| Part 1The Beginning | | | | an Olympic sport. Leg locks were not allowed, and |
| "Where did it all begin?"I don't think anyone can | | | | when a fight went to the ground, a player had only |
| answer this question with certainty, but there are | | | | 25 seconds to escape a hold or pin before the match |
| plenty of good hypotheses. Every culture has some | | | | was lost. These are a few of the rules that hindered |
| form of hand to hand combat in its history. Combat | | | | Judo as a realistic form of self-defense. Then why |
| without weapons usually appears in the form of | | | | did Judo flourish and why was it so great? Even with |
| wrestling and sometimes boxing. Looking at the | | | | all the rules and restrictions, the time-tested principle |
| history timeline, one good hypothesis is that the | | | | of "pure grappler beats pure striker," still holds true. |
| wrestling techniques of Jiu-Jitsu could very well have | | | | The fact remains that most fights, even those fights |
| come from Ancient Greece. Olympic games were | | | | occurring between strikers with no grappling |
| one of the Greek's strongest traditions. It is most | | | | experience, end up in a clinch. You see the clinch in |
| likely that along with Greek ideas, came one of its | | | | just about every boxing match, and hundreds of |
| most popular sports, Pankration. Pankration was a | | | | punches usually need to be thrown to end the fight |
| sport that involved both boxing and wrestling | | | | with a strike, which gives the grappler plenty of |
| techniques and became more popular to the Greeks | | | | opportunity to take his/her opponent to the ground, |
| than either of those sports individually. Pankration | | | | where a pure striker has no experience and is at the |
| would later be overshadowed by the Roman | | | | grappler's mercy.After a match-up between older |
| Gladiators, and then banned from the Olympics by | | | | styles of Jiu-jitsu and Judo at the Tokyo police |
| Christian leaders of the Roman Empire. Even though | | | | headquarters, Judo was named the national martial |
| new rulers would come and go, Greek customs and | | | | art in Japan. It was the official art used by law |
| ideas still reached India, where Jiu-Jitsu's foundation | | | | enforcement in the late 1800's, and continues to be |
| was likely to have been born. During Alexander the | | | | popular to this day. During World War II, many U.S. |
| Great's conquests (356 - 323 B.C.), he brought the | | | | soldiers were exposed to the art of Judo and |
| Greek culture to the areas he conquered. His | | | | brought it back to America with them. The first issue |
| conquests stretched all the way to India, where he | | | | of Black Belt magazine here in America (1961), |
| introduced the customs and ideals of Greek culture | | | | featured a sketch of a Judo throw and was a special |
| to the people of that area. Jiu-Jitsu wasn't being | | | | Judo issue.It wasn't until the birth of martial arts in |
| formally taught in Japan for over one thousand years | | | | Hollywood that the mystique of martial arts myths |
| after this. Many say that the Greek influence in India | | | | were catapulted to the public eye on a large scale. |
| led to the development of Kung Fu or more | | | | Here in the U.S. especially, Bruce Lee was one of the |
| appropriately, Wu Shu (martial arts) in China.The | | | | greatest catalysts for martial arts in the world today. |
| Chinese have a great deal of stories to support the | | | | Bruce Lee was actually a student of Judo and did |
| history of their martial arts. The general idea | | | | many studies on grappling while he was alive. He |
| embraced by most historians is that systemized | | | | criticized traditional martial arts as being ineffective, |
| martial arts techniques came from India along with | | | | but ironically spread more myths about martial arts |
| Buddhism (Bodhi Dharma). The concept here is that | | | | through his movies than almost anyone in martial arts |
