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Ju-jitsu, also spelled jujutsu and jiu-jitsu (  ), or yawara.
Translated as "gentle art", is a method of fighting that makes use of few or no
weapons and employs holds, locks and throws to subdue an opponent. Central to these
techniques is the concept ju, from a Chinese character commonly interpreted as
'gentle' in the sense of yielding to an opponent's direction of attack while attempting to
control it. This is the concept of "Ju yoku go o sei suru": "the
soft conquers the hard".
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The methods of combat known as Jitsu are at least 2000 years old, with mention in
Japanese mythology. The beginnings of Jitsu can be traced to the turbulent period of
Japanese history between the 8th and 16th Century. During this time, there was almost
constant civil war in Japan and the classical weaponery systems were developed and honed
on the battlefield. Close fighting techniques were developed as part of these systems to
be used in conjunction with weapons against armoured, armed opponents. The birth of
jitsu probably coincided with the origins of the Samurai class in 792 AD. The army at that
time consisted of foot soldiers armed with spears. Officers were recruited from the young
sons of the high families and schooled in archery, swordsmanship, and unarmed combat. The
Emperor Kammu built the Butokuden (Hall of the Virtues of War) as a formal school for
these officers who became known as Samurai. Their name comes from the Japanese word for
service, saburaui. To be a samurai you had to be born into a family that had
samurai history. The samurai worked for their masters, called shogun, who dominated
political life from 1185 until 1868. Medieval samurai were generally illiterate, rural
landowners who farmed between battles. The progression from rural workers to 'samurai'
took many centuries as they were increasingly called and relied on to defend the ruling
classes. The word samurai means 'those who serve' and had come into use by the end of the
8th century. |
| The Mongols invaded Japan in the late 1200's and the Samurai eventually defeated them
after many years of fierce fighting. The Samurai developed a style of formation combat and
depended on the sword as a primary weapon in battle. In the 1400's, Master swordsmen
established schools to teach their style of ken-jutsu (The Art of the Sword). In
1467-77 the Onin War saw the decline of the Shogun's power and began the Sengoku Jidai
(The Age of the Country at War) which lasted 150 years. The first publically recognised
Jitsu ryu was formed by Takenouchie Hisamori in 1532 and consisted of techniques of sword,
jo-stick and dagger as well as unarmed techniques. Because these techniques were designed
for combatants wearing armour, the large leaping and kicking movements found in many other
martial arts were not used in jitsu. The name Ju-Jutsu or Yawara (flexible) first started
to be used around 1600. Domaru Armor, composed of alternately
arranged black-lacquere leather and
iron
kozane scales. |
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In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu formed then Tokugawa military government with a commitment to
bring peace and economic and political stability. This marked the beginning of the Edo
period of Japanese history (1603-1868), during which waring ceased to be a dominant
feature of Japanese life. Under Ieyasu, society was divided into four classes: samurai,
peasants, artisans, and merchants. Only the samurai were allowed to wear 2 swords - the
short one (wakazashi) at all times, and the katana only outside. This mainly peaceful
period of Japanese history presented problems to the samurai, with no battles to fight
many were left without income. To do anything else would have been to give up the status
of samurai and lower themselves to be merchants or traders. Samurai without masters became
ronin (e.g. Musashi - A Book of Five
Rings). The government did try to help unemployed samurai with subsidies and by
stressing the importance of education - Ieyasu once stated that learning and the military
arts should be equally pursued. Many samurai became teachers of the martial arts -
shifting from weaponed to weaponless styles. These weaponless styles were developed from
the grappling techniques of the weaponed styles and were collectively known as ju-jutsu.
During the height of the Edo period, there were more than 700 systems of Jitsu (725 styles
were officially recognised). The styles differed in their emphasis on kicking, punching,
throwing, locks and take-downs. Tokugawa Ieyasu, original name: Tokugawa Takechiyo
(b. 31st Jan
1543, Okazaki, Japan -- d. 1st June, 1616, Sumpu).
Founder of the last shogunate in Japan,
the Tokugawa,
or Edo, shogunate (1603-1867). |
| Many sections of the population began to feel constrained by the Toguwara regime,
especially the growing ranks in the merchant class who wanted increased contact with
American and European traders. In 1868 the Tokuwara regime was toppled in an abortive
civil war known as the Meiji Restoration, in part aided by lower-ranking samurai eager for
advancement. This marked the end of the Edo period and moved power from the Shogun back to
the Emperor. A large number of the Samurai class supported the Shogun, and so many things
related to the Samurai fell into disrepute, including martial arts. Emperor Meiji
introduced the "Imperial
Oath of Five Articles" which started the process of dismantling the Samurai
class. The samurai class lost its privileged position when feudalism was officially
abolished in 1871. In 1876, Meiji declared a new law that ended the wearing of swords -
the ultimate symbol of the warrior. Discontented former samurai rose in rebellion several
times during the 1870s, the most famous being led by the former restoration hero Saigo Takamori. These
uprisings were repressed only with great difficulty by the newly established (conscripted)
national army.
Emperor Meiji Tenno (original name: Mutsuhito) (b. 3 Nov 1852,
Kyoto -- d. 30 July 1912, Tokyo). Emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912, whose reforms
transformed Japan from a divided feudal country into a major world power. As can be seen
above, Meiji epitomised the adoption of Western ideas, including Western clothing, styles,
innovations and food. He also remained true to his roots and wrote over 100,000
traditional Japanese poems.
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The Samurai had lost their profession and their right to
wear swords. Their position as a special class ended after almost 1,000 years. |
An Imperial edict was issued declaring it a criminal offence to practice the old style
combative martial arts. Under this edict Jitsu and many other martial arts were almost
lost. However, some masters continued to practice their art in secret, or moved to other
countries, allowing the style to continue. It was during this oppression that the first
Japanese exponents of the art arrived in Britain. Following the end of American occupation
in 1951, the ban on Jitsu was lifted, allowing the free practice of the art.
During the US occupation, the various 'jutsu' styles (ju-jutsu, karate-jutsu,
ken-jutsu, aiki-jutsu...) were banned for practical reasons and it was thought they
might contribute to Japanese militarism. At this point the more sporting and competitve
'do' styles started to gain popularity (judo, karate-do, aikido...). Ju-Jutsu has
not adapted as a sport as easily as other martial arts, so competition plays only a minor
role.
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