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Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu

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One of the sources of our style of karate is a Jiu-jitsu style; Shindo Yoshin ryu.
Before explaining about the style Shindo Yoshin ryu we'll first take a look at the history of Japan.

Like every where else in the world for example the Knights in Europe, Japan had also its warrior class; the Samurai.
The Japanese claim that their imperial house exists from 660 BC, and that today's emperor a straight descended is from the first emperor, Jimmo Tenno.
The emperor ruled  a country of farmers who were divided into clans. These clans battled each other on control of pieces of land.

At the end of the 10th century a rebellion started against the noble families that controlled the country in name of the emperor ( like the Fujiwara family).
The rebels, who were total families or clans started to arm themselves by gathering groups of warriors around them. These warriors became known as samurai. The meaning of the word samurai means servant, samuru is to serve.
Hence servants who were prepared to die for their master.

The Samurai developed their own code of  behavior, being later Bushido from the Tokugawa period. ( Bush = warrior, Do = way thus way of the warrior). Because of this way of behavior they rose themselves above the rest of the population and had a profound influence on it. In the end the samurai seized power over the whole country, although still in name of the emperor.  

The first power struggle (at the end of the 10th century) was between the Taira and the Minamoto clan.
The field general Yoritomo Minamoto was the one who established the first martial government (bakufu) at Kamakura and became its first Shogun (1192).

With ups and downs the country was subjected to power struggles. After the Kamakura bakufu to the Hojo family (of which was said they were connected to the Taira), through the Ashikaga bakufu (branch of  the Minamoto family).
Although a famous name as Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) is known in Japanese history, he was not from warrior-family origin. He, though, threw over the bakufu of the Ashikaga family, in taking power. His slogan "Tenka toitsu" (all the country under my martial control) expressed an ambition that he resolutely sought to fulfill.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) was Nobunaga's successor. He was even of lower in social scale than Nobunaga was. Still he took control over the country after a rapid series of campaigns and gained imperial recognition as the military ruler of Japan in 1583 acquiring the title of Taiko.

After Hideyoshi's death various people tried to take over the power he left behind.
From among them came Tokugawa Ieyasu, who claimed ties of kinship with Minamoto. After the battle at Sekigahara (1600) he consolidated his position as Hideyoshi's successor, and finally became shogun (1603) and the new ruler of Japan.
The reign of his family, by making the title Shogun hereditary, continued until the end of samurai existing, in 1876.

Jiu jitsu, for this matter, was one of the fighting systems used by the samurai. Other systems were kendo (sword fighting) and kyudo (bow and arrow).
Jiu jitsu is a fighting system without any weapon, without a sword.
The samurai had to be prepared to cope with the situation in which he loosed his sword and still had to face his enemy. Or if he was in places where he couldn't hold a sword, like in the imperial palace.

The styles of fighting were thought to samurai in school's or dojo (lit. training hal) all over the country. These dojo were generally conacted to the house, clan of the local leader (daymio) of a provence.
This was also the case with Shindo Yoshin ryu jiu jitsu which was trained in a dojo owned by  the Tokugawa clan.

The techniques used in Jiu-jitsu are amongst many others; throwing (like in Judo), joint locks, blows to vital points,  etc. The style Shindo yoshin ryu put emphasize on atemi (blows to vital points) and kicks.

Shindo yoshin ryu derives from yoshin ryu.
Yoshin ryu is a jiu jitsu style created by Akayama Chirobi Yoshitoki who was a doctor from Nagasaki in Japan and studied Chinese medicin in China. During his stay in China he learned Chinese Martial Arts.
On returning to Japan he started to teach this Martial Art but with little succes. Apparently his knowledge was to little and with or because of that the techniques not really effective.

Because of this unsuces he decided to retire to the monestary