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Ju
Jitsu knew its period of the greatest diffusion in the
feudal Japan, during the age of the Tokugawa dynasty, in
the XVII century. It was practised by professional
soldiers, samurais and in a maybe rougher style, also by
farmers and by the poorest
classes, for a defence purpose. We must not forget
that at that time Japan was run through by gangs of
thieves of no scruples, who committed sacks and made raids
in all the country. It is told that Master ISO, one of the
greatest Masters of Ju Jitsu in history, found himself
passing by together with one of his students, near a poor
house of farmers just while one of these gangs was
committing a sack, threatening the frightened farmers with
weapons.
The
Master and his student, who were completely unarmed,
confronted the large group of thieves, to whom they gave a
very severe lesson which induced them to escape, leaving
the rescued victims half amazed and half joyful. Apart
from the anecdotes it must be said, however, that Ju Jitsu
had been practised in Japan for many centuries before
1600, but under other names, such as Kogusoku, Yawara,
Tode, Kumiuchi and others. During the centuries XVI and
XVII, thanks to the frequent trades and cultural exchanges
between Japan and China, Ju Jitsu underwent the influences
of the Chinese fighting systems, known as Chan Fa (later
as Kempo and Kung FU) that would integrate themselves as
time passed in the Japanese basis, until they became one,
with no differences between them. From this fusion Ju
Jitsu took the form we know nowadays. Afterwards a lot of
centres for teaching rose, each of which kept jealously
its own secrets. Each of these schools, called “RYU”
followed a precise stylistic setting out of its own. It
was in this way that the different styles of Ju Jitsu were
born. Some of these styles disappeared as time passed,
others have reached us. Among the most famous ones we cite
the YOSHIN RYU, the DAITO RYU, the KITO RYU, the
TAKENOUCHI RYU and many more. From some of these styles,
Judo and Aikido were created afterwards, with numerous
modifications.
In
1877 an edict was issued sanctioning the prohibition to
carry a sword, neither a long one (Katana) nor a short one
(Wakizashi). The need to be able to defend oneself
effectively also barehanded grew stronger.
All this helped the development and diffusion of Ju
Jitsu, bringing it to our time.
One
of the oldest and most important schools, from the birth
of Ju Jitsu, was the HONTAI YOSHIN RYU school. This school
was founded in 1600 by Oriemon Shigentoshi Takagi,
Sazaemon Inatobi’s second-born son, depository of the
Osu-Shiraishi clan of North Japan. When he was young,
Master Takagi, who was known as Umon, studied and then
taught the art of the lance, learnt from Danemon Muto of
the Kyochi Ryu school.
It
is said that Umon revenged his father’s death and then
changed his to Oriemon Shingentoshi “Yoshin Ryu”
Takagi, including in the name and in the fighting style
the philosophy of the willow-tree that bends in the
adversities while in front of them a rigid tree breaks.
The
philosophical premise of this ju jutsu is expressed by
means of its name itself:
Ø
HON
– actual, real, true
Ø
TAI
– body
Ø
YO
– willow-tree
Ø
SHIN
– heart, mind, spirit
In
other words, it is necessary to always adapt our body and
our heart as life’s adversities demand it, in the same
way as the willow-tree adapts itself to the storms without
breaking.
Nowadays
the HONTAI YOSHIN RYU school is divulged, both in Japan
and in the rest of the world, by the 18th SOKE
(the Head of the school) TSUYOSHI MUNETOSHI INOUE – 9th
DAN, senior member of the Nippon Kobudo Kyokai, which is
the Kobudo division of the Nippon Budokan.
He
is a Master in a lot of Martial Arts: JU JITSU, IAI, BO
JITSU, HAMBO JITSU and in the use of the KOTACI and in
TANTO. Moreover, he is an expert on the fighting with
bayonet.
Ju
Jitsu is divided into four groups of techniques:
1)
ATEMI
WAZA: percussion techniques,
delivered with hands, feet, elbows or knees in order to
hit the vital parts.
2)
KANSETSU
WAZA: techniques of luxation,
torsion or dislocation of the articular structure of
either the upper or lower limbs.
3)
NAGEWAZA:
techniques of projection,
unbalancing or mowing down of the opponent, delivered with
the aim of making the opponent fall to the ground.
4)
OSAEWAZA:
techniques of immobilization and of control
of the opponent, delivered both standing and lying on the
floor.
All
these techniques obey the principle of “Ju” (agility,
docility), that is the principle of “non-resistance”;
this means that the attack is generally neutralized
seconding the opponent’s strength avoiding it by means
of a dodge or intercepting it at the beginning of the
movement. The following step, connected to the previous
one, is the defence action which is transformed into
counterattack. The atemi strikes are mainly used to weaken
the adversary both physically and psychologically, in
order to be able to execute the subsequent action (projection,
immobilization, etc.) with the lowest expenditure of
physical strength possible. The term JU JITSU means
actually “art of docility, of amenability”.
A
saying of old Ju Jitsu was: “The weak one wins”. This
means that in this discipline victory is obtained not
indeed by means of the physical strength but of astuteness,
agility of the movements and inner concentration. We can
assert without doubt that Ju Jitsu represents the victory
of cleverness over brutality.
The
Katas of the Hontai Yoshin Ryu School
1)
Gyaku
no kata
– Study of the barehanded defence techniques
2)
Nage
no kata
– Study of the barehanded defence techniques
3)
Oku
no kata
– Study of the barehanded defence techniques
4)
Yoshin
no kata
– Study of the barehanded defence techniques
5)
Omote
no kata
– Study of the barehanded defence techniques
6)
Tanto
dori no kata
– Study of the techniques of defence from attacks
delivered with a dagger
7)
Hambo
no kata
– Defence with a short stick from attacks delivered with
a katana
8)
Bo
no kata
– Study of the defence movements with a long stick
9)
Kodachi
no kata
– Defence with wakishazhi from attacks delivered with a
katana
10)
Cho
bo kumitachi
– Defence with bo from attacks delivered with a katana
11)
Tachi
dori
– Barehanded defence from attacks delivered with a
katana
12)
Yoshin
iai no kata
– Study of the forms of extraction and attack with a
katana
13)
Toyama
ryu school
– Study of the forms of extraction and attack with a
katana
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