Katame no-urawaza

I came across this above named Kata recently, and it said it was a kata of counters to katame-no-kata techniques.I'm interested in more information on katame-no-urawaza, if that is how it is spelt, anyone able to point me in the direction of where to find it in more detail.

The only source I know is a book by K. Itô about nage-ura- and katame-ura-no-kata. I don´t know anybody, who teaches it. Most of the techniques are not so unusual.

The book by Ito-sensei is very hard to find. It contains two instruction sections:

1 - Nage no ura waza kenkyu - Study of the hidden aspects of throwing techniques
2 - Katame no ura waza kenkyu - Study of the hidden aspects of pinning techniques

The techniques are actually simply named:

Te waza
1. When engaged (kakerareta toki) with uki otoshi
2. When engaged with seoi nage
....

then, in the body of the description, the book gives the ura waza, and describes the action, with pictures - there are (up to three) alternative ura waza against certain attacks.

The text is really a guide to advanced counter-attacks in reversal of or anticipation of (using terms like sen no sen and go no sen

There are three final reference sections:

- In the event of practicing as a kata (in which the listing is given as:)
1. Uki otoshi o ..... Tai otoshi de
2. Seoi nage o ...... Yoko guruma de
.....
NOTE: in the kata listing, there is only a single ura waza. This is the only place that the listing that everyone cites occurs.

- Kodokan judo competition rules
(All Japan Judo Federation Official Authorization)
Modified Showa 26, March 26
Modified Showa 45, May 1
...
a pretty lengthy section

- Etiquette (reiho) at judo competitions
... short and sweet

Thanks to NBK for the above.

With my very limited knowledge of Japanese I am struggling to get my mind around translating the counter techniques of this Kata, and how it would be applied. I reprint the information provided by others more knowledgable than I (NBK, CK, dlloyd, Jonesy), and ask if someone would be kind enough to provide further feedback.

Katame-no-Ura-Waza - Control Technique Reversals

The Katame-no-Ura-Waza (it was never actually designated a 'kata') was established by the late Kazuo Ito Kodokan 9 dan, IMAF judo 10 dan. Ito-sensei was a Director of the International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF) [Kokusai Budoin] and Meijin – see http://imaf.com/meijin.html. The Katame-no-Ura-Waza is a very polished series of counters to the Katame-no-kata that Ito-sensei formalised, adopting many individual moves from his own sensei - Kyuzo Mifune Kodokan 10 dan, and adding others that he and many others worked out. It is an enjoyable and educational exercise to perform.

There is only one book (printed in very small numbers) that describes the entire Katame-no-Ura-Waza. In this rare but well done book, Ito-sensei was Tori, and the late Shizuya Sato (IMAF Chief Director) was Uke.


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The techniques of Katame-no-Ura-Waza are as follows:

Osaekomi Waza
- Kesa-gatame countered by Ude-tori Kuzure Kesa-gatame
- Kata-gatame countered by Kaeshi Hon Kesa-gatame
- Kami Shiho-gatame countered by Gyaku-te Hadaka-jime
- Yoko Shiho-gatame countered by Ude-hishigi Ude-gatame
- Kuzure Kami Shiho-gatame countered by Ude-hishigi Juji-gatame

Shime Waza
- Kata Juji-jime countered by Ude-garami
- Hadaka- jime countered by Gyaku Te Seoi-otoshi to Juji-gatame
- Okuri Eri-jime countered by Ude Hishigi Teko-gatame
- Kata Ha-jime countered by Ude Tori Ushiro Kesa-gatame
- Gyaku Juji-jime countered by Ude-garami

Kansetsu Waza
- Ude-garami countered by Ude-garami
- Ude Hishigi Juji-gatame countered by Kaeri Oki osaekomi (Kesa-gatame)
- Ude Hishigi Ude-gatame countered by Oshi Taoshi Kesa-gatame
- Ude Hishigi Hiza-gatame countered by Ude Hishigi Hiza-gatame
- Ashi-garami countered by Tate Shiho-gatame

Notes
1. The first osaekomi has two more alternative ura-waza. Ude Tori Kuzure Kesa-gatame
may be replaced by either Ude Hishigi Juji-gatame or Hidari Kata Sumi-ho.
2. The third osaekomi has one more alternative ura-waza. Kami Shiho-gatame may be followed up also by Kata Juji-jime instead of Gyaku-te Hadaka-jime.
3. In the second shimewaza the ura-waza consists of two successive techniques, namely Gyaku Te Seoi-otoshi followed-up by Juji-gatame - both being performed to the left (hidari) side.
4. The fourth shimewaza has one more alternative ura-waza as Kata Ha-jime may be followed up by either Ude-tori Makikomi Ushiro Kesa-gatame or Ude-tori Kuzure Kesa-gatame.

Techman,

I planned on starting to write a chapter on the ura-waza end of last year, but due to other projects I have had to postpone if for probably about another year. The information available on this kata is very limited and so is its practice. Particularly with such a paucity of sources available, one has to make absolutely sure to have cross-checked everything. There are still some steps I would like to complete before I feel comfortable publishing much more on this kata. Please, be patient. Alternatively, your option is to ask former students of Satô-sensei. There is at least one of them on the forum here as a frequent contributor.