| the Shaolin temple was built in the center of China | | | | history.Jigoro Kano was the founder of Judo, |
| and this is where Bodhi Dharma introduced Buddhism | | | | however, Judo is simply a style of Jiu-jitsu and not a |
| and Boxing (senzuikyo). (ref. Aikido and Chinese | | | | separate martial art. Kano was not the first to use |
| Martial Arts, Sugawara and Xing) The story that | | | | the name Judo, the Jiu-jitsu schools he studied at, |
| supports the idea of Jiu-Jitsu coming from China | | | | which would be the source of much of his Judo's |
| takes place around the time of the fall of the Ming | | | | techniques had used the phrase before he made it |
| Dynasty. It states that a man named Chingempin | | | | famous in the late 1800's.The first use of the name |
| came from Japan to live in Tokyo at a Buddhist | | | | Judo was by Seijun Inoue IV, who applied it to his |
| temple where he met three Ronin (masterless | | | | Jujitsu of Jikishin-ryu. Students of Jikishin-ryu Judo |
| Samurai) named Fukuno, Isogai, and Miura. Chingempin | | | | were not only expected to master its ninety-seven |
| told the Ronin of a grappling art he had seen in China. | | | | techniques, but to also develop into generous and |
| The Ronin became particularly interested in pursuing | | | | gentle-mannered individuals.Kuninori Suzuki V, the |
| the study of this art, so he then began teaching in | | | | Master of Kito-ryu (Kito means to Rise and Fall) |
| Japan, and this art became Jiu-Jitsu.The next theory | | | | Jiu-jitsu, changed the name of Kito-kumiuchi to |
| is that there was many forms of wrestling that had | | | | Kito-ryu Judo in 1714. The most important |
| developed in China. One of the most notable is Horn | | | | contribution that kito ryu would offer Judo was the |
| Wrestling, called Jiaodixi. This form of wrestling was | | | | principle of kuzushi (off-balancing), which is the key |
| practiced by the Mongolians and later evolved into | | | | to the throwing techniques of modern Judo. Jigoro |
| Jiaoli, which was wrestling without the horns. This | | | | Kano studied the judo of Jikishin-ryu and Kito-ryu, |
| form of wrestling can be seen in Native American | | | | and incorporated some of their concepts into his |
| cultures (evident in the typical Native American | | | | original system, which he named Kodokan Judo.Judo |
| Buffalo head wear) and most likely arrived there by | | | | is made up of many styles of Jiu-jitsu whose |
| way of Mongolians migrating through now modern | | | | masters Kano had studied with. The most notable |
| Alaska. Jiaoli evolved and became Xiangpu and it is | | | | were Jikishin-ryu, Kito-ryu, and later Fusen-ryu would |
| said that this form of wrestling became Sumo in | | | | be incorporated for its groundwork (ne waza) as |
| Japan. Another theory says that there were | | | | Kano would ask the style's head master, Mataemon |
| practitioners of Chikura Karube, a wrestling sport | | | | Tanabe for his syllabus. Yokiashi Yamashita (Kano's |
| developed around 200 B.C. It is said that Chikura | | | | Chief assistant) would add his knowledge of Yoshin |
| Karube later became Jiu-Jitsu in Japan.The last story | | | | Ryu ju jitsu and Tenshin shinyo Ryu ju jitsu, both of |
| mentioned here is that Jiu-Jitsu is Japanese and from | | | | which, he was a master.In 1912, Kano met with the |
| Japan. This story follows the same basic idea but | | | | remaining leader masters of Jiu Jitsu to finalize a |
| differs in that Chingempin introduced an early form of | | | | Kodokan syllabus of training and kata. Aoyagi of |
| Jiu-Jitsu (not yet called Jiu-Jitsu) called Kempo in | | | | Sosusihis Ryu, Takano, Yano, Kotaro Imei and |
| Japan, which consisted mostly of strikes and very | | | | Hikasuburo Ohshima from Takeuisi Ryu. Jushin |
| little grappling. From there, the Japanese developed it | | | | Sekiguchi and Mogichi Tsumizu from Sekiguchi Ryu, |
| into a more effective grappling art. One thing is | | | | Eguchi from Kyushin Ryu, Hoshino from Shiten Ryu, |
