todayareconsidered

partofthesei-ryoku-zeny kokumin-taiiku.Thus,unlikeinthepre-1930period,kime-shikiandj-shikiusuallyarenolongerconsideredseparatekata,andforthisreason,generallynolongerappearundertheirseparatenamesinKdkan katalists4[15].

Toprovidecontextforsomeofthematerialthatfollows,itisusefultoexplainhowtheaforementionedninekataarecategorizedaccordingtopurpose5.SeeKotani,etal.[17]andOtakiandDraeger[18]forfurtherdetails.

Together, thenage-no-kata and thekatame-no-kata areknownasRandori-no-kata(FormsofFreeExercise).Themainpurposeofthesetwokataistofacilitatethede-velopmentofrandori(freepractice)skills.Thekime-no-kataandtheKdkan goshinjutsu,butalsothejoshi goshinh,areclassifiedasShbu-no-kata(Formsofself-defense)withinthesekatathecentralobjectiveistode-featanadversaryandsurvive.Thej-no-kataandthesei-ryoku-zeny kokumin-taiiku aregroupedasRentai-no-kata(Formsofphysicaleducation),wheretheforemostob-jectiveistoeducatethebodytoremainhealthy.Finally,theitsutsu-no-kataandthekoshiki-no-kataaregroupedto-getherasRi-no-kata(Formsoftheory)theircorepur-poseistodevelopahigherunderstandingofthefunda-mentalanddeepergokui( essence),perhapsevenesotericprinciples(okuden orshin)ofjd.

Despite thiswell-structuredandgenerallyconsideredcompletecurriculum,onemustacknowledgethatinad-ditiontotheaforementionedninekata,otherKdkan andnon-Kdkan kataexistinjd.MostofthesekataarenotwellknownoutsideJapanandarerarelytaughtorpracticed[15,18,19].

Thepurposeofthepresentpaperistoprovideacom-prehensivestudyofakatathatonceformedpartoftheKdkancurriculum,butnolongerfeatures,namelytheG-no-kata (Prearrangedformsofcorrectuseofforce).Inrecentyears,thisgenerallyconsideredob-soletetenthkatahasbecomethesubjectofsomere-newedinterestwithinjdcircles.However,muchoftheinformationincirculationong-no-kata,iscontradicto-ry,ambiguous,andevenblatantlyerroneous;atbest,itscontentsandevenitsexistencehasbeenthesubjectofconsiderablespeculation.Weaimtoremovethiscon-fusionandmysterywhichsurroundstheg-no-kata.

Ourresearchquestionsareasfollows:

Kdkan: Thespecificnameoftheschoolandstyleofbud asgivenbythefounderofjdJigor Kan(18601938).

Jigor Kan: ThefounderofKdkan jd,bornin1860,diedin1938.

G-no-kata: Prearrangedformsofcorrectuseofforce,aphysicalexercisecreatedbyJigor Kanandpresumablytheoldestjd kata,whichuntilrecentlywasoftenconsidereddefunct.

3Although Kanispresentedasauthorofthisbook,itisinfactacompilationbytheKdkan InstitutethatdatesfromlongafterKanhadalreadypassedaway,inthiswayhonoringJd kyhon,theonlybookonjdwhichKaneverwrote,andofwhichhewasabletocompleteonlythefirstpart(1931)[4]beforehepassedawayin1938.

4AbeI.Personalcommunication,USJFNationalJudoConference;2004,July57th;Honolulu,HI.5Notethatthiscategorizationisnotunique.Forexample,thej-no-katacouldequallybeclassifiedasaRi-no-katasinceitalsoillustratesthefundamentalprinciplesofattackanddefencefoundinjd.


Original Article

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Whatistheveracityofvariousclaimsmadebycertainpublicationsthatwhattheyproposeasg-no-katatrulyrepresentsthehistoricg-no-kata ?

Doesthereexistag-no-katainKdkan jd?

Ifag-no-kataexists,thenwhatisitscontentsandthe-oreticalfoundation?

Ifg-no-kataexists,thenwhopracticesitandwherecanitbeobservedandlearnt?

Thefirstpartofthisseriesofthreepaperswillmainlyfocusonthefirstofthosefourmainquestions.Toad-dressthesequestionsandachieveourpurpose,weof-feracriticalevaluationoftheavailableliteratureandsourcematerialonthiskata.Rarematerialdrawnfromoriginalandreliablesourceswillalsobeintroducedtosupportthedrawingofdefinitiveconclusions.Thispa-peroffersan important contribution toourknowl-edgeofKdkan jd.Ithasimplicationsforthecur-rentjdsyllabus,andalsorepresenttheonlycriticalscholarlystudyofthiskatainbothWesternlanguag-esandJapanese.

ProPer translation of the name g-no-kata

Itisverydifficultattimestotranslatewordsfromonelanguagetoanotherwithoutlosingtheintendedusageoftheword.G literallymeanshardinthesenseofoppositetoyawara whichmeanspliableorsoft;thekanji is,ofcourse,alternatelypronouncedjintermslikejd.Whilstthetermyawaraisoftenalsousedtodescribetextilesorinsomecasespeoplewithgentlepersonalities, g canbeuseddescribeacold,callousfeelingtowardsanotherorunyieldingasahard-enedpieceof steel thatwillnotdentasa resultofablowofahammer.

G-no-katais,therefore,verydifficulttotranslatepre-cisely,sincegdoesnotsimplymeanstrengthinthesenseofphysicalstrength,orevenforceinthesenseofphysicalforce.Unyieldingformswouldprobablybe themostaccurate translation;however, thisdoesnot fully reflect thenatureandpurposeof thekataas intendedbyKan-shihan. In theg-no-kata, g isusedastheoppositetotheway-givingpliabilityofj.Thus,itimpliessomestiffness,butmoresoaresis-tance,orresistiveforce.Afterall,notallforceisre-

sistive.Simultaneously,onecouldarguethatjdisnotdevoidofforce,aslongasitisappliedefficientlyandwithminimaleffort.Wewillexplainlaterhowintheg-no-kataitisshownthatthebrute gofukefails,buttherefined gofthetori,afterfirsthavingappliedj,issuccessful.Inotherwords,assumingthatg-no-katasimplycondemnsforceiswrong.Thekataacceptsef-ficientforce,butitrejectsbruteinefficientforce.Thisisvery,veryhardtocoverinatranslatedtitle.Takingtheserestrictionsandconcernsinmind,weproposethetermFormsofcorrectuseofforceasanacceptable,definingEnglishtranslationforKdkan jdsexerciseknownunderthenameg-no-kata.

the g-no-kata in Western and translated jd literature throughout history

AccordingtotheKdkan New Japanese-English Dictionary of Jd[20,page142]theg-no-katawasestablishedin1887(alsotheyearthatthej-no-katawasformedandtheitsutsu-no-kataisclaimedtohavebeencreated).Notethatthisistheonlymentionmadeoftheg-no-katainwhatisotherwiseafairlycomprehensivejdglossary.Itisnotknownforsurewhatsourcetheeditorsusedtosupportthisdate6,butnomentionofthisdateismadeforg-no-katabySanzMaruyamas(18931984)oth-erwiseexhaustivejdhistoricalwork[21].Aswewillseelater,thisdateisnotbeyondchallenge.

Fortherest,onecanonlyfindsomerarecursoryap-pearancesofthenameg-no-katainahandfulofjd books thathaveappeared inWestern languages.Forthisandotherassociatedreasons,theg-no-katahasbe-comethoughtofasthelostorforgottenkataofjd.

Forexample,GeoffreyGleeson(19271994),theone-timenationalcoachfortheBritishJudoAssociation,andoneoftheKdkansformerresearchstudents(kenshsei

)backinthe1950s,andknownforhismorein-tellectualandcomprehensiveapproachtojd,writes:

Unfortunately the Go-no-kata has been lost.[22]

Gleesonsviewpoint isunderstandable,and reflectedtheopinionofmostWesternjdka,includingthatofseniorkataspecialists,inboththeWestandJapan.Wehavealreadymentionedsomeofthereasonswhy,butthesituationnecessitatesfurtherreflection.Abriefre-viewofliteratureleadstotheconclusionthatnoknown

6TheauthorsmostlikelyliterallyinterpretedacommentfromKanthatwaspublishedinhisbiography[14]whereitreadsintherele-vantsectionaboutkataunderthesubheading J-no-kata, g-no-kata:I began studying it in the 20th year of Meiji ()Itisnotclearthoughwhetherthisdateshouldbeinterpretedasreferringtothecreationofg-no-kata.Kanwritestheabovesectionafterhavingintroducedj-no-kata,whichmorelikelyistheobjectoftheabovedate.Attheendofthesection,Kanwrites: In the 20th year of Meiji also this kata had 10 hon; that later on became 15. ()Onlyafterthissentencetoconcludethepartonj-no-kata,Kanintroduces g-no-kata: Then there is g-no-kata, which is totally different from j-no-kata.()Itisouropinionthatthesyntaxesofthesesentencessuggestthattheyear1887asdateofcreationonlyappliestoj-no-kata,nottog-no-kata.

De Cre C et al Kdkan Jds G-n-kata

57 | 2009 | VOLUME 5www.archbudo.com

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workcommonlyavailabletothegeneralpublicbyanauthorofstature,describesthiskata.

ThreehistoricauthorswhofulfilledaleadingroleinthedevelopmentofjdintheWest,andwhosetextswerepublishedinWesternlanguages,didmentiontheg-no-kataintheirbooks.TheseauthorsareMoshFeldenkrais,GunjiKoizumi,andMikonosukeKawaishi.However,itmustbepointedoutthatneitherGleeson,noranyoftheabovethreeauthorsarereferencedorannotated,andtheclaimsmadeareeitherunverifiable(theypro-videnodetailsoftheoriginalprimary7sources),orelse,withafewnotableexceptions,arebasedonuncorrob-oratedoralaccounts.

1944 mosh feldenkrais Judo: the art of defence and attack [23]

Writingin1944inhisbookJudo: TheArt of Defense and Attack[23],DrMoshFeldenkrais8(19041984)includestheg-no-katainhislistofmostcommonkataasfollows:

The most common Katas are: (2) Go-No-Kata for developing strength()[23,p.176]

Thisisararereferencetotheg-no-katainaWesterntext.Itismaderarerstillinthatitprovidesanaccu-rate,ifsuccinctsummaryoftheg-no-kataspurpose.However,howorwherepreciselyFeldenkraisobtainedthisinformationisnotknown,sincenofurtherdetailsaregiven,nororiginalreferencesprovided.ItisknownthoughthatFeldenkraissentacopyofthemanuscripttoKan-shihanforapproval.ItisalsoknownthatKan hadmanydeepconcernsaboutthecontentsoftheman-uscriptofwhichhethought,muchwasincorrect.LackoftimedidnotallowKantocompletelyedittheman-uscriptsohelimitedhimselftoprovidinganumberofsuggestionsandselectivecorrections.ItisthusplausiblethattheinformationcamefromJigor Kanpersonally.

1948 gunji koizumi BudokWai Quarterly Bulletin [24]

Writingin1948intheBudokwai9QuarterlyBulletin,GunjiKoizumi(18851965)summarizedhisunderstandingoftheg-no-kataasfollows:

Goh-no-kata (kata of forcefulness).

