The Origins of Modern Newaza

© Marcus Piscaer

Working Draft 1

Just as the environment guides evolution in nature, environment has guided the
evolution of Ju-Jutsu. This is a simple enough concept. However, I believe it has not
been thoroughly applied when considering the history of Newaza (ground fighting). What
can be proposed is that Ju-Jutsu, like a willow tree yielding to the pressures of heavy
weather in order to avoid damage, adapted to avoide breaking from the daunting
pressures of irrelevance during Japan’s industrial modernization. Ju-Jutsu did this not
just in regards to Tachiwaza (standing techniques), which has been extensively
documented in Jigoro Kano’s Judo, but also in Newaza through pinoneers like
Mataemon Tanabe. Jigoro Kano had a strong distain for Newaza early on, and this
aspect of Ju-Jutsu almost disappeared entirely from his preservation efforts. However,
Newaza adapted just in time. Perhaps ominously, Tanabe was born in 1869, exactly a
year after the beginning of the Meiji restoration, and would play a key role in this
adaptation.

In pre-1868 Meiji era Japan (pre-industrialization), the vast majority of Ju Jitsu schools
were training people for defence tactics that could be used warfare. Traditional warfare -
which consisted of multiple opponents armed with weapons - produced a certain set of
requirements. The strategy of employing patient, methodical Newaza techniques that
we see today would simply not have been the best criteria for a Samurai’s
specialization. If a Samurai were to find himself on the ground during combat, the
Samurai would have to strictly limit his time in such a vulnerable position brought on by
melee based attacks. Arguably, the lack of mobility on the ground represents the main
vulnerability of Newaza. For this reason, the goal when in Newaza during that era must
have been to either deliver a fast attack (either with a weapon or through submission),
or a reversal (sweep).

While slower control based Newaza techniques may have been relegated to niche
areas of specializations, the more rapid Newaza skills, which involved not fully
committing to the ground, were still highly valuable. Therefore most schools included at
least some Newaza training of this nature. The concepts for modern Newaza were
merely in their infancy due to the environment of Samurai warfare looming as a threat
even during peaceful times.

In another comparable example of how the environment dictated Ju-Jutsu’s evolution,

Atemi-waza striking techniques were largely underdeveloped. It has been suggested
this was because of the thick Samurai armour, which would render most strikes
useless. What is clear is this: if one were to practice defence tactics during that era, a
weapons based curriculum would represent the best use of one’s focus.
The peaceful era during Japan’s Edo period did offer the opportunity for some relaxation
from the turbulent past. With armours coming off, we see more Atemi-waza (striking)
develop. We also see some Shime (guard) Newaza develop, as well as some personal
self defence for women. However, the background threat of eventual warfare still placed
most of Ju-Jutsu’s focus on battlefield tactics.

When Japan enters the modern industrial age during the Meiji restoration, swords are
banned. Armies replace old weapons with gunpowder. The ancient environment of the
Samurai battlefield disappears. With the environment rapidly changing, Ju-Jutsu rapidly
evolves, but not before almost going extinct. How Ju-Jutsu adapts becomes very
interesting.

Let’s consider the environmental factors in more detail. With the realization that the
isolation of previous times has led to stagnation in technological evolution, traditions
such as Ju-Jutsu became unfashionable. Everything European was in vogue. The age of
the Samurai gave way to the age of the gentlemen. Samurai warfare that had long been
the focus of Ju-Jutsu, almost completely loses relevance. Dojos begin challenging each
other in gruelling (and sometimes fatal) matches to prove superiority in an attempt to
grasp onto a dwindling share of business, namely training contracts with police
departments. One-on-one fighting becomes what dictates success in this starved
environment.

For one- on-one situations without armour, three basic strategies emerge. Striking,
takedowns (arguably the most diverse as it works well in all paradigms), and ground
fighting (Newaza). Atemi-waza (striking) was forbidden in the rulesets of most matches
during the Meiji era. Tachiwaza/Nagewaza - what most think of as typical Judo- passes
the test and remains a viable source of combat for modern sport and self defence.

We know however that in modern times, in one-on-one combat situation with limited
rulesets, a slow controlled based Newaza has an inherent advantage over all other
methods, especially when adapted for striking, as Sadakazu Uyenishi, W Garrud, Taro
Miyake, and Helio Gracie pioneered. Royce Gracie’s dominance in early UFC (before
rounds that reset fighter to their feet) and Rickson Gracie’s wins in Pride notoriously
proved just how effective this slower, controlled based Newaza was in such situations.
However, patient and controlled Newaza wasn’t developed yet, at least not to the level of
Tachiwaza based techniques. An adaptation had to be made for Newaza to stay
relevant.

Jigoro Kano’s Kodokan Ju-Jutsu (Judo) was dominating the scene. Kano had brilliantly
made randori (sparring) more viable by eliminating and/or adapting the more dangerous
techniques. In this manner, full resistance could be applied during randori without the
threat of frequent injury. Not only did this turn Tachiwza/Nagewaza based Judo into a
viable sport that could be done safely by common people, but the techniques retained
their self defence value. This created the best of both worlds: the emotional, pressure
inoculation aspects given by frequent sport based high pressure randori, yet the also the
mental knowledge of knowing viable methods that would work in self defence. Kano’s
fighters were beating all challengers. However compared to other Ju-Jutsu schools, the
Kodokan incorporated far less Newaza than what was typical in a Ju-Jutsu school.

