William Durbin - Creation of Kiyojute Ryu

Creation of Kiyojute Ryu

Between 1980 and 1982 Durbin researched the history and techniques of martial arts in preparation for founding of a school, drawing on elements of each of the arts he studied, especially those arts he held Shihan ranking in. During this time, he was awarded an unaccredited Masters and Doctorate degree by Juko Kai through their diploma mill, the University of Oriental Philosophy in Murphy, North Carolina.

In 1986, Kiyojute Ryu opened its first dojo in Frankfort, as Durbin's own dojo switched from officially being a Juko Kai dojo to being a Kiyojute Ryu dojo. Durbin's aim was to create an art that reflects his Baptist and moral values, and places an emphasis on self-defense, compassion for ones fellow man, and responsible use of force rather than on aggression, destruction, or hurting others. Durbin point to historical martial arts masters such as Morihei Ueshiba combined spiritual training along with physical training, and that many masters were also clergy. Durbin was inspired in what he describes as a Tenshin Sho or where he received a divine inspiration to teach the martial arts. His teachings and techniques were devised in an attempt to pass along this inspiration and as he describes it "how to love and live at peace". He describes this in his writings as "seeing the light".

Kiyojute Ryu Kempo is built on the philosophy developed by Durbin in the 1970s. He coined the term "Kiyojute" to describe this philosophy of martial arts. The stated goal of Kiyojute Ryu is to train person through martial arts to have a closer relationship with God, a positive and healthy outlook on life, and to be gentle and compassionate in their actions with their fellow man, hence "spiritually positive gentle hand/person".