With the ever increasing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts and organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championships, World Extreme Cage Fighting and Strikeforce, Jiu-Jitsu has become a more common term. But Jiu-Jitsu as it is known in the world of Mixed Martial Arts traces its roots far back to traditions that hail from both Japan and Brazil.
Japanese Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu finds it origins in feudal Japan (1185-1603 AD) when Samurai Warriors were the dominant force in the military. Jiu-Jitsu was developed as a form of unarmed combat to complement the weapons styles of the Samurai. Jiu Jitsu translates into “the gentle way” but is an effective form of self-defense that utilizes physics, the center of gravity, and specifics of the human body in order to throw effective punches, kicks, throws, and submissions.
The first Jiu-Jitsu school (or “Ryu)”) is said to be founded in 1532 by Takenouchi Hisamori . Takenouchi focused on the technique of Kogosoku, or “seizing”. Fukuno Schichiroemon later established the Kito-Ryu in the mid-seventeenth century, placing emphasis on Nage-Waza (throwing) and Kata (choreographed forms). A third branch of Jiu Jitsu, Jikishin-Ryu, was founded around the same time by Terada Kanemon.
With the fall of feudalism, Jiu-Jitsu faded into disuse until the late nineteenth century when Jiu-Jitsu student Jigoro Kano sought to combine the skills and traditions learned from the Tenshin Shin'yo Ryu and the Kito Ryu into his own style called Kodokan Judo.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is rooted in the Kodokan Judo founded by Jigoro Kano. The most distinctive feature Kano presented with Kodokan Judo was Randori, or open sparring. The majority of ancient Jiu-Jitsu disciplines based its training on series of choreographed attacks (kata). Kano sought to train fighters in real-life situations where improvisation tested the fighters’ ability to apply their skills. Kano also placed a greater emphasis on ground techniques including joint-lock submission, chokes and holds. Kano’s Judo came to be known as Kano’s Jiu-Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
In the early 20th century, Mitsuyo Maeda. prodigy of Jigoro Kano, expanded the world of Kodokan Judo to the United Stated, Great Britain, Europe, Mexico, Cuba, and Brazil. Maeda eventually settled in Brazil which held the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan at the time. In helping to expanding the Japanese immigration community, Maeda found help in the person of Gastao Gracie. As a way of showing gratitude for his help, Maeda taught Kano’s Jiu-Jitsu to Gastao’s son Carlos.
The birth of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracie legacy traces its way back to this time when Carlos Gracie then taught what he learned to his brothers Oswaldo, Jorge, Gastao, and Helio. The first Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school opened in 1925 and the Gracie brothers issued the famous “Gracie Challenge” to other fighters. These “vale tudo” or fights with no rules, incorporated the open sparring techniques learned from Maeda as well as further developing the unique style and rules of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on three main categories: self-defense, sport fighting, and sport grappling. All elements of these major categories place emphasis on succeeding in “street” or real world situations and teach how effective methods of defense can better even the odds between opponents of differing size and strength.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is undeniably rooted in Japanese Jiu-Jitso or Judo, but the greatest differences are said to be in the application of the skills. Japanese Jiu-Jitsu focuses more on standing techniques while Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on fighting on the ground.
Sources
http://www.facts-about-japan.com/feudal-japan.html
http://www.japanesejujitsu.org/
http://www.usjjf.org/articles/jujitsuP1.htm
http://www.jiu-jitsu.net/history.shtml
Jullie Chung - Jullie Chung has been a freelance writer since 2002 providing extensive copy for the industrial and medical fields. She has written copy ...
Join the Conversation