Soke Yasumoto Akiyoshi

Yasumoto Akiyoshi was born in 1933 in the city of Yonago in Tottori Prefecture. He is renowned for his skill in Jujutsu and his great interest in history and archaeology. He wrote many works on the history of Shimane Prefecture and its archaeological finds. He is also known for owning one of the largest collections of ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) and sho (calligraphy) in Japan.

Yasumoto Akiyoshi began his training with Minaki Saburoji at the age of 26, when he asked Minaki Saburoji to teach him. They opened a dojo in Yasumoto's house. Yasumoto also assisted Soke Minaki in teaching medical students in the field of bone-setting. He was also a direct student of Kanazawa Ichizu (father of Soke Yasumoto's friend Kanazawa Akira) and of Nakagawa Sensei, Soke of Mugai Ryu Iai, who taught Yasumoto up to 6th dan.

Yasumoto Akiyoshi received the Menkyo Kaiden (licence of full mastery) in Takagi Ryu and in 1982 also became Menkyo Kaiden in Hontai Yoshin Ryu under the 18th Soke Inoue Tsuyoshi Munetoshi. For many years he was the international head of instruction of Hontai Yoshin Ryu. Together with Kanazawa Akira, Yasumoto Sensei was the principal Jujutsu teacher in Hontai Yoshin Ryu. He accepted Inoue Kyoichi, today's Soke of Hontai Yoshin Ryu, as his student and personal uke and trained him over twelve years into the Jujutsu master he is today. Yasumoto Akiyoshi is today the last living direct student of Minaki Saburoji and Kanazawa Ichizu.

During his years in public administration he taught the Hyogo Prefecture police in defence and disarming techniques and was invited by monks of the prefecture to teach Jujutsu in their temple.

Yasumoto Akiyoshi is known worldwide for his skill in Jujutsu and the martial arts. Since 1981 he has been one of the main influences on traditional Jujutsu in the West. As the principal teacher of Hontai Yoshin Ryu in Europe and the USA, he was the first Hontai Yoshin Ryu teacher there. He teaches as it was passed on to him by his teachers Kanazawa Ichizu and Minaki Saburoji. In 1999 he founded his own organisation and named it Motoha Yoshin Ryu. The term Motoha means «original style».