Jujitsu

Jujitsu

Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jutsu, ju jitsu, or jiu jitsu) is a Japanese martial art that is principally based on grappling and joint lock techniques, though it also includes basic strikes, throws and sweeps as well as varying degrees of ground fighting.

Etymology

Jujutsu, (also spelled: Jujitsu, Jiu Jitsu) is from the Japanese Ð"?Ð"ÐŽÐ"Ñ'g jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu meaning "flexible/gentle/yielding/compliant Art". There are a wide range of spellings used in English for this Japanese martial art. In the native Japanese, jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu is written in kanji (Japanese ideograms) as Ð"?Ð"ÐŽÐ"Ñ'g, but the romanization of the Japanese word into the English language has been performed several times using different systems.

Jujutsu, the current standard spelling, is derived using the Hepburn romanization system. Before the first half of the 20th century, however, jiu-jitsu and then jujitsu were preferred, even though the romanization of the second kanji as jitsu is unfaithful to the Japanese pronunciation. Since Japanese martial arts first became widely known of in the West in that time period, these earlier spellings are still common in many places. Jiu-Jitsu is still the standard spelling in Brazil, Canada and the US.

The word jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu itself means approximately "gentle skill," and in Japan is a broad term that also includes judo, aikido, and perhaps a few other martial arts. The ju in judo and jujutsu means softness, suppleness or flexibility. This can be likened to the way a pushed-aside tree branch will snap flexibly back.

The Chinese character Ð"?Ð"ÐŽ (Mandarin: rÐ'ЁÐ'®u; Japanese: jÐ'ЁÐ'±; Korean: yÐ'ЁÐ'±) is the same as the first one in Ð"?Ð"ÐŽÐ'µÐ"Ђ (Mandarin: rÐ'ЁÐ'®udÐ'ЁÐ'¤o; Japanese: judo; Korean: Yudo). The Chinese character Ð"Ñ'g (Mandarin: shÐ'ЁÐ'Ò'; Japanese: jutsu; Korean: sul) is the same as the second one in Ð"ЋÐ"¤Ð"Ñ'g (Mandarin: wÐ'ЁÐ'Ñ-shÐ'ЁÐ'Ò'; Japanese: bujutsu; Korean: musul)

History of jujutsu

Origins

Fighting forms have existed in Japan for at least a millennium. The first references to such unarmed combat arts or systems can be found in the earliest purported historical records of Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), which relate the mythological creation of the country and the establishment of the Imperial family. Other glimpses can be found in the older records and pictures depicting sumai (or sumo) no sechie, a rite of the Imperial Court in Nara and Kyoto performed for purposes of divination and to help ensure a bountiful harvest.

Reportedly, a warrior Nomi no Sekuni of Izumo defeated and killed Tajima no Kehaya in Shimane prefecture while in the presence of Emperor Suinin. Descriptions of the techniques used during this encounter included striking, throwing, restraining and weaponry. These systems of unarmed combat began to be known as Nihon koryu jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu (Japanese old-style jujutsu), among other related terms, during the Muromachi period (1333-1573), according to densho (transmission scrolls) of the various ryuha (martial traditions) and historical records.

Most of these were battlefield-based systems to be practiced as companion arts to the more common and vital weapon systems. These fighting arts actually used many different names. Kogusoku, yawara, kumiuchi, and hakuda are just a few, but all of these systems fall under the general description of Sengoku jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu. These grappling systems were only one component of the Samurai's training, whereby an unarmed or lightly armed warrior could hope to defend himself against a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. Ideally, the samurai would be armed and would not need to rely on such techniques.

Japan's feudal period

During Japan's feudal period, sparring in dojos sometimes led to serious injury or fatalities. This form of training was discouraged during the Meiji revolution. The Japanese government sanctioned Jigaro Kano to reform Jujutsu schools to ensure that training bouts did not lead to fatalities. The resulting system was coined Jiu-Do (The flexible way). Many samurai viewed Jiu-Do as a dilution of a pure combat art. Kano himself, on the other hand, saw his work as unifying a "bag of tricks" around core principles; principles which could also inform the daily life of modern people. Those Samurai who would not accept Kano's Jiu-Do emigrated to Europe[citation needed] and started teaching jujutsu to Westerners. Thus jujutsu became established in the West as Jiu-Do was taking hold in Japan.

Development

In later times, other koryu developed into systems more familiar to the practitioners of Nihon jujutsu commonly seen today. These are correctly classified as Edo jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu (founded during the edo period): systems generally designed to deal with opponents neither wearing armor nor in a battlefield environment. For this reason, most systems of Edo jujutsu include extensive use of atemi waza (vital-striking technique). These tactics would be of little use against an armored opponent on a battlefield. They would, however, be quite valuable to anyone confronting an enemy or opponent during peacetime dressed in normal street attire. Occasionally, inconspicuous weapons such as tanto (daggers) or tessen (iron fans) were included in the curriculum of Edo jÐ'ЁÐ'±jutsu.

Another seldom seen historical aside is a series of techniques originally included in both Sengoku and Edo jujutsu systems. Referred to as hojo waza (Ð'ІÐ'¶Ð'Ñ--IÐ"Ñ'g hojojutsu, nawa jutsu, hayanawa and others), it involves the use of a hojo cord, (sometimes the sageo or tasuke) to restrain or strangle an attacker. These techniques have for the most part faded from use in modern times, but Tokyo police units still train in their use and continue to carry a hojo cord in addition to handcuffs. The very old Takenouchi Ryu and Katabami Ryu is one of the better-recognized systems that continue extensive training in hojo waza. Remnants exist in modern systems as well: for instance, in aikido, from-behind grabs are often preceded by 'hojo dosa', a sequence of movements wherein the "attacker"