Savayama Masaru

Savyama Masaru ( 宗 家, Soke Sawayama Masaru ^[1] , 1906-1977) - is also known under the pseudonym Muneomi. Master of martial arts, the founder and founder of the art of synthetic modern hand-to-hand combat, Nihon Kempo , combining the most effective techniques from various styles of Japanese martial arts (karate, judo, judo, aikido), as well as European boxing, wrestling, freestyle (French) wrestling and other types of hand-to-hand combat.

Youth

Savayama was born in Nara Prefecture on December 12, 1906 in a family of a noble family from the Nakaoke clan. Sick from birth, at the age of 13, Savayama began to practice judo, which for Japanese youth was a very new and fashionable hobby, in some ways even a symbol of Western civilization. In judo, European power training was actively promoted with the use of weights unusual for Japan, dumbbells, barbells and expanders. And indeed, in a few years, judo turned small and weak Japanese into beautiful and athletically built people. This happened with Savayama.

Youth

In 1926, Savayama Masaru entered the law faculty of Kansai University (Osaka). At university, he reaches the level of 5th dan (Shihan) in this discipline and a year after admission he leads the judo team. At Savayama University, he is interested in hand-to-hand combat techniques, European and Thai boxing, and, having already become a recognized judo master and having received the rank of Shihan (professor) 5 dan, in1929 he enrolled as a student of the famous Okinawan karate-do Kanwa Mabuni. However, training in karate did not suit Savayama very much, since it was based on the repetition of traditional kata and did not make it possible to arrange a full-fledged training battle (randori), such as was practiced in judo. Therefore, after only a few months in 1930, Savayama Masaru created with several like-minded people the Tode Kenkyu-kai / "Society for the Study of Tode" (Society for the Study of Martial Arts), where they engage in additional karate, experimenting with various types of contact fights. Gradually, the society that studies karate is joined by students practicing completely different styles of hand-to-hand combat: ju-jutsu, aikido, judo, and Chinese martial arts. And often, instead of using one technique - karate in a duel, rivals arrange mixed fights in which they use skills obtained from other styles. In addition, participants practice the use of new peeped techniques from visiting European wrestlers of the French (freestyle) wrestling and English boxing. The society is gradually developing its own rules of fights, in which, as in real street fighting, there are no restrictions on weight, style, hand-to-hand combat, but there is only one restriction - not causing harm to the opponent - strikes are not delivered in full force, but only indicated. Receptions and pain controls are carried out safely, without twists. Such fights, even training ones, become spectacular and unusual. Students test the effectiveness of various fighting techniques on them.

Creation of Nippon Campo ( Nihon Campo )

The active use of sparring, as well as the techniques of judo ^[2] , aikido ^[3] , ju-jitsu and boxing ^[4] in the learning process, posed the question to the members of the Tode kenkyu-kai: what do they do - karate? Or is it another, new kind of hand-to-hand combat?

In the fall of 1932, Savayama Masaru convenes the seven most active members of Tode Ton-kai for advice, the result of which was the announcement of the birth of a new budo, which was called Dai Nippon Kempo (Kempo of Great Japan). The Tode Ton-kai Society was renamed the Dai Nippon Kempo-kai Society (Kempo Society of Great Japan). Sawayama Masaru becomes President of Dai Nippon Kempo Kai.

The creation of a new society somewhat complicated the relationship between Savayama Masaru and his karate teacher, Kanwa Mabuni, who also experimented with protective equipment in karate, but did not want to destroy the traditions of the style and introduce wrestling, throwing and pain control techniques into it. However, a normal, business relationship between a teacher and a grown student was still possible to maintain.

Sawayama abandoned the kata as the main training methodology, and emphasized sparring. Even in the society of Tode Ton-Kai, experiments were carried out with protective equipment of kendo, which would reduce injuries and conduct a full-fledged full contact battle. Since 1932, Savayama with his students was actively experimenting with protective equipment and in 1934 had already tested special equipment - for God : a face helmet (maine), a bib (before), a groin guard (matate) and modified boxing gloves (kuroba) that allow you to make grips . This uniform made it possible to strike at full strength, to carry out throws, pain control in the rack and fight on the ground without causing injury to the opponent.

In 1934, the first official Nippon Kempo tournament was held in the main dojo of the Coca-Kai Association, whose members practiced Nippon kempo at Sawayama, in which fights were held in “God”.

In 1936, Savayama opened the Nippon Kempo Club at another Osaka Kansai Gakuin University. Since then, between the teams of Kansai University and Kansai, Gakuin began to hold annual championships that attracted a large number of spectators. In 1939, the First Japan Nippon Kempo Championship takes place.

Maturity of Sawayama Masaru

In 1940, Savayama was called up as an officer in the Imperial Army and was sent to China, where he served until the end of the war in 1945. In May 1946, Masaru returned to Osaka and resumed classes at Nippon Kempo. In 1947, Savayama created a family. In the same year, Masaru registered the Nihon-kempo-kai association (without the word “give” - “great”) and continued his studies at Kansai University. In 1953, he, along with 70 students, conducted a Nipon Kempo demonstration at Tokyo Universities. This leads to the immediate organization of several Nippon Kempo clubs in these schools. In Japan, there is a tradition when a person becomes famous and revered, he changes his last name. So Savayama Masaru gaining fame, changed his name to Savayama Muneomi.

In 1954, Masaru sought the adoption of Nippon Kempo as an official discipline at Kansai University, Osaka. In 1958, the Nippon Kempo Kyokai Association began its activities in units of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, as well as in cadet and police schools.

In 1964, Savayama completed the creation of the Nippon Kempo system and published his book “The Spirit and Philosophy of Nippon Kempo”, and in 1967 became a professor at Osaka University. In 1971 - composes spiritual postulates and instructions for practitioners of Nippon Kempo, this document is called Warera no shinjo.

After a long illness in September 27, 1977, the founder of the Nippon Kempo system was gone.

Life summary

Having set his own budo path, the teacher Savayama made a revolution in the Japanese martial arts system, in fact creating the first system of mixed martial arts (Mixed Martial Arts) and giving this system a philosophical platform.

Today, thanks to the activities of Sawayama, an original and original martial arts system is developing - nothing like, clearly structured, not a simple compilation of a set of different techniques.