THE TRANSLATION AND TRANSCRIPTION
OF THE
TENJIN SHINYŌ RYŪ
JŪJUTSU SEISHI
THE TRANSLATION AND
TRANSCRIPTION
OF THE
TENJIN SHINYŌ RYŪ
JŪJUTSU SEISHI
AN AMATUER TRANSLATION PRODUCED FOR THE INTERESTS OF
THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF JUJUTSU
PRODUCED FROM THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT POSTED AT THE INDICATED WEBPAGE
http://jtweymo.angelfire.com/COVER_PAGE_T-T.html
Persons wishing to view the original document as posted by the Japanese should consult the web address included in this text.
There is also a copy of the original document included in the Appendix of this text.
Privately Published
BY
LOGAN WEYMOUTH, SHIHAN and
BEN WEYMOUTH
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ...4
CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 1 – the Tenjin Shinyō Ryū Jūjutsu Seishi Section...5
CHAPTER 2 – Summary...13
INTRODUCTION
These translations and transcriptions, of which the Tenjin Shinyō Ryū Jūjutsu Seishi document is a part of, were produced in the interests of the American Federation of Jujutsu. Any party or person is free to avail themselves of a copy of this text or any other found therein. It would be appreciated if you would acknowledge the AFJ in doing so. There is a facsimile of the original document in the Appendix of this text, so that one may review the original document as made by the Japanese. The document is from a Modern 20th Century Academic copy that came from Mr. Christian Flament's personal copy of the Nihon Budō Zenshū Vol 5 (Tōkyō : Jinbutsu ōraisha. Imamura, Yoshio 1966). It's based on a very late 17th through middle 18th Century document, and is directly associated with the Yōshin ryū (Akiyama main line) and most forms of Yōshin ryū descended from it. The document is also known and confirmed to be a key document of the Tenjin shinyō ryū, a representative of its roots in the Yōshin ryū, making the document quite worth the attention. Practitioners of any school or art that is descended of Kano Jujutsu has every reason to be interested in this 'Jūjutsu Seishi'.
Technical Information:
The text is a principle document of the Tenjin Shinyō Ryū Jūjutsu school, famous as one of two co-founding schools that gave us the entirety of Kano Jujutsu and Kodokan Judo, as well as all Shotokan Karate-do descended schools (through their goshinjutsu curriculum.) The language is quite similar in some parts to the Kenkan-mon text, a vaguely similar and related document of the same school. It seems that parts of it came from a source that is very late classical Japanese or even some Chinese language sources. Again this most certainly indicates a firm date of authorship somewhere around the late 18th Century without doubt. But the exact copy we have here was written in modern shintai kanji and uses hiragana, whereas the original used (archaic?) classical kanji and katagana instead is quite probable. More information will be placed in the Summary of this PDF.
Academic Copies are textbook copies that serve a variety of academic needs and are frequently not fully complete when compared to the actual handwritten scrolls that it represents. In this case, it appears to be rather complete, though, even the signature, rank and date lines (commonly found at the end of the scrolls) are not omitted in this instance.
Logan (J.T.) Weymouth Shihan, Rokudan (6D) AFJ Shinden Yōshin Ryū Yudansha, AFJ American Judo. November 18th, 2017
THE
Tenjin Shinyō Ryū Jūjutsu Seishi
柔術誓紙
Jūjutsu Seishi
The Written Vows Regarding Jujutsu
天神真楊流柔術起請文事
Tenjin Shinyō Ryū Jūjutsu Kishōmonji
School of the True Willow Tree of the High Gods
Written Record of the Vow to the Gods
一 御師流儀御指南之趣、雖親子兄弟、他見他言沙汰仕間敷㕝。
These are the teachings of the Shinto priest Goshinan, that there is parent and child, brother and sister, and these are known and spoken of by others and at intervals one attends upon their affairs so much so that one is spread thin.
一 稽古段違一座見聞仕間敷候事。
-- It is a known subject that from one person to the next it is observable and clear that there is quite a difference in the experience of training practice.
一 他流誹謗仕間敷、御免許無之内、卒忽他流仕合仕間敷候事。
– There is at intervals the practice of slander against other schools, but without having full license [from these schools], as if they were suddenly graduates commonly sitting in attendance and privy thereunto.
一 執行未熟而不有其功之上、師恨申間敷候事。
– There is the conduct of the inexperienced and yet this is not useless since they will make progress. But at intervals they may express grievances to the master instructors.
