Ground fighting in the Takamatsuden

Because it's hard work and not very flashy.
You also can't hide when you do it like you can in linework, scripted partner work, solo kata, etc.
Having recently started Judo I can see why so many martial artists jumped ship from Judo when Karate came along.

 

In some cases yeah.
I also think they developed systems where some 15 stone dock-worker couldn't turn up on his first day and show up the instructor by laying on him.
Far better to make-up something more esoteric.

 

Not all no. I think there is some truth to what I've said though.
I think there are quite a few reasons why some arts have ground work and some not.
The "hard work and not flashy enough" reason can be applied to some.
And of course you'd have to properly define "traditional" to really get top the nub of the issue.

 

Because the newaza was addressed in their wrestling practice not their sword practice

 

If by traditional your mean pseudo traditional, then yes, very much so since the early 80's

 

http://www.royalarmouries.org/leeds...gallery/henry-viii/the-field-of-cloth-of-gold

''In 1520 Henry VIII met Francis I, King of France, at the Field of Cloth of Gold. The aim was to make England and France allies rather than enemies.

To celebrate their new friendship and trust, Henry and Francis held tournament games which lasted 11 days. Wrestling and archery contests took place when the weather was too bad for jousting or tourneys.

The two kings wanted to show off their wealth, power and athletic skills. They were meant to compete side by side, not against one another. However, Henry VIII challenged Francis I to a wrestling match and was thrown by a cunning French move!''

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_wrestling

''Greek wrestling, also known as Ancient Greek wrestling and Pále (πάλη), was the most popular organized sport in Ancient Greece. A point was scored when one player touched the ground with his back, hip, shoulder, or tapped out due to a submission-hold or was forced out of the wrestling-area. Three points had to be scored to win the match.'

 

http://study.com/academy/lesson/civilized-warfare-in-ancient-greece.html

''Design of the Greek Armies
The Greeks tried something new. Rather than working with the fight-or-flight instincts, the Greeks sought to overpower the instinct for flight. They did this in several ways: they got their boys used to hand-to-hand combat at an early age with boxing and wrestling competitions,

They rewarded military service with political power and citizenship, and they glorified battle and military prowess. These Greek political and social values instilled a powerful system of discipline and honor on their citizens. At the core of this system was a simple but profound concept.

The polis is more important than any individual.
''

 

One reason is that everyone used to wrestle, so martial art styles etc were layered ontop of this.

just like Okinawan Karate and Tegumi / Okinawan Sumo.

 

Also I would say that it was not uncommon to have multiple instructors. One of which would be a specialist in wrestling. Wrestling instruction did not make a complete Warrior. In many cases it was the weapons instruction that is better known because it was the primary means of combat.

Edit: This does not mean that wrestling was not a big part of training. What I'm saying is that it was treated as its own specialization. Aspects of which would apply to weapons training, but weapons training was primarily with weapons.

 

But in England, as far as I know, wrestling did not include ground work or submissions: http://www.the-exiles.org/Article Brief His of Eng Wrestling.htm

 

"Lancashire style wrestling is a form of Catch as Catch Can, which allows considerable freedom of movement and is similar to the free style seen at the modern Olympics. It has a reputation of being particularly barbarous, although the rules specifically bar throttling or the breaking of limbs. There are few restrictions and wrestling continues when the contestants hit the ground."

And from wikipedia:

"Lancashire wrestling is an historic wrestling style from Lancashire in England. Many consider it to be partially the origin of catch wrestling, professional and amateur wrestling.

The style included groundwork and had the reputation of being an extremely fierce and violent sport. Sources show that there were some rules trying to safeguard the wrestlers from serious injury. For instance, there was a ban on breaking an opponent's bones."

Although neither say exactly when it orginated, so not sure if it would have been used to compliment any swordwork as such...

 

Can't believe I forgot about Lancashire wrestling!

Though, it wasn't across the country, and I've read that other regions were not keen on having matches with Lancashire wrestlers because they were too rough and dirty!

http://sfuk.tripod.com/articles_02/lanccw_1.html

 

That's Lancashire women you're thinking of. Not Lancashire wrestlers.

 

Haha!

That's my mum you're talking about...





...and you'd be right (except for the dirty part... as far as I know! And rough as in tough...)

Anyway, I'd better get another point in before word of this post reaches my mum and I have a long stay in the hospital...

As far as I can make out, the majority of folk wrestling in the British Isles consisted of clinch and takedowns, not ground work and submissions. I'm not saying that's a reason not to train those things, just that it doesn't seem that the majority of our warriors of old had much instruction in the way of ground grappling. But, of course, history is nebulous, and they may well have done.

 

As an example, here is an english translation of the wrestling style of Master Ott, an Austrian from the 15th Century. As far as I have seen there was never much ground fighting put into the wrestling manuals of Europe.
http://scholapugnatoria.si/?page_id=532