It should be noted that I never set out to create a register of Jan de Jong's (JDJ) jujutsu yudansha, ikkyu holders, and/or instructors. That only came about through a comment received on a previous post asking about a register in relation to a person not affiliated with the Jan de Jong Self Defence School (JDJSDS) claiming that they were awarded yondan by JDJ.
I had a register of yudansha that was created by Greg Palmer. I didn't have a register of ikkyu holders, however, I thought it was important as ikkyu was the instructor's grade in JDJ's original grading system, the kyu system.
As the above kyu system link showed, JDJ developed the kyu system with no thought of any extension; no thought of a dan system. That grading was designed as a one-off grading system with instructors being graded ikkyu. I would put some of the ikkyu holders who were instructors up against any of subsequent dan graded instructors and would say they either matched or surpassed them in all respects.
Of course, the obvious question is, why didn't JDJ consider dan grades when he developed his original grading system?
Was it because there was no mention of black belts in Tsutsumi Masao and Higashi Katsukuma's Die Selbstverteidigung (Jiu-Jitsu): nebst einem Anhange über Kuatsu (Wissenschaft der Wiederbelebung Verunglückter): mit 72 Abbildungen nach dem Leben (Self-defense (Jiu-Jitsu): along with an appendix on Kuatsu (science of resuscitation of casualties): with 72 illustrations based on life) published in Germany in 1906. All of the belts in JDJ's kyu system are included in Tsutsumi and Higashi's list, but there is no mention of black belts by Tsutsumi and Higashi as there is no mention of black belts in JDJ's original list of gradings.
When shodan, and then nidan and sandan were subsequently developed, ikkyu came to be thought of as an 'assistant instructor's' grading. That belittles the previous ikkyu holders who were the instructors of the school. They deserve more respect from the post-1980s generations than to be considered 'assistant instructors.' That is why I have developed a JDJ ikkyu holder register.
Based on my analysis of the development of the JDJ jujutsu grading system that has been explored in these posts, an interesting proposition has been put forward by a reader who was a former instructor who was graded ikkyu. One that is well worth considering. Does JDJ ikkyu = Saito sandan?
DOES JDJ IKKYU = SAITO SANDAN?
Are the JDJ ikkyu holders the equivalent of JDJ's original instructors, the Saitos, sandan? Are they the equivalent of JDJ at sandan under the Saitos?
The idea behind this is that when JDJ developed his kyu system which was designed as a standalone one-off grading system, that was all he knew from the Saitos. That was his sandan, plus whatever else he picked up in his limited training in Europe during WWII. That is not an unreasonable assumption.
The following are the JDJ ikkyu holders whose names I have been able to ascertain todate. Thank you to the readers who have contributed to the compilation of this list.
The names are presented in no particular order. Those included in this register of JDJ ikkyu holders did not go on to grade shodan. Those that did are shown separately in the JDJ yudansha register. There are 34 in all, with 30 males and 4 females.
The first to be awarded ikkyu were Alan Robson and Rodney Miller according to the JDJSDS Hakusho (1986, 20).
JDJ Ikkyu Holders
2. Vass D'Esterre (back second left)
3. Robert Kirby
4. Peter Canavan
5. Rodney Miller
6. Dennis Dunn
7. Warwick 'Zak' Jaggard
8. John Poulton (front left)
9. David Palmer
10. David Green
11. Michael Boland
12. Heidi Romundt
13. Steve Moller
14. Gerald Woods
15. Adrienne Barlow
16. Alan Robson
17. Ross Allanson
18. Paul Lang (?)
19. Michael Simpson
20. Glenny Savy
21. Ian Thomason
22. Paul Amyes
23. Marcus Seabrook
24. David Skender
25. Peter Hegarty
26. Mick Rendall
27. Don Berryman
28. Jean Roebuck
29. Dean Cahill
30. Warren Holdway
31. Harry ? (trained with Rendall and Cahill)
32. Craig Ma’ha
33. Jason Stirbinskis
34. Dale Elsdon
A number of the above went on to become yudansha under Hans de Jong in his Hans de Jong Self Defence School ryuha following JDJ's death in April, 2003.
If you know of anyone missing from the above list, please forward their name to me for inclusion.
Hi John appreciate you mentioning HDJSDS thanks
ReplyDeleteAs for ikkyuo student you mentioned Harry this Cahill doesn’t know if him lol
What about Darren Earnshaw & Darren Klump ?former JDJS ikkyu graded
Interesting that JdJ did simply not just award his1st Kyu Instructors to Shodan.
ReplyDeleteThis is taken from an email I received: I am kicking myself for not including the mighty Dave King when we spoke of Ikkyu holders.
ReplyDeleteDave was a mighty jujutsuka. He went on to train aikido with John Langly and their training together was legendary in terms of its physicality. His son and daughter were members of my teenage class but left after Maggie de Jong disbanded the class when I went to have surgery on eventually both shoulders. He turned up at Branco Bratich's Yoseikan karate and Dave partnered his son in his shodan grading.
Add Nigel Ampherlaw.
ReplyDelete