I'm a senior disciple of Prof. Richard Bunch of Nikko Jujitsu, so flag this review down for conflict of interest if you wish--just be ready for the ninjas. With shoulder-mounted laser cannons. No, we don't train ninjas at Nikko Jujitsu, we just subjugate them with our superior martial prowess and bend them to our will. Pirates don't stand a chance either, not even the space-faring variety.
As a brown belt possessed with a Templar-furor to spread the good name of Nikko, I take every chance I get to make it known that I have defeated the demonic samurai guarding the gates of Hell in single combat, thanks to the tutelage of Prof. Richard Bunch and the senior students of Nikko Jujitsu. But mostly, I take every chance I get to make the distinction that what we do is not Brazilian Jujitsu. It's Danzan Ryu Jujitsu.
And here's where I rave about Danzan Ryu Jujitsu as a complete martial art system. Complete in the sense that it could be employed in combat, in sport, and in self-defense equally. Let's face it, you could only realistically say one of those things about Brazilian Jujitsu, as powerful an art as it is. I'll let you figure out which after you finish Wikipedia'ing Danzan Ryu Jujitsu.
Aside from the style itself--which MMA enthusiasts will surely like for it's eclectic mix of various martial stylings--Nikko as an establishment is not so much an establishment as a family. Business is run very informally with Prof. Bunch, and despite its claim of being an old-school traditional martial art, you won't see any of the dramatic brutal discipline stereotyped in Kill Bill when Beatrix trains under Pai Mei.
One of the trademarks of Danzan Ryu, a system developed in Hawaii, is the Hawaiian tribal concept of Ohana, or very loosely, Family. To earn rank here is not merely to know the names of the techniques and to be able to execute them well--a person must also show character, especially in the part they play as a member of the Ohana. And a person must also be able to defeat copious amounts of ninjas. I did it with a spork. Did you know there are over 48 ways to exploit the human rectum in combat? A spork. You think about that.
A cool aspect of this whole Ohana gibber-jabber is a concept called Kokua, another Hawaiian tribal term, which means to mutually help one another. At Nikko the senior students are put to the task of helping teach the less advanced students, learning much themselves in the process. This fosters an environment of self-reflection, but also of tight social bonds--Nikko is an extended family, a clan, a tribe. Kinda like the Spartans in 300, except not in banana hammocks. Definitely not something you will find in the strictly regimented Confucian hierarchies of most martial arts institutions, if my memory of taking Tae Kwon Do as a kid serves me right.
I don't get paid or anything. My only stake in Nikko Jujitsu is as a student, a brother, and a warrior, loyal to his fellow martial brothers and sisters. With shoulder-mounted laser cannons. And sporks! read more