Unarmed grappling arts in Japan are in existence for a
long period of time (Skoss, 1995) .
The Kojiki is translated as the Record of Ancient Matters. And the Nihon Shoki
is defined as the Chronicles of Japan. Both are one of the first so-called
historical records that narrate the mythological creation of Japan and the
formation of the Imperial family. These writings are the first references to
systems or arts of unarmed combat. It can also be found in the earlier pictures
and records showing sumai no sechie, a ceremony in Nara and Kyoto of the
Imperial Court conducted for purposes of divination and to aid in ensuring an
abundant harvest. Jujutsu was the name given for these unarmed combat arts and
systems in the period 1333 to 1568 during the Muromachi period. These are in
accordance to historical records, and densho, or transmission scrolls, of the
different ryu-ha, or schools.
Different military exercises and arts were given to the
samurai classes in the Japanese feudal times (Kano & Lindsay, 1887) . These are formed to
train and fit samurais for their special form of combat. One of these arts is
jujutsu. The word can be translates as the art of winning by yielding or
pliancy. The name seems to have been given to what can be best defined as the
art of weaponless fighting. In some cases, short weapons were utilized against
enemies armed with long weapons. Its primary principle is to win by yielding to
strength, and not matching strength with strength. It may look like wrestling,
but it has a huge difference with the wrestling done in other countries like
England.
Today, martial arts are included as sports (Jiu-Jitsu: Rules and Divisions) . Protective gears
are worn to minimize the risk of getting serious injuries during matches.
Players are also evenly matched. They are classified according to rank, age,
sex, and weight. There are many martial arts that have great influences from
jujutsu. Throughout the years, various kinds of jujutsu have been developed and
are continuously evolving.
Yawara, kogusoku, hakuda, tai-jutsu, and kempo are some
of the many names of jujutsu in the times of Japanese feudalism (Kano & Lindsay, 1887) . Jujutsu and yawara
were the names commonly used and known at that time. Jujutsu includes martial
arts dealing with systems of close combat used by an unarmed person to control
or overcome an opponent who is also unarmed (Skoss, 1995) .
Striking, hitting, punching, thrusting, throwing, pinning, kicking,
immobilizing, joint-locking, strangling and other similar actions are some of
the basic attack methods. Victory is gained through different ways. The winner
could have thrown the enemy on the ground heavily; choked up the throat of the
opponent; held down the enemy on the ground or against the wall in such a way
that movement is restricted; and bent or twisted the opponent’s arms, legs,
fingers, or other joints in such a way that pain became unbearable. Classic
warriors called bushi went through a lot of pain in developing effective
defense methods. These include blocking or parrying attacks like kicks,
strikes, and thrusts. There are also techniques to fall safely from throws and
joint-locking attacks, and then “blend” to minimize the effect of the offense.
Methods are taught on how to get free from the grasp of the opponent. The shift
and change of position are also mastered to neutralize or evade an attack
technique.
Many of the classical Japanese arts have curricula of
jujutsu that practice the more general form of combat involving unarmed and
armed fighters (Skoss, 1995) .
There are a series of lessons for fighting armed or unarmed enemies with the
use of minor weapons, including a tanto or knife, ryofundo kusari or weighted
chain, jutte or truncheon, kakushi buki or hidden weapon, and bankokuchoki or
knuckle-duster. Jujutsu also sometimes pertains to methods of fighting using
the main weapons like tachi or sword, yari or spear, bo or staff, and naginata
or glaive. Various martial arts practiced in actual battles use these methods
of close combat fighting. There are two types of these tactics. One is the
katchu bujutsu or yoroi kumiuchi, which means grapping or fighting with weapons
while wearing armor. This method was common in the year 1467 to 1568 in the
Sengoku Jidai or Warring States period. The other is the suhada bujutsu that
means fighting while wearing hakama and kimono, which are the normal street
clothing in the Edo Jidai or Edo period from 1600 to 1868.
Atemi and kuatsu are special jujutsu techniques that are
mastered by just a few people (Kano & Lindsay, 1887) . Atemi is the art of
kicking or striking certain parts of the body to injure or kill enemies. On the
other hand, kuatsu is the art of resuscitation to revive those who may die from
violence. The objective of the offensive attacks is to disrupt the enemy’s
center of gravity by pulling or pushing in such a way that the opponent will
lose balance through applying skill rather than strength so that equilibrium of
the enemy will be lost and fall heavily to the ground. Various motions of the
different parts of the body are taught to achieve this goal. The resuscitation
techniques are kept secret. Only those students who show exemplary performances
in the basic lessons are chosen by the teachers of this art. Students take an
oath of secrecy that they will never reveal the secret techniques to anyone,
even to loved ones. There are different techniques to revive those who are
suffocating from a choke; those who fell from a high place; those who were
strangled; those who had been drowned; those who received hard hits; and other
injuries that may lead to death.
When the Feudal System was abolished, the practice of
martial arts was discouraged (Kano & Lindsay, 1887) . Today, these are
included in the athletics system. A lot of vital modifications were made in the
practice of martial arts, but the essence still remained intact. Various
jujutsu schools multiplied not only in Japan, but also all over the world. The
techniques of physical training learned in martial arts have been very
significant in the overall well-being of the practitioners.
Jujutsu evolved to be one of the most exciting martial
arts in sports today (Jiu-Jitsu: Rules and Divisions) . Safety gears are
worn by the fighters to protect them in the matches. Protective headgear,
sparring gloves, and shoes are mandatory in some of the jujutsu fights. There
are also designated floor mats for added safety. There are referees and medical
personnel present in the tournaments. The rounds can be won through point
system, without the necessity of knocking out the opponent. Points are awarded
depending on the execution, intensity, and legitimacy of the attack. The match
can be won by submissions of the opponent. A submission is made when the
opponent is unable to continue the fight due to a strike, hit, joint lock,
choke, or throw without any malicious intent. Certain moves that may be fatal
are banned from competitions. There are legal and illegal strikes agreed by
everyone. Penalties for any disobedience to the rules are given justly. Judges
score the rounds according to the hits, strikes, pins, and other movements of
the competitors. Each round also lasts for a specific period of time. The fighters
are matched evenly through the assignment of weight divisions. Sportsmanship is
observed before, during, and after the matches.
Martial arts started as techniques to injure or kill
opponents. Jujutsu is one of these methods, having the objective to render the
enemy imbalance then cause great pain through a series of movements. There are
strategies to cause harm and also methods to revive in the art of jujutsu. The
techniques were used in the battlefield to win armed or unarmed conflicts in
Japan. In modern times, the art developed into a sport. Jujutsu also became one
of the main influences of other martial arts that were developed through the
years. The principles of jujutsu became the foundations of various martial arts
disciplines. Many forms and variations of the techniques emerged and evolved
from the core teachings of jujutsu. This proves that this martial art was
established using fundamental philosophies that can be applied by anyone.
Reference
Jiu-Jitsu: Rules and Divisions. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from Canadian
Martial Arts Games Committee Web site: http://www.cmgc.ca/jiu_jitsu_rules.htm
Kano, J., & Lindsay, T. (1887). Jujutsu and
the origins of Judo. Retrieved December 5, 2014, from Judo Info Web site:
http://judoinfo.com/kano6.htm
Skoss, M. (1995). Jujutsu and Taijutsu.
Retrieved December 5, 2014, from Aikido Journal Web site:
http://www.aikidojournal.com/article.php?articleID=17
