Gyokushin Ryu Ninpo II

Gyokushin Ryu Ninpo

Koppojutsu History Weapons Gyokushin Ryu Ninpo translates to The Jeweled Heart School of the Way of the Ninja in English. Gyokushin Ryu is a school of ninjutsu that uses Koppojutsu and Taijutsu to defeat and arrest opponents. Very little is actually known about this school. It is suspected that most of this school is passed down through oral transmissions since the Densho only features ten images of techniques and three poems. Very few people within the two major organizations of ninjutsu are even taught the techniques contained within this Ryuha though both claim that the head of their organization is the only Soke. These organizations even have different lineages for their Soke. An important aspect of Gyokushin Ryu is its link to Esoteric Buddhism and its use of Kuji. There are nine different Kuji that are formed by weaving and grabbing the fingers in different ways. There are also those made by slashing the air in different directions, but it is not known if these are used in actual combat or not like the others. What makes Gyokushin Ryu so unique is that the practitioner actually performs Kuji during the technique, either by creating the hand signs himself or by grabbing the opponent's fingers in bone-breaking locks. It is common practice to finish a technique by grabbing the opponent’s finger(s) in such a way to form a kuji while also breaking the opponent’s finger. Techniques in Gyokushin Ryu often involve movements in which the defender forces the opponent’s elbow to point upwards. Other characteristics of Gyokushin Ryu techniques are twisting the opponent’s arm up behind his back and the use of finger locks, as already mentioned. In general movements in Gyokushin Ryu are marked by small, sudden changes instead of large, exaggerated motions as seen in other schools of Koppojutsu like Gikan Ryu.

Gyokushin Ryu Teppanjutsu

The teppan is a square piece of iron about 3 in. by 3 in. Teppan literally means iron plate, but it could be used in conjunction with techniques or in a similar manner to senban shuriken. In Gyokushin Ryu it is common practice to not allow the opponent to see the teppan during the technique and techniques using the teppan often involve hiding the weapon before, during, and/ or after the technique. For moreinformation on shuriken, click here: Shuriken.

Concealing the Teppan in Kamae These are not actual stances in Gyokushin Ryu as Gyokushin Ryu has no set postures (Kamae). These are simply the names of natural positions used in other styles that are used in Gyokushin Ryu. Correct Body Posture (Shizen no Kamae) The defender stands with his feet about shoulder width apart in a neutral stance. The defender's arms hang loosely by his sides with the right hand just a little bit behind the right thigh. The defender holds the teppan in his right hand by pinching the teppan in the middle with the thumb and covering the rest of it with his fingers, but not so that his fingers go over the edges of the teppan. One of the corners of the teppan should stick out slightly in between the defender's thumb and index finger. Other than that the rest of the teppan is concealed when the back of the defender's hand faces the opponent. This is one common grip that can be used many others can be used for concealing the teppan. Seated Posture (Za no Kamae) The defender sits with his legs crossed and his back straight. The ninja can conceal the teppan underneath his right foot. If an enemy approached, the ninja could easily throw the teppan.

Teppan Techniques (Teppan Waza) Outer Reversal Counter Techniques (Omote Gyaku Kaeshi Waza) The opponent grabs the defender's right hand – the one holding the teppan – in an outward reversal (Omote Gyaku). As soon as the opponent grabs, the defender circles his hand down to the left and then back up to the right. As he brings his hand back up to the right, the defender suddenly changes direction and strikes the teppan into the crevice behind the opponent's ear. The defender pushes his hand straight forward past the right side of the opponent's face as he steps forward with his right foot and then steps forward with his left foot onto the opponent's right foot. By keeping his arm out straight while walking forward, the defender causes the opponent to fall onto his back. The defender can then throw the teppan into the opponent's face. The opponent grabs the defender’s right wrist in an outer reversal (Omote Gyaku). The defender pushes his right hand down to the left toward the opponent’s right shoulder creating a lock on the opponent's right wrist. This will force the opponent down onto his right knee. As the opponent goes down, the defender grabs the left side of the opponent's face with his left hand and places the teppan into the crevice behind the ear and the jaw. The defender pulls and twists the opponent around to the right into a seated position. Once the opponent is on the ground, the defender can continue to push the teppan into the opponent's jawline below the ear while keeping the opponent's head in place with the other hand. Grab Counter Techniques (Kumi Uchi Kaeshi Waza) The defender has the teppan hidden in his right hand. The opponent grabs the defender's left lapel with his right hand and the defender's right upper arm with his left hand. The defender moves freely by pivoting on the left foot to the right while pulling his right arm back. The defender then places the teppan against the inside of the opponent's elbow. The defender pushes the opponent's elbow up as he steps in with the right leg. The defender grabs the opponent's right arm with his left hand while he strikes the opponent's jawline below the ear. The defender releases his hold on the opponent's right arm before slamming his right forearm down into the crook of the opponent's right elbow. The defender slides his right foot back into the opponent's left foot while pushing down on the opponent's arm to sweep out the opponent's leg. As the opponent is thrown, the defender drops the teppan next to his left foot. Once the

opponent is on the ground, the defender places his right foot on top of the teppan to hide it. By doing this, the defender is able to complete the entire technique without revealing the teppan to the opponent. Attacking the Weak Muscle (Jyaku Kotsu Uchi) The defender is facing off against two opponents – one on the left and one on the right. The opponent on the defender’s right attacks with a right punch. The defender steps to the right and blocks at the opponent's forearm grabbing it. As soon as he grabs, the defender strikes the opponent's arm between the bicep and tricep (Jyaku Kotsu) with his right wrist. The defender quickly throws the teppan under this opponent's arm at the other opponent's face. The defender can then loop his left arm under the opponent's punching arm, placing his forearm against the back of the opponent's shoulder blade. At the same time, the defender would step his left foot in front of the opponent's right foot and finish by throwing the opponent to the ground.