What is Goshu-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu?
Goshu-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu is a self-defence martial art that comprises striking to vulnerable points, joint lock controls and throws. It also includes a weapons system encompassing the bokken (sword), tantō (knife), jō (staff) and tanjō (stick). Goshu-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu’s fundamental principles include: irimi (entering), atemi (striking), kokyu-ryoku (breath power principle), chushin-ryoku (cente-line power principle), shuchu ryoku (focussed power principle) sankaku-ryoku (triangular power principle) and tenkan (circular/axis principle), and employ these to redirect an opponent’s attack momentum.
Originating from the 900 year old Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu and evolving from the Gozo Shioda Sensei’s Yoshinkan style, Michiharu Mori Shihan developed thepractical Goshu-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu. Mori Shihan advanced these century-old techniques and martial principles and developed them for modern contexts on the street against all sorts of strikes, punches, grabs, and kicks.
By teaching in Australia for over thirty years, Mori Sensei realised the necessity of modifying ancient techniques, whilst maintaining ancient martial principles and concepts, to fit with the requirements of his Australian students lives. There, he devised and has been instructing the realistic skills of Goshu-ryu in today’s society while keeping the traditional methods as its foundation.
Interestingly, this martial art is the official style practiced by and the only black belt requirement of the Tokyo Metropolitan & Riot Police Department Japan. (Mori Shihan spent ten years instructing this riot police course in Tokyo before relocating to Australia.
MICHIHARU MORI SENSEI
Michiharu Mori Sensei, 8th Dan Shihan, was a direct student of the late Master Gozo Shioda for years at the International Yoshinkan Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, where he also taught.
The youngest Honbu instructor to receive the rank of 8th dan black belt, Mori Sensei has travelled extensively as a guest instructor at seminars in countries including Canada, India, Malta and Australia. Now settled in Brisbane, Australia he is developing a high quality, world class centre for budo.
Mori Shihan’s teaching experience includes:
- Qld. state police – Australia
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police – Japan
- Metropolitan Riot Police – Japan
- Commando and Special Forces
- General Public – Adults and Children
- International Seminars and Clinics
Mori Sensei has also been featured in many magazine and newspaper articles. The Australian martial-arts magazine Blitz featured Sensei in two issues, which they entitled “Aikido’s 9 Year Uchi Deshi”.
For more information on Mori Sensei’s life as a 10 year live in student (Uchi Deshi) under Gozo Shioda Sensei at the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo, please click here.
GOZO SHIODA SENSEI
Gozo Shioda, the “little giant” of martial arts, named for his diminutive height and formidable technical ability, was one of the most outstanding teachers, living or pasted.
Like so many other Japanese martial arts masters, Shioda Sensei began his budo training as a youth with Judo and Kendo, finally discovering Aiki Budo as a young university student. He entered the Kobukan Dojo in Tokyo in 1932, where he studied for eight years with Ueshiba Sensei (O’Sensei) until World War II interrupted his training.
When Shioda sensei became a student of Ueshiba Sensei, the character of the techniques and the manner of their execution still bore the marks of the Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu curriculum, which O Sensei had learned. This was a forceful, martial style concerned primarily with the efficiency and effectiveness of technique in mortal combat.
Practice at that time reflected this spirit and was hard, fast and relentless. Shioda Sensei revelled in this form of practice and it undoubtedly influenced the nature of the training methods he put into place at his own school.
In 1954, after giving a demonstration at an exhibition of martial arts, Shioda sensei gained financial backing to found a dojo in Tokyo. He named it the Yoshinkan Dojo, which means “to cultivate mind and spirit”. It has become one of the largest Japanese martial arts organisations with branches throughout the world.
Shioda sensei’s style is what he considered to be a faithful rendering of the pre-war Aiki Budo techniques which he learned first hand from Ueshiba, then at his physical peak. They are therefore much more combat oriented than some modern competative martial arts. Shioda Sensei, a man of unique personal spirit, lived the true budo life, until his death in 1997. Many noted him as Japan’s last true budoka.
The Yoshinkan remains true to the tradition of Ueshiba’s famous Jigoku Dojo (Hell Dojo), and provides a martial art with dynamic realism well suited to the needs of self protection and the discipline of the spirit.
Goshu-Ryu SunCoast 