Kosen clarification

Posted by: thegnome

Kosen clarification - 08/11/05 04:33 PM

Fletch or somebody please straighten me out on this. What I'm learning is that Kosen is basically competing under the old school Judo rules with Ippon only and no stoppage for lack of action on the ground. Because of the rules there is more Newaza. And this is usualy only done in high schools/unversity in Japan. Am I even close to right?
Posted by: Fletch1

Re: Kosen clarification - 08/11/05 11:16 PM

As I understand it, Judo is Judo. It is a Martial Art first and a sport second. Your definition seems reasonable to me although I am not familiar enough with it to say where and by whom it is trained.

I would defer any serious international Judo questions to Mark Tripp who tends to lurk around here.
Posted by: mateo

Re: Kosen clarification - 08/12/05 07:04 AM

Google search result:

In 1900, the Kodokan suffered a school defeat in a contest with Fusen Ryu ju jitsu. Fusen Ryu specialized in ne waza or grappling techniques, and this specialty carried the day. Typically, Kano persuaded Fusen Ryu's headmaster, Mataemon Tanabe, to reveal the core syllabus to Kano, and Kano sought out a similar style Jikishin Ryu ju jitsu to incorporate its techniques into the Kodokan syllabus. From this point on, Kodokan Judo began a trend toward ne waza.

in 1911, Kano founded the Japan Amateur Athletic Association. In that same year, both Judo and Kendo were put into the Japanese school system.

(In 1914, the All Japan Special High School championships were started at Kyoto Imperial University. These championships emphasized the trend toward newaza or grappling techniques, and the schools that participated became so proficient at this approach that they earned for it the name "Kosen Judo" or grappling Judo. This form of Judo was becoming so predominant that by 1925 Kano began to see throwing techniques as disappearing from the syllabus of effective Judo skills. Judo rules were changed to specifically require that all techniques had to begin from a tachi waza or standing throwing technique, and that further, if a competitor pulled his opponent down without such an effort, the opponent would be declared the automatic winner. However, Kano understood the proficiency of Kosen Judo, and saw a need for specialists to be encouraged in its development, and so the Seven Universities Tournament, which continues in Japan to this day, has been exempt from this 1925 Kodokan rule change. The Kosen Judo students represented an elite, and it was considered shameful to tap or declare maitta, surrender. A choke or an armbar would have to continue to its inevitable conclusion. (3) Those modern derivatives of Judo, Gracie Ju Jitsu and Sambo, show the effect of both this technical approach and attitude, which is not remarkable since the founding instructors of both styles learned Judo during this pre-1925 period.(end quote)

I believe that Kyoto University is still considered quite important to the promotion of the Kosen approach presently.
Posted by: BigRod

Re: Kosen clarification - 08/12/05 07:06 AM

Kosen is Judo with an emphasis on ne-waza
Posted by: Shaolin Bushido

Re: Kosen clarification - 09/09/05 10:49 PM

Quote:

Kosen is Judo with an emphasis on ne-waza


and is still practiced by university students if not exclusively, primarily. I say that because the references I read of Kosen Judo always lists it's club/school as a university team.