Presented in Auckland, 25th September 2004

Hans van Ess was born in 1936 in Holland. His first taste of martial arts was judo as a teenager and on leaving school Hans learnt hand-to-hand combat in the Army. On being discharged from the Army Hans enrolled in the Central Institute of Sport at Overveen, Haarlem. There, in 1955, a general first year was completed and then students began to specialise in sports. Hans chose judo, ju-jitsu, boxing and fencing, and began training with Jaap Nauwelaerts d’Agé (9th Dan) in the Kawaishi system, Jaap either travelling to the CIOS in Overveen or Hans travelling to his dojo in Bloemendaal.

Another of the instructors for the CIOS was Anton Geesink (10th Dan) and by his third year Hans was clocking up between forty and sixty hours training a week, some of that time spent teaching new students. He also travelled to Amsterdam to train with Gé Koning (9th Dan) and was one of the elite few to help Geesink prepare for his historic win at the 1961 World Championship. Both Jaap Nauwelaerts d’Agé and Gé Koning were students of Mikonosuke Kawaishi. They regularly travelled 800km to Paris to train with Kawaishi or his leading instructors Henri Courtine and Bernard Pariset. Both Frenchmen were eventually graded to 9th Dan, as were Koning and d’Agé. Geesink became one of the first two Westerners to attain 10th Dan in judo.

Later in 1961, Hans emigrated from Holland to teach Physical Education in New Zealand schools. However, Hans soon resigned his position to teach martial arts full time.
Hans arrived in New Zealand a shodan (1st degree) in the Kawaishi system of both ju-jitsu and judo, having been graded in 1958. To become licenced to teach both judo and ju-jitsu Hans van Ess had had to complete additional studies in Holland, and so it was with confidence that he founded the NZ Judo College in 1962 in central Auckland.

Back in Holland, ju-jitsu students all wore white belts and rank was denoted with a patch of blossoms worn on the gi jacket, the colour of the patch denoting the grade. At shodan level practitioners then wore the black belt, but in New Zealand, Hans adopted the judo practice of wearing coloured belts for all his students. In 1966, Hans graded the first of his students to shodan: Laurie Olliver, who later founded the South Pacific Jiu Jitsu Society, and Jeff Wai-Yee, who taught in Mangere. In 1968 a third shodan was awarded, to Jack Bailey, also of the NZ Judo College.

That same year, in response to further ju-jitsu clubs opening around the country, Hans implemented a plan to create an organisation to oversee the teaching of ju-jitsu in the clubs and to maintain the standard of the students. Together with Laurie Olliver and Vic Sargent (head of Budokan Karate), Hans formed the NZ Jiu Jitsu Association Inc of which Laurie became the first Chairman. In 1972 Hans returned for a time to Europe coming back the following year after being graded to yondan (4th degree) by his sensei in Holland. For the remainder of the year he had little involvement in ju-jitsu but with the organisation again experiencing a period of turmoil he was persuaded to take charge, becoming the Chairman of the NZJJA Black Belt Technical Council.

In the previous year, in Hans’ absence, the NZJJA executive voted to resurrect ju-jitsu tournaments, as first staged by Laurie Olliver in 1969, with the aim of uniting the various clubs and strengthening the ties between the members. The tournaments had mixed results and in 1974, with much need of his guidance, Hans became Match Controller. The next year he created the Referee and Judges’ Course, raising the standard of tournament officiating as well as its popularity. That same year the NZJJA under Hans van Ess’ leadership was made a member of the International Judo and Jujitsu League, with all black belts being recognised by the International Black Belt Society.

During the remainder of the seventies, a number of other ju-jitsuka joined Olliver, Wai-Yee, Bailey, Ivan Gale and Gary Trail in the ranks of black belts under Hans’ instruction. One was Bruce Wilson, a black belt in Pop Adam’s system of ju-jitsu, who was graded in the NZJJA’s Kawaishi Nihon Goshin Jutsu in 1977, and the same year Steve Heremaia (Black Dragon Jiu Jitsu Academy founder) was graded shodan after three years at the NZ Judo College. Others to be graded were Dave Butler (Samurai Arts founder) and Rob Powley, and in 1979 Baret Patel and George Taka also joined the ranks of shodan.

Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s Hans continued to be active in the NZJJA and it was not until 1996, then holding the rank of sichidan (7th degree), that he semi-retired from ju-jitsu training. Today the NZJJA continues his traditions; Hans van Ess’ teachings were so far reaching that today more than half of New Zealand’s ju-jitsu organisations have been affected by his contributions.

Written by: Doug Bailey, OSA - 24/09/2003

Subsequent Achievements

2014    Awarded Life Membership of the NZJJA

2014    Graded to 8th Dan by the NZJJA Technical Council

2022   Awarded Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Ju-Jitsu

Unfortunately Hans Van Ess passed away on 27th November 2024 in Auckland, a sad loss to New Zealand Ju-Jitsu.