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100-478: " Jū " can be translated as "gentle, soft, supple, flexible, pliable, or yielding", and " jutsu " can be translated as "art or technique". "Jujutsu" thus has the meaning of "yielding-art", as its core philosophy is to manipulate the opponent's force against themself rather than confronting it with one's own force. Jujutsu developed to combat the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no form of weapon, or only

200-408: A wakizashi were called kodachi . The longest tachi (considered a 15th-century ōdachi ) in existence is 3.7 metres (12 ft) in total length with a 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) blade, but is believed to be ceremonial. In the late 1500s and early 1600s, many tachi blades were modified into katana , their cut tangs ( o-suriage ) removing the smiths' signatures from

300-485: A tachi is wrapped in leather or ray skin, and it is wrapped with black thread or leather cord, and the scabbard is coated with black lacquer. On the other hand, court nobles wore tachi decorated with precisely carved metal and jewels for ceremonial purposes. High-ranking court nobles wore swords of the style called kazari tachi or kaza tachi ( 飾太刀, 飾剣 ), which meant decorative tachi , and lower-ranking court nobles wore simplified kazatachi swords of

400-628: A tachi wrapped in leather, was popular. The kawatsutsumi tachi was stronger than the kurourushi tachi because its hilt was wrapped in leather or ray skin, lacquer was painted on top of it, leather straps and cords were wrapped around it, and the scabbard and sometimes the tsuba (hand guard) were also wrapped in leather. By the 15th century, Japanese swords, including tachi , had already gained international fame by being exported to China and Korea. For example, Koreans learned how to make Japanese swords by sending swordsmiths to Japan and inviting Japanese swordsmiths to Korea. According to

500-401: A Japanese budō term, at its most basic is a principle that allows a conditioned practitioner to negate or redirect an opponent's power. When applied, the aiki practitioner controls the actions of the attacker with minimal effort and with a distinct absence of muscular tension usually associated with physical effort. In Japanese Aiki is formed from two kanji : The kanji for ai

600-518: A battlefield environment but instead utilize grips and holds on opponent's clothing . Most systems of Edo jujutsu include extensive use of atemi waza (vital-striking technique), which would be of little use against an armored opponent on a battlefield. They would, however, be quite valuable in confronting an enemy or opponent during peacetime dressed in normal street attire (referred to as "suhada bujutsu"). Occasionally, inconspicuous weapons such as tantō (daggers) or tessen (iron fans) were included in

700-479: A change in the designs of Japanese swords. The swordsmiths of the Sōshū school represented by Masamune studied ruined tachi – broken or bent in battle – to develop new production methods, and create innovative swords. They forged the blade using a combination of soft and hard steel to optimize the temperature and timing of the heating and cooling of the blade, resulting in a lighter and very robust blade. They also made

800-426: A family/school lineage. Culturally, and due to certain necessities of the time period, the aiki knowledge was usually a very well-guarded secret and rarely disclosed. The oldest book to have historically discussed aiki was the 1899 Budo Hiketsu-Aiki no Jutsu . On the subject of aiki it was written: The most profound and mysterious art in the world is the art of aiki. This is the secret principle of all

900-402: A form of, and development of, jujutsu. A judo technique starts with gripping the opponent, followed by off-balancing them and using their momentum against them and then applying the technique. Kuzushi (the art of breaking balance) is also used in jujutsu, whereby an opponent's attack is deflected using their momentum against them in order to arrest their movements then throw them or pin them with

1000-464: A greater taper from hilt to point, was more curved and had a smaller point area for penetrating heavy clothing. Unlike the traditional manner of wearing the katana , the tachi was worn hung from the belt with the cutting edge down, and was most effective used by cavalry . Deviations from the average length of tachi have the prefixes ko- for "short" and ō- for "great, large" attached. For instance, tachi shōtō and closer in size to

1100-757: A heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. In battle, it was often impossible for a samurai to use his long sword or polearm, and would, therefore, be forced to rely on his short sword, dagger, or bare hands. When fully armored, the effective use of such "minor" weapons necessitated the employment of grappling skills. Methods of combat (as mentioned above) included striking (kicking and punching), various takedowns , trips, throwing (body throws, shoulder and hip throws, joint-locking throws, sacrifice throws, unbalance and leg sweeping throws), restraining (pinning, strangling, grappling, wrestling, and rope tying) and weaponry. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off-balancing, blending and escaping. Minor weapons such as

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1200-779: A hojo cord in addition to handcuffs. The very old Takenouchi-ryu is one of the better-recognized systems that continue extensive training in hojo waza. Since the establishment of the Meiji period with the abolishment of the Samurai and the wearing of swords, the ancient tradition of Yagyū Shingan-ryū (Sendai and Edo lines) has focused much towards the Jujutsu (Yawara) contained in its syllabus. Many other legitimate Nihon jujutsu Ryu exist but are not considered koryu (ancient traditions). These are called either Gendai Jujutsu or modern jujutsu. Modern jujutsu traditions were founded after or towards

