Hokusai Martial Arts Manga

Slap - bump - roll!

Introduction 

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist who lived during the Edo period. He is presumed to have been born in 1760 and he died in 1849. He is likely the most famous Japanese artist of all time, and you have probably already seen his wonderful painting titled "The Great Wave off Kanagawa."

Hokusai also produced sketches of martial arts scenes. The ones with which I am currently familiar appear in several volumes of his "manga" or sketchbook series, published beginning in 1814. All 14 volumes are available online courtesy of the Smithsonian. 

I wanted to highlight a few I thought were interesting in this post.

Sumo and Grapplers in Volumes 3 and 11

The following picture of Sumo wrestlers appears in Hokusai manga 北斎漫画, Vol. 3, FSC-GR-780.233.1-14 pp 12-13:

Hokusai Manga Vol 3 pp 12-13, http://pulverer.si.edu/node/663/title/3/7

The Sumo wrestlers appear to be much thinner than today's version, and they appear to be engaged in more jujutsu or wrestling type activity.

The following picture of grapplers appears in Hokusai manga 北斎漫画, Vol. 11, FSC-GR-780.233.1-14 pp 22-23:

Hokusai Manga Vol 11 pp 22-23, http://pulverer.si.edu/node/663/title/11/12

The lower right image is the source of this post's cover image. I thought the "knee wrestling" in the left middle page image was funny, considering how many people argue against it in modern jiu-jitsu. I do not believe these are Sumo wrestlers, although I could be wrong.

Martial Artists and Warriors in Volume 6

Volume 6 has the most images associated with martial arts and warfare. I am fond of the pictures starting on page 26. 

The image which prompted my initial search appears in Hokusai manga 北斎漫画, Vol. 6, FSC-GR-780.233.1-14 on pp 52-53.

Hokusai Manga Vol 6 pp 52-53, http://pulverer.si.edu/node/663/title/6/27

Here we see a series of joint locks and other grappling, including perhaps some restraining techniques in the upper right.

The following page is also worth reproducing here.

Hokusai Manga Vol 6 pp 54-55, http://pulverer.si.edu/node/663/title/6/28

The picture at the lower right shows the results of a throw. The upper right shows what looks like a ninja! I recommend reading my review of Stephen Turnbull's book Ninja: Unmasking the Myth to learn more about this invented tradition. 

The details on the left side of the image show details of certain techniques. This one caught my attention:

Detail of pp 54-55

In today's jiu-jitsu we use the same hand grip when breaking the same hold. Here is an example from the Pedro Sauer self defense curriculum. Professor Sauer (at right) is demonstrating with Professor Jeff Curran, circa 2000.

Pedro Sauer Curriculum, Defense Against Grab, "bent wrist" variation

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at a few images from the Hokusai manga collection. 

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