This kata was designed to develop muscular power. The opposite of ju-no-kata, force is used against force. Based on attack and defence, in a contest of strength, the more forceful gains the controlling position over the other.

There are fifteen exercises practiced in the same manner as ju-no-kata.

This kata has not been popular, probably because it is too much like gymnastic exercises. I am not familiar enough with it to give full details.()[24,p.8]

Koizumisposition isunderstandable.TogetherwithKawaishihewasprobably themost senior jdka inEuropeatthattime,yetKoizumisowneducationwasnotinjd,butinjjutsu.BythetimeKoizumicon-vertedtojd,Jigor Kanhadalreadyceasedteach-ingg-no-kata,andtheg-no-katahadalreadybeenindisuseinJapanfordozensofyears.Therefore,Koizumimostlikelyneverlearntit,hencehiserrorsregardingthenumberoftechniquesintheg-no-kata(fifteen,insteadof,correctly,ten).

1957 mikonosuke kaWaishi the comPlete 7 katas of judo [25]

Themostcommonlyknownreferencefortheg-no-kataistheonefoundintheseminalbookThe Complete 7 Katas of Judo[25]byMikonosukeKawaishi(18991970).

There aremany other Judo Katas. I shall mention only a few that have fallen into disuetude:

The Shobu-no-Kata10, or Kata of Attack (more literally Contest);

The Go no Kata, or Kata of Force or of blows, more characteristic of Karate-do (the technique of the Atemis). [25,p.11]

ThisextractistheonlymentionthatKawaishimakesoftheg-no-katainhisentirebook.Hedoesnotpro-videanyfurthertechnicaldetailsonthekata,noranylistofthetechniquescontainedtherein.Tothebestofourknowledge, it is inKawaishisbookthatthefirstmentionofg-no-katacontainingstrikingtechniquesismade;itisalsothereinthatthefirstassociationofg-no-katawithkarateismade.Accordingly,weopinethatallother,laterreferencesoftheg-no-katabeingakataofblows,originatewithKawaishiastheiroriginalsource.

7Aprimarysourceisanoriginalmanuscript,textormaterialrelatingtoaparticularsubject.8Dr.MoshFeldenkraiswasthefounderoftheFeldenkraisMethoddesignedtoimprovehumanfunctioningbyincreasingself-aware-nessinmovement.

9TheBudokwaiisbelievedtobetheoldestjdclubinGreatBritain.ItwasfoundedinJanuary1918byGunjiKoizumiwhoisknownastheFatherofBritish Jd.

10TheShbu-no-katashouldnotbeconfusedwiththeShinken-shbu-no-kata,thelatterwhichmerelyisanothernameforKime-no-kata.ThecontentoftheoriginalShbu-no-kataremainsunknowntodate[15].


Original Article

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KawaishisbookwastranslatedintoEnglish,fromtheoriginalFrenchbytheveteranBritishjournalistandjdka E.J.Harrison.ItisunclearwhyKawaishiexpressedg-no-katainessentiallytwodifferentwaysi.e.kataofforceandkataofblows.OnecanonlyconjecturethateitherKawaishiwasunfamiliarwiththekatahimselfandmadeamistake,orelsehewasmisunderstood.Onepossibleexplanationwouldbethatatsomepointtheg-no-katawasconfusedwiththeGoh-ate(Five-directionStrike)sectionoftheTandoku-rensh(IndividualExercises)com-ponentof Sei-ryoku zeny kokumin taiiku.Whatiscer-tain,isthattheerrorwasnotmadebytheEnglishtrans-latorHarrison,astheoriginalFrenchlanguageversionofthetext[26]referstobothkata de la forceandkata des atemis.Mostlikely,whatapplied(andwhatisexplainedabove)toKoizumi,alsoappliestoKawaishi,thatis,thatbothhadtheirformaltraininginjjutsuratherthanjd,andthatbythetimetheyconvertedtojd,g-no-katahadalreadydisappearedfromtheKdkanscurriculumfordozensofyears,andwastaughtonlysporadicallyandkeptalivebyjustahandfulofjdexponentsinJapan.

So,wheredidKawaishigethisinformationaboutg-no-katafrom?Asyouwillseefurther,wearguethatthereisreasontobelievethatKawaishimayhaveobtainedthisinformationfromnooneelsebutYvesKlein,whohadjustthreeyearsearlierpublishedhisbookLes fondements du judo[27]whichwasentirelydevotedtokata but,whowasmisreadbyKawaishi.

Forcompleteness, it isnecessarytonotethatGeoffreyGleesonpresentsamodern(self-styled)g-no-kata inoneofhistextsnamelyThe Complete Book of Judo[28,p.113126].However,Gleesonfreelyacknowledgesthatthisg-no-kataishisownoriginalcreationandmakesnoclaimthatitisinanywayassociatedwiththeoriginal.Accordingly,thisvariantwillnotbeconsideredfurther.Instead,aweb-basedarticlethatsummarizesmuchoftheavailablematerialontheg-no-katawillbeevaluatedasastartingpointtothedetailedliteraturereviewproper.Also,sincethisarticleisfeaturedonwhatcurrently(2008)prob-ablyisthemostpopularwebsiteoninformationaboutjd[29],ithassomeimpactonthejdcommunity.

2003/2008 neil ohlenkamP g-no-kata [29]

Themostcompletereviewoftheg-no-kataavailableintheWestandintheEnglishlanguage,todate,wascompiledbyNeilOhlenkampandpublishedonhisJudo Information Site,atothegeneralpublicfreelyaccessibleInternetweb-

site.Inthearticle[29]asummaryoftheavailablemate-rialontheg-no-kataispresented.Ohlenkampacknowl-edgesthatseveralversionsofthekataareinexistence,butdespitequestioningthepedigreeofsomeofthesevari-ants,hestopsshortofdrawingdefinitiveconclusionsandpresentinganauthoritativedefinitionoftheg-no-kata.Furthermore,inapersonalcommunication,Ohlenkampacknowledgesthathesimplycollatedsomefindingsandreprintedclaimsmadebyothersaswellastheirreferenc-es,withouthimactuallycriticallyanalyzingthoseclaimsorreadingmanyofthereferencesquotedbyeitherthoseauthorsorbyhimself.Consequently, thisparticularlyreviewarticlecontainsvariousinaccuraciesanderrors.

Ohlenkamp,forexample,writes:

According to Kodokan Professor Toshiro Daigo, the Yuko no Katsudo published by the Kodokan in November 1921 ()Ohlenkamp[29].

Thisclaimprecedesadetailedlistofthetechniquesintheg-no-kata.Ohlenkampadmittednothavingperson-allycheckedthisreference(whichisveryhardtofindintheWest,andentirelyinJapanese).Afterverificationofthatparticularreference[1],itcanbestatedherewithcer-taintythatadetaileddescription,suchasthatimpliedbyOhlenkamp,isnotcontainedtherein.Havinginquireddi-rectlywithToshirDaigo-sensei,theKdkan Jd InstitutesChief-Instructor,aboutthisstatementduringaconversa-tioninAugustof200511,Daigocouldnotrecalleverhav-ingmadesuchastatement.Daigoalsoaddednotknowing(then)himselfofanytechnicalreferencesong-no-katainJapaneseorotherlanguages12,andalsoexpressedthathewasnotknowledgeableinthiskatahimself.However,theseerrorsdonotdetractsignificantlyfromwhatoth-erwiseisavaluablecontributionbyOhlenkampsarticletothestateofknowledgeontheg-no-kata.

the elusive character of g-no-kata today

Thescarce,yetconflictingliteraturedatafindingsdem-onstratedintheparagraphsabove,sufficetoestablishourcaseforconductingresearchintog-no-kata.Recallthattheg-no-katadoesnotfeatureinthecontemporarylistofKdkan-recognizedkata.Furthermore,overthepastcoupleofyears,theKdkan Instituteitselfhassomewhatobfuscatedthesituationbyinvariablyignoringmostre-questsforanyinformationpertainingtog-no-kataonsomeoccasionsevenhavingbluntlydenieditsveryexis-tence13.Onecanonlyimagine,thatifattheworldmec-

11DaigoT.Personalcommunication;2005,August3rd;Tkyo: Kdkan JdInstitute.12OnlyinhisJanuary2009article,ToshirDaigo,nowforthefirsttimeincludesareference(theonebyKuhara[30])thatdetailsthetechniquesofg-no-kata.

13AbeI.Personalcommunication,USJFNationalJudoConference;2004,July57th;Honolulu,HI.



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caofjd indeednosenseiwouldsupposedlyknowany-thingaboutg-no-kata,thenhowandwherewouldonebeabletofindasenseithatcandemonstrate,letalone,ac-tuallyteachthiskata?

Consequently, for thosekata enthusiasts, Japaneseorother,whohaveexpressedaninterestinlearninghowtopracticethiskata,effortstofindasenseicompetenting-no-katainvariablyprovefutile.Noneofthethreecurrent(asof2006)Kdkan10thdanholders(Ichir Abe, Toshir Daigo and Yoshimi sawa) teach,norhavebeenknowntopracticeg-no-kata.HavingaskedAbe-senseiinsummer2004ifhepersonallyknewabouttheg-no-kata,he responded that itdidnotexist[arimasen]14.ThoughtheJapaneseword arimasen issomewhatambiguous,asinadditiontoexpressingthatsomethingdoesnotexist,itmayalsoexpressthatapersonhimselfdoesnothavetheinformationorknowsanythingaboutit,withoutnecessarilydenyingitsactu-al(historic)existence.KnowingthatAbe-senseiisadi-rectstudentofHideichiNagaoka-sensei(18761952),whointurnwashimselfa10thdananddirectstudentofKan-shihan,andknowing(accordingtoreliabledoc-uments,seeinter alia,Kuhara[30])thatNagaoka-senseiapparentlyknewhowtoperformg-no-kata.Abesre-sponsewassomewhatdisappointing,yetnotentirelyunexpected.Thus,weprobedfurtherandaskedAbe-senseiifheeverhadseenNagaoka-senseiperformg-no-kata.Oncemoretheresponsewasnegative15.

SoweaskedthesamequestionacoupleofmonthslatertoKeikoFukuda,anotherworld-renownkataexpertandoneofthelongestactivejdpractitioners[shestartedjdin1935]whohadknownKan-shihanpersonally,andwhohadtrainedunderbothKyzMifune-sensei(18831965)andKaichirSamura-sensei(18801964),bothequally10thdanholders.Fukuda-senseirespondedshehadneverbeentaughtg-no-kata,andcouldnotre-memberwithcertaintyifalongtimeago(beforeWorldwar-II)shemighthaveseenitbeingperformed16.OthershaveclaimedhavingaskedsimilarquestionstoNaokiMurata-sensei,thepresentcuratoroftheKdkanmuse-umandlibrary,andhavingreceivedsimilarresponses.

AlternativeoptionssuchasconductingasearchontheInternetinJapaneseontheg-no-kata,donotyieldasin-glerelevantsource,otherthantwoorthreethathavealistwithyearlyhistoricaleventsindicatingtheyearofthekatascreation.Fortherest,falsepositivesarereturnedacoupleoftimeswhichrelatetoOkinawanGj-ry karate,withinwhichaseparateg-no-kataorgj-no-katamaybefound,thathasnorelationshiptojdwhatsoever.

