TORITE NO KATA (English): Traditional Judo

Within the sphere of Traditional Kodokan Judo, various self-defense methods and katas were created and practiced by Kodokan Judo students at different times. One of these methods was the Torite No Kata, created in 1924 by a group of Kodokan Judo experts belonging to the metropolitan police force. This study was led by the teacher Yamashita Yoshitsugu (first 10th Dan of Kodokan Judo) with the approval of the teacher Jigoro Kano. Torite No Kata shows great technical refinement and preserves the shinken shobu principles of Traditional Kodokan Judo and ancient Jujutsu. By studying the Torite No Kata carefully we will learn how to perform the atemi correctly, how to defend ourselves against different knife attacks, how to locate vital points, how to perform joint lock techniques on the fingers, wrist, knee, ankle and elbow, and how to learn some forms of renkoho or police driving. It is therefore an extremely useful and effective kata from the perspective of self-defense. Unfortunately, this method has fallen into disuse. Our goal is to teach and spread this kata so that students and teachers from all disciplines can benefit from this formidable method.