一 無拠故障出来、稽古相止候者、其子細御断申候上而、相止可申候、無精懦弱而相
止候者、御流儀御掟之通、返神文可任御差図候㕝。右之条々於相背者、梵天帝釈四天
王、総日本国中六十余州大小神祇、殊伊豆箱根両所権現、三島大明神、八幡大菩薩、
天満大自在天神部類眷属神罸冥罸永可失弓矢神令命者也。仍起請如件。
-- One can proceed with baseless objections, even to the point of seeming to cease one's training practices, as if basing one's judgments upon the decisions of little children. And one ought to stop doing that instead. Also one ought to put a stop to the apathetic indolence of those persons doing so. One travels the avenues of this teaching instead. One ought to return to Divine teachings given the difference between the schematics of the two. By the aforementioned items one becomes a person of substance in the inheritance [of the school], His Majesty the Bonten Taijyaku the Four Faced Monarch, across all of Japan and it's sixty some odd provinces one is in the presence of the many Gods of Heaven and Earth. Many are the different Shinto manifestations of the one Buddha and any two forms are naught but one together. The Brilliant God is enshrined at Mishima, and Hachiman Daibosatsu, and the order of Divine precinct of Tenma Daijizaiten. And without reverence one ought to eternally suffer Divine Punishment, a most severe punishment in return for this flaw. As was said by the persons of the Yumiya Shinto sect. These are the affairs of the likes of this vow.
楊心流
Yōshin Ryū
School of the Willow Heart
合流元祖
Ai-Ryū GensoFounded as Unified School
真之神道流
Shin No Shintō RyūSchool of the True Footpath of the Gods
天保十二
辛丑年
Tenpō era (1830-1844) 12th Year of the Ox @ 1841 (?)
十二月
㊞
December (Seal here)
TRANS TEXT NOTE:
The original (Academic copy) text uses the character
��
, such as at line #2, which is the same as the more common character 稽 having same pronunciation and definition according to theSino-Japanese sources that were consulted. Problem is that the character
��
has a computer encodement that is not consistent with most computer fonts and so there might be some computers that cannot read this character? So I used the more common form of the Kanji.源正足（花押）【印】
Motomasa (stylised signature) 【Seal here】
本朝人皇十五代、神功皇后即位元年辛巳冬十月、皇后自ら
諸軍に将して新羅を征伐し玉ふ。新羅王降り、高麗、百済亦
来り服す。三韓悉く服す。同四十九年己巳新羅亦反す。
Fifteen are the generations of the Emperors of our country and came the year of the enthronement of Empress Jingūkōgō during the tenth of the month, in winter at the eighteenth of the sexagenary cycle. The Empress of Japan was commander of various armed forces. And there was the jewel of the conquest of the Korean Silla kingdom. With the surrender of the King of the Korean Silla kingdom that ancient Korean kingdom of the Goryeo dynasty was soon to submit. Korea entirely submitted. And the same thing happened again, at the sixth of the sexagenary cycle 49th year.
討て之を平らぐ。六十二年壬午新羅を討。十六代応神天皇三年
壬辰、百済を討つ。十七代仁徳天皇十七年己丑、新羅を討、同
四十一年癸丑、大臣をして百済国に遣し国中を撿挍せしむ。
Having been suppressed when they attacked, for 62 years at the nineteenth of the sexagenary cycle were the Silla Koreans chastised. Sixteen generations and came the reign of Emperor Ōjin, for three years of the twenty-ninth of the sexagenary cycle were the Silla Dynasty Koreans chastised. Seventeen generations and came Emperor Nintoku, seventeen years at the twenty-sixth of the sexagenary cycle. And the same thing happened again 41 years at the 50th of the sexagenary cycle. Causing the Ministry Cabinet of the Silla dynasty Korea to dispatch courriers all over Korea and they had to closely examine everything they bore in hand.
同五十三年乙丑、新羅を討。三十代欽明天皇二十年壬午七月、
高麗を討。五十二代嵯峨天皇弘仁四年癸巳、新羅肥前へ入寇
す。討ちて之を平らぐ。同十一年庚子、新羅を討つ。
And much the same 53 years in the second of the sexagenary cycle and the Silla Koreans were again chastised. At thirty generations came Emperor Kimmei, 20 years at the nineteenth of the sexagenary cycle in the seventh month. Again the Goryeo dynasty was chastised. Fifty two generations and came Emperor Saga, in the fourth year of the Kōnin era (810-824), at the thirtieth of the sexagenary cycle. The Silla Koreans invaded at Hizen province and were flatly chastised for this. The same thing happened again 11 years later in Koushi and again the Silla dynasty was chastised.