Consequently,attempts to researchor findoutmoreaboutg-no-kataquickly leadtoconsiderable frustra-tion.Andyet,theg-no-kataisnotextinctitisonlyex-tremelyrare.Indeed,genuinesourcesareavailableand,providedoneknowswheretolook,anexpertteachercanbefound.Unfortunately,insteadoftryingtolocatesuchateacherandconsultingthosegenuineresourc-es,thesituationhasnowbeencomplicatedbythecre-ationoffakeg-no-katapartlyforthemarketingpur-posesandensuingfinancialgain,aswillbecomeclearfromthenextchapter.

tWo conflicting schools of thought

Anexaminationoftheliteratureandothermediawillre-vealtwoconflictingschoolsofthoughtregardingtheg-no-katasdevelopmentandcontent.Theseareasfollows:

One,thattheg-no-katawasdevelopedbyKanasacomplementtothej-no-kata.Theaimofthekatawastohelptheparticipantslearnthebasicsof jdtech-niques,byfirstopposingeachotherwithstrengthandlaterswitchingtoaskilfulyieldingmovement.Asim-pliedbyitsname,practiceofkataalsohelpeddevelopphysicalstrength.

Theother,thattheg-no-kataisafusionofKanosjd andthekarateofGichinFunakoshi(18681957),andfeaturesprimarilyablendofjdthrowingtechniques (nage-waza)andkaratestrikingtechniques (atemi-waza).

g-no-kata, a kata of BloWs or atemi-Waza ?

Underthisheadingwecriticallyevaluateindetailthelit-eratureandmediathatarguethattheg-no-kataisbasedonasynthesisofjdandkaratetechniques.Allofthesourcessupportingthisthesisarerelativelymodern.Themajorproponentsresponsiblefordistributingthisvision,areKawaishi[25],Parulski[31,32],Muilwijk[3335]andOettlin[36]willbecriticallyevaluated.ParticularscrutinywillbeappliedtotheclaimsofMuilwijk,ashisperspectiveontheg-no-katawasgainingconsider-ablemomentum,especiallyinEurope.

Aspointedpreviously, it ismost likelyMikonosukeKawaishi (18991970),at that time the senior jd teacherinFrance,whoisoriginallyresponsiblefordis-tributingtheviewofg-no-kata,asakarate-likeexercise.Indeed,inhis1957opusmagnumThe Complete 7 Katas of Judo,heliterallywrites[25,p.11]:The Go no Kata,

14 Ibid.15 Ibid.16FukudaK.Personalcommunication.SkJoshiJdClubMonthlyKataClinic;2006,May6th;SanFrancisco,CA.


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or Kata of Force or of blows, more characteristic of Karate-do (the technique of the Atemis).().

ThoughKawaishidoesnot furtherelaborateon thisstatementanywhereelseinhisentirewrittenoeuvre,re-centdevelopmentsinthejdworldshowthatthisre-grettable,erroneousstatementhasformedthedoubtfulbedrockofso-callednewdiscoveries.Thereisnoev-idencewhatsoeverthatKawaishihimselfkneworhadeverevenseeng-no-katabeingperformed.AtthetimewhenKawaishi convertedto jd,g-no-katawasal-readyrelativelyelusive,andhadofficiallydisappearedfromtheKdkancurriculum.Moreover,theButokukaiinKytoanditsformalbudteacherschool,theBusen(abbreviation forBud Senmongakk ),wheremostJapanesebudmasterswhocametoEuropeintheearly20thcenturyfoundtheirorigin,neverhadg-no-katainitsofficialcurriculum.Kawaishiunawareofthelaterconsequencesofhisstatement,inhisbookissimplytryingtoprovidebackgroundforthevariousotherkatathathedoesexplainandfortheconceptofkataitself,bysaying:Look,kataisaformoftraining,andmorekataexistandcouldbecreatedinfuture.Indoingso,Kawaishi,merelycommunicatesthevisionofKan,completelyinlinewithwhatMifunealsostatesinhisJd kza[37].

However, thisexplanationstilldoesnotclarifyhowKawaishicametolinkjdandkaratethroughtheg-no-kata.WeassertthatKawaishididinfactnotlearnthisinformationfromanyJapanesesource,butfromsimplyreadingYvesKleins1954bookLes fondements du judo[27],whichpredatesKawaishisbookbythreeyears,andwhich,interestingly,toowaspublishedinFrance.Klein17becamefascinatedwithjdintheearly1950sandwenttoJapanfor15monthstostudyjd.Uponhisreturnin1954asa4thdanholder,hecompletedhisbook,entitled,Les fondements du judo[27].

Whatisveryinterestingforthepurposeofthisarticleisthatinthesamebook,Kleinwrites:

Autrefois on pratiquait le Kata de Go (dix techniques), qui tait ltude de la puissance, force physique, violence et contractions. Au Japon, on pratique encore aujourdhui ce Kata assez trange dans les dojos de Karate (sorte de savate japonaise). () [27,p.18].

[FormerlytheyusedtopracticeG-no-kata(tentech-niques),whichwasthestudyofpower,physicalforce,violenceandcontractions.InJapan,theystillpractc-sethisratherstrange KatainKarate(kindofJapaneseFrenchboxing)djtoday.()].

Onehastobecarefulhere.ThoughKleindoessaythatg-no-katawasapparentlybeingpracticedalsoinkarate dj,Kleindoesnowheresayorevensuggestthatg-no-katawouldcontain,ororiginate (partially) from,karate.OurinterpretationofKleinswordsisthatg-no-katawasusedthereasastructuredwarm-upexercise,andcertainlynotasaformalceremonialexerciseorasatypeofkihon(basics).AnyinterpretationfromKleinsdescriptionthatg-no-katawouldevencontainactualkaratestrikesisabsolutelypreposterous,andsolelyonaccountofthepersonmisreadingKlein.

ThefirstpersontobeeithermisguidedormakeuseofKawaishiserrorisGeorgeParulskiinhis1985publication.Whatiscertain,isthattheerrorwasnotmadebytheEnglishtranslatorHarrison,astheoriginalFrenchlanguageversionofthetext[26]referstobothkata de la forceandkata des atemis.

1985 george Parulski Black Belt Judo [31]

InthebookBlack Belt Judo[31]publishedundertheaus-picesofthenowdefunctAmericanSocietyofClassicalJudoka,GeorgeParulskiJr.presentsadescriptionoftheg-no-kata(andtheshbu-no-kata)thatparaphrasestheoneprovidedpreviouslybyKawaishi:

there are Shobu-no-kata, or forms of attack (or contest), and Go-no-kata, or forms of force. The latter is more like a kata of karate-do than of Judo since it is a prearranged pattern of blocks, strikes and kicks done with power and focus (kime).()[31,p.72].

NoreferencetoKawaishisworkismadeinParulskistextand,likeKawaishi,Parulskiprovidesnofurtherdetailsoftheg-no-kata.Black Belt Judohastobeviewedcareful-ly,astherearemanyfactualinaccuraciesandParulskisowninterpretationstobefoundthroughoutthework.Additionally,theinstructionaltextandphotographsthatdescribehowtoperformthevariouskatathereinoftende-viatesignificantlyfromtheacceptedKdkanstandard,andreflectconsiderabledilettantism.Particularlyquestionable,isthematerialassociatedwiththemoreadvancedkata.

1998 george Parulski Isao oBatos lost kata of Judo Volume 1, hoax #1 ?

Thirteenyearslater,in1998,Parulskigoesastepfur-therinaCD-ROM-basedfilm[32],entitledIsaoObatos Lost Kata of Judo Volume 1[38,p.7].OnthisCD-ROM,GeorgeParulskiclaimsthathewouldhavere-discov-

17YvesKlein,todayismostlyrememberedasanavant-gardistJewish-Frenchartistwhoalsoauthoredandcreatedanultramarine-likecolor,officiallypatentedasKleinInternationalBlue,whichheabundantlyusedinsomeofhispaintings.



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eredandrestoredvariousobsoletejd kata,whichheisnowmakingavailabletothejdcommunitytopreventthemfromfallingsubjecttofurtherextinction.Parulskidemonstratesaself-styledg-no-katathatclear-lyisacombinationofcontemporaryjdnage-waza andkarateatemi-waza.Hisassertionthatthiskatawouldbethegenuine g-no-kata willnowbeevaluated.

Parulskiclaimsthathelearntthekatafromhisownsensei,IsaoObato,andassertsthatObatohaddirectlineagestobothMifuneandKan:

The founder of the American Society of Classical Judoka, Isao Obato held the rank of 8th dan in judo with black belt certification in jo-jutsu, iai-do, aikido and jujutsu. Born in Osaka, Japan, Obato was a student of Kyuzo Mifune, a Kodokan 10th dan from whom Obato said to have learned 20 judo kata (pre-arranged forms). Many of these kata were not included or completed in the Kodokan syllabus. Still others were once there and are on longer taught.()[38,p.3]

The author of this tape, Dr. George R. Parulski, Jr. was a direct student of Isao Obato. Obato sensei as a boy was a student of both Jigoro Kano, the founder or Judo and [Kyz] Mifune Sensei. Obato sensei devoted his life to teaching what he referred to as classical judo and taught complete judo up until his death in 1986.()[32]

Whenexplainingthesourcehiskata,Parulskiexpandsuponthedescriptioninhisbook[31]andclaimsthattheg-no-kataasdemonstrated,representsafusionofKans jdandFunakoshisShtkan karate:

This video teaches Go-no-kata (forms of hardness) showing the link between Funakoshis karate-do and Kanos Judo.()[38,p.7].

Tothebestofourknowledge, this is the first timethatanexplicitconnectionbetweenthesetwogreatmastersofdifferentbuddisciplinesisclaimedthatwouldhave resulted in thedevelopmentof theg-no-kata.Parulskisstatementishistoricallyincorrect.WhilstKan-shihanandFunakoshi-shihandidmeetanddidhave conversations (also, see further), andwhileKan-shihanwasopentootherbud,andto-wardstheendofhislifeevenopeneduptheKdkanfortheteachingofotherbud,suchasforexamplejjutsuandbjutsu,thereisnoevidenceofanyongo-ingcooperationbetweenKanandotherbud-masterstofurtherformalize jdtechniquesafterthe1906

establishmentofthefinalformofkime-no-kataattheButokukai[15,39].

Parulski,furtherclaimsthattheg-no-kata(andotherso-calledlostkata)werecontainedintheoriginal1934JapaneseversionofthebookKodokan Judothatisincom-monusetoday,andalsointhemorecommon1954edi-tionwhichprecedesthecurrent1986one.Moreover,Parulskialsoclaimsthatthe1934editionwouldhavebeenauthoredbyKan-shihanhimself:

In defense, all we can say is that the 1934 edition of Kodokan Judo (that is the Japanese version authored by Jigoro Kano the founder of Judo mentions) each of these kata. The 1954 edition of Illustrated Kodokan Judo, authored by the Kodokan, mentions some but not all of these kata, and the newest 1980s version mysteriously is devoid of any mention of these kata.()[32]

Parulskiiscorrectinthatthe1986editionofKodokan Judo[13]doesnotmentiontheg-no-kata.However,the1955versionentitledIllustrated Kodokan Judo[40]doesnoteither.Itdoesmakereferencetonine18kindsofkatataughtattheInstitute[40,p.161).Asfortheclaims

18Twokatathatdonotfeaturetodayarelistedinthe1954text[40]namelytheFujoshi-Goshin-no-Kata,FormsofSelf-DefenceforGirlsandWomenandtheIppon-y-Goshin-no-Kata,FormsofSelf-DefenceforMen.Thesearenotexistingkata,howeverneitheraretheylostkata.The1954bookwaspublishedwhentheGoshinjutsuCommitteewasstillworkingtofinalizewhatisnowknownasKdkan Goshinjutsu.TheIppon-y-Goshin-no-katasimplybecameKdkan goshinjutsuasweknowittoday.TheFujoshi-Goshin-no-kataiswhatweknowtodayasJoshi (Jd) goshinh.Toallowamorefreewayofdefendingandattacking,inboththeexerciseformalesandtheoneforfemales,thetermkatawasdropped,andintheoneforfemalesreplacedbythewordformethodh .SeeKotanietal.[17]foradetaileddescriptionoftheJoshi (Jd) goshinh.

