What is Danzan Ryu Jujitsu?

Danzan Ryu is a system of martial and healing arts that captures the essence of traditional Japanese Budo (warrior skills) and delivers it with the warmth and power of Hawai’i nei (Hawaiian culture) The system was created in the early 1920s by Henry Seishiro Okazaki. Professor Okazaki had immigrated to Hawai’i from Japan at an early age in search of work in the islands. When as a young man he was diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis he committed himself wholeheartedly to his martial arts training and put his health in the hands of his sensei. He ultimately recovered and dedicated his life to the practice and teachings of what is now Danzan Ryu. Jujitsu is a Japanese philosophy of self-defense, relying on skill and technique rather than strength and size. Judo is the practice of the “Way” of Jujitsu. It’s the elevation of one’s total self by understanding and adopting the principles of Ju into your manner of being. Professor Okazaki referred to his style of Jujitsu as “Judo” because he believed it was a path to greater self-awareness and health. Danzan Ryu Judo/Jujitsu training is systematic and comprehensive. It involves learning to roll and fall (Sutemi), to move and balance (Tai Sabaki), to escape from grabs and manipulate joints (Yawara), to throw & project (Nage), to submit an opponent (Shime), to counter and transition (Oku), to reverse damage and heal injuries (Seifukujitsu), as well as many other in-depth areas of focus. Training is completed in phases or “transmissions.”