1300-541: A process of adaptation at the hands of Western practitioners, molding the arts of jujutsu to suit Western culture in its myriad varieties. There are today many distinctly westernized styles of jujutsu, that stick to their Japanese roots to varying degrees. Some of the largest post-reformation (founded post-1905) gendai jujutsu schools include (but are certainly not limited to these in that there are hundreds (possibly thousands), of new branches of "jujutsu"): There are many types of sports jujutsu. One version of sports jujutsu

1400-467: A result, a sword with three basic external elements of Japanese swords, the cross-sectional shape of shinogi-zukuri , a gently curved single-edged blade, and the structure of nakago , was completed. Its shape may reflect the changing form of warfare in Japan. Cavalry were now the dominant fighting unit, and the older straight chokutō were unsuitable for fighting from horseback. The curved sword

1500-529: A scabbard covered with metal, which was used as a weapon until the Muromachi period. The meaning was a sword wrapped around a leech, and its feature was that a thin metal plate was spirally wrapped around the scabbard, so it was both sturdy and decorative, and chains were not used to hang the scabbard around the waist. The Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century during the Kamakura period facilitated

1600-429: A set-up for further techniques or as a stand-alone action. In jujutsu, practitioners train in the use of many potentially fatal or crippling moves, such as joint-locking throws. However, because students mostly train in a non-competitive environment, the risk is minimized. Students are taught break falling skills to allow them to safely practice otherwise dangerous throws . As jujutsu has so many facets, it has become

1700-632: A short English i. This may also be a reflection of the speech of Shitamachi that merges 'ju' into 'ji'. 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. Ju-jitsu is still a common spelling in France, Canada, and the United Kingdom while jiu-jitsu is most widely used in Germany and Brazil. Different from

1800-731: A short weapon. Because striking against an armored opponent proved ineffective, practitioners learned that the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks , and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against them, rather than directly opposing it. There are many variations of the art, which leads to a diversity of approaches. Jujutsu schools ( ryū ) may utilize all forms of grappling techniques to some degree (e.g., throwing , takedowns , leg sweeps, trapping, pins, joint locks , holds , chokeholds , strangulation, gouging, biting, hair pulling, disengagements, and striking ). In addition to jujutsu, many schools teach

1900-623: A statesman of the Song dynasty in China, described Japanese swords as follows: "It is a treasured sword with a scabbard made of fragrant wood covered with fish skin, decorated with brass and copper, and capable of exorcising evil spirits. It is imported at a great cost." From the Heian period (794–1185), ordinary samurai wore swords of the style called kurourusi tachi ( kokushitsu no tachi , 黒漆太刀 ), which meant black lacquer tachi . The hilt of

2000-510: A suspect without taking him down; Sambo utilized throws mainly as a defensive counter in case of a surprise attack from behind. Instead of takedowns , it used shakedowns to unbalance the opponent without actually dropping him down, while oneself still maintaining a steady balance . It was, in essence, a standing arm-wrestling, armlock mastery-type of martial art, which utilized a variety of different types of armlocks, knots and compression holds (and counters to protect oneself from them) applied to

2100-424: A sword with chains in the arsenal. The scabbard of the tachi was covered with a gilt copper plate and hung by chains at the waist. At the end of the Kamakura period, simplified hyogo gusari tachi came to be made as an offering to the kami of Shinto shrines and fell out of use as weapons. On the other hand, in the Kamakura period, there was a type of tachi called hirumaki tachi ( 蛭巻太刀 ) with

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2200-421: A systemic refinement of defensive techniques from Aiki-Jujutsu in ways that are intended to prevent harm to either the attacker or the defender. Aikido changed much during Ueshiba's lifetime, so earlier styles (such as Yoshinkan ) are more like the original Aiki-Jujutsu than ones (such as Ki-Aikido ) that more resemble the techniques and philosophy that Ueshiba stressed towards the end of his life. Wadō-ryū (和道流)

2300-441: A technique — thus controlling the opponent. It is known in both systems that kuzushi is essential in order to use as little energy as possible. Jujutsu differs from judo in a number of ways. In some circumstances, judoka generates kuzushi by striking one's opponent along his weak line. Other methods of generating kuzushi include grabbing, twisting, poking or striking areas of the body known as atemi points or pressure points (areas of

2400-476: A way to distract the opponent or to unbalance him in the lead up to a joint lock, strangle or throw. During the same period the numerous jujutsu schools challenged each other to duels which became a popular pastime for warriors under a peaceful unified government. From these challenges, randori was created to practice without risk of breaking the law and the various styles of each school evolved from combating each other without intention to kill. The term jūjutsu

2500-530: A weapon") was an early Soviet martial art, a direct descendant of judo, developed in the 1920s by Viktor Spiridonov , the Dynamo Sports Society jujutsu instructor, and Russo-Japanese War veteran. As it was developed largely for police purposes, a special emphasis in Sambo was placed on the standing armlocks and grappling counters in order to free oneself from holding, apprehending, and escorting