Figure 1. Jigor Kans rare 1931 publication Jd kyhon jkan [A textbook of jd] [4], the only major textbook on jd written by its creator, and from which g-no-kata has already been omitted.


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pertainingtoa1934text,nosuch1934editionofthisbookexists.TheoriginaleditionofthisbookwasindeedwrittenbyKan-shihan,butpublishedin1931,notin1934,andwasneverreprintedinitsoriginalversion[4](Figure1).Inthisbook,thefirstvolume(hencethesuf-fix-jkan)ofwhatwasclearlysupposedtobecomeatwo-volumeoeuvre,Kan-shihandoesnotmentionawordaboutg-no-kata.Kan-shihannevercompletedthemanuscriptforthesubsequentvolume(-gekan ).ThebookwascompletelyreworkedbytheKdkanaf-terKan-shihanpassedawayin1938,andwasgreatlyexpandedtobridgethevirtuallyentirejdcurriculum.Itwasfinallypublishedin1955,firstinJapanese[41],andsubsequentlyinEnglish[40]andFrench.

Parulskisg-no-kata, contains twenty techniques.Hedoesnotprovidea formal listingof thetwentytech-niquesinhiskata,althougheachtechniqueisdemon-stratedconsecutively.AnefforttoprovidesuchalistingusingthemostappropriateShtkan karatedescriptorforeachtechniqueismadeinTable1.

AcloserlookatParulskisexercise,formostjdschol-arswillimmediatelyraiseconcerns.Thenumbertwen-

tyispeculiar,tosaytheleast.Alljd katacreatedbyKan-shihan(nage-no-kata,katame-no-kata,j-no-kata,and shbu-no-kata) in their original formcontainedjusttentechniques[39,21].Itwouldbesomewhatcu-rious,forg-no-kata,createdin1887orearlier(pre-1885),thusfollowingtheearlierten-techniquenage-andkatame-no-kata,andchronologically in thesametimeperiodasj-no-kata,tohaveacompletelydiffer-entnumberoftechniquesthananyoftheotherkata.NotethatNage-,katame-,andj-no-katawerethenre-workedoverthenexttwentyyears(forj-no-kataevenlonger)untiltheyconsistedoffifteentechniques[21].

Whileitiscorrectthattodayskime-no-kataandKdkan goshinjutsuhavetwentyoreventwenty-onetechniques,respectively,theirhistoryandthesituationisquitedif-ferent fromthatofg-no-kataor theotherKdkan-specifickata.Kansoriginalshbu-no-katawasgreatlyrevampedandconvertedintoashinken-shbu-no-kataandexpandedtoaboutthirteenorfourteentechniques[43],anditwasnotuntilthe1906meetingoftheButokukaithatbyinputofvariousmastersfromdifferentjjutsuschools,inparticularTenjin shiny-ry, Yshin-ry,andSsuishitsu-ry,itresultedinthe20-techniquekime-no-

Omote

1. Gyaku-tsuki Reverse thrust/strike

2. Oi-tsuki Stepping thrust/strike

3. Mae-geri (keage) Front snap kick

4. Ushiro-(hidari)-kata-dori (Left) Shoulder grab from behind

5. Katate-tekubi-dori Single hand wrist hold

6. Ushiro-ryte-dori Two hand hold from behind


8. Ushiro-kata-dori Shoulder grab from behind


10. Mae-kubi-jime Front neck choke

11. Mae-kubi-jime Front neck choke

Tachi-ai

12. Katate-tekubi-dori Single hand wrist hold




16. Ushiro-jime Choke from Behind

17. Mae-kubi-jime Front Strangle


19. Mawashi-tsuki Roundhouse punch

20. Yama-tsuki Mountain punch (Double hand punch)

Table 1. G-no-kata: Forms of Hardness & Strength. From De Cre [42], by permission; data based on Parulski [32], using Shtkan karate terminology.



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kataweknowtoday.However,g-no-kataneverwentthroughsuchanevolution,andKanleftituntouchedfromitsoriginalten-techniqueform.[15]

Itisobviousthatthereisnocommonalitybetweentheg-no-katademonstratedbyParulskiandKdkan jds g-no-kataformdescribedelsewhereinthispaper.TheproblemswiththeParulskiversiondonotstopattheunusualnumberoftechniqueswhichParulskipropos-es.Parulskiskataisdividedintotwosections:elevenOmote , (translatedbyhimasFrontFundamentalTechniques)andnineTachi-ai (ContinuousAttacks).Itisapttonotethatsuchadivisionissome-whatcurious,andthatcontrastingaseriescalledOmotewithaseriescalledTachi-aiishighlyinconsistentandnonsystematic.Whiletheconceptofomoteisnottypi-callyusedinjd,exceptforinkoshiki-no-kata,whichisoriginallyajjutsu (kumi-uchi)exerciseandwhichhasbeenpreservedfromKit-ry,itistypicallycontrastedwithura.ThemeaningofomoteinKit-ryalsoisnotfronttechniquesasthewordisoftentranslatedinto,forexample,inaikid[7,8].Tachi-aiinjdreferstoastandingposition,toexpresscontrastwithakneelingposition,thelatterwhichwasthecommonformalpo-sitionwhichasubjecttypicallyassumeswheninsideabuildingintheoldJapan.Hence,itisinjdtypicallycontrastedwith idori .

WhilstadetailedcritiqueofParulskisactualperfor-mancegoesbeyondthepurposeofthispaper,itisuse-fultoprovideasummaryevaluationofhisallegedg-no-katadisplay.

ThereisnodoubtthatwhatParulskishowsareeffective,sometimesevenspectacularmovements.However,anoveralllackofappropriatereactionandefficiencyper-meatestheentirekata.Forexample,abasic,relativelyinnocentwristgrabiscounteredwithdisproportionatenervestrikesandathrowingtechnique.Overall,theex-erciseshownbyParulskimoreresemblestoritethanthatitresemblesjd,whichisquiteunlikewhatKdkans g-no-katadoes,orwasaimingfor.

CarefulstudyofthekataperformanceraisesadditionalquestionsaboutParulskisoveralljd education.ItisevidentthatParulskispartnerisinexperiencedinkataandthisundoubtedlycontributestothelowqualityoftheperformance,overall.However,theconsistenterrorsinelementaryformalitiessuchasthereih(bowingcere-mony),orderofmovingthefeetforwardsorbackwards,

sittingdownorstandingupwiththewrongknee,noproperawarenessoftsugi-ashiandalackofcoordinationbetweentorianduke,toanexpert,suggestthattheper-formerhasonlyarudimentaryknowledgeofjd kata.

ItisalsonecessarytoindicatetothereaderthatthereisconsiderablecontroversyaboutthecredentialsandeventheactualexistenceofapersonbythenameofIsaoObato19.ThereaderinterestedinthesereportscanaccessthedebatesbyperformingasimplesearchataninternetresourceforJapanesemartialartsandculturewww.e-budo.com.AGooglesearchontheInternetwillyielddozensofdisqualifyingdiscussionsofthemanyotherclaimsmadebyParulski.

Additionally,wenotethatParulskihimselfprovidesaremarkabledisclaimerforhisg-no-kata,inwhichheseemsrefertolong-establishedKdkanpolicies:

The viewer is warned that with the current state of judo politics making claims to teaching lost katas might be met with great resistance and a degree of mistrust and doubtfulness on the part of many judo leaders. Even direct inquiries to the Kodokan are answered with statements such as These Katas Never Existed, or better still, We have no records of an Isao Obato training with this Institution.()[32]

Ithasalreadybeenexplained in thispaperhowtheKdkanviewstheg-no-kata.However,theInstitutionsgenuinereticencetoembracetheg-no-katashouldinnowaybeusedtoaddcredencetoParulskisg-no-kataasbe-ingauthentic,asallcircumstantialevidencewouldindicatethatitisnot.ThedetailedevaluationofJanMuilwijksg-no-katathatfollowslater,willreinforcethispoint.

Wealsopointout that thereexistsnosuchnameasObatoinJapanese.NoneofthenativeJapaneseschol-arswehaveconsulted,haseverheardofsuchaname.AuthoritativeJapanesenamereferenceworkssuchasP.G.ONeils20[44],donotcontainanentryforthenameObatoasanexistingJapanesesurname,nordoessuchanameappearanywhereintheirextensiveglossaries.ItisspeculatedthatthenameIsaoObatoisafabricationbasedonthepersonofIsaoObata,aknownShtkan karatemasterfromKeioUniversity( ,Kei Gijuku Daigaku) andfirstChairmanoftheNihon Karate Kykai or Japan Karate Association (JKA).

TherootsoftherealObatainkarate,aswellashislinkswithFunakoshi,mostlikelyfedParulskisother

19ThisIsaoObatoshouldnotbeconfusedwithsomeonewithaknownkarate-senseiwithasimilarname,IsaoObata,thelatterwhoisknowntohavetrainedunderNakayama-sensei,andFunakoshi-shihan,andwhohastaughtkarateintheUSAirForcesmartialartspro-gramtogetherwithothersensei,suchasTsuyoshiSat(jd)andKenjiTomiki(aikid).IntheUS,WalterTodd,jdka, karatekaandaikidka,wasoneofhisstudents.

20P.G.ONeilsJapanese names. A comprehensive indext by characters and readings[44]isastandardreferenceworkforJapanesenamere-searchusedbyJapanesestudiesscholarscontaining13,500surnames,11,000personalnames,6,800literary,historicalandartisticnames,4,400placenames,and300Japaneseeranames.


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fabrication,namelythatofanexercisethatwouldcom-binekarateandjd,andthatsupposedlywouldhavebeenthefruitofacollaborationbetweenKan-shihanandFunakoshi-shihan,andthatwouldhaveculminat-eding-no-kata.IntheevaluationofJanMuilwijksg-no-kata furtherinthispaper,particularattentionwillbepaidtotheclaimthatthiskatawouldhavebeenjoint-lydevelopedbyKan-shihanandFunakoshi-shihan.