Sato-sensei is sadly deceased but there are others in the Judo division of IMAF Kokusai Budoin who may have preserved this kata. As CK says, one posts here on occasion. The other avenue to explore is to contact Mitsuhiro Kondo hanshi, IMAF Judo 9 dan. Kondo hanshi lives in Switzerland and the URL of IMAF Switzerland is http://www.imaf-ch.org

Could the two threads on this be combined, please? [Done - Jonesy]

Ito sensei was the deshi of Mifune sensei, who explored most of these techniques. Sato sensei was Ito sensei's deshi, long term assistant, essentially an adopted son, as Ito sensei had no heirs. I studied under Sato sensei for almost twenty years.

Ito Kazuo sensei was born in 1898 in Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture. He studied the art of jujutsu from childhood with his father.

Upon graduation from Meiji University and the High Grade Judo Instructor School of the Kodokan, he entered the Kodokan as a judo 1st dan in April 1920. In May 1922 he entered the Mifune juku to study under Mifune Kyuzo, who became the senior technical instructor of the Kodokan for many years.

Postwar, Ito sensei was one of the first group of judo instructors to get certification from the Japan Ministry of Culture and Education allowing them to teach judo in public schools after the postwar Occupation ban of budo in public schools and facilities throughout Japan. In May 1958 he was awarded 9th dan by the Kodokan. A senior instructor of the Kodokan, he was a member of the Council of the Kodokan, Vice Chairman, All Japan High Rank Judoka Association (全日本柔道高段者会), an advisor of the Tokyo Judo Association, and an advisor to the American Embassy Judo Club, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, Japan (www.usejc.com).

He was a professor at Seijo Gakuen (now Seijo University), Meiji University, and Nippon Athletic University (now Nippon Sport Science University); a lecturer at Kogakuin University and Toyoko Gakuen Women's College.

Ito sensei's later books note his academic credentials as Doctor of Science (理学博士).

Ito sensei had five books on judo published:
○ 柔道敎書- -Judo Kyosho -Judo Instruction Book
○ This is Judo -1964 (English)
○ This is Judo for Women - 1968 (English)
○ 女子柔道・護身術- 1972 Joshi Judo -Goshinjutsu(Women's Judo -Self Defense)
○ 柔道の投げと固めの裏技- 1972 Judo no Nage to Katame no Urawaza (Counter Techniques to Judo Throws and Pins)

Ito sensei studied the Counter Techniques under Mifune sensei and organized them into the current form (source: numerous conversations with Sato Shizuya sensei, American Embassy Judo Club, Tokyo, Japan, 1992-2011) as found in his text below and as transmitted by Sato Shizuya sensei.

In the foreword to the book above, Ito sensei wrote (paraphrased):

I collect the Nage to Katame no Urawaza (counter techniques to throwing and pinning [techniques]) in one book.

I believe that digging into the details of judo techniques, understanding them fully, profoundly mastering them, to study their exquisiteness, is a natural thing.

For over 60 years judo has been a thread of my life, studying that exquisiteness, accumulating research upon research. I believe that if yudansha (i.e.; judo dan holders - note Ito sensei was very involved in Japan's Yudanshakai) study of the techniques in this book, these strong techniques will be of benefit in randori and shiai.

As in the end, judo is something that you have to execute by yourself, increasing your (level of) technique becomes a part of training and the path to perfecting your personality.

I am small, only 60kg, 1m60cm, but when I was young loved to work with giants, very strong men, and continue to seek them out.

Fortunately, even today, I remain sleepy when I don't train, and it is my pleasure to make sweat flow on the mat with young instructors.

However, today young people try to become strong and skillful without undergoing strong hardships, but nevertheless you can benefit from the study of techniques themselves; at least not losing the mental attitude (心構え) is desirable. At its ultimate, I think you can learn what will be called 'exquisite skills'(妙技), pronounced 'divine or supernatural technique' (神技), and open up the Path 道 to 'Technique' that happens in the state of complete self-effacement (or 'trance') 無我の鏡地における「技」.

Ito Kazuo
10th dan (NOTE: Ito sensei was promoted to 10th dan by IMAF, as was Mifune sensei, and several other well noted budoka. See IMAF Meijin

＊＊＊＊＊

So, you can see that Ito sensei took his judo seriously. I believe his take on the urawaza was that it was very important to master the basics before taking on the urawaza, and that was the way Sato sensei taught me. Regarding the latter part, the techniques work best in a state of mind that is empty, waiting for uke to make a serious attack, and going with the attack to turn uke's strength and movement against him - in the case of the go no sen counters - or in anticipation of uke's attack - in the case of sen no sen urawaza.

John Gage sensei, the director of the American Embassy Judo Club, had a series of seminars in Europe just this last week. While the primary focus was Nihon Jujutsu, I believe he also introduced some of the Urawaza techniques, as he's done in the past.
A couple of years ago we had a group from Europe come by the dojo, well coordinated well in advance, and we had a couple of hours on the urawaza.

We're considering an English version of Ito sensei's book - I've been tinkering with an translation for a long time - but meanwhile you could try to link up with one of those seminars. There is are also two IMAF groups coming to Japan later this year, one from Europe, one from the US.


I don't know why the upcoming Japan seminars are not reflected on the website - will check.

NBK