RyuTe

the art of
ryukyu hands 琉手

RyuTe is the name for the teachings of the late Taika Seiyu Oyata, and encompasses all aspects of life protection, self defense and classical Okinawan kobudo. Taika Oyata named this art, RyuTe to honor the Ryukyu islands from where the art was derived.

Within RyuTe, practitioners study Tuite Jutsu, Kyusho Jutsu, Atemi Jutsu, Bogu Jutsu and Kobudo.

‍

Tuite Jutsu
取手術
Taika Seiyu Oyata with Shigeru Nakamura sensei
"To use Tuite techniques is like putting out a small fire before it spreads to much to handle. Therefore Tuite techniques have to be used as soon as the attacker contacts your body. A delay in reaction will cause a conflict with the attackers strength."
- Ryu Te no Michi: The Way of RyuKyu Hands; p.4-61

Tuite Jutsu can only be truly understood through partner training. The concepts and principles must be put into action through hands-on-training with your partner. As students become more and more skilled in the art of Tuite, they then begin advancing to more and more non compliant partner training. Through this level of training the students begin to understand human reaction and body mechanics. Training with a stationary partner is a must for learning the techniques and understanding initial instruction and form. But to make your techniques real and applicable on anyone, the training must take on a more realist approach, thus requiring a truly focused and serious mind.
Atemi Jutsu
当身術
Taika Seiyu Oyata with Shigeru Nakamura sensei
"Atemi Jutsu is light striking techniques used for stunning purposes. Momentary shock to the attackers body disrupts the concentration of their minds, which causes a weakening of their physical strength as well. "Atemi" literally means " to strike the attackers body." However, it is the warning and stunning techniques which give the minimum amount of damage to the attackers body, instead of the fatal damage, as in Kyusho Jutsu."
- Ryu Te no Michi: The Way of the Ryukyu Hands. p.4-61


Atemi Jutsu is another example of an art hidden within the classical Okinawan karate kata. The specific placement of blocks or strikes that are in kata, is just one of many clues to unlocking true life protection techniques. How certain blocks are set in their patter, or how high, low or at what angle strikes are; these are all clues to finding atemi jutsu points on the human body. Atemi can be used as stand alone techniques, but in order to take on their true effectiveness, they are used in conjunction with both tuite jutsu and kyusho jutsu. Causing your techniques to be far less susceptible to defense. " When the target of Atemi is focused on the vulnerable spot of the attackers body, even light contact could be very effective in stopping the attackers intention."- Ryu Te no Michi: The Way of the Ryukyu Hands. p.4-61
Kyusho Jutsu
急所術
Taika Seiyu Oyata with Shigeru Nakamura sensei
"The word "Kyusho" literally means 'the urgent or fatal spot.' When these spots are struck, the human body could be seriously damaged. However, the Kyusho is considered to be a very small area, the size of a needle. Therefore, while aiming, it is very difficult to strike them if the attacker is in motion."
- Ryu Te no Michi: The Way of the Ryukyu Hands. p.4-68

The study of Kyusho Jutsu takes many, many years to learn and ultimately perfect. A complete understanding of human anatomy, natural response, body mechanics and timing are necessary in training Kyusho Jutsu. This type of training requires the most serious of mind in a student. These particular techniques are taught when the student has understood the above concepts and has show to be a martial artist of honest and moral character.

BU 武

The character "bu" 武 can be translated as “to stop the spear” or “to advance with the spear”. Scholars can debate the true meaning, but for me, Taika's explanation of this contradiction was simple: in combat, offense and defense are one and so I accept both meanings as one.

Taika sometimes brushed this character as personal gifts to students and he would often vary his expressions. Those familiar with the kanji will notice that here the character 止 is brushed differently. Longtime students will see the life protection movement in this expression. It is one of advancing in order to stop the attack.

This particular expression was brushed for me by Taika in 2008 and I share it as a gift for serious RyuTe practitioners to study and appreciate as I believe this provides a significant glimpse into the heart and mind of a true master.
‍
-KT
HIDDEN TEACHINGS MARTIAL ARTS
KARATE + KALI • SHINKENKAN DOJO
‍5226 51st Avenue S
Fargo, ND 58104
Ph. 701-297-2181