2002 & 2003 linda yiannakis and steven cunningham the kata of Judo Parts I & II of a serIes [45,46]

StevenCunningham21 in an interviewwithLindaYiannakisdiscusses thecontentanddevelopmentofseveraljd kata.Theinterviewisserializedasatwo-partarticle in the journalof theUnitedStates JudoAssociationAmerican Judo,(45,p.1921;46,p.2024).Intheinterview,Cunninghamsthoughtsontheoriginandnatureofmanyofthepurportedlostkataofjdarepresentedaswellashistheoriesastowhytheyarenolongerwidelyknown.Additionally,otherjd kata,whicharenotcurrentlyrecognizedbytheKdkan,arediscussed,andCunninghamdoesdevotesomeatten-tiontotheg-no-kata.Cunninghamstartsbycorrect-lyexplainingthecomplementaryrelationshipbetweeng-andthej-no-kata:

The Go no Kata, for example, was the Kata of Hardness, which is the counterpart of the Ju no Kata, which is the Kata of Softness. Go and ju are the opposites of one another in the Japanese thinking.()[46,p.20]

Notwithstandinghisconsiderablepedigree,Cunninghamthenproceedstoerrsignificantlyinhisdiscussionoftheg-no-kata.Inparticular,hewronglystatesthatthiskatacontainsatemi-waza.This suggests thatCunninghamhasno first-handknowledgeof theg-no-kata either,andthathehasresearcheditsolelyfromsources(mostlikelyKawaishiandParulski) thathavesubsequentlybeenshownfalse.

Aspartofhisflawedanalysis,Cunninghamdoes,how-ever,criticallyevaluatetheallegedKan-Funakoshiaxis.Inthisanalysishecorrectlyidentifiesthehistoricalin-consistenciesthatnegatetheclaimsofothersthatKan andFunakoshicollaboratedong-no-kata:

The kata was constructed right around the turn of the century. Thats an important thing to recognize, because some people argue that he constructed the Go no Kata with a mind to

incorporating Okinawan karate into Japanese Judo and that he got the idea after becoming a close friend of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate. It is true that Kano and Funakoshi were good friends. Kano was instrumental in bringing Funakoshi to Japan. He took him under his wing; he showed him the ropes. They talked a lot about the future of martial art. The modern karate-do, as opposed to karate jutsu, is a result of Funakoshi recognizing that Kanos idea of taking Jujutsu and making it Judo was a good idea. In the modern era, with modern weapons and so on, it might not be as critically important to the military feudal state, which also no longer existed, to continue martial art training. But the value of martial art training had never changed. So karate ought to be continued to be practiced, but with a view to developing the individual. So Kano and Funakoshi were good friends; Shotokan was traditionally taught at the Kodokan, and Kano and Funakoshi discussed techniques and methods together. Kano even learned some of the karate kata. But all of this happened in the late nineteen teens and after. It did not happen before 1900. One has to realize that Funakoshi was quite a bit younger than Kano and that he would not be old enough to be instructing Kano at the time that Kano designed Go no Kata. The fact that there are a lot of atemi, as well as throws and other things in Go no Kata is not an indication that it comes from karate, but rather that there are a lot of karate-like elements in Jujutsu. In fact, when Funakoshi saw an exhibition of Jujutsu by Hironori Otsuka, who was menkyo kaiden of Shin no Shindo Ryu under Nakamura, Funakoshi supposedly ran out on the floor and said to Otsuka, Youve studied Tode [the old name for karate] in Okinawa, havent you! And Otsuka said that no, he only practiced the Jujutsu. And so Funakoshi discovered that there were a lot of very common elements in the two arts. Otsuka became a student of Funakoshi and ultimately became the founder of Wado Ryu karate. Wado is the harmonizing way, and he was harmonizing or blending Jujutsu with karate. The atemi was very strong in Jujutsu, and in fact Tenshin Shinyo Ryu was one of the pre-eminent atemi schools. Kano had learned this since youth and it was appropriate to put it into the kata.()[46,p.2021]

Cunninghamthenhypothesizesas towhytheg-no-katabecamenolongertaught.Hepresentsanunrefer-encedthesisbasedonagrowingJapanesenationalismanditsimpactonKan:

The kata like Go no kata were hidden away, though, in the pre-WW-II years, Im told, because of the fears that Kano had about the Kodokan being used as a training ground for soldiers. By the 1920s the nationalistic fervor had gotten quite strong in Japan. Kano was quite concerned about it all. He began his All-Japan Cultural Movement in the 1920s trying to turn the tide and get people to take a more cosmopolitan view. He did not feel he was successful. He made some inroads, but he was

21Dr.Cunninghamisarespectedacademicandholderofalegitimatehigh-danrankinjd.Heisamongasmallgroupthathaswrittenaboutjdwithproperreferencingofsources,suchasYk-no-katsud andotheroriginalmaterialthatthemajorityofWesternersareintotalignoranceof.Throughsuchworkhehaslaidthefoundationsofproperscholarlyresearchinthemartialarts,andassuchisfollow-inginthefootstepsofDonnDraeger,workthatisnowbeingcontinuedbyotherssuchasDianeandMeikSkoss,SergeMol,andothers.



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not successful. He also made the mistake of making himself a target of the nationalists. They felt that he was a Western sympathizer and did not recognize the true strength and destiny of Japan. Some argue that that resulted in Kanos death. So, with all that in mind, Kano and the others sort of tucked away the Go no Kata and essentially obsoleted it. They said there were problems with it and they would just no longer teach it. They stopped discussing it publicly. () [46,p.21]

WhilstitiscorrectthatanacademiclikeKanwascau-tiouswithrespecttotheissueofJapanesenationalism,therealreasonastowhytheg-no-katastoppedbeingtaught,hasnothingtodowithwhatCunninghamsuggests,aswillbeexplainedfurtherdowninthispaper.WhatpreciselymotivatedCunninghamtoassertthatthesekatawerehiddenawaywedonotknow.Itseemsthoughthatheissuggestingthatthesekatawouldcontainsometypeofsecret,perhapsdangerousorlethaltechniquesthatinten-tionallyneededtobehiddenaway.Nothingcouldbefur-therfromthetruth;thereisnothingsecretorlethalaboutg-no-kata,whichinfactisakatathatissuitableforrel-ativenovicesinjd,forexample,asawarm-uporresis-tancetrainingexercise.True, like j-no-kata,g-no-katadoesnotonlyhavephysicaleducationproperties(mean-ing,itmakespartofthesubgroupofRentai-no-kata),buteitherkataalsoisatheoreticalkata(subgroup of Ri-no-kata)examiningandreflectingonthefundamentalsoftheartofjd.Whilegraspingthisaspect,nodoubt,isfarmorechallengingthanthewarm-upcomponent,itstilldoesnotmakeg-no-katainanywaysecretiveordangerous.Consequently,itwouldbenonsensicalforanysuchrea-sontokeepg-no-katainanywayhiddenorsecretivefromthegeneraljdpractitioner.Moreover,Kan-shihannev-erintentionallyputan okuden orhiden (secretoresotericteachings)componentintojd,inter aliapre-ciselytodistinguishhisjdfromclassicalkory jjutsu.

Cunningham,whousuallyisquitewellinformed,endedhisexposong-no-katawithanothererror:

A sidenote is that Kyuzo Mifune, tenth dan, constructed a different Go no Kata during the WWII years. He intended it, I think, to replace the older one. Variants of Mifunes Go no Kata, probably reflecting different stages in the development of his form, appear periodically, adding to the confusion regarding Go no Kata.()

TruthisthatKyzMifuneneverconstructedag-no-kata (Formsofcorrectuseof force)ofhisown,butagoshinjutsu-(no-kata),thusamodernself-defensekata,withthego (meaningprotection)ofgoshinjutsube-inganentirelydifferentwordfromtheg (meaningforce)ing-no-kata .TherearestrongsuggestionsthatParulski,unawarethatCunninghamerrs,decidestocapitalizeonthiserrorbycomingupwiththeideathathewouldhavere-discoveredthislostkataasaprivileged

studentofthemysteriousIsaoObato,whocameanddis-appearedwithoutleavingasingletrail,andwhohasnev-erbeenseenormetbyanyothermartialartist.Otherdi-rectstudentsofMifunewhoarestillalive,suchasnotablyKyoshiKobayashi,9thdan(Portugal),JinIizumi,7thdan(USA),andNobutakaMizoguchi,7thdan(Japan)indeedhaveneverheardabouteitherastudentofMifunebythenameofIsaoObato,aboutanyg-no-katawhichMifunewouldhavedeveloped.Furthermore,whileMifuneinthevariousbookshewrote,amplytalksaboutthekatahedevelopedhimself,thereisnotraceaboutanymythicalg-no-katawhichhesupposedlywouldhavedeveloped.

However,interestingly,lessthanayearafterCunninghamin2003erroneouslylinksg-no-katatoMifune,Parulskicameupwithhisre-discoveryofthis(nonexistent)g-no-kataviaaso-calledpupilofMifuneAttheendoftheday,itisthusCunninghamsraremistakethatex-posesParulskisg-no-kataexerciseasacompletehoax.

2005 & 2006 jan muilWijk g-no-kata: reconstructIng the forgotten kata [3335], another hoax?

OnApril3rdof2005, theDutchmartial artist JanMuilwijkperformedaself-styledg-no-kataaspartofhispromotionexaminationforthejdrankof6thdan.TheexaminationwasconductedundertheauspicesofJudo Bond Nederland(=theDutchJudoFederation)whoseregulationsrequirethatacandidateforsuchapromo-tionshouldproduceapieceoforiginalwork.

Muilwijksdemonstrationhasbeenheraldedasthefirstperformanceoftheg-no-kataintheNetherlands[33]andfollowingtheenthusiasmwithwhichthedemon-strationwasreceived,awell-illustratedinstructionbookwassubsequentlypublishedoriginallyinDutch[34]andsubsequentlyinEnglish[35].

ItshouldbenotedthattheclaimthatMuilwijkhadrein-troducedthelostg-no-katasurprisedmany,asMuilwijkwasnotknowntobeanexpertinanyhistoricalorheuris-tictechnicalaspectsofjd.Inparticularthesuggestionthathewouldhavebeenabletopresenttheg-no-katare-constructedfromoriginalsourcesthathadeludedotherswasmetwithconsiderabledisbeliefbyjdandbudschol-ars;indeedMuilwijkwasnotknowntobeeitherfluentinJapanese,particularMeiji-jidaiJapanese,tohaveprivilegedaccesstoarchivalsources,ortohaveaccesstoanextensivenetworkofrelationshipsorexperienceinJapanthatwouldbeessentialtounearthsuchnon-mainstreammaterial.

Nevertheless, tobe fair, the rationale thatMuilwijk[34,35,p.79]presentstosupporthisg-no-katamust


Original Article

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firstcriticallyevaluated.Muilwijk[34,35,p.7]doesnotclaimthatheconstructedhisg-no-katabasedoninforma-tionfromKawaishirather,hebecameintrigued22sim-plybecauseofKawaishisdescriptionofthekata.Recall:

The Go no Kata, or Kata of Force or of blows, more characteristic of Karate-do (the technique of the Atemis).()[25,p.11]

Muilwijk[34,35,p.7]proceedstodescribehowhe,likemostothers,wasunabletodiscovermuchmoreabouttheg-no-kata.Hethenprovidesagoodaccountofhis(flawed)researchmethodology,whichratherthanbeingtime-consuminglibrary-basedworkwithextensiveuseoforiginalsources,wasinsteadbasedontheconsulta-tionofalimitednumberof(Western)books,interviews,technicaldiscussionsandInternetsearches[34,35,p.7,63].InadditiontotheproblemthatInternetresearchishighlyerror-proneandcanleadtothedrawingofspu-riousconclusions,itisnoticeablethatthemajorityofMuilwijks interviewswerenotwith jdka,butrath-erwithkaratekawithvirtuallynoscholarlybackgroundornojdorkoryhistoricalknowledge.Moreover,in-cludedamongstMuilwijks intervieweeswasGeorgeParulski,whosecontributiontotheg-no-kataquestionwasdiscussedpreviously.GiventhatParulskiisbasedintheUnitedStatesandMuilwijkintheNetherlands,andthetwodidnotmeet,thedepthandextentoftheirdialoguecanonlybeamatterofconjecture.

