Joe Carslake-hanshi began his study of karate in 1959, under the tutelage of an ex-POW who had been trained on the Japanese mainland as a slave labourer, as part of an experiment by the Japanese military, indentured to a martial arts instructor. His studies in karate under this man, Tommy Cahill-sensei, lasted until 1963, and then resumed under Brendan McKenna-sensei, continuing until 1989. But in 1969, Carslake-hanshi began studying aiki-jujutsu under Jean Toolard-sensei, and his studies in this area remain ongoing to this day. In the present time, these ongoing studies prove very difficult, as Toolard-sensei is now resident in Regina, Canada, Donald Menzies-sensei, her senior sensei, is teaching in London, and all the Japanese sensei are non-resident in Europe, only attending at very specific events. In 1973, Carslake-sensei met Brian McCarthy-sensei, who was then teaching wado-ryu karate, under whom he studied until 1981. He began studying kobujutsu in 1980, under the instruction of Bjarni Hjaralffsson-sensei, Finland, who had trained for 28 years in the Eshojii Temple in Nara, Japan. This study was to last 12 years, at various dojo in Dublin, until Hjaralffsson-sensei's death in 1993. While studying under Hjaralffsson-sensei, Carslake-hanshi was amazed to find that Hjaralffsson-sensei was also a very capable instructor of kuatsu, the healing art, and also of hakuda, a very old form of unarmed combat; hakuda is a lot more demanding physically, as it's very crude and extremely brutal in its application. Carslake-hanshi's hakuda studies developed into studying the jintai kyusho, or vital points, and his knowledge in this area was to be further refined under the teaching of Jean Toolard-sensei and her sensei, Tanaka-sensei himself. His study of aiki jujutsu was mainly under Jean Toolard-sensei, who constantly urged him to step outside one's own narrow definitions, to look at what would benefit one's art most, and to leave personal desires of accomplishment aside. After training for 14 years, it was to culminate in 1993 with his introduction to the house of seibutsu yanagi aiki-jujutsu, and with the subsequent acceptance in the rank of sandan, third dan, under Tanaka-sensei himself. By now, Carslake-hanshi had left karate because of the cut-throat politics of the art in Ireland in the early 1980s. Having accomplished the ranks of shodan, first dan, in machi karatedo and shotokai, under Asano Shitoku-sensei, and ikkyu, first kyu brown belt, under McCarthy Sensei. Carslake-hanshi resumed his studies of jujutsu (or Jiu-Jitsu as it was referred to by the administrator of the North Leinster Martial Arts Federation, NLMAF) in 1983. During this period he learned jujutsu not from the NLMAF, which had no real depth of knowledge or understanding of the art, but which had put forward a blending of personal ideas, by the administrator, mixing judo, kempo karate and street brawl techniques, mixed liberally, and had referred to it as 'Jiu-Jitsu'. In looking beyond the basic technique, trying to develop advanced skills, Carslake was forced to look outside the group for knowledge, and found it in the person of Professor John Hilliard-Palmer, from Scotland, under whom he studied for two and a half years. Following Professor Hilliard-Palmer's retirement in 1997 due to ill health, Carslake-hanshi studied for two further years with Michel Hiller-sensei, a sandan, third dan, from Paris, France, before beginning to formulate ideas of developing a style complimenting the classical and traditional values of the art, which he felt were being ground out and eroded in the rush to produce a competition format for jujutsu. In 1991, he competed in the United Nations of Ju-Jitsu World Championships, with his uke, Joe Hughes-sensei, and took silver medal, having taken the final to a draw four times. The win was a first for Ireland in jujutsu, but was to copper-fasten his belief that the sport aspect was going to be the death of the art. After a disastrous development within the NLMAF, and a vicious argument about standards of training and areas of authority, Carslake-hanshi decided to call his relationship with them a day, and to develop his own ideas further. Carslake-hanshi went to two people for advice, and both demonstrated a willingness to help in any way they could to develop and preserve an area of the martial arts that was fast disappearing. To that end, Tanaka-sensei helped set-down the first grading criteria, and gave permission to teach the art of seibutsu yanagi aiki jujutsu, but only to grades above the rank of shodan, first dan, in any style or system. Also, Fintan Hoyland-sensei helped set-down the criteria for the integration of weapons, or kobujutsu, skills into the new style, and gave dire warning of the problems to be faced regarding gaining recognition. Over the next year, assisted by his brother, Martin, who was suffering greatly from a severe spinal injury, Carslake-hanshi refined and developed what is now kyushoshinjitsu jujutsu. The style was recognised in 1994 by the Irish Martial Arts Commission, after 15 years of struggling, and two years later was recognised further by the same body as the source system of jujutsu in Ireland. In 1996, the style was recognised by the United Nations of Ju-Jitsu; recognition and acceptance which might not have occurred at all, were it not for the sound advice and support of Martin Dixon-sensei, of Goshin Jitsu, who has always been a much-respected sensei and a stout friend of Carslake-hanshi's. During this same time, the struggle for recognition was supported, without question, by David Toney-sensei, now chief instructor of jujutsu in Northern Ireland, and his assistant and sensei in Queens University, Robert Cullinanane-sensei, both of whom have been stalwart friends and have given much sound advice and assistance. The Style was recognised in 1998 by the United States branch of the hakkutsuru kai, the society of the white crane, and Carslake-hanshi was accepted as a member, in good standing, in his own right in 1999. His brother was promoted by one of their senior sensei, Oyamada-sensei, to rokudan, sixth dan, the following year. Carslake-hanshi, assisted by Noel McHugh-sensei, coached and trained the Irish team, and the result was the Irish coming home with eight medals, two gold, three silver and three bronze, out of a possible 28, and out of 68 competing countries, including Germany, Scandinavia, Israel, Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, and many others. It was a moment to be remembered, even more so because at the closing ceremony, the Irish Ju-Jutsu Kai, in the person of Joe Carslake-hanshi, was invited on the board of the United Nations of Ju-Jitsu, representing their country. Due to the emphasis on the sporting aspect of jujutsu, the offer was turned down. In 2001, Carslake-hanshi was recognised by the Hanshi no Iinkai, and was awarded the shogo (title) of hanshi - a very great honour indeed, especially considering the repute of the members of this body. In 2003, Carslake-hanshi was awarded the Lamplighter Award, an award given every two years by the dan zan ryu in recognition of excellence in the art of jujutsu; this was the first time the award had been given outside the U.S. Carslake-hanshi was accepted in the rank of hachidan, eighth dan, in the dan zan ryu, equivalent to his grade in kyushoshinjitsu jujutsu. A very great and singular honour indeed. And in 2005, Carslake-hanshi received kyudan, ninth dan.