Goshin Do/Goshin Jutsu karate rears its silly head again

**Extinct** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 11:54am

Looks like the Goshin-Do Karate silliness is starting up again in Greensboro, NC. One Ralph Porfilio, who claims high rank in this "system", is apparently opening a new school there.

History of the style, from here:

http://www.webspawner.com/users/goshinjutsu/index.html

Jerry Durant, a Frenchman, was born in Japan sometime around 1925. We do not know for sure because they did not keep birth records back then and his parents, being foreigners, feared he would be killed so they kept his birth a secret and never let details known.

When Jerry was young, his father became friendly with a Samurai Prince name Murikami. Murikami introduced Kungfu to Japan and organized the fledgling Okinawan arts that were recently introduced to Japan into what is now known as Karate. Mutikami was also skilled in Judo, Jujitsu and Aikijitsu. He taught all of the arts to Jerry Durant as a means of paying back the family for thier friendship. Also he feared Jeared Jerry would be killed by the Japanese people and wanted to make sure he could always defend himself. Jerry was taight all of the deadliest secrets of the Japanese, Okinawan and Chinese martial arts.

When Jerry moved to the United States sometime around 1969, he found Karate had become very popular. But what was being taught in the US was only sport Karate. The deadly technqiues were taken out. So Jerry organized all of the once secret teachings into what is now known as "Goshin Jutsu". There is "Goshin Jutsu Karate", "Goshin Jutsu Aikijitsu" and "Goshin Jutsu Kenjitus" - which is the deadly art of Samurai Sword Fighting. Master Durant was awarded the title of Kyoto - the only non-Japanese in history to receive this honor.

The Yudan-Shakai, or governing body, promoted Master Durant to 10th Dan in 1974 following the death of his instructor. Ralph Porfilio is one of Durant's students and continues to teach this style in Greensboro, NC .

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 12:32pm

Well, the prices aren't bad so they have that going for them.

**fanger123** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 12:56pm

Originally Posted by Extinct

Jerry Durant, a Frenchman, was born in Japan sometime around 1925. We do not know for sure because they did not keep birth records back then and his parents, being foreigners, feared he would be killed so they kept his birth a secret and never let details known.

so you hide the fact that you are a foreigner by hiding your birth record? a frenchman among the japanese?? this is ridiculous. this is years after the WW1... during which the japanese were allied to the french (mostly to take over german colonies but still). i really don't think that in 1925 the japanese would kill foreigners just for being foreigners.

and wtf is a samurai prince? after the meiji restoration, the only "samurais" were ronins.

likely written by someone who had only remote knowledge of japanese history, possibly inspired by mangas.

painful read of bullshit...

**GettingLessFat** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 3:25pm

So, are all the Goshin Jutsu schools BS? Does anyone know about the Goshin Jutsu at the University of Illinois?

**Extinct** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 4:30pm

Originally Posted by GettingLessFat

So, are all the Goshin Jutsu schools BS? Does anyone know about the Goshin Jutsu at the University of Illinois?

If they claim Durant in the lineage, yep. Do they?

Interesting. I just found another "history" of ole Jerry. This was posted on e-budo a few years ago:

Thanks, Tim. I just found a very interesting "biography" of Mr. Durant. The worshipful, awestruck tone of this article is typical of the cult-like atmosphere at my friend's Goshin Do dojo. The entire article (quite long) is at the following URL:

http://pw1.netcom.com/~mtran/newsletter9901.html

For those who are just interested in a synopsis, I've condensed the article here, adding my own subtitles (in bold).

Mystical Oriental Beginnings...

"Gerard Durant was born on February 22, 1922 (2-22-22). This numerical symmetry makes a symbolic analysis tempting… legend has it that Horace Durant married in Japan, and Gerard Durant was the issue of that union. … Japanese in-laws disapproved of the union, but a maternal uncle, seeing his nephew's position as half gaijin …took pity on the boy. …after rigorous training in aikijutsu and karate under his uncle, young Gerard began to hold his own--sometimes even more than that…Gerard Durant may well have been trained in traditional Asian martial arts by Japanese teachers during his boyhood.…… our best evidence suggests he had training in at least two martial arts (conjecture has already led us to conclude that he was exposed to additional training), and his appetite for Asian fighting systems had been whetted".

The Rambo rep and of course, the CIA!

