History and Traditions

The exact date and originator of Jiu Jitsu is not known but rather it was developed out of a specific need from the warrior class of medieval Japan. During what was the European Middle ages, Japan was in a state of constant civil war with the ruling shoguns battling against each other via their aristocratic and dominant warrior class, the Samurai.

Prior to the beginning of the seventeenth century, the word Jiu Jitsu was not known or recorded but after the battle of Sekigahara and the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan was ruled by 15 successive Shoguns until the Meiji restoration in 1868. Although their rule was oppressive and insular, there was the opportunity to record and develop the martial art of Jiu Jitsu, as the Samurai were not in constant preparation for war.

During Japan’s turbulent Middle Ages, the Samurai had to be an expert in all fighting systems available to them; their fighting style was honed to become as efficient as possible and any extraneous techniques could result in their death on the battlefield. Therefore, as they wore armour to protect their vital areas, a striking art would be fairly useless as the vulnerable areas in the body were protected by bamboo. So if a Samurai found himself without his sword and any back up blades, the only way of defeating his opponent would be to grapple and wrestle his way to victory, or survival. And so the fighting style of Jiu Jitsu was developed.

During Japan’s more stable period, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was possible for Jiu Jitsu to evolve and separate into a martial art in its own right; the focus changing from battlefield survival to character development. It is reputed that during the mid-seventeenth century, a Chinese monk called Chen Juan Bin taught some Samurai a series of unarmed combat techniques. From these three Samurai, various different schools of Jiu Jitsu grew from a fusion of the Chinese methods and those tried and tested from the battlefield.

When Japan opened up to the West, there was a fascination for all things foreign, and the then traditional methods of Jiu Jitsu were falling out of favour. However, a school teacher called Jigoro Kano took up the study of Jiu Jitsu and further developed it into the sport of Judo and opened up his school Kodokan. Jiu Jitsu was introduced to Europe in 1899 by Edward Barton Wright, who fused the many styles to create his own system called Bartitsu. Jiu Jitsu was also introduced to Brazil in the early twentieth century, where the distinctive Brazilian style developed.

Training and Principles

There are currently hundreds of styles and variations of Jiu Jitsu, including classical, Brazilian and the more sport oriented Judo. However, they are all mostly centred about the concept of grappling, wrestling and ground work as opposed to the mainly striking arts such as Karate and Taekwondo. Although strikes are sometimes used as a feign prior to going to the floor, it is primarily the grapple, joint lock and submission techniques (often ending with a choke of some sort) that characterise this martial art.

Training and practise will vary from style to style but usually, this will involve a ranking system with colour belts for the junior or Kyu grades and a black belt ranking for the senior Dan grades. The training hall is called a dojo and the student often wears a uniform called a gi, which will vary in colour.

Students usually learn via demonstration and then practise, often with a senior grade. Katas are used; there are set ones for Judo where the Judoka may practise a set series of techniques with a partner that may include more dangerous self defence moves not suitable for sport. However, it is via the randori or free sparring that the student fully expresses their grappling skills. These techniques will include throwing, joint locks and possibly chokes whereby the recipient will ‘tap out’ when they have been defeated, thus avoiding any real damage to themselves.

Judo is currently an Olympic sport and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has become very popular due to its success in the Mixed Martial Art arena. There are hundreds of styles of Jiu Jitsu practised today but they all have roots in the traditional grappling fighting skills of the battlefield Samurai.

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