With theexceptionofKawaishi, theother sourcesMuilwijklists[34,35,p.63]aretotallydevoidofanyreference to theg-no-kata.Moreover,Muilwijkonlyusedthesesourcesforwritinganoccasionalsentence.Forexample,inIchirAbesbookJudo(publishedbothinFrenchandinDutch),Abewritesthatjd containsnage-waza,katame-waza, andatemi-waza.ForMuilwijkthisisajustificationthatag-no-katainthesenseofParulskisversionmightverywellhavebeendevelopedbyKanandFunakoshianentirelyfallaciousconclu-sionthatwillnowbeshowntolackbothlogicandcred-ibility.Muilwijk'sdeduction isabsurd,as IchirAbe,whenaskedaboutg-no-kataevendenieditsexistence.ForthosewhoknowAbe-senseipersonally,theideathathewoulddeviateevenamillimeterfromofficialKdkanpolicyandsyllabus,whichinessenceiswhatMuilwijkimplies,wouldbeentirelyunimaginable.

At theoutset,Muilwijk [34,35,p.8]acknowledgestheambiguitypertainingtotheg-no-kataandstatesthat thereappear tobetwog-no-kata incirculation.Additionally,heprovidesacorrectlistingofthevari-ant foundedbyKan in1887.However,he subse-quentlygivesnofurtherconsiderationtothiskataand

proceeds topresentanunsubstantiatedandunrefer-encedthesisforthelineageoftheso-calledg-no-katathatfeaturesinhisbook.

Muilwijk[34,35,p.8]writes:

I managed to lay my hands on some film footage from the United States. From the performance you can see that it concerns a very good mixture of judo and karatedo techniques. According to the performer G.R. Parulski, here we have a performance of Kyuzo Mifune (18831965), 10th dan, transferred to his pupil Isao Obato (8th dan), who, in turn taught Parulski. It is presented as a fusion between the SHOTOKAN karate of Gichin Funakoshi and the judo of Jigoro Kano. I have tried to follow this thread back to its source.().

MuilwijkdescribeshowhediscoversthatFunakoshigaveademonstrationattheButokukaiin1917.Hecon-tinuesthatKanwouldhaveinvitedFunakoshitoteachkarateattheKdkan,andaddsthatthis went on for several years [34,35,p.8].Muilwijkalsostatesthat Kano and Funakoshi were together many times around 1921andproceedstospeculatethatitseemsveryreasonabletohimthatthetwotogetherdeveloped a completely new GO NO KATA[34,35,p.8].

Muilwijkdoesnotpresent,andwedonotknowof,anyreferencesorevidencethatsubstantiates theclaimofthesupposedlymanyyears-longteachingofkarateattheKdkan.Atemi-waza,however,wastaughtattheKdkan,butaspartofabalancedjd syllabus.AstaughtbyKan,theprincipalatemi-wazawerepunchestotheglabella,el-bowstothesolarplexus,andfrontkickstothetesticles.AdditionaltargetsdescribedinsubsequentKdkanpub-licationsincludethesoftspotontopofthehead,mas-toidprocess,temples,philtrum,chin,solarplexus,spleen,liver,andknees.Practicalmethodsofstrikingthesetar-gets,however,donotseemtohavebeenmuchstudied.See,forexamplethetextKodokan Judo[13,p.136138].

Furthermore, classicalweapons training,particular-lybjutsuandjjutsuwereatonepointtaughtattheKdkan23,andaredetailedinYk-no-katsud andJd.KanhadcreatedinMarchof1928anewresearchde-partmentforkobud,partlytoemphaticallycounteraworryingevolutionofjdintoacompetitivesport,andbecausetowardstheendofhislifeheincreasinglystart-eddoubtingwhetherjdalonewouldbetrulyabletorealizehisnoblegoals.Hisresearchgroupinitiallygath-eredattheOtsuka Kaiunzaka dj,nexttohisownhouse[47],andnurturedvariouskorydisciplines.Originally,thenewKdkanbuildingwassupposedtohousemul-tiplemartialarts,andthefactthattheKdkannever

22SinceMuilwijkisakarateka(aswellasajdka)thisisunderstandable.23Famoussensei,suchasTakeshiShimizuwereamongtheseguest-instructors.



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followedthroughwiththisideaafterKan-shihanhadpassedaway,likelybecauseofRiseiKanslackofun-derstandinganddifferingvision,causedconsiderablefrictionwiththemainsponsorofthenewKdkanbuild-ing,MatsutarShoriki[47].Ineffect,thisevolutioncausedsuchturmoilthatShoriki-senseiwouldbecomeamainforcebehindcreatinganentirelynewbuilding,partlyoutofprotest,thelaterNippon Budkan.

Asforkarate,whatiscorrect,isthataboutsixyearsear-lier(in1922)Kan-shihanwitnessedFunakoshigivingadisplayofShorin-ry karate inTky.(NotethatitwasnotyetShtkan karate,sincethetermShtkan wasnottobeinventedforanotherdecade.)Itisalsocor-rectthatKanaskedforFunakoshitogiveademon-strationattheKdkan(thenlocatedatShimo-Tomisaka):

When I visited the Kdkan three days later, Funakoshi later recalled, I found myself face to face with a select group of around a hundred judoka. I had no students with me, nor even anyone to assist me. Fortunately a young man by the name of Gima Shinkin, who had been a karate instructor in Okinawa, was in Tokyo at the time Several kata, notably Kanku, seemed to be especially popular with the spectators, and we were asked to perform them several times. After the demonstration there were question and answer sessions, first with the younger men and then with the senior students. Later on, as we were having a pleasant chat, I was asked by Kano Sensei how long it would take to learn all the kata. When I replied that I thought it would take over a year, he said, Well, I cant impose on asking you to stay that long, but I wish youd teach me at least two or three. ()[48,p.11,49,p.2627).

Forcompleteness it is recorded thatKanwitnessedmore karateinOkinawain1927:

Furthermore, in 1927, Kano attended a conference in Okinawa and while there witnessed more karate, this time performed by Chojun Miyagi and Kenwa Mabuni. The kind words he spoke to these men apparently helped convince these two men to subsequently introduce karate to Japan. ()[50,p.78].

Notwithstandingtheextremelyweakfoundationsforhisconclusionssofar,MuilwijkcontinuestospeculateandbelieveshehasmoreevidencetoreinforcehisargumentswhenhediscoversthatKyzMifunelaterwasincon-tactwithHironoritsuka(18921982),thecreatorandfirstGrandmasterofWad-rykarate.Muilwijkadds:

Presumably, Mifune used his knowledge to change or adapt the GO NO KATA where necessary. ()[35,8].

Muilwijksimpliedconclusionthereforeisthattheoriginal1887(orevenolder)g-no-katawasnothingmorethananearlyversion.Accordingly,theversionhehimselfhasassim-

ilatedviaParulskimustthenbeKans,Funakoshis,Mifunesandtsukasrevisedversionofthekata[35,9].

Consistentwithhisentirelineofreasoning,Muilwijksconclusionhereissomewhatimplausible.ItisknownthatKanwasalreadyskepticalaboutMifunesUra-waza kata,andreactedequallydismissivelywhenGunjiKoizumiduringKans1933visittoLondonshowedsomeofhisowninnovationsto j-no-kata[16].SoitisextremelyunlikelythatJigor Kanwouldhavecooperatedwithsomeonewithnoknowledgeofjd likeFunakoshi,whenevenanexpert jdka suchasMifuneappearedphilosophically too faroutof linewithhimself.

Fortheremainderofhisbook,Muilwijkprovidesanil-lustratedsetofinstructionsastohowtoperformhisself-styledg-no-kata.Forcompleteness,alistofthesetechniquesisprovidedinTable2.

WhilstMuilwijk stops shortofadmittinghemerelyacquiredParulskisCD-ROM[32]andwroteoutthetechniques,comparisonofTables1and2confirmsthatParulskiandMuilwijkareindeeddescribingidenticalkata,anobviousconclusion,sinceParulskisownfantas-ticcreationwasMuilwijksonlypracticalsource.Indeed,aswillbecomeclearlaterinthispaper,onlyonehistor-icalsourceexistedthatactuallydepictedandprovidedadetaileddescriptionofthetrueg-no-kata,asourcenotwithinreachofvirtuallyanyone.

Asapointofdetail itshouldbenotedthatalackofgrammaticalattentionisevidentinMuilwijksnamingofthetechniquesinthekata.SuspicionsaboutMuilwijksJapanese-illiteracyhadalreadybeensurfacingwheninanearlysectionofhisbook[34,35,p.10]heconfusesgo (thenumberfive)andg (meaningforce).InhislistingofthetechniquesMuilwijkhassimplythrowntogetherfamiliarterminologyfromjd andkarate of-teninerroneousgrammaticalorderresultinginrathernonsensicaldescriptors.Inaddition,Muilwijkdoesnotprovidesuccinctdesignationsforeachofthetechniquesrather,heprovidesalengthydescriptorfortheattackbyukeandthecorrespondingresponsefromtori.Suchanapproachiscontrarytotheestablishedhighlyeffi-cientprocedurefornamingtechniquesinajd kata,asdescribedbyCornish[51,p.3]

The Japanese names used for the techniques in the kata only describe parts of the attack. To use a comprehensive description of all the attack and the defence would make the name too long-winded and, for the non-Japanese, difficult to remember whereas these short names should prove no difficulty at all. The English,is not meant to be a transcription of the Japanese names, like them it is meant only as a memory aid.


Original Article

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ThereasonthatMuilwijksterminologyasmentionedinTable2isdifferentfromthatusedbyDeCrein Table1,thoughbotharebasedonParulskisCD-ROM,isbe-causeDeCre[42]used(linguisticallycorrect)Shtkan

terminology,whereasMuilwijkhavingaWad-ryback-ground,reliesonterminologytypicallyusedwithinthisstyleofkarated,terminologywhichhecombinesatran-dominanerraticandgrammaticallyincorrectorder.

