Using And Practising The Traditional Weapons Of Jujitsu Using And Practising The Traditional Weapons Of Jujitsu

An ancient art of self defense, Juitsu can be traced back 2500 years,
although much of the history of jujitsu has been lost over the
centuries with other Asian cultures combining to form what we now call
Jujitsu. The first mention of Jujitsu can be dated around 772-481 BC
in Choon Chu, China. During this era empty hand techniques were used
as opposed to the later jujitsu weapons. Legend has it that the gods
Kajima and Kadori used the art against the people of an eastern
province as a punishment for their crimes.

It was in 525 AD that a Zen monk known as Boddidharma visited the
Shaolin monastery and combined Japanese –Kenpo and a form of yogic
breathing to form Shaolin chuan. Legend has it that he kept developing
this style and came up with go-shin-jutsu-karate, which translates to
self-defense art of the empty hand. It is believed that between 794
and 1185 AD, during the Heian period the empty hand technique was
taught to Samurai warriors as well as their weapons training, although
weapons did dominate during this period. In 880 Ad Prince Teijun
formed a school and taught the use of circular hand motions to help in
the defense from attackers with weapons. But it is Hisamori Teninuchi
who is given the credit for formalizing jujitsu in Japan in 1532 and
Jigoro Kano developed Judo in 1882 and this set the tone for a
combining of many skills used in competition today.

Today there are many forms of jujitsu, all based on the original
forms. Some styles using only hands and feet, others using weapons and
some a combination of all. Jujitsu weapons, especially the swords are
very ornate with expertly carved handles. The longest of the jujitsu
weapons is the bo or kon, which is a long staff, originally made of
tapered hard wood or bamboo. The art of wielding the bo is called
bojutsu. The bo is used to increase the force delivered in a strike,
through leverage. The Bo may also be thrown at an opponent. This
weapon mainly used for self-defense and can be used in combination
with kicks and blocks or in combined with other weapons or techniques.
Other weapons include the hanbo which is a three-foot staff, a katana
or long sword , wakizashi or kodachi which is a short sword, tanto
knife, or a jitte -short one hook truncheon. There is also an array of
other weapons used in jujitsu. Using and practicing with traditional
weapons of jujitsu needs excellent first hand instruction and involves
a lot of repartition to come somewhere close to perfecting the
techniques.

Although there are three main forms of jujitsu today there are
actually many styles with completions at all levels. Jujitsu weapons
also have their place in competition under very controlled rules and
regulations as with all martial arts codes which ensures safety for
competitors.

Yoshi E Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He covers the mixed
martial arts industry. For a free report on jujitsu weapons visit his
blog.

Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist covering the martial arts
world. Too much time at his computer eating donuts reduced him to
couch potato status. He's on a quest to recapture his youth and
fitness. You can read his blog at http://www.martialarts3000.com

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