Ju Jutsu is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes the concepts of yielding and giving way. In other words and giving way. In other words to subdue your opponent by applying science by using that opponent’s movement and energy against him while using the minimum amount of your own energy. “Ju” means gentleness or yielding and “Jutsu” means art or science of. “Zenbu” means universal or of everything. So Zenbu Ryu Ju Jutsu is a universal school of the art of giving way. The philosophies of the Zenbu system are that every forum of combat and defense is relevant and that every technique has a place. A student of Zenbu Ryu Ju Jutsu should not be out of place in any situation that he or she faces. On the ground, on your feet, in close or at a distance, weapons or unarmed; Zenbu will teach a student to use the proper techniques. That is to say using the right tool for the right job.

            The history of Ju Jutsu is difficult to follow. It is known that for centuries Ju Jutsu in Japan was handed down from instructor to student, but the art and teachings were not written down for a long time. In the year 1532 Takeuchi Chumudaiken Hisamori (A Ju Jutsu Master) did just that. He was the first person to preserve the art of Ju Jutsu in writing so that it could be passed down to future generations. For this reason Takeuchi Chumudaiken Hisamori is credited with being the father of Ju Jutsu. His system of Ju Jutsu was called Takeuchi Sekiguchi Ryu Ju Jutsu. Since that time Ju Jutsu has evolved and developed into many forms. One such form is the martial art / sport of Judo.

            In 1882 the honorable Professor Jigoro Kano took concept and techniques from several styles of Ju Jutsu (among them were Kito Ryu and Tenshin-Shinyo Ryu) and founded the art of Kodokan Judo. Ju Jutsu in Japan began to die out. The old art was being replaced with its predecessors. Systems like Judo, Aikido, and several forms of Karate and taken the front stage in the Japanese martial arts. Because of the masters who immigrated to the west the art survived intact. Masters like Henry Seishiro Okazaki (Founder Danzan Ryu Ju Jutsu) and Kiyose Nakae (Modern Ju Jutsu) did what was in their time considered taboo among the Japanese; they taught non-Asian students.

            This brings us to Professor Florendo Madriage Visitaction – or as he is more commonly know, Professor Vee. Prof. Vee has studied many martial arts in his lifetime and has founded what is commonly known as Vee Jutsu. Through his many years Prof. Vee never stopped being a student and always sought to further his knowledge of the martial arts. As professor Vee’s knowledge and experience expanded so did his system of martial arts. The name of Prof. Vee’s system evolved from Vee Jutsu to Vee Jitsu Ryu Ju Jitsu to Vee Arnis Jitsu and several other in between. Today many experienced students and the modern systems of Ju Jutsu have their roots with Professor Vee and Vee Jitsu. This is true of Zenbu Ryu Ju Jutsu.

            One student of Prof. Vee is Sensei Lois Zuccaro. Sensei Lou has been a student of the martial arts since the age of ten when his uncle Ray (Sensei Raymond Eramus) took him to study Ju Jutsu with O Sensei Joseph Murgola (A master of a modern for of Yoshin Ryu Ju Jutsu). At that time Sensei Lou also took up study with Professor Visitaction. Sensei Lou studied Vee Jitsu, and many of its evolutions, up to Niesei Goshin Jutsu. Like Prof. Vee, Sensei Lou kept an open mind about martial arts and studied as much as he could. Sensei Lou learned from a variety of Karate, Judo, Ju Jutsu, and Kung Fu teachers all while under the tutelage of Prof. Vee. In the 1980’s Sensei Lou would come to open his own Dojo in his home on Staten Island, NY. On August 8^th 1998 Sensei Lou Zuccaro took his devoted students (Among them are Angelo Ricci, Derrick Fogarty, and Gary Lewis) and founded the art of Zenbu Ryu Ju Jutsu. Today he continues to keep all the lessons of the martial arts and the ways of Bushido close to his heart. Sensei Lou expects his students to learn the values and traditions that he holds dear. He is a beloved teacher and mentor to his students.

            Ju Jutsu will continue to thrive through future generations of students who will take up the challenge of studying the art. Through the teachings and training that Ju Jutsu can offer, a student will not only learn how to protect life but also how to live life. So, I welcome you to the family of Zenbu Ryu Ju Jutsu.

Yours is the Martial Way,

                               Sensei Gary Lewis