Omote (Front)

1. Migi chudan gyaku tsuki*Migi chudan gyaku uchi uke Hidari chudan tsuki Hidari gedan hiza geri Hidari harai goshi

Right middle reverse thrust/strike*Right middle reverse inside block Left middle thrust/strike Left low knee kick Left hip sweep

2. Migi chudan jun tsuki*Migi chudan gyaku uchi uke Shiko dachi Migi chudan empi uchi Migi shiho nage Ude garami

Right middle lunging thrust/strike*Right middle reverse inside block Horse stance Right middle elbow strike Right four direction throw Entangled armlock

3. Migi chudan mae geri*Migi soto harai uke Migi gedan mae geri Hidari harai goshi

Right middle front kick*Right outside sweeping block Right low front kick Left hip sweep

4. Ushiro kata dori*Hidari gedan ushiro geri Ude gatame Hidari hiza gatame

Shoulder hold from behind*Left low rear kick Arm armlock Left knee armlock

5. Jun te dori*Migi gedan barai Hidari chudan kage tsuki Migi jodan mawashi empi uchi Ushiro eri dori Ushiro otoshi Migi gedan tate tsuki

Lunging hand hold*Right low sweep Left middle short hook strike Right high round elbow strike Collar hold from behind Rearward drop Right low straight thrust/strike

6. Ushiro ryote dori*Taisabaki Chudan morote tsuki

Two-hand hold from behind*Body shifting Middle two-handed thrust/strike

7. Migi jodan jun tsuki*Hidari te nagashi uke Migi jodan haito uchi Ude kansetsu

Right high lunging thrust/strike*Left sweeping hand block Right high ridge hand strike Armlock

8. Ushiro kata dori*Taisabaki Hidari gedan ura mawashi geri Kubi shime Migi o-soto guruma Migi gedan gyaku tsuki

Rear hand hold*Body shifting Left low reverse round kick Neck strangle Right large outer wheel Right low reverse thrust/strike

9. Migi jodan jun tsuki*Hidari te nagashi uke Hidari chudan teisho uchi Okuri eri shime

Right high lunging thrust/strike*Left hand sweeping arm block Left middle palm heel strike Sliding collar strangle

10. Morote shime*Morote uke Migi chudan tate tsuki Shuto uchi Migi gedan hiza geri Migi koshi guruma Migi gedan gyaku tsuki

Two-hand strangle/choke*Two-hand block Right middle straight thrust/strike Knife hand strike Right low knee kick Right hip wheel Right low reverse thrust/strike

11. Morote shime*Morote uke Morote mawashi tsuki Shiko dachi Ryo ashi dori Gedan morote tsuki

Two-hand strangle/choke*Two-hand block Two-hand round thrust/strike Straddle leg stance Two-leg hold Two-hand low thrust/strike

Table 2. G-no-kata: Forms of Hardness & Strength, according to Jan Muilwijk [34].



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Despitethefactthattheg-no-kataasdepictedinhisbookcanbeeasilydiscreditedbecauseofthereasonsex-plainedabove,webelievethatMuilwijkhasnotsetouttobeintentionallymisleading.Anaccomplishedresearch-erMuilwijkisnot,butheisgenerallyhonestthoughna-iveinhiswriting.HedoesnotattempttoconcealhowhecametohisfindingsandadmitsthathesimplytookhissourceinformationfromParulski,unfortunatelyadoubtfulsourceofmanyclaims.Muilwijkalsopresentshiskataasworkinprogress[34,35].

ThenumerousandbasicerrorswithinMuilwijksbookarethenaturalconsequencesofflawedresearch,unsubstan-tiatedcontentionsandspeculation.Inshort,Muilwijk,inoverenthusiasticbutinnocentignorance,hasbecomeavictimofParulskisimplausibleclaims.WesuggestthatMuilwijkwouldprovideunambiguousclarificationaccom-

panyinghisexercise,whichneitherhistorically,norpracti-callyhasanythingtodowithJigorKansKdkan jd.Muilwijksconclusionsremainentirelyuncorroborated.Instead,whatheproposesisnothingbuta1990scre-ationfromthemindofParulski,andaformofmodernself-defensetechniques.Whethersuchanexercisedeservesaplaceinjd,thefuturewillprove.MuchconfusionandworseconsequencesforMuilwijkssomewhatnaiveepig-onismtowardsParulski,couldbeavoidedbydesignatingtheexercisebyadifferentname,ratherthanbythenameofanexisting,andentirelydifferentKdkancomponent.

undated Wolfgang oettlIn a lost form: g-no-kata [36]

Inafurtherweb-basedarticle,WolfgangOettlin[36]outlinestheParulski g-no-kataandpresentshisown

Table 2 continued. G-no-kata: Forms of Hardness & Strength, according to Jan Muilwijk [34].

Tachi-ai (Continuous Fight)

1. Jun te dori*Hidari soto fumikomi Migi chudan mawashi empi uchi Kata ha otoshi

Lunging hand hold*Left outer stamping kick Right middle round elbow strike Single-wing drop

2. Migi jodan jun tsuki*Migi age uke Migi chudan ura tsuki Ushiro eri otoshi

Right high lunging thrust/strike*Right rising block Right middle rear thrust/strike Collar drop from behind

3. Migi jodan jun tsuki*Hidari age uke Migi chudan ura tsuki Gedan geri Gyaku yoko tomoe nage

Right high lunging thrust/strike*Left rising block Right middle rear thrust/strike Low kick Reverse side circular throw

4. Migi jodan jun tsuki*Hidari chudan mawashi hiza geri Migi yoko sutemi

Right high lunging thrust/strike*Left middle round knee kick Right side sacrifice

5. Ushiro kubi shime*Hidari ushiro empi uchi Taisabaki Ude hishigi Hidari yoko wakare

Neck strangle/choke from behind*Left rear elbow strike Body shifting Arm taking Left side separation

6. Morote shime*Jodan juji uke Hidari jodan haishu uchi Migi chudan ura tsuki Migi jodan ura tsuki Migi koshi guruma Migi gedan gyaku tsuki

Two-hand strangle/choke*High cross block Left high Right middle rear thrust/strike Right high rear thrust/strike Right neck wheel Right low reverse thrust/strike

7. Migi jodan jun tsuki*Hidari te nagashi uke Migi te shime tsuki Migi yoko wakare

Right high lunging thrust/strike*Left hand sweeping arm block Right hand thrusting strangle Right side separation

8. Jodan mawashi tsuki*Migi chudan gyaku tate tsuki Mune gatame Hidari ude mune goshi

High round thrust/strike*Right middle reverse straight thrust/strike Chest hold Left arm chest throw

9. Morote dori*Morote mawashi uke Morote tsuki Migi yoko sutemi

Two-hand hold*Two hand round block Two-hand thrust/strike Right side sacrifice

* Attack; Defence.


Original Article

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listingofthetechniquescontainedtherein.RememberthatParulskisCD-ROMdepictsandexplainstheex-ercise,butdoesnotnamethe individual techniques.Oettlinwrites(originallyinGerman):

the operational sequence of the kata is written down by myself on the basis the CD-ROM Isao Obatos The Lost Katas of Judo

Go-No-Kata developed by Dr. George Parulski. Whether that is now actually the original form, or one of the versions brought into circulation by Kyuzo Mifune, is beyond my knowledge ().

ThetechniquelistaspreparedbyOettlinispresentedinTable3.Naturally,itshowsdifferenceswithboththelistscomposedbyDeCre[42]inTable1andMuilwijk

Omote (Frontal Attacks)

1. Migi-gyaku-zuki*Migi-soto-uke Hidari-gyaku-zuki Hidari-mae-hiza-geri Harai-goshi

Right reverse thrust/strike*Right outside block Left reverse thrust/strike Left front knee kick Hip sweep

2. Migi-oi-zuki*Migi-soto-uke Yoko-empi-uchi Shih-nage Shih-gatame

Right stepping thrust/strike*Right outer block Side elbow strike Four direction throw Four direction lock

3. Migi-mae-geri*Migi-sukui-uke Juji-uke Migi-mae-geri Harai-goshi

Right front kick*Right scooping block Cross block Right front kick Hip sweep

4. Ushiro-kata-tori*Hidari-ushiro-geri Hizi-maki-komi

Shoulder hold from behind*Left rear kick Winding lever

5. Hidari-katate-tori*Migi-gedan-barai Hidari-kage-zuki Migi mawashi empi uchi Gyaku-ushiro-eri-daoshi Migi-seiken-zuki

Left one-hand wrist hold*Right lower sweep Left short hook strike Right round elbow strike Reverse rear collar drop Right front fist strike

6. Ushiro-morote-tori*Heik-zuki

Two hand hold from behind*Parallel thrust/strike

7. Migi-oi-zuki*Migi-hait-uchi Ude-daoshi Ude-hishigi-gatame

Right stepping thrust/strike*Right backfist strike/thrust Arm drop Arm taking lock

8. Ushiro-kata-tori*Hidari-ushiro-geri-keage Hadaka-jime Hidari-kuzure-soto-gari Seiken-zuki

Shoulder hold from behind*Foot impact right to the rear Naked lock Left modified large outer reap Forward strike/thrust

9. Migi-oi-zuki*Migi-teish-uchi Eri-daoshi Okuri-eri-jime

Right stepping thrust/strike*Right palm strike Collar drop Sliding collar lock

10. Mae-kata-tori*Kakiwake-uke Migi-tate-zuki Hidari-shut-uchi Migi-shut-uchi Hidari-shut-uchi Migi-shut-uchi Migi-age-hiza-geri Koshi-guruma Seiken-zuki

Front shoulder hold*Wedge block Right straight thrust/strike Left knife-hand strike Right knife-hand strike Left knife-hand strike Hand edge impact right Right rising knee kick Hip wheel Forward strike/thrust

11. Mae-kata-tori*Kakiwake- uke Hasami-zuki Morote-gari Heik-zuki

Front shoulder hold*Wedge block Scissors-punch Two-hand reap Parallel thrust/strike

Table 3. G-no-kata: Forms of Hardness & Strength according to Wolfgang Oettlin [36].



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[34]inTable2.SinceOettlindoesnotclaimanyorigi-nalityandadmitsthathesimplytranscribedParulskiscreation,hisinputdoesnotfurthernecessitateanyat-tentioninthepresentdiscourse.

ThequestionthatremainsaftercriticallyanalyzingalloftheaboveWesternsourcesandconcludingthattheyareeithererroneousorworse,is:so,whatisthetrueg-no-kata?Whatdoesitcontain,wherecanitbefound,andwhoisknowledgeableinteachingit?Thesequestionswillbeaddressedinthesubsequentsections.

conclusions

Seriousresearchintotheg-no-kataisaverydifficultendeavor.Thereisadearthofmajorwrittensourcesonthekata,andwhatiscommonlyavailableisoftenun-verifiable,incomplete,ambiguousorfactuallyinerror.

* Attack; Defence.

Table 3 continued. G-no-kata: Forms of Hardness & Strength according to to Wolfgang Oettlin [36].