2600-656: Is Wadō-ryū Karate. Jujutsu was first introduced to Europe in 1898 by Edward William Barton-Wright , who had studied Tenjin Shinyō-ryū and Shinden Fudo-ryū in Yokohama and Kobe . He also trained briefly at the Kodokan in Tokyo . Upon returning to England he folded the basics of all of these styles, as well as boxing , savate , and forms of stick fighting , into an eclectic self-defense system called Bartitsu . Modern judo

2700-511: Is a classic example of a sport that is derived from jujutsu. Many who study judo believe as Kanō did, that judo is not a sport but a self-defense system creating a pathway towards peace and universal harmony. Another layer removed, some popular arts had instructors who studied one of these jujutsu derivatives and later made their own derivative succeed in the competition. This created an extensive family of martial arts and sports that can trace their lineage to jujutsu in some part. The way an opponent

2800-439: Is a far more efficient weapon wielded by a warrior on horseback; the curve of the blade adds considerably to the downward force of a cutting action. According to historian Karl Friday , before the 13th century, there are no written references or drawings showing swords of any kind were used from horseback. However, According to Yoshikazu Kondo, bow and arrows were certainly the main weapons used in cavalry battles, but from around

2900-550: Is a special system named Random Attacks , focusing on instilling quick reaction times against any given attack by defending and countering. The tori and the uke are also from the same team but here they do not know what the attack will be, which is given to the tori by the judges, without the uke's knowledge. The second variant is the Fighting System ( Freefighting ) where competitors combine striking, grappling, and submissions under rules which emphasize safety. Many of

3000-415: Is aiki. The term aiki has been used since ancient times and is not unique to Daito-ryu . The ki in aiki is go no sen , meaning to respond to an attack. ... Daito-ryu is all go no sen—you first evade your opponent's attack and then strike or control him. Likewise, Itto-ryu is primarily go no sen. You attack because an opponent attacks you. This implies not cutting your opponent. This

3100-403: Is called katsujinken (life-giving sword). Its opposite is called setsuninken (death-dealing sword). Tachi A tachi ( 太刀 ) is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword ( nihonto ) worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Tachi and uchigatana generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on

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3200-761: Is dealt with also depends on the teacher's philosophy with regard to combat. This translates also in different styles or schools of jujutsu. Not all jujutsu was used in sporting contests, but the practical use in the samurai world ended circa 1890. Techniques like hair-pulling, eye-poking, and groin attacks were and are not considered acceptable in sport, thus, they are excluded from judo competitions or randori . However, judo did preserve some more lethal, dangerous techniques in its kata . The kata were intended to be practiced by students of all grades but now are mostly practiced formally as complete set routines for performance, kata competition and grading, rather than as individual self-defense techniques in class. However, judo retained

3300-474: Is derived using the Hepburn romanization system. Before the first half of the 20th century, however, jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu were preferred, even though the romanization of the second kanji as jitsu is not faithful to the standard Japanese pronunciation. It was a non-standardized spelling resulting from how English speakers heard the second short u in the word, which is pronounced /ɯ/ and therefore close to

3400-598: Is divided into specific time periods: The predecessor of the Japanese sword has been called [[[warabitetō]]  [ ja ] ] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch ( help ) ( 蕨手刀 ). In the middle of the Heian period (794–1185), samurai improved on the warabitetō to develop [[[kenukigata-tachi]]  [ ja ] ] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch ( help ) ( 毛抜形太刀 ) (early Japanese sword). To be more precise, it

3500-480: Is known as "JJIF Rules Sport Ju-Jitsu", organized by Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF). The JJIF is a member of GAISF and has been recognized as an official sport of the World Games . Sport jujutsu comes in three main variants. In Duo (self-defense demonstration), both the tori (attacker) and the uke (defender) come from the same team and demonstrate self-defense techniques. In this variant, there

3600-410: Is made of three radicals, "join", "one" and "mouth". Hence, ai symbolizes things coming together, merging. Aiki should not be confused with wa which refers to harmony. The kanji for ki represents a pot filled with steaming rice and a lid on it. Hence, ki symbolizes energy (in the body). Thus aiki 's meaning is to fit, join, or combine energy. However, care must be taken about

3700-527: Is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Otsuka (1892–1982). Wadō-ryū is a hybrid of Japanese Martial Arts such as Shindō Yōshin-ryū Ju-jitsu, Shotokan Karate, and Shito Ryu Karate. The style itself emphasizes not only striking but also tai sabaki, joint locks, and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te. From one point of view, Wadō-ryū might be considered a style of jū-jutsu rather than karate. Hironori Ōtsuka embraced ju-jitsu and