Hansuke Nakamura, a ruthless fighter known to condition his neck against chokes in
gruelling ways, was the first to expose this weakness. He was a notorious fighter in his
day with a well rounded set of skills, including Newaza. Knowing that the Kodokan
fighters were excellent at Tachiwaza, he strategically attempted to draw the fight to the
ground by pulling guard at a tournament attended by officails of the police department.
While the Kodokan easily dominated the other fights, Nakamura achieved a stale mate.
This was an embarrassing moment for Kano who had hope for unanimous string of
victory. The Kodokan began calling Newaza based fighting cowardly. Nakamura had
exposed a flaw in Kano’s game in this new environment of one-on-one challenges.
However it was not enough to force an adaptation within the Kodokan just yet. The man
who would succeed in that role is Mataemon Tanabe.

Tanabe was born in 1869 in Okayama, right at the beginning of the Meiji restoration. His
father was the owner of a Fusen Ryu Dojo. Fusen Ryu was a bit unique in that it was
founded by Zen priest named Osho. However, Fusen Ryu didn’t possess a strong
Newaza system according to Tanabe. As described in his autobiography:

“I, (Tanabe Mataemon) first received instruction in jujitsu/judo from my father Tanabe Torajiro when I
was nine years old in. The reason I adopted the name Mataemon which had an old fashioned feel to it was
because I wanted to become the best jujitsu ka in Japan and because my father resembled the famous
sword master Araki Mataemon. Although my father was keen on me becoming the best at jujitsu that did
not mean that he took it easy on me. No matter who he trained with he was merciless. For me as a child
this was cruel training and perhaps the reason that I did not grow very much in my earlier years. I did not
like jujitsu very much to start with but once I had put my training gear on I did not like to lose either so I
did my utmost and slowly and unawares I gradually improved.

After I turned 14 my father and I would take on large strong peasant farmers and go travelling round
various dojos. Nearly all my opponents were bigger than me but I could not see the point of taking on
weaker ones. Since I constantly trained with adults I had to put up with broken bones from time to time
which I found very hard. Although my arm strength was not comparable with that of my opponents the
fact that I had to train with such people proved to be very good training later on.

I experienced my first jujitsu competition when I was fourteen. This was in a small village in Okayama
prefecture where I went with my father. The other adult competitors there were reluctant to fight
somebody so light and small as myself but eventually they allowed me to compete. The first problem was
that they were unable to match me up against anyone. So I singled out a strong looking one sitting
opposite to me and volunteered to fight him. I thought that since I did not care if I lost I would take on the
strongest there. He was a local sumo student of Nagayoshi and he knew some jujitsu as well. My father
worried about this and said that there was too big a physical difference between the two and that it would
be stupid to get injured. I should try somebody else he said. But I wouldn’t agree and eventually they gave
in and allowed me to fight. We started the match with a (sumo?) tachiai start. I pulled him towards me but
wouldn’t let him get too close. Then I stooped low and managed to grab his two thighs and twirled him
around several times still keeping him at a distance. This match ended in a draw. However he was a lot
bigger and I was a lot younger. At the end of the match there was much applause and my father was
delighted. His praise still remains in my memory.

When I trained with my father’s other students I would never give in to a strangle or a lock. When I was
15, I got caught in an arm-lock and my elbow as dislocated with a loud crack. My tactic was to wait till
my opponent got tired and then make a move to free myself. It was the same with strangles. This ability to
endure locks and strangles created various strategies for me. I soon came to be called Newaza-Tanabe.
When I was seventeen I participated in a mixed sumo and jujitsu competition which consisted of ten bouts
spread over a week. My sumo opponents all weighed about 30kan (248lbs) and I beat them all except for
one man called Kandagawa who was so fat I could not get hold him anywhere My jujitsu was not so
much the result of my fine teachers (I did learn a lot of wrist releases from my father) but because I
always chose to fight strong ones and never give in regardless of injuries or unconsciousness. In this way
my jujitsu became polished and this made me work out various ways to capitalize on my strengths. For
example I came up with what I called the Unagi no Osaekata (the eel restraint). As is well known if you
press an eel with your hand it will slide away and escape but if you put your hand on it gently it can be
trapped. Later I came up with the snake and frog technique. Like the snake that slowly swallows a frog
one bit at a time my groundwork overwhelmed my opponents in much the same manner."