六十八 代後一条天皇寛仁四年庚申、南蛮薩摩に入寇す。討て平
之。九十二代後宇多天皇弘安二年己卯夏六月、元使范文虎を殺す。
同四年辛巳夏五月、元人九州に寇す。
Sixty-eight generations afterwards came Emperor Ichijō, year four at the 57th of the sexagenary cycle in the Kannin era (1017-1021). The Southern Chinese barbarians invaded at Satsuma province, and were flatly chastised. Ninety-two generations afterwards came Emperor Uda, in the Kōan era (1278-1288), year two in summer at the sixteenth of the sexagenary cycle on the sixth month. Messengers of the Hanbun law makers said to kill the tiger. The same thing happened again, year four at the eighteenth of the sexagenary cycle, in summer on the fifth month. Many high ranked people were led to harm at Kyushu.
大風船を破り、撃て之を殲す。百十代後陽成天皇文録(禄)元年
壬辰春三月、朝鮮を討。 慶長十四年己酉、島津義久琉球を取、
百十三代後光明天皇正 保四年丁亥、南蛮入寇、討て之を平らぐ。
以上異邦を征せし事、数ケ度国史に載て、顕然として我々
Defying the many boats of the floatilla, the Taifū monsoon destroyed it. One hundred and ten (110) generations afterwards came Emperor Yōzei, according to the transcript letters from the founding date of his throne, the third month, in winter at the twenty-ninth of the sexagenary cycle. Again the Koreans were chastised. In the Keichō era (1596-1615) year fourteen at the 46th of the sexagenary cycle. Shimazu Yoshihisa captured the Ryūkyū islands. One hundred and thirteen (113) generations afterwards came Emperor Kōmyō, in the Shōhō era (1644-1648), fourth year at the 24th of the sexagenary cycle. Again the Southern Chinese barbarians invaded, and again were flatly chastised for this.
And beyond all of this, the subject of attacks by other foreign countries, aye, various countries time and again as is the compiled history of our nation and so have we all been made clear upon it.
神武地球内に轟き、万邦畏敬せざるはあらじ。然るに近米酉洋諸蛮、
亜細亜洲中に蟲蝕し、終に本朝に航し来り、事を貿易に托して屢往
来し、陰かに間隙を伺（窺）ふか、其挙止、件々憎 むにたへたり。
Emperor Jinmu came into the world with quite a roar, but indeed being boorish not all of the nations revered him. Nonetheless, he was like an abundance shipped across the open seas from the shores of Asia to the West. Across the provinces of all Asia they gathered like insects for their meal. Finally, they made voyage for the shores of our country, on the pretext of engaging in trade, coming and going frequently. And quite often being detestable many were deported [from Japan].
小人却て之を僥倖として、或は賄賂に耽つて黜陟を恣にし、奸商利を
貪て飽ことを知らず、物品の価は日日月々に騰上し、四海困窮、開闢
以来今日を極とすべし。
He was quite a godsend to the children and lesser persons, but there was the draw back that there was a rise in the numbers of those whom were addicted to bribery. There was both the cunningness and wickedness of commercial profit, and one does not know how commonly they grew bored of coveting? So the cost of goods had begun to leap in bounds day by day and month by month, and there was never such poverty and distress since the beginning of the world nor to this very day.
斯く疲弊に及ぶの根拠する所は、西洋諸蛮罷所為に在歟、前条挙る所
之異邦数ケ度之征伐は国力勇猛余り有に因て、如今諸藩之蔑如を請て
剋せらるるは、昌平玆に二百六十有一年にして、さしもの神武も廃弛
せしは、往昔に比すれば切歯憤欝悼べし悲べし。
And so in this way the circumstances had begun to amount to impoverishment. Did not several of the Barbaric Western countries begin to withdraw?? As said in the preceding entry, they had come gathering together, various foreign countries time and time again. Sometimes they sought conquest but due to what remained of our national strength and valor they failed, much like now-a-days, the various fiefdoms held us in disdain and would have invited themselves to be victorious. In what social stability and peace that there is these days, there are 260 whom would do so in but a single year's time if they could. Even as they had tried to abolish the reign of Emperor Jinmu. It would be now quite comparable to the ancient times, and they do gnash the teeth against us but even with as much grief as it causes, one must yet have compassion.