3800-484: Is similar to BJJ, Kata, and Demonstrations. Sparring and ground fighting can have various rule sets depending on the organization. Kata can be open hand or with traditional Jujutsu weapons and Demonstrations can be in pairs or teams of up to 7. Japanese culture and religion have become intertwined with martial arts in the public imagination. Buddhism , Shinto , Taoism and Confucian philosophy co-exist in Japan, and people generally mix and match to suit. This reflects

3900-800: Is the principle or "the action" part of ju-jutsu. In Japanese this word means art. Japanese jujutsu systems typically put more emphasis on throwing , pinning , and joint-locking techniques as compared with martial arts such as karate , which rely more on striking techniques. Striking techniques were seen as less important in most older Japanese systems because of the protection of samurai body armor and because they were considered less effective than throws and grappling so were mostly used as set-ups for their grappling techniques and throws, although some styles, such as Yōshin-ryū , Tenjin Shin'yō-ryū and Kyushin-ryū had more emphasis on striking. However, many modern-day jujutsu schools include striking, both as

4000-432: Is the same as the first one in judo ( Chinese and Japanese : 柔道; pinyin : róudào ; rōmaji : jūdō ; Korean : 유도 ; romaja : yudo ). The second Chinese character of jujutsu ( traditional Chinese and Japanese : 術; simplified Chinese : 术 ; pinyin : shù ; rōmaji : jutsu ; Korean : 술 ; romaja : sul )

4100-503: Is the same as the second one in bujutsu ( traditional Chinese and Japanese : 武術; simplified Chinese : 武术 ; pinyin : wǔshù ; rōmaji : bujutsu ; Korean : 무술 ; romaja : musul ). The written history of jujutsu first began during the Nara period ( c.  710  – c.  794 ) combining early forms of Sumo and various Japanese martial arts which were used on

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4200-454: Is thought that the Emishi improved the warabitetō and developed [[[Kenukigata-warabitetō]]  [ ja ] ] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch ( help ) ( 毛抜形蕨手刀 ) with a hole in the hilt and [[[kenukigatatō]]  [ ja ] ] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch ( help ) ( 毛抜形刀 ) without decorations on the tip of the hilt, and

4300-441: Is worn on the wielder's left waist. Since a tachi was worn cutting edge down, and the katana was worn cutting edge up, the mei would be in opposite locations on the tang of both types of swords. An authentic tachi had an average cutting edge length ( nagasa ) of 70–80 cm ( 27 + 9 ⁄ 16 – 31 + 1 ⁄ 2  in), and compared to a katana, was generally lighter in proportion to its length, had

4400-792: The obi was katana style, but metalworking of the scabbard was tachi style. With the rise of statism in Shōwa Japan , the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy implemented swords called shin guntō , worn tachi style (cutting-edge down). In the Shintō period from around 1596 in the Azuchi–Momoyama period , the traditional techniques of the Kotō period were lost, and no smith

4500-570: The Shintō period focused on reproducing the blade of a Japanese sword in the Kamakura period. There are more than 100 Japanese swords designated as National Treasures in Japan , of which the Kotō of the Kamakura period account for 80% and the tachi account for 70%. From the end of the Kamakura period to the end of the Muromachi period (1333–1573), kawatsutsumi tachi ( 革包太刀 ), which means

4600-417: The aiki arts generally classed as soft internal martial arts . Aiki is a complex concept, and three aspects have been used to describe it in relation to a martial situation: 1) Blending, not clashing 2) Leading the assailant 3) Use of internal strength – Ki energy Aiki is considered to be an ancient practice, and its practice is often kept within a particular individual or two from

4700-463: The katana , which was easy to carry, became the mainstream. The dazzling-looking tachi gradually became a symbol of the authority of high-ranking samurai. From the 15th century, low-quality swords were mass-produced under the influence of the large-scale war. These swords, along with spears, were lent to recruited farmers called ashigaru , while swords were exported. Such mass-produced swords are called kazuuchimono , and swordsmiths of

4800-439: The ryofundo kusari (weighted chain) or the bankokuchoki (a type of knuckle-duster), to defeat both armed or unarmed opponents. Furthermore, the term jujutsu was also sometimes used to refer to tactics for infighting used with the warrior's major weapons: katana or tachi (sword), yari (spear), naginata ( glaive ), jō (short staff), and bō (quarterstaff). These close combat methods were an important part of

4900-589: The tantō (knife), ryofundo kusari (weighted chain), kabuto wari (helmet breaker), and Kaku shi buki (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Sengoku jujutsu. In later times, other ko-ryū developed into systems more familiar to the practitioners of Nihon jujutsu commonly seen today. These are correctly classified as Edo jūjutsu (founded during the Edo period ): they are generally designed to deal with opponents neither wearing armor nor in

