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Ju-jutsu
The martial art that came to be called Ju-jutsu developed in the early feudal period in Japan (9-10th century) from atemi waza (striking techniques) introduced from China and indigenous wrestling techniques. During the course of Japanese history, Ju-jutsu eventually included the arts of shime waza (choking), kansetsu waza (joint locking), nage waza (throws) and wrestling or grappling techniques. Ju-jutsu was an integral part of the training received by the samurai (Japanese warriors) of feudal Japan. Not until the 16th century is there mention of formal schools of Ju-jutsu that taught only unarmed forms of combat.

Antonio Pereira
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Ju-jutsu became an unarmed art of combat that was taught to Japanese soldiers and to soldiers and police officers in the British Empire. Many American soldiers were first introduced to this style of unarmed combat during World War II. In 1942, Antonio Pereira, while serving as a sniper for the U.S. Army in Australia, began supplementing his military hand-to-hand training with Judo. When participating in a hand-to-hand demonstration, he was ordered to punch one of the instructors in the face. He complied, only to find himself whipped around into a chokehold. Throughout the rest of World War II, Pereira learned as much as he could about specialized combat methods. He continued to experiment and practice with the techniques, refining them sometimes under life and death situations.

After the war, his quest for additional knowledge took him to many schools in search of martial prowess. In 1950, he began a formal study of Judo with the Lepkofer brothers. He began to research how victims of crime were attacked and devise methods of practical defense. Sadaki Nakabayashi, an instructor of Taiho-Jutsu (police arresting arts), and a seventh degree black belt in Kodokan Judo, was impressed by a demonstration that the Pereira had performed, and had invited him to Japan to study.

Afterwards, in 1960, Pereira opened a martial arts school on Tremont Avenue, in the South Bronx, New York, and began teaching a fighting style called Combato, "the Way of Combat". Combato was a crude form of Ju-jutsu that Pereira had been exposed to during World War II. Unsatisfied that Combato was not effective enough in the new urbanized environment, in 1961, Pereira attended the Kodokan (Japanese Judo Institute) in Tokyo where he planned to study from the source and to gain a better sense of the martial principles. As he practiced at the Aikikai (Aikido school), Pereira recognized similarities to the Combato style.

Pereira earned many honors including a rank of Nidan in Judo from the Kodokan and perhaps more importantly, a teaching certificate from then-Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba (son of the founder of Aikido). He also earned a San Mokuroku in Sosuishitsu Ryu Ju-jutsu from the then current Headmaster Shusaku Shitama.

Miyama Ryu Ju-jutsu
Pereira returned to the United States to teach Aikido at the Tremont School, but he soon discovered that like Combato, Aikido wasn’t suitable for the residents of the Bronx as they needed a more aggressive self-defense technique. So understanding that the Western life style and philosophy differs from the Eastern, he refined his Combato techniques and integrated elements of Judo, Aikido, Koryu Ju-jutsu, Karate, Boxing, and the less organized, but no less effective element of Western street-style fighting. In effect, he created one of the few combat methods suited for urbanized environments. In 1964, Pereira formalized the name of his eclectic method by calling it "Miyama Ryu" Ju-jutsu, or literally "School of the Three Mountains", after the French word "Tremont", or the street on which the school was located. In 1973, Pereira codified the ranking structure and took on Japanese nomenclature to describe and took the title of Shinan (after the Japanese word for "Founder").

Shinan Pereira died in July 16th, 1999, but by then Miyama Ryu Combat Ju-jutsu had branched out from the tough streets of the South Bronx to several countries on several continents. Schools are now located across the United States, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and in Matehuala, Mexico.

Miyama Ryu Combat Ju-jutsu is currently taught to civilians, and has been used in the design of courses for U.S. Army Special Forces teams, Internal Revenue Services Criminal Investigation units and other Federal agencies. It taught at police and law enforcement academies across the world and continues to be refined today.

External Sources
Miyama Ryu Miami

Miyama Ryu Texas

John Lewis Bio

John Martin Bio

Combat Arts Facebook Page

Miyama Ryu Midwest FAQs

"Ju-Jo Fundamental Defensive Tactics", Dr John J. Lewis and Raymond Joseph Lewis

"Combat Arts Reference Manual, Volume 2", Christopher P. Jaworski, John P. Martin