時に今般官府におゐて領港攘夷之御詢断然として被御出之時に当て、我
徒之面々期せずして会盟なすは天神地祇之然らしむる所か。夷狄平定、
万国をして畏敬せしめ、往昔盛んなりしに覆するの時至れりと云つべし。
Sometimes these days the governments begin uniting and so we end up expelling again the barbarians from our harbors, and so there is always the forewarning we know about this sort of thing. Also there is whatever objectives they may hold as they proceed out of the mouth of the port at the time. Each and every one of just such objectives, one simply does not look forward to them and this is not to mention that to this effect does one make oaths before the Gods of Heaven and Earth. When we suppress the Foreigners it makes all countries respect us, having been quite popular even since ancient times, so it's said that they wish to come and overthrow us sometimes.
各位忠を純にし義を重んじ、公辺之御下知に随ひ、仮令骸は戦場にさる
すといへども、芳名万世に伝へて祖先を輝かし忠孝二つながら全ふせば、
人倫之道至れり尽せりと云云。
And so, ladies and gentlemen, with genuine loyalty and by having respect for justice, and obeying the commands to conduct public ceremonies, no matter how many of our dead bodies may litter the battlefield we stand upon, as it would be said. Therein is the conveyance of thousands of years worth of our good names, making the ancestors to shine with our having proper respect for both loyalty and filial piety. So having embarked upon our devotion to the avenues of human endeavor, et etc.
報国規定誓詞㕝
Hōkoku Kitei SeishiThe Provisions of Patriotism in the Vows
一 公辺御法度
��
に度々御触御軍令等相背申間敷事。
– Outcries are strictly forbidden in the public ceremonies, especially when repeated, this by both Official Notice and by Military Command etc etc. One stands with the spine erect throughout the entire proceedings.
一 忠孝信義之道相守、陣中に於ゐて争論等致間敷、
��
に行軍
之節、乱妨狼籍等相働申間敷事。
– One guards the avenues of faith and of loyalty and filial piety. When encamped there may be arguments spreading at times, and when marching in rank and file, regarding the wish the plunder the enemy and etc. One should remember to observe precaution in fathering and abandoning children as well as ill effect on other parts of one's own destiny.
一 進退死生存亡共に可為一致、功を貪り一人働間敷事。
– The course of action of advance or retreat, of live or die, of fate and what one ought to do, these things are all one. Covet accomplishments, in whatever it is that one man might be able to carry out.
一 陣中におゐて婦女を近づけ酒宴を催し候儀堅無用之事。
When encamped and assembling, bringing in Female companionship and holding banquet affairs is permitted since otherwise strict etiquette is worthless.
一 人之功を嫉み不義を行ふ間敷、我働らき
（ママ）を可心掛事。
To become jealous of the meritorious accomplishments of other people is to conduct immorality oneself and to create [dangerous] openings in things. The proper mental attitude is to go from one task to the next.
右之条々於相背者、大日本六十余州大小神祇、 天昭皇太神
（ママ）宮 弓矢八幡太神
・
（ママ）
・
軍神鹿島太神
（ママ）・
香取太神
（ママ）冥罸可蒙者也。仍而如件。
By the previous items a person becomes a person of substance in the inheritance [of the school] the 66-odd provinces of Ancient Japan are the shrines of the Gods of Heaven and Earth both great and small • even the Great God Yumiya Hachiman • even the great War God (Shi-)Kajima • the great Gods of Katori whom can inflict dire punishment upon
文久三
癸亥年
Bunkyū era (1861-1864) third, 60th of the sexagenary cycle Year of the Boar
礒又一郎
Iso Mataichirō源 正光
Founder Masamitsu[ END OF PAGE FOUR ]
SUMMARY
This version of the text of the scroll was, as stated earlier, written in a more modern Japanese language as an adaptation of the older more original form of the scroll. Of these forms of documents it is known that they are part of the Densho itself and so belong with the Tenjin shinyō ryū Tenchijin-no-maki and the branch school that produced these differenced textual traditions we have evidenced in the collection so far, we are uncertain who, when and where? The text itself (of the Jujutsu seishi) is most strictly Tenjin shinyō ryū but PROBABLY it's an adaptation of an earlier similar document, most probably of the Yōshin Ryū (circa the 1750's, I suspect?) Linguistically, it's hard not to notice that some of the language is directly related to language in the Yōshin Ryū
Kenkan-mon (shared kanji constructs and etc). Even some other forms of the Yōshin Ryū (such as Takagi ryū
descended schools) have been known to make use of and include some form of such documents as this text.