5000-641: The Bisen school and Mino school produced them by division of labor. The export of Japanese sword reached its height during the Muromachi period —at least 200,000 swords were shipped to Ming dynasty China in official trade in an attempt to soak up the production of Japanese weapons and make it harder for pirates in the area to arm. In the Ming dynasty of China, Japanese swords and their tactics were studied to repel pirates, and wodao and miaodao were developed based on Japanese swords. From this period,

5100-520: The Genpei War in the 12th century, the use of tachi on horseback increased. Early models had uneven curves with the deepest part of the curve at the hilt . As eras changed, the center of the curve tended to move up the blade. By the 11th century during the Heian period, tachi were exported to neighboring countries in Asia. For example, in the poem "The Song of Japanese Swords" Ouyang Xiu ,

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5200-507: The Gracie family thought that it was easier to learn than throws and standup fighting, and was also more adequate to the physical limitations of a smaller or scrawny person. Carlos and Hélio developed the style by promoting challenge fights against practitioners of other martial arts, competitions, and experimenting throughout decades of training. The success of the BJJ specialist Royce Gracie in

5300-523: The Tokugawa shogunate to reduce war as influenced by the Chinese social philosophy of Neo-Confucianism which was obtained during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea and spread throughout Japan via scholars such as Fujiwara Seika . During this new ideology, weapons and armor became unused decorative items, so hand-to-hand combat flourished as a form of self-defense and new techniques were created to adapt to

5400-546: The battlefield for close combat. The oldest known styles of Jujutsu are, Shinden Fudo-ryū ( c.  1130 ), Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū ( c.  1447 ), and Takenouchi-ryū , which was founded in the Sengoku period ( c.  1530s ). Many jujutsu forms also extensively taught parrying and counterattacking long weapons such as swords or spears via a dagger or other small weapons. In contrast to

5500-441: The bushi (classic warriors) to develop effective methods of defense, including parrying or blocking strikes, thrusts and kicks, receiving throws or joint locking techniques (i.e., falling safely and knowing how to "blend" to neutralize a technique's effect), releasing oneself from an enemy's grasp, and changing or shifting one's position to evade or neutralize an attack. As jujutsu is a collective term, some schools or ryu adopted

5600-509: The tang ( nakago ) of many old tachi were cut and shortened into katana . This modification is called suriage . For example, many of the tachi Masamune forged during the Kamakura period were converted into katana , so his only existing works are katana and tantō . From around the 16th century, many Japanese swords, including tachi , were exported to Thailand , where katana -style swords were made and prized for battle and art work, and some of them are in

5700-399: The tang ( nakago ), integrated with the blade, is directly gripped and used. The term kenukigata is derived from the fact the central part of tang is hollowed in the shape of ancient Japanese tweezers ( kenuki ). In the tachi developed after kenukigata-tachi , a structure in which the hilt is fixed to the tang ( nakago ) with a pin called mekugi was adopted. As

5800-508: The "way of softness" ( 柔道 , jūdō ) (as early as 1724, almost two centuries before Kanō Jigorō founded the modern art of Kodokan judo ). Today, the systems of unarmed combat that were developed and practiced during the Muromachi period (1333–1573) are referred to collectively as Japanese old-style jujutsu ( 日本古流柔術 , Nihon koryū jūjutsu ) . At this period in history, the systems practiced were not systems of unarmed combat, but rather means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight

5900-521: The Japanese pronunciation, the word Jujutsu is still usually pronounced as if it is spelled jujitsu in the United States. Some define jujutsu and similar arts rather narrowly as "unarmed" close combat systems used to defeat or control an enemy who is similarly unarmed. Basic methods of attack include hitting or striking, thrusting or punching, kicking, throwing, pinning or immobilizing, strangling, and joint locking. Great pains were also taken by

6000-464: The Masamune Prize without extraordinary achievements, and in the field of tachi and katana , no one won until Kawauchi for 18 years. With a few exceptions, katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other, if signed, by the location of the signature ( mei ) on the tang . In general, the signature should be carved into the side of the tang facing outward as the sword

6100-539: The Sengoku jūjutsu systems that did. The improbability of confronting an armor-clad attacker and using traditional weapons is the reason for this bias. Over time, Gendai jujutsu has been embraced by law enforcement officials worldwide and continues to be the foundation for many specialized systems used by police. Perhaps the most famous of these specialized police systems is the Keisatsujutsu (police art) Taiho jutsu (arresting art) system formulated and employed by

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6200-522: The Tokyo Police Department. Jujutsu techniques have been the basis for many military unarmed combat techniques (including British/US/Russian special forces and SO1 police units) for many years. Since the early 1900s, every military service in the world has an unarmed combat course that has been founded on the principal teachings of jujutsu. In the early 1900s Edith Garrud became the first British female teacher of jujutsu, and one of

6300-420: The absolute meanings of words when discussing concepts derived from other cultures and expressed in different languages. This is particularly true when the words we use today have been derived from symbols, in this case, Japanese kanji, which represent ideas rather than literal translations of the components. Historical use of a term can influence meanings and be passed down by those wishing to illustrate ideas with

