About Colorado Kodenkan
Colorado Kodenkan is a jujitsu school, teaching mainly Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. Kodenkan means ancient tradition school. (It also happens to be the name of Professor Okazaki's dojo in Honolulu, HI.) Danzan Ryu is a traditional jujitsu style that was founded by Henry Seishiro Okazaki around 1922 in Hawaii. Dan Zan, in Japanese, translates to sandalwood mountain. This was a tribute to Okazaki's Chinese martial arts teacher (T'an Shan in Chinese is Hawai'i). The term, Danzan-Ryu means Hawai'ian Style. Professor Okazaki "started to practice Jujutsu in earnest and in defiance of death" after being diagnosed with incurable tuberculosis. He comprised his system with various parts of traditional Jujutsu, Hawaiian Lua, Okinawan Karate, Filipino Eskrima, Chinese Kung Fu and American wrestling. Should you wish to learn more about Professor Okazaki and Danzan Ryu, please sign up for a class or check out www.Danzan.com - a great resource maintained by Prof. George Arrington III.
Chris Love - Chief Instructor
The chief instructor at Colorado Kodenkan is Sensei Chris Love. Chris started his martial arts training, in a mixed style, near the end of 1993 while living in Arizona. After moving back home to the Chicago area he briefly studied a Tae Kwon Do / mixed style and Aikido before becoming introduced to Miyama Ryu JuJutsu. He started studying this style at the College of DuPage program run by Combat Arts Institute under Sensei John Martin and Sensei Don Koz in March, 1994. He spent the next 5 1/2 years rising through the ranks, preparing for sankyu before relocating to the San Jose, CA. Chris began training with Professor Tony Janovich in July of 2000. Chris has completed training in Professor Okazaki's Restoration Therapy, taking both the Basic and Advanced courses from Professor Janovich, completing them in April, 2004.
After attending class 3 nights a week for several years and assisting with kids and adult classes, Chris tested for his Shodan in December, 2003. Just over two years later, in January 2006, Chris received his Nidan. In July, 2009, during a visit from Professor Clive Guth, Sensei Chris was promoted to Sandan. This is an unprecedented event as promotions are done only at the Kodenkan in Santa Clara, CA. Chris currently serves as the Southwest Regional Director for the KDRJA - Kodenkan Danzan Ryu JuJitsu Association. For more information on the KDRJA - see http://www.kdrja.org/
There is a direct lineage to Professor Okazaki in Chris' training (Okazaki - Kufferath - Janovich - Love). This is important in transmission of the art and preserving its heritage.
In addition to Danzan Ryu, Chris is also an instructor in Ju-Jo an invention of Dr. John J. Lewis (who was the instructor of Sensei Martin and Sensei Koz of Combat Arts Institute). As far as it is known, at the time of this writing, Chris is one of a few, if not the only, Ju-jo instructor west of the Mississippi.
Summary of other relavant experience:
- Assisted in training police officers and deputies with Professor Janovich
- Attended National Institute of Bail Enforcement - September, 1996 - Life Member NABEA
- Served civil process for approximately 5 years in Northeastern Illinois
- State of Illinois Firearms Training Certificate - valid for pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun
- Licensed Private Detective State of Wisconsin - May, 1997
- Smith & Wesson Academy, NRA and other defensive pistol training
- Competitive pistol shooter in IDPA
- Trained police officers in arrest tactics and maneuvers
- Experience working/training with police tactical teams
- BA degree in Psychology
- Approximately 14 years in Information Technology
Sensei Chris during a promotion test in 2006