| certain about these stories, and that is that the | | | | Inazu from Miura Ryu and finally, Takamatsu, a |
| Japanese were responsible for refining a grappling art | | | | Kukkishin Ryu master, whose school specialized in |
| into a very sophisticated grappling system called | | | | weapons training.Before the formal meeting between |
| Jiu-Jitsu.Tracing the history of grappling techniques for | | | | Kano and the grandmasters of Japan's greatest |
| this book was quite interesting. In doing so, I decided | | | | Jiu-jitsu schools, a defining event occurred, which is |
| to look for some common threads between the | | | | one of the most historically important pieces of the |
| stories, which are:All ancient cultures had some form | | | | Brazilian Jiu-jitsu puzzle. By 1900, the Kodokan had |
| of grappling and unarmed fighting techniques. | | | | been challenging other Jiu-Jitsu schools in sport |
| The Greek culture gave its fighters the greatest | | | | competition and winning with throwing (standing) |
| financial and social rewards. The ancient Greeks | | | | techniques. Much of the Kodokan's status was built |
| conquered quite a bit of territory during the time of | | | | on the throwing skills of Shiro Saigo, a practitioner of |
| Alexander the Great, including the area that Jiu-Jitsu's | | | | Oshikiuchi, the art of Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu. Jigoro |
| techniques were said to have come from. | | | | Kano had actually enlisted the help of Shiro Saigo in |
| Wrestling did exist in China and Mongolia before | | | | order to win a famous tournament at the Tokyo |
| Jiu-Jitsu did in Japan, and it is interesting to note that | | | | police headquarters in 1886. This tournament, |
| this is where Native American wrestling most likely | | | | mentioned briefly earlier in this chapter, was Judo |
| came from by way of migration over the Alaskan | | | | (Kano's style of Jujitsu) vs. "old" Jujitsu. It is |
| Ice Bridge. | | | | interesting to note that Kano's champion was not |
| The pinning and throwing techniques of Jiu-Jitsu are | | | | originally a Judo student at all, but a student of an |
| very similar to, and in some cases, the same as | | | | older Jujitsu style, which in reality, defeated the |
| those of Greco Roman Wrestling.Development of | | | | purpose of having a Judo vs. Jujitsu tournament in |
| Jiu-Jitsu | | | | the first place.As I stated earlier, Judo was a |
| Jiu-Jitsu itself was developed in Japan during the | | | | collection of Jiu-jitsu styles, once such style was the |
| Feudal period. It was originally an art designed for | | | | Fusen Ryu. Fusen was a school of Jiu-jitsu which |
| warfare, but after the abolition of the Feudal system | | | | specialized in Ground Work (Ne Waza). In 1900, the |
| in Japan, certain modifications needed to be made to | | | | Kodokan challenged the Fusen Ryu school to a |
| the art in order to make it suitable for practice. | | | | contest. At that time Judo did not have Ne Waza |
| During Feudal times, Jiu-Jitsu was also known as | | | | (ground fighting techniques), so instead they fought |
| Yawara, Hakuda, Kogusoko, and an assortment of | | | | standing up, as Kano had been taught in both the |
| other names. The earliest recorded use of the word | | | | Tenshin Shinyo Ryu and Kito Ryu systems he |
| "jiu-jitsu" happens in 1532 and is coined by the | | | | studied. Both Kito Ryu and Tenshin Shinyo Ryu had |
| Takenouchi Ryu (school). The history of the art | | | | excellent striking skills and effective throws.When |
| during this time is uncertain because teachers kept | | | | Kodokan Judo practitioners fought the practitioners |
| everything secret to give their art a feeling of | | | | of Fusen Ryu Jiu-Jitsu, the Kodokan practitioners |
| importance and then would change the stories of | | | | realized that there was no way they could defeat |
| their art to suit their own needs.After the Feudal | | | | the Kodokan Judoka standing, thus they decided to |
| period in Japan ended (Jiu-jitsu was no longer needed | | | | use their superior ground fighting skills. When