Tanabe develops a slower, patient control based Newaza, applying the concepts of
wedging over force when applying a pin (eel technique), and control over speed when
submitting (snake). These represented the missing cornerstone principles we find in
modern era Newaza. This was the style that evolution had perfected through Tanabe’s
upbringing, and it came from a man practically born the same year as the
commencement of the Meiji restoration. He largely provided Newaza’s mutation to help
it adapt for the new times, just as Kano did with Tachiwaza. While he had a balanced
game that included 3rd Dan level Tachiwaza/Nagewaza, his speciality and fame was for
this unique Newaza.
He would go on to be the only man to regularly defeat the best Kodokan fighters. This
forced Kano to accept the need for Newaza, assigning the development role to Hajime
Isogai and Kaichiro Samura who left the Kodokan for the Butokukai in Kyoto. Conflict
between Kano and Tanabe emerged when he submitted and injured a Kodokan
opponent with an Ashi Garami leg lock in front of Japanese royalty, leading to it’s ban.
He would also challenge Kano to a fight, but Kano declined.

Despite having called Newaza childlike, cowardly, brutish yet unfit for self defence,
Kano acknowledged the need to have his student survive Newaza based challenges. In
an act true to his mission of preservation and humility, Kano would go on to ask Tanabe
to produce the Newaza section for the Kodokan’s manual. While Tanabe declined
joining the Kodokan (saying he couldn’t accept a promotion from a less skilled Ju-Jutsu
practioner) like most other Ju-Jutsu fighters of that era, had a certain respect for what
Kano was doing.
Kano’s intent however remained that Judo should remain mostly focused on
Tachiwaza,, as we see later on in his disagreements with the great Newaza master
Tsunetane Oda. Kano also eventually secludes old rule combat that allowed for guard
pulling (which lead to Newaza based Judo) to the school system, creating Kosen
(technical school) Judo. The Ju-Jutsu and Judo fighters of the early 1900s however
retain a more balanced mix of Newaza, probably given the frequent success of Newaza
based fighters.

In the face of a common enemy - extinction and irrelevance - the Ju-Jutsu community
had adapted in many ways. Arguably the most important way the community adapted
was to become more united in the face of the common enemy: irrelevance. In that unity
came strength. What were once secret techniques would frequently be open
exchanged. Like Kano, Tanabe would embrace this unity in the name of preserving and
advancing the Ju-Jutsu.

Tanabe’s most famous relationship with another dojo was with Yataro Handa of the
3000 member Seibukan in Osaka - close to Kyoto. They formed a close friendship and a
deep exchange of techniques took place. While Tanabe would never officially teach at
the Seibukan due to other contractual commitments, the Seibukan would be a place of
frequent visit. A main teaching location at the Butokukai, a centre for the preservation of
martial arts in Kyoto, included Kodokan representative Isogai and Samurai. They formed
a close friendship together which benefited Newaza’s evolution in Judo and Ju-Jutsu.

Miyake in Paris, winter 1914 (which explains the turtleneck)

Handa’s Seibukan meanwhile would go onto be become a centre for Newaza and the
most know school of Ju Jitsu in the west at the time (according to Toepeol’s 1919 book
Het origineele ju jutstjutsu), with Raku Uyuenishi of the Seibukan setting up a school in
Manaus Brazil in 1916, which slightly predates Maeda. As mentioned by the legendary
Taro Miyake- author of the 1906 classic Game of Jiu Jitsu - in a 1915 interview in New
York stated:

"All, or practically all, of the Japanese jiu-jitsu experts who have exhibited in this country
[e.g., the USA], have been exponents of the Kodokan style, which has its headquarters
in Tokio. Kodokan jiu-jitsu became popular here because it is the style brought into play
when two men are standing and it is spectacular. Therefore, it was the most suitable
method to furnish Americans and Europeans with an illustration of how to repel attacks
in ordinary assaults. The other school of jiu-jitsu is called Handa, and its great teachers
are at Osaka, where I learned. Handa is more particularly the kind of jiu-jitsu used when
two men are on the mat, as in catch-as-catch-can. The jiu-jitsu tricks of the tiny
Japanese policemen, which have been written about so much by travelers, embody the
elementary principles of the Kodokan method, and some of the policemen are quite
good at them. As I have said, there is little stand-up work in catch-as-catch can and
Handa experts are the ones to offer a comparison between the Japanese and American
methods. Of course, every Kodokan expert knows more or less about Handa, and every
Handa man knows a lot about Kodokan, but nevertheless they are each highly
specialized, individual professions. Both have the same fundamental principles applied in
all jiu-jitsu, which consists in going against the grain, so to speak. That is, if you grip a
man's arm and can get it out straight, you apply the pressure at the elbow against the
direction of the natural crook of that joint, and so on, but each school has its own box of
tricks. "Jiu-jitsu is by no means a competition endurance, but is one of skill and
tricks....Great strength is not essential to success in jiu-jitsu, and the professional
experts do not train like American athletes. Jiu-jitsu consists of a thorough knowledge of
anatomy, and an application of that knowledge to the holds and grips. A weak man can
make a giant howl for mercy, if he gets him right. For that reason the strenuous work in
the gymnasium and on the road, done by boxers and catch-as-catch-can wrestlers, is
not necessary in jiu-jitsu.”

More information on this topic will be revealed in Yasu’s highly anticipated upcoming
book on Mataemon Tanabe. Thank you Alex and Yasu for all your help on this!

.
Raku” Uyenishi circa 1908/9 in Portugal