The document is dated from the middle through late 1700's, but some parts of it originated from more original Chinese texts, probably due to their subject matter (at one point in Japanese history, certain forms of Chinese or Chinese-like language was practically legal script. That being the case, it shows up in usage for certain vectors of Shintoism and Buddhism because of it.) Sometimes these source texts date before the year 1610. One can tell by the nature of what kanji constructs it uses. (1) It uses Shintaiji modern versions of the Kanji characters whereas the original used only the Classical Kanji characters (and at that, some were most likely the 'archaic' classical characters.) This is common for a more modern rewrite of a scroll. For an example Koku 国 is the Shintai Kanji used for the older form of the character 國 Koku. (2) The text of the scroll uses Hiragana script whereas the more original likely has Katagana script. (3) The lines of text throughout the scroll shows actual language and textual differences in the lines of the scroll when compared and that clearly indicate that it's from several different separate source documents. Some of it's language is virtually Kanbun Japanese language whilst other parts are written in a much more conventional form of (18th and 19th Century Japanese.) It definitely did not
simply get penned out one day by the masters of the school, on something of a mad whim. The various source texts (despite linguistic differencing) have been artfully and correctly merged and inter-combined. It's interesting to read, it was meant to be. And although there are most certainly other expressions of Japanese Shintoism that don't look anything like this, it's is quite strictly a Shinto text.
An example of the intricacies of the translation. From the text:
一 忠孝信義之道相守、陣中に於ゐて争論等致間敷、 に行軍之節、�� 乱妨狼籍等相働申間敷事。
– One guards the avenues of faith and of loyalty and filial piety. When encamped there may be arguments spreading at times, and when marching in rank and file, regarding the wish the
plunder the enemy and etc. One should remember to observe precaution in fathering and
abandoning children as well as ill effect on other parts of one's own destiny.
The textual statement in red font: “...乱妨狼籍等相働申間敷事...”
we will have a break-down look at it so one can see the difference in the raw components of the remark as opposed to how I rendered the translation itself.
Please bear in mind that the passage was written in Kanbun style (Chinese-like) and does not have any of the more usual elements of speech that are represented by kana scripting. That mean that most participles and other linking words were omitted and not evidenced.
乱妨
【Ranbō】 (verb) to Plunder; to Despoil; to Loot狼
【Ookami】 (noun) (1) Wolf (Canis lupus); (2) wolf in sheep's clothing籍
【Seki】 (noun,n-suffixal) (1) one's family register (n-suffixal) (2) nationality; (3) membership (club, party, etc.)As
狼籍 Ookami-seki “A wolf in the family register” denoting one whom is half-breed (both Japanese and of the national enemy fought) and so illegitimate in their fathering, for example. Otherwise translatable as “of wolfish national origin” under definition two (2), “born of adversarial bloodlines”.等
【Nado】 (adv participle) (1) et cetera; etc.; and the like; and so forth.相
【Saga】 (noun) (1) one's nature; one's destiny; (2) custom; tradition; habit; convention; 【ai】 ; (prefixal) together; mutually; fellow働
【Hataraki】 (verbal noun) (1) work(-ings); (2) mechanics; convention; (3) action; activity; deed(s).申間敷 【ma(w)osumajiku】 (verbal tri-compound construct) to Speak of or
about, (2) (noun) Argumentation. (https://furigana.info/w/ %E7%94%B3%E9%96%93%E6%95%B7)
The more literal translation would have been:
“One would be speaking about looting a wolf that is in your own family register together with whatever other deeds.” But it was not thought to be clear enough in meaning for the English translation... so I rendered it:
“One should remember to observe precaution in fathering and abandoning children as well as ill effect on other parts of one's own destiny.”
This is the actual subject of the passage, the reference to the expressed wish to loot an enemy people
would presumably include their more desirable females. The passages warns that, if one indulges in
this wrongful act, the consequences are predictable: you will end up fathering children. These children
when left with the mother and her people may end up hating you and your people when they grow up
(having been abandoned in childhood.) Whereas if they are brought home, they may not get acceptance
is probable. Resentment either way is quite likely. BTW, this passage is most definitely from a
Sino-attempts to locate the original have, as yet, failed? Most probably because it got put into Kanbun
Japanese language and there was quite a bit of textual rearrangement by the Japanese.
OTHER SCROLLS THAT ARE ASSOCIATIVE
TO THESE TENJIN SHINYŌ RYŪ SCROLLS
Well, as said of some few other examples, there would likely be some small problems with this idea. Naturally, any auxiliary scrolls of whatever branch of the Tenjin shinyō Ryū Jūjutsu, such scrolls as might exist, or anything else for that matter, would most probably be held specifically within that branch. It's just a little bit unpredictable, to say the least. Standard listings of scrolls and writings of the Tenjin shinyō Ryū usually list between 10-12 different writings (2 or 3 of them are an old handbook. So maybe 8-10 are scroll sets?) They range in content from fundamentals of the school to more advanced philosophies and histories.
