Sankaku Jime (aka. “Triangle Choke”) applied during a Kosen Judo tournament, 1920
What is Kosen Judo?
Kosen Judo (高專柔道) is one of two main approaches to Judo training and competition (the other being Kodokan Judo) which are taught within Japan, the birthplace of that martial art and sport. Today, Kodokan Judo is by far the most dominant in terms of the number of clubs, instructors, students and competitions worldwide. While Kodokan Judo competition rules are recognized globally as the standard by the International Judo Federation (IJF) and are used for all Olympics and Worlds Judo competition, Kosen Judo is by contrast rarely heard of outside of Japan where it is still used during inter-University competitions (高專大会 kōsen taikai). Several organizations abroad such as the Freestyle Judo Alliance in North America, International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Foundation (IBJJF) in South America and the European Sambo Federation, have adopted similar competition rules based on a combination of the more permissive ground fighting Kosen Judo rule set, blended to some degree with the stricter Olympic/Kodokan Judo rule set (some being even more permissive to allow striking, others adhering closer to Judo principles of using only throws and holds). Unlike Sambo or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) though, Kosen Judo is neither a different Martial Arts “style” nor is it simply a set of competition rules; rather, it is a spirit of preservation of Judo and Jiu-Jitsu traditions within the modernized sport-focused Judo community. Kosen Judo arose with this aim during the Meiji Era (1868–1914).
Development of Kosen and Kodokan Judo
Kodokan Judo was established primarily to turn dangerous yet effective techniques designed for the battlefield from traditional Jiu-Jitsu (which Samurai trained in for hand-to-hand fighting) and make them safer and more appealing to the general public (and thus, a broader array of potential students). Jiu-Jitsu was at the time, quite unfortunately, fading into obscurity as a relic of the old Samurai culture that was quickly being left behind by the Japanese public who seemed to be in favour of industrialization and modernization (not to mention the fact that it was being rendered much less important for the government due to ballistic advancements in military technology). Kodokan founder, the honorable Jigoro Kano, knew from his early studies in human anatomy, physiology/kinetics and anthropology that people are competitive by nature; yet he also observed when learning under Osteopath and Jiu-Jitsu master Hachinosuke Fukuda that people do not like to get hurt and injuries in a sport/activity often lead to abandonment of that sport/activity or outright inactivity. This lead him to develop a set of rules for safe competition, as well as a new school called the Kodokan Institute in 1882.
Military Rifles and Jiu-Jitsu practice at an “Agricultural School” in early 1900s Japan
The departure from the traditional schools of thought on “fights to the death” and “survival (i.e. participation) of the fittest” which were so prevalent before the founding of the Kodokan, represents some key improvements Kano introduced. Like all new schools of thought though, there was initially stern condemnation of Kano’s approach and constant challenges from traditional Jiu-Jitsu masters within Japan. Despite this adversity, Kano’s own abilities, passion for teaching and unwavering dedication to his vision saw Judo rise in prominence across the country at the turn of the 20th century. It was becoming apparent that the only way many traditional Jiu-Jitsu techniques may survive would be to find a way to get included in the new “Kodokan curriculum” and “sport of Judo” being developed by Kano. As a result, followers of the old ways of Jiu-Jitsu had three choices: quit altogether, join him, or ignore him. A vast majority of those who chose to “ignore him” could at least agree that he had a brilliant idea to make Martial studies more appealing to the masses, and attempted to develop their own streams of sport Jiu-Jitsu (their own “Judo”, in essence).
Musa Betsu Kyu Judo club 