was a Japanese

jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

and

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

practitioner. He was one of the earliest members of

Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ...

Biography

Born in 1865, Tobari graduated as a jujutsuka of the

Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū , meaning "Divine True Willow School", can be classified as a traditional school ('' koryū'') of jūjutsu. It was founded by in the 1830s. Its syllabus comprises ''atemi-waza'' (striking techniques), ''nage-waza'' (throwing techniques), ''to ...

school in Edo, later known as

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. He trained under Kentaro Inoue, the same master as Sakujiro Yokoyama, and like Yokoyama himself, Tobari would join Jigoro Kano's

school, becoming an early

ka. After reaching the 3rd dan, he was placed as a hand-to-hand teacher at the

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The , known locally as simply the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), is the prefectural police of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Founded in 1874, the TMPD is the largest police force in Japan by number of officers, with a staff of more than 4 ...

, along with other practitioners of judo and jujutsu.

Challenge matches

In January 1891, Tobari fought a challenge match against a fellow professor,

Mataemon Tanabe was a Japanese jujutsu practitioner and master of the Fusen-ryū school. He became famous for defeating multiple members of the Kodokan in challenge matches, and came to be considered one of the greatest modern jujutsuka. Biography Early years ...

from the

Fusen-ryū is a traditional school of jujutsu founded by Motsugai Takeda. It contains an extensive system of martial arts, including unarmed fighting (''jujutsu''), staff (''bōjutsu''), short staff ('' jojutsu''), sword (''kenjutsu''), sword drawing ('' ...

jujutsu school, in the police station of Hisamatsu. During the bout, although Tobari was significantly heavier than his opponent, Tanabe reversed an

osoto makikomi is one of the techniques adopted later by the Kodokan into their Shinmeisho No Waza (newly accepted techniques) list. It is categorized as a side sacrifice technique, Yoko-sutemi. Technique Description kami-shiho-gatame, the judoka was choked unconscious by juji-jime choke.外編2−古流と講道館流
Kainan Shimomura, Henri Plée's ''Revue Judo Kodokan'', September 1952 The match was the hardest defeat suffered by the Kodokan school against a jujutsu challenger at the time. In spring 1892, having feverishly worked in his

grappling Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...

skills, Tobari challenged Tanabe in order to avenge his loss. Although Tobari successfully blocked Tanabe's signature tomoe nage, he committed the mistake to voluntarily engage him on the ground. Pitted against Tanabe's strong defense and patience, Tobari exhausted himself trying to submit him, allowing Mataemon to place him lying flat on the mat and choke him again by juji-jime. The rivalry with Tanabe didn't end without a third match, celebrated in December at Kanda Izumi-cho police station. Before the fight, however, Tobari would have a physical altercation with another fighter,

Takenouchi-ryū is one of the oldest jujutsu koryū in Japan. It was founded in 1532, the first year of Tenbun, on the twenty-fourth of the sixth lunar month by Takenouchi Chūnagon Daijō Nakatsukasadaiyū Hisamori, the lord of Ichinose Castle in Sakushū ...

exponent Senjuro Kanaya, who had served as the referee in the previous two bouts. Tobari challenged both him and Tanabe the same day, which offended Kanaya into a brawl, leaving both of them worn and battered. The match started the same way as the previous one, but this time Tanabe countered a throw attempt and scored fully his tomoe nage, following up by pinning Tobari and applying ebi-jime for the victory.Cesare Barioli, ''L'Avventure del Judo'', Corpo Mente Cuore Immediately after losing to Tanabe, Tobari fought Kanaya too as he had intended. This time their ground skill was evenly matched, and after 30 minutes, the referee declared a draw or ''hikiwake''. Kanaya was offended again, as Tobari had demanded Tanabe to fight for any time as it was needed to get a finish, and Senjuro believed they should fight the same way. While Kanaya was berating the referee, Tobari suddenly grabbed him and threw him down, shouting that he would please him if he wanted to keep the match going. The action drew laughs from the crowd, after which a Kanaya finally accepted the draw. Tobari left his job at the Metropolitan police shortly after, possibly due to the incidents of the day. Despite Tobari's losses against him, his fighting spirit was praised by Tanabe himself, especially in comparison to other judoka.

Later life

In 1904, Tobari toured through Europe for five years, where he learned the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n system of osteopathy of ''Heil-Gymnastik''.Ginro Nakano, Osteopathic Society, 1936 Tobari taught his martial expertise to his wife Kazu, who succeeded him in the lineage of Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobari, Takisaburo 1860s births Date of death unknown Martial artists from Saitama Prefecture Japanese jujutsuka Japanese male judoka