6400-432: The art from Ferro and Maeda, he passed his knowledge to his brothers Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., and George. Meanwhile, Hélio Gracie would peek in and practice the techniques, although he was told he was too young to practice. At the time, Judo was still commonly called Kanō jiu-jitsu (from its founder Kanō Jigorō), which is why this style variation is called Brazilian jiu-jitsu . Its emphasis shifted to ground fighting because

6500-400: The best word or phrase available to them. In this way, there may be a divergence of the meaning between arts or schools within the same art. The characters ai and ki have translations to many different English words. Historically, the principle of aiki would be primarily transmitted orally, as such teachings were often a closely guarded secret. In modern times, the description of

6600-425: The body where nerves are close to the skin – see kyusho-jitsu ) to unbalance opponent and set up throws. Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) was developed after Mitsuyo Maeda brought judo to Brazil in 1914. Maeda agreed to teach the art to Luiz França , Jacintho Ferro and Carlos Gracie , son of his friend, businessman, and politician Gastão Gracie . Luiz França went on to teach it to Oswaldo Fadda . After Carlos learned

6700-489: The changing situation of unarmored opponents. This included the development of various striking techniques in jujutsu which expanded upon the limited striking previously found in jujutsu which targeted vital areas above the shoulders such as the eyes, throat, and back of the neck. However towards the 18th century the number of striking techniques was severely reduced as they were considered less effective and exert too much energy; instead striking in jujutsu primarily became used as

6800-457: The collections of the Thai royal family. In the Sengoku period (1467–1615) or the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), the itomaki tachi ( itomaki no tachi , {{lang|ja|糸巻太刀), which means a tachi wound with thread, appeared and became the mainstream of tachi after that. Itomaki tachi was decorated with lacquer decorations with many maki-e and flashy colored threads, and

6900-658: The concept varies from the physical to vague and open-ended, or more concerned with spiritual aspects. Aiki lends its name to various Japanese martial arts, most notably Aikido , and its parent art, Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu . These arts tend to use the principle of aiki as a core element underpinning the bulk of their techniques. Aiki is an important principle in several other arts such as Kito-ryu , Judo , Yamabujin Goshin jutsu and various forms of Kenjutsu and Japanese Jujutsu . Techniques accomplished with aiki are subtle and require little mechanical force with

7000-511: The curriculum of Edo jūjutsu. Another seldom-seen historical side is a series of techniques originally included in both Sengoku and Edo jujutsu systems. Referred to as Hojo waza ( 捕縄術 hojojutsu , Tori Nawa Jutsu , nawa Jutsu , Hayakawa 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

7100-413: The curve of the blade gentle, lengthened the tip linearly, widened the width from the cutting edge to the opposite side of the blade, and thinned the cross section to improve the penetration and cutting ability of the blade. Historically in Japan, the ideal blade of a Japanese sword is considered to be the kotō in the Kamakura period, and the swordsmiths from the Edo period to the present day after

7200-526: The defender is judged on performance. Another more recent form of competition growing much more popular in Europe is the Random Attack form of competition, which is similar to Randori but more formalized. The word Jujutsu can be broken down into two parts. "Ju" is a concept. The idea behind this meaning of Ju is "to be gentle", "to give way", "to yield", "to blend", "to move out of harm's way". "Jutsu"

7300-437: The differences and produce a combined system. Modern sports sambo is similar to sport judo or sport Brazilian jiu-jitsu with differences including use of a sambovka jacket and shorts rather than a full keikogi , and a special emphasis on leglocks and holds, but with much less emphasis on guard and chokes (banned in competition). After the introduction of jujutsu to the West, many of these more traditional styles underwent

7400-573: The different martial systems that were developed for use on the battlefield. They can be generally characterized as either Sengoku period (1467–1603) katchu bu Jutsu or yoroi kumiuchi (fighting with weapons or grappling while clad in armor), or Edo period (1603–1867) suhada bu Jutsu (fighting while dressed in the normal street clothing of the period, kimono and hakama ). The first Chinese character of jujutsu ( Chinese and Japanese : 柔; pinyin : róu ; rōmaji : jū ; Korean : 유 ; romaja : yu )

7500-746: The end of the Tokugawa period (1868) when more than 2000 schools ( ryū ) of jūjutsu existed. Various supposedly traditional ryu and ryuha that are commonly thought of as koryu jujutsu are actually gendai jūjutsu. Although modern in formation, very few gendai Jujutsu systems have direct historical links to ancient traditions and are incorrectly referred to as traditional martial systems or koryu. Their curriculum reflects an obvious bias towards techniques from judo and Edo jūjutsu systems, and sometimes have little to no emphasis on standing armlocks and joint-locking throws that were common in Koryu styles. They also usually do not teach usage of traditional weapons as opposed to

