Stockholms Jodokai - About Jodo

The historical background - Shindo Muso Ryu

It is said that Muso Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi, a samurai warrior of Japan in the early 17th century, had been victorious in duels with many of the era's famous swordsmen, until one day he met Miyamoto Musashi and hence his superior. Musashi was the most famous samurai ever, who with his sword art won over countless enemies. This encounter was not of life and death, it was done with bokuto, the wooden sword. Gonnosuke could walk away beaten but alive.

Some time later he had a dream where he was instructed by a divine being to use a weapon by a round wooden stick, jo, of the kind that sometimes tend to hikers. So Gonnosuke did and he practiced with great perseverance his rod art, in which he borrowed techniques from the yari, the japanese spear, naginata, the halberd, and tachi, the sword.

Much later, when he became a master with his jo, he again met Miyamoto Musashi and he became the first and only to defeat the great samurai in a duel.

Gonnosuke founded a school in the art of fighting with the jo, he named it Shindo Muso Ryu. It was established in southern Japan on Kyushu (Fukuoka) and was linked to the Kuroda clan. Over the years the tradition has been passed on to newer generations and been completed.

Clan system was repealed in 1868, but still, it was in Fukuoka the training of jo took place. In 1930 Takaji Shimizu, the Grand Master of that time, moved to Tokyo, and much was done to spread the the art of jo. Around 1940 one could call the art jodo instead of jojutsu.

Back