BUJUTSU - armed and unarmed combat
During the civil war period in feodal period in Japan, developed a series of Martial Arts to perfection. The Japanese military, samurai, devoted themselves from childhood to learn and continuously improve these Martial Arts, both armed and unarmed.
Samurai dominated above all a series of arms, especially the Japanese, curved sword katanas (iaijutsu), forged by the two kinds of steel, sharp as a razor blades. But he was also a master with bow (Kyu-jutsu), spear (so-jutsu and naginata-jutsu) and smaller (sometimes hidden) arms.
Samurai were trained in the school, ryu, who preferred by the clan he belonged. Each school had its tecniques for the armed or unarmed battle, even if individual schools could specialize in certain forms. A summary name for Martial Arts was bujutsu (bu = martial or battle, jutsu = art or knowledge). The warriors called bushi (shi = a man).
Although unarmed bujutsu included in most ryus syllabus, they are not identified as Ju-jutsu from the start. This word came into use only after the long period of civil war has broken out and the shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa seized power. Shogun was the military Commander-in-Chief (Chief of Defence Staff), and the social system which, through the Tokugawa-era was designed from 1609 was a hard-controlled military dictatorship.
All but samurai - which is closest to compare with our noble knights during the Medieval - was forbidden to carry swords and other weapons. Samurai had rights and obligations that are difficult to understand for those who live in a modern time. He had the right to execute a person on foot is already standing for an insult or whether it happened to touch his sword.
Many of the techniques used in samurai in olden times Japan is inconceivable that self-defence in today's Sweden. Samurai, however, also had a very high morals and was guided by a complex regulatory code of honour, bushido. Samurai was also learn flower arrangement, calligraphy and zen meditation etc. as mental training and to develop their intellect.
Tokugawashogunat completely isolated Japan from the outside world and was to fall far behind Europe in both the industrial and scientific development. This old feudal system and mentality preserved intact until the 8 July 1853 when Admiral Matthew C. Perry sailed into Tokyobukt with a large American Navy consisting of warships, and forced the Japanese to open their country and for the first time sign a peace and friendship document with a western country.
In a fightsituation samurai could lose his favorite weapon, the sword. Maybe he wanted not even condescend to use some techniques without the sword. Or also needed training with the sword completed by the other kind of unarmed training for defence. These unarmed system came from the 1600s that called for Ju-jutsu or Yawara.
The various ryu taught in their various Ju-jutsu system, and it has anticipated that during the 1600s, there were over 700 different Ju-jutsu system.
The different styles, however, had a common principle, to use the principle of ju. This word can be translated in many ways. The most common is softness. But of course, can also mean flexible and aim on the ability to rapidly changing technology and approach. Soft can also be seen as the opposite of hard - as the steel in the sword.
Sometimes the concept of jujutsu is written in English like jiujitsu and it is a Western way of write the name.
From jujitsu comes the new arts of Martial Arts like judo and aikido. These, as well as some other MArtial Arts jointly called for "Budo" coming from te Bujutsu. Budo means the way to the development of the mentally by zen exercises, which applies the principles of zen in Martial Arts.
By zen removed the reflective thought, so that it is instinctively in all situations, could zen warriors involvement in the battle to become fully and without inhibiting thoughts. He got the maximum opportunities in all respects and, therefore, it became natural to train MArtial Arts as zen-ways (zendo), which comes under the heading budo.
The rest of the population who were not samurai, was an increasing need to be able to defend itself not only against samurais but also against bandits, pirates and other criminals. But they were not aloud to carrying any weapons at all.
As a result, the people of Okinawa began practicing with they tools used in their daily work. These tools made that they was better armed and perhaps could survive a threatening situation, especially against armed attackers and samurais.
The art of dealing with these tools is called kobudo and kobujutsu and techniques refined and developed especially on Okinawa and the other Ryukyu islands, south of Japan.
Also techniques without weapons, intended for the civilian population, was developed greatly in Okinawa with influence especially from China. This system of self defence called on Okinawa for Te, Ti, Tode (Chinese hand) and later for karatejutsu.
The system was presented in Japan for the first time in 1916, where it became very popular and began later called for karate (karate-do), the empty hand. Karate was adapted ago to modern society and also competitions developed since karate became a popular sport for all and was taken to the Physical Education in all schools.
Our Bujutsu is based on several traditional Japanese Martial Arts, where the oldest of these is several hundred years old with roots in China and Okinawa, but in our Bujutsu also includes Japanese and modern self defence, all the aspects of the starting point in taijutsu - unarmed combat.
The techniques of Bujutsu stretches far back into the Japanese military history but also the civilian population's will to survive in a threatening situation in China and on the island of Okinawa.
The link to the battlefield and the Martial Arts of the samurais is alive, but the feeling that face an opponent in battle is timeless and that makes the Bujutsu even today is a versatile, effective and interesting training and development to all people who are interested in Martial Arts, Japanese culture, or self defence.
In Bujutsu there is no competitions, and you will find the personal development by the training. Your most difficult opponent is also yourself.
Bujutsu is not only one Martial Art, but several complementary to each other. Do you want to learn bujutsu you should start with the unarmed part of Bujutsu, called for Karatejutsu.
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