7600-579: The first female martial arts instructors in the Western world. There are many forms of sports jujutsu, the original and most popular being judo, now an Olympic sport. One of the most common is mixed-style competitions, where competitors apply a variety of strikes, throws, and holds to score points. There are also kata competitions, where competitors of the same style perform techniques and are judged on their performance. There are also freestyle competitions, where competitors take turns attacking each other, and

7700-812: The first worldwide modern MMA competition, the UFC , brought prominence to BJJ and is largely credited for bringing attention to the importance of ground fighting in mixed martial arts, causing the emerging field to adopt many of its practices. BJJ is primarily a ground-based fighting style that applies close range grappling techniques and uses joint locks and chokeholds to submit the adversary ( submission grappling ). But less-practiced stand-up techniques in Gracie jiujitsu survive in some BJJ clubs from its judo and jujutsu heritage (judo throws, knife defense, gun defense, blocking, striking, etc.) Sambo (an acronym from sam ozashchita b ez o ruzhia , Russian for " self-defense without

7800-427: The foundation for a variety of styles and derivations today. As each instructor incorporated new techniques and tactics into what was taught to them originally, they codified and developed their own ryu (school) or Federation to help other instructors, schools, and clubs. Some of these schools modified the source material enough that they no longer consider themselves a style of jujutsu. Arguments and discussions amongst

7900-430: The full set of choking and strangling techniques for its sporting form and all manner of joint locks. Even judo's pinning techniques have pain-generating, spine-and-rib-squeezing, and smothering aspects. A submission induced by a legal pin is considered a legitimate win. Kanō viewed the safe "contest" aspect of judo as an important part of learning how to control an opponent's body in a real fight. Kanō always considered judo

8000-437: The late 15th century in the Muromachi period expanded into a large-scale domestic war, in which employed farmers called ashigaru were mobilized in large numbers. They fought on foot using katana shorter than tachi . In the Sengoku period (period of warring states) in the late Muromachi period, the war became bigger; ashigaru fought in a close formation using yari (spears) lent to them. Furthermore, in

8100-406: The late 16th century, Tanegashima (matchlock arquebuses) were introduced from Portugal, and Japanese swordsmiths mass-produced improved products, with ashigaru fighting with leased guns. On the battlefield in Japan, guns and spears became main weapons in addition to bows. Due to the changes in fighting styles in these wars, the tachi and naginata became obsolete among samurai, and

8200-628: The late 1930s it was methodized by Spiridonov's trainee Vladislav Volkov to be taught at military and police academies, and eventually combined with the judo-based wrestling technique developed by Vasili Oshchepkov , who was the third foreigner to learn judo in Japan and earned a second-degree black belt awarded by Kanō Jigorō himself, encompassing traditional Central Asian styles of folk wrestling researched by Oshchepkov's disciple Anatoly Kharlampiyev to create sambo . As Spiridonov and Oshchepkov disliked each other very much, and both opposed vehemently to unify their effort, it took their disciples to settle

8300-467: The location of the mei ( 銘 ) , or signature, on the tang . The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana , which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. Tachi were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when katana became the mainstream, tachi were often worn by high-ranking samurai. The production of swords in Japan

8400-421: The martial arts fraternity have evoked to the topic of whether specific methods are in fact not jujitsu at all. Tracing the history of a specific school can be cumbersome and impossible in some circumstances. Around the year 1600, there were over 2000 jujutsu ko-ryū styles, most with at least some common descent, characteristics, and shared techniques. Specific technical characteristics, a list of techniques, and

8500-412: The martial arts in Japan. One who masters it can be an unparalleled martial genius. The Textbook of Jujutsu ( Jujutsu Kyoju-sho Ryu no Maki ) from 1913 stated: Aiki is an impassive state of mind without a blind side, slackness, evil intention, or fear. There is no difference between aiki and ki-ai; however, if compared, when expressed dynamically aiki is called kiai, and when expressed statically, it

8600-436: The neighbouring nations of China and Okinawa whose martial arts made greater use of striking techniques, Japanese hand-to-hand combat forms focused heavily upon throwing (including joint-locking throws), immobilizing, joint locks , choking , strangulation , and to lesser extent ground fighting . In the early 17th century during the Edo period , jujutsu continued to evolve due to the strict laws which were imposed by

8700-436: The opponent's fingers, thumbs, wrist, forearm, elbow, biceps, shoulder, and neck, coupled with finger pressure on various trigger points of the human body, particularly sensitive to painful pressure, as well as manipulating the opponent's sleeve and collar to immobilize his upper body, extremities, and subdue him. Sambo combined jujutsu with wrestling, boxing, and savage techniques for extreme street situations. Later, in

8800-522: The potentially dangerous techniques such as scissor takedowns, necklocks and digital choking and locking are prohibited in sport jujutsu. There are a number of other styles of sport jujutsu with varying rules. The third variant is the Japanese/Ne Waza (grappling) system in which competitors start standing up and work for a submission. Striking is not allowed. Other variants of competition include Sparring, with various rule sets. Ground fighting

