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Jujutsu was the art practiced by the warrior class of 11th to 18th century war torn Japan. Samurai, Ninja,
all the way down to the seemingly harmless mountain priests of the time, possessed some form of training in
Jujutsu.
Many sites list pages upon pages of somewhat accurate histories of Jujutsu lineage. It is not my intention
to rehash this information. I do however wish to dispel some myths. Jujutsu, for as long as Japanese culture
can remember has always been the “War art” or “Combat Art” of the country. Historical
pictures painted by many a famed artist show battlefields strewn with armour clad Samurai in combat. Lords atop
horses carrying out strategic movements with the help of hundreds of flag waving infantrymen. In reality,
according to many sources these are true depictions of the time. When warriors of the time were not in battle,
they were training for battle. Beautiful techniques performed with finesse and ballerina grace did not exist.
These were brutally direct techniques performed by a warrior in a kill or be killed situation.
The relaxed approach to the arts, “the gentle way” etc. is one of modern day. Peaceful times afford
us time to master techniques and acquire unbelievable grace doing them. This was not the case in medieval times.
A soldier needed to learn a handful of techniques fast and use them immediately. Most soldiers simply would not
live long enough to attain high levels of proficiency. Those techniques coming back from battle are what Jujutsu
is comprised of. Obviously the techniques that were not working died with the soldier who tried to perform them.
We no longer need the techniques to take life however, so a transition was made for the sake of peace and harmony
with our fellow man. Kenjutsu, or sword arts, become Kendo. Jujutsu after being stripped of many of the nastier
techniques became many arts, Judo and Hapkido being two; and rightly so. Performing techniques to remove an opponent’s eye,
ripping flesh from bones, & performing multiple bone breaks in a single motion would be frowned upon in today’s
competitive arena. Never mind the legal ramifications!
Like history in Europe and North America during eras like the cold war, Japan too, had those warriors who refused
to attack the enemy head on. Doing so, more times than not, would mean you would not return home. In a nutshell,
it is more tactically advantageous to not fight head on. More can be accomplished by simply using very small, highly
trained units or individuals to perform ‘surgical’ strikes and operate covertly. Hence, the Ninja is born;
and the tradecraft of such a warrior was something the world had not yet seen, and would not soon forget.
Hollywood exuded its influence over the world with the vulgar depiction of this warrior class in a string of low budget
films during the 1980’s. Typical of the industry, it included few facts, mostly fantasy mixed with wild coincidence
and folklore. Jujutsu itself is alive and well and regardless of movies and public opinion; remains a full comprehensive
fighting system, with historical ties and roots.
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