"Toward the beginning of the Second World War, Gerard Durant enrolled in the U. S. Army…friend and fellow martial artist, Kun Tao Grandmaster Arthur Sikes, characterized Gerard Durant's military service as "anything the government wanted done". At Master Durant's death in 1991, it was necessary to request his service records for a military funeral. The records arrived in an attaché case handcuffed to the wrist of a government courier who transported them directly to the funeral home and directly back to Washington--hardly standard procedure… On the basis of this information, we can assume an involvement in covert operations."

Trained under all the masters of the Orient (and of course became a ninja too)!

"Gerard Durant joined the U.S. Merchant Marines in the late … As soon as Durant's vessel docked in Japan, he jumped ship and (became) a student of Sensei Hirao Murakami at a time when only Japanese were taught the system ….Murakami Sensei, … did not issue the certificates and diplomas that are pro forma nowadays. after Gerard Durant jumped ship in Japan he joined a group known as the Yamabushi … who are credited by some (including members of the Goshin community) as providing the archetype for the Ninja. … Legend holds that he trained directly under O-sensei Ueshiba..."

Magical Powers!

"… Using his photographic memory, Gerard Durant recorded and reinterpreted knowledge throughout his life…Durant was said to possess the ability to control chi in order to lighten his body or make it heavier…(he would) take a piece of cardboard, like a cardboard box, and lean it up against the wall. We watched him walk up it and down it and never bend it. "When I asked him to do it again," his son Matthew Durant reports, " he just smiled at me and walked away."

**eyebeams** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 8:14pm

Keep in mind there's also Kuniba-ryu Goshin-jutsu/Goshindo, which is a legitimate lineage (I can't speak for its effectiveness, tough) based on karate and a bunch of other things.

This document:

home.rochester.rr.com/goshinsenjitsu/ONE%20HISTORICAL%20VERISON.doc

. . . contains several versions of Durant Goshin history. Note that the teacher mentioned in the original is a part of Durant's version.

**burnedbudoka** · Posted On: 12/02/2007 10:39pm

Why do you think this is "legitimate lineage"??

Jerry Durant's martial arts "credentials" have been PROVEN to be completely and absolutely fraudulent. Any style that refers to him as any kind of founder has fraud in their lineage.

Interesting that they are adding an "e" to the end of his name now. Um, the name was Durant, not "Durante".

**eyebeams** · Posted On: 12/03/2007 12:39am

Originally Posted by burnedbudoka

Why do you think this is "legitimate lineage"??

Jerry Durant's martial arts "credentials" have been PROVEN to be completely and absolutely fraudulent. Any style that refers to him as any kind of founder has fraud in their lineage.

Learn to read. I said no such thing, idiot.

There is a Goshindo that was founded by the late Shogo Kuniba that has a legitimate lineage stemming from his studies of Karate, Iai, Kobudo and other arts. It has schools in the United States.

Goshin is also a generic term for self defense.

Therefore, before you **** on a school because it has "Goshin" in the name, you must determine whether it comes from Durant's organization, Kuniba's lineage or something else. This is further confused as apparently, one of the narratives in the document I linked has Durant trying to graft himself onto the Kuniba lineage. See:

http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showpost...02&postcount=1

. . . for details on this dodgy attempt at associating with Kuniba.

Unlike you, I actually Used the Power of Google to settle this and determined that the teacher in question is affiliated with Durant, not Kuniba. This is important, because there are two lineages that come from Shogo Kuniba, as after his death some of his students followed an American named William H. Price who Kuniba had formally named successor, and some followed one of the senior Japanese teachers and through him, the Kuniba family.

Next time, do the research instead of going "LUK GOSHINSTUFF."

Anyway, future reference:

Shogo Kuniba at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dg%C5%8D_Kuniba

William Price's organization: http://www.chikubukai.org/main.php?section=history

Seishinkai (also formerly involved with Kuniba's teachings -- he was the 3rd head of the organization. Shito-ryu): http://www.seishinkai.com/

Kunibakai (follows the Kuniba family line): http://www.kunibakai.com/

**bigphilwastaken** · Posted On: 12/10/2007 1:00pm

The video tape talked about in the e-budo posts about this (http://www.e-budo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9092) i am in the process of uploading to youtube. I talked to ken and he has given me permission to upload it. its about 4 hours long in total...so what is on youtube will be highlights...but i will have a full download available for anyone who wants it.

-Phil

**btbl** · Posted On: 12/10/2007 4:09pm

My master recieved an 8th degree black belt in goshin jutsu from master durant. i honestly doubt most of the stuff about him is true, but i know that goshin jutsu IS effective in street fighting. so he might not have had a good past but it works so it doesnt really mater where he learned karate as long as it keeps you alive