Tachi-ai (Beginning Combat)

1. Yoko katate tori*Hidari yoko geri kekomi Migi mawashi empi uchi Ude hishigi gatame

Side one-hand wrist hold*Left side thrust kick Right round elbow strike Arm stretching lock

2. Migi-oi-zuki*Migi-age-uke Migi-ura-zuki Ushiro-eri-daoshi

Right stepping thrust/strike*Right rising block Right backfist strike Rear collar drop

3. Migi-oi-zuki*Hidari-age-uke Migi-gyaku-zuki Haisoku-fumi-komi Yoko-tomoe-nage

Right stepping thrust/strike*Left rising block Right reverse punch Instep stamping kick Side round throw

4. Migi oi zuki*Hidari-yoko-hiza-geri Yoko-guruma

Right stepping thrust/strike*Left side knee kickSide wheel

5. Migi-shime-tori*Hidari-ushiro-empi-uchi Daki-wakare

Stranglehold right from the rear*Left rear elow strike High separation

6. Mae-kata-tori*Morote-teisho-uke Hidari-haisho-uchi Migi-ura-zuki Tsuki-age Kuzure-koshi-guruma Migi-gyaku-zuki

Shoulder grasp from the front*Two hand palm-heel block Left open hand strike Right rear thrust/strike Uppercut Modified hip wheel Left reverse thrust/strike

7. Migi-oi-zuki*Hidari-te-osae-uke Migi-shuto-uke Migi-kt-uchi Kuzure yoko wakare

Right stepping thrust/strike*Left hand pressing block Right knife hand block Right larynx strike Modified side separation

8. Migi-mawashi-zuki*Migi-tate-zuki Kuzure-ude-goshi

Right round thrust/strike*Right straight thrust/strike Modified-arm hip (throw)

9. Awase-zuki*Morote osae- uke Awase- zuki Kuzure-uki-waza

Combined punch (U-punch)*Two hand pressing block Combined punch (U-punch) Modified floating drop

Whileresearchintothisarearemainsongoing,thereex-istssufficientandevenampleevidencethatindicatesthattheg-no-kataisnot,norinanyformhaseverbeenakataofblows,butanexerciseexaminingtheprinci-pleofefficientuseofforceandresistance.Thelitera-tureindicatesthatthemovementswithinthekatafo-cusedonthedirectresistanceofforce(withforce)rightupuntiltheverylastmomentwhentheforceisover-comebyskill,strategyandbodymovement.Forthisandother reasons, includingmethodologicalaswellas thecompleteabsenceofany sources substantiat-ingtheirclaims,wefirmlywoulddismissasfalseanyclaimbyParulski[31,32],Muilwijk[34,35]andothersthattheg-no-kata isevenremotelybasedonablendofjd and karate,andthatitsupposedlywouldhavebeencomposed jointlyby Jigor Kan andGichinFunakoshi.Moreovertheseriesofexercisesaspresent-edbyParulski[31,32]andcopiedbyMuilwijk[33


Original Article

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35]mustbeclassifiedasacontemporaryhoaxlackinganyhistoricsubstanceorrootsineitherJigor Kanoranyoftheothergreat jdmastersofthepast,oreveninanyjd-specificprinciple.

Finally,weapplaudToshirDaigo-senseis recentpa-per[9]inwhichheincludedg-no-kataasalegitimateandexistingKdkan kata.Wehopethatg-no-katawillsoonbereintroducedintheKdkansformalteachingcurriculumofkata.

Notes:

Japanesenamesinthispaperarelistedbygivennamefirst and familynamesecond, insteadof tradition-alJapaneseusagewhichplacesthefamilynamefirst.

Forabsoluterigor,longJapanesevowelsoundshavebeenapproximatedusingmacrons(e.g.Kdkan)inordertoin-dicatetheirJapanesepronunciationascloselyaspossible.However,whenreferringtoorquotingfromtheliterature,therelevanttextorauthoriscitedexactlyaspertheorig-inalsource,withmacronsusedoromittedasappropriate.

1. Kan J: Ichiban shgysha ni kata no rensh wo susumeru. [General recommendations to the judo disciple for the study of kata]. Yk-no-Katsud, 1921; 7(11): 16 [in Japanese]

2. Kan J: Kata randori rensh no mokuteki wo roku 1 [The meaning of kata and randori practice Part 1]. Judo, 1930; 1(2): 23 [in Japanese]

3. Kan J: Kata randori rensh no mokuteki wo roku 2 [The meaning of kata and randori practice Part 1]. Judo, 1930; 1(3): 24 [in Japanese]

4. Kan J: Jd kyhon jkan [A textbook of jd]. Tky: Shushiki Kaisha; 1931; 1127 [in Japanese]

5. Murata N: What is kata? The congratulatory address to the 1st Kodokan Judo Kata International Tournament. In: Program Brochure of the 1st Kodokan Judo Kata International Tournament, 2007; 2728 October. Tky: Kdkan, pp. 2627

6. Finn M: Martial Arts: A Complete Illustrated History. Leicester, UK: Blitz Editions; 1991

7. Daigo T: Koshiki-no-kata. Unpublished lecture as part of the Kdkan Kata Kaki Kshkai (Kdkan Summer Kata Course); 2007; July 16th; Tky: Kdkan Jd Institute [in Japanese]

8. Daigo T: Kdkan jd no kata [The kata of Kdkan jd]. Unpublished lecture as part of the Kdkan Kata Kaki Kshkai (Kdkan Summer Kata Course), Tky: Kdkan Jd Institute; 2008; July 29th; this same article is currently being reprinted in three parts in Jd 2008; 79 (10, 11 & 12) [in Japanese]

9. Daigo T: Kdkan jd kata ni tsuite [About the kata of Kdkan jd]. Jd, 2009; 80(1): 1722 [in Japanese]

10. Kan Y, Kawamura T, Nakamura R et al (eds.): Jd Daijiten. Tky: Athene Shob, 1999; 139 & 463 [in Japanese]

11. Kodokan. Kata and Randori. [homepage on the Internet]. n.d. [cited 2007; Apr 10th]. Available from: The Kdkan Judo Institute Homepage, URL: http://www.Kodokan.org/e_basic/kata.html

12. Kan J: Kdkan jd no kata [The kata of Kdkan jd]. Tky: Kdkan Hakk [Kdkan Publications], Nunoi shub saisoku; reprinted for the Kdkan Kata Kaki Kshkai (Kdkan Summer Kata Course), Daigo T (ed.). 1964; July 29th; Tky: Kdkan Jd Institute [in Japanese]

13. Kan J: Kodokan Judo. Kdansha International, Tky, 1986

14. Kan J: Kdkan jd no kata ni tsuite [About the kata of Kdkan jd]. In: Ed. Kan-sensei Denki Hensankai [Committee for the compilation of the biography of Master Kan], Tky: Satsuki Shobo; 1983 [in Japanese]

15. De Cre C: Ry-setsu. Jd no musha shugy As snow on a willow. A pilgrimage in jd. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press [In preparation], 2010

16. Leggett TP: Memories of Jigoro Kanos Visit to the London Budokwai in August 1933 (Reprint). Journal of Combative Sport 2000 (Electronic publication, no volume, issue or page numbers)

17. Kotani S, sawa Y, Hirose Y: Kata of Kodokan Judo. Kbe, Japan: Koyano Bussan Kaisha Ltd., 1968

18. Otaki T, Draeger DF : Judo Formal Techniques. Tky: Charles E. Tuttle Company Inc., 1983

19. Jones LC: Competition Kata and the Art of Judo. Journal of Asian Martial Arts, 2005; 14(3): 7285

20. Kawamura T, Daigo T (eds.): Kdkan New Japanese-English Dictionary of Judo. Tky: Kdkan Institute, 2000

21. Maruyama S: Dai Nihon Judo Shi [Complete History of Japanese Judo]. Tky: Kdkan; 1939; 1170 [in Japanese]

22. Gleeson GR: Judo Inside Out: A Cultural Reconcilliation. Wakefield, UK: Lepus Books, 1983

23. Feldenkrais M: Judo: The Art of Defence and Attack. London: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., 1944

24. Koizumi G: Goh-no-Kata (Kata of Forcefulness). Budokwai Quarterly Bulletin (Budokwai, London), 1949; 5(1): 8

25. Kawaishi M: The Complete 7 Katas of Judo. Harrison EJ, tranlator. London: W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd., 1957

26. Kawaishi M: Les 7 Katas Complets du Judo. Paris: dition Prive; 1952 [in French]

27. Klein Y: Les fondements du judo. Reprint of the 1954 Grasset edition. Paris: ditions Dilecta, 2006; 1208; 2006 [in French]

28. Gleeson GR: The Complete Book of Judo. Toronto, Canada: Coles Publishing Company, 1976

29. Ohlenkamp N: Go no Kata Forms of Hardness / Strength. [article online] (2003/2008) [cited Apr 2007]. Available from: Judo Information Site, URL: http://judoinfo.com/gonokata.htm

30. Kuhara Y: Jd mizu nagare. Tky: Shdkan Kuhara Dj; 1976 [in Japanese]

31. Parulski GR: Black Belt Judo. Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1985

32. Parulski GR: Isao Obatos Lost katas of judo vol. 1 (#V-LKJ-04). CD-ROM and CD. Webster, New York: Kobushi Multimedia, 1998

33. Muilwijk JT: Jan Muilwijk introduceert Go no Kata (Jan Muilwijk introduces Go no Kata) (In Dutch) [article online] (2005) [cited 2007], Available online from: Sportschool Muilwijk Website, URL: http://www.sportschoolmuilwijk.nl/Go-no-kata/

34. Muilwijk JT: Go-no-Kata: Reconstructie van een vergeten kata. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Bookexpress.infos; 2005 [in Dutch]

35. Muilwijk JT: Go-no-Kata: Reconstructing the forgotten kata. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Bookexpress.infos; 2006

36. Oettlin W: Eine verlorene Form: Go no kata (A lost form: G-no-kata), Kodokan Freiburg Judoschule e.V. [article online] (n.d.) [cited 2007, Apr]. Available from: URL: http://www.kodokan-freiburg.de/GoNoKata.htm

37. Mifune K, Kud K, MatsumotoY (eds.): Jd Kza [Course of jd]. Vol. 15. Tky: Shiromizu-sha; 195556 [in Japanese]

38. Kobushi Multimedia. Interactive Martial Arts Products Available Titles Fall 2006 / Winter 2007. Kobushi, Ltd. Webster, New York, USA. [Commercial multimedia product catalogue online] [2007]. Available from: URL: http://www.kobushi-media.com/pdfs/km-catalogue.pdf

39. Kan J: Kan Jigor jdka 12. [Jigor Kan, the jdka Part 12]. Sakk, 1927; 6(12): 8692 (1521) [in Japanese]

40. Kdkan (eds.), Illustrated Kodokan Judo. Tky: Kdansha; 1955

41. Kdkan (eds.), Kdkan jd shashin kaisetsu. Tky: Kdansha; 1956 [in Japanese]

42. De Cre C: G-no-kata. Inventory of techniques from G.R. Parulskis 1998 CD-ROM The Lost Katas of Judo Volume 1, published by Kobushi Multimedia, Webster, New York. Unpublished research file. Malines; 2003, March 8th

43. Oimatsu S: Kaitei shinpan jd hyakunen (Brand new revised edition of Hundred Years of Jd). Sat K, editor. Tky: Tokimune Tsshinsha; 1976; 4053 [in Japanese]

44. ONeil PG: Japanese Names. A comprehensive index by characters and readings. 3rd ed. New York & Tky: Weatherhill, Inc., 1993

45. Yiannakis L, Cunningham S: The Kata of Judo Part I of a Series. American Judo A Journal of the United States Judo Association Fall, 2002; 1921

46. Yiannakis L, Cunningham S: The Kata of Judo Part II of a Series. American Judo A Journal of the United States Judo Association Fall, 2003; 2004

47. Mochizuki M: Theory of the essence of judo. Aiki News, 1984; 65

48. Funakoshi G: Karate-Do Kyohan The Master Text. shima T., translator. Tky: Kodansha International Ltd.; 1973

49. Funakoshi G: Karate-Do Nyumon The Master Introductory Text. shima T., translator. Tky: Kodansha International Ltd., 1998

50. Noble G: Master Funakoshis Karate: The History & Development of the Empty Hand Art, Dragon Times, 1995; 4: 78

51. Cornish JP (n.d.): Go-Shin-Jutsu Judo Self Defence Kata. For the British Judo Association by FJR Publishing, UK

references:



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