8900-425: The principle of ju more than others. From a broader point of view, based on the curricula of many of the classical Japanese arts themselves, however, these arts may perhaps be more accurately defined as unarmed methods of dealing with an enemy who was armed, together with methods of using minor weapons such as the jutte (truncheon; also called jitter), tantō (knife), or kakushi buki (hidden weapons), such as

9000-698: The record of June 1, 1430, in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty , a Korean swordsmith who went to Japan and mastered the method of making Japanese swords presented a Japanese sword to the King of Korea and was rewarded for the excellent work which was no different from the swords made by the Japanese. Traditionally, yumi (bows) were the main weapon of war in Japan, and tachi and naginata were for close combat. The Ōnin War in

9100-408: The samurai developed kenukigata-tachi based on these swords. Kenukigata-tachi , which was developed in the first half of the 10th century, has a three-dimensional cross-sectional shape of an elongated pentagonal or hexagonal blade called shinogi-zukuri and a gently curved single-edged blade, typical features of Japanese swords. There is no wooden hilt attached to kenukigata-tachi , and

9200-578: The style called hosodachi ( 細太刀 ) , which meant thin tachi . The kazatachi and hosodachi worn by nobles were initially straight like a chokutō , but since the Kamakura period they have had a gentle curve under the influence of tachi . Since tachi worn by court nobles were for ceremonial use, they generally had an iron plate instead of a blade. In the Kamakura period (1185–1333), high-ranking samurai wore hyogo gusari tachi ( hyogo kusari no tachi , 兵庫鎖太刀 ), which meant

9300-423: The swords. For a sword to be worn in tachi style, it needed to be mounted in a tachi koshirae . The tachi koshirae has two hangers (ashi) so the sword can be worn in a horizontal position with the cutting edge down. A sword not mounted in a tachi koshirae could be worn tachi style by use of a koshiate , a leather device allowing any sword to be worn in the tachi style. Generally,

9400-475: The use of weapons . Today, jujutsu is practiced in both traditional self-defense oriented and modern sports forms. Derived sport forms include the Olympic sport and martial art of judo , which was developed by Kanō Jigorō in the late 19th century from several traditional styles of jujutsu, and sambo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu , which were derived from judo. Jujutsu , the standard English language spelling,

9500-412: The variety of outlook one finds in the different schools. Jujutsu expresses the philosophy of yielding to an opponent's force rather than trying to oppose force with force. Manipulating an opponent's attack using his force and direction allows jujutsuka to control the balance of their opponent and hence prevent the opponent from resisting the counterattack. Aiki (martial arts principle) Aiki ,

9600-430: The way techniques were performed varied from school to school. Many of the generalizations noted above do not hold true for some schools of jujutsu. Schools of jujutsu with long lineages include: Aikido is a modern martial art developed primarily during the late 1920s through the 1930s by Morihei Ueshiba from the system of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu . Ueshiba was an accomplished student of Takeda Sokaku with aikido being

9700-475: Was able to reproduce the tachi of the Kamakura period. However, in 2014, Kunihira Kawachi succeeded in reproducing a tachi from the Kamakura period. He received the Masamune Prize, the highest honor as a swordsmith. On the tachi he forged, midare-utsuri (a pattern of hazy white shadows between hamon and shinogi ), characteristic of the Bizen school in the Kamakura period. Nobody could win

9800-751: Was its chief instructor for a time. When Ōtsuka first registered his school with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in 1938, the style was called "Shinshu Wadō-ryū Karate-Jūjutsu", a name that reflects its hybrid character. Ōtsuka was a licensed Shindō Yōshin-ryū practitioner and a student of Yōshin-ryū when he first met the Okinawan karate master Gichin Funakoshi. After having learned from Funakoshi, and after their split, with Okinawan masters such as Kenwa Mabuni and Motobu Chōki, Ōtsuka merged Shindō Yōshin-ryū with Okinawan karate. The result of Ōtsuka's efforts

9900-491: Was not coined until the 17th century, after which time it became a blanket term for a wide variety of grappling-related disciplines and techniques. Prior to that time, these skills had names such as "short sword grappling" ( 小具足腰之廻 , kogusoku koshi no mawari ) , "grappling" ( 組討 or 組打 , kumiuchi ) , "body art" ( 体術 , taijutsu ) , "softness" ( 柔 or 和 , yawara ) , "art of harmony" ( 和術 , wajutsu, yawarajutsu ) , "catching hand" ( 捕手 , torite ) , and even

10000-469: Was used as a gift, a ceremony, or an offering to the kami of Shinto shrines. In later Japanese feudal history, during the Sengoku and Edo periods , certain high-ranking warriors of the ruling class wore their sword tachi -style (edge-downward), rather than with the scabbard thrust through the belt with the edge upward. This style of swords is called handachi , "half tachi ". In handachi , styles were often mixed, for example, fastening to

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