Danzan-ryu
| Also known as | Kodenkan Danzan-Ryu |
|---|---|
| Date founded | c. 1925 |
| Country of origin |
 Hawaii, United States
|
| Founder | Seishiro Okazaki |
| Arts taught | Jujitsu, Kappo, Seifukujutsu |
| Ancestor arts | Eskrima, Iwaga-ryū, Karate, Kodokan Judo, Kosogabe-ryū, Lua, Namba-Shoshin-ryū, Yōshin-ryū |
| Descendant arts | Small Circle Jujitsu, Kajukenbo |
Danzan-Ryū (, "Sandalwood Mountain System" from a Chinese name for Hawaii) is a Ryū of jujutsu founded by Henry Seishiro Okazaki (1890–1951) in Hawaii. Danzan Ryū is ubiquitous in the United States, particularly on the west coast.
For a Danzan Ryū syllabus, see Danzan Ryū Lists.
Seishiro Okazaki was born in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan in 1890. In 1906, he immigrated to the island of Hawaii. Soon after, he was afflicted with a pulmonary condition which may have been tuberculosis. It was during this time, however, that young Okazaki began studying under Yōshin-ryū jujutsu sensei by the name of Yoshimatsu Tanaka in Hilo, Hawaii. Okazaki intensely pursued his studies under Tanaka and he found after sometime that his respiratory condition had gone into remission. Okazaki felt that the study of martial arts had played a large role in his physical recovery and as a result he decided to dedicate his life to the study and teaching of jujitsu and related disciplines. Later in his life he would adopt the western name, Henry.
In 1924, Okazaki returned to Japan and underwent a study of the various schools, or ryū-ha, of the then most popular Jūjutsu styles of Yōshin-ryū, Namba-Shoshin Ryū, Iwaga Ryū, Kosogabe Ryū, Kōdōkan Jūdō, and several others. Later that year when he returned to the Hawaiian Islands, he continued the study of jūjutsu under the various masters who had emigrated from Japan to Hawaii. Incorporating not only traditional jūjutsu, but also Hawaiian Lua, Okinawan Karate, Eskrima, Kung Fu, boxing and wrestling, he began to synthesize the most effective aspects of these various styles into an eclectic system which he called 'Danzan Ryū'. Okazaki used this name to honor his Chinese martial arts teacher, Wo Chong. The Chinese name for Hawai'i is T'an Shan (or in Japanese, Dan Zan) which translates as 'sandalwood mountain'. Hence the term Danzan-Ryu means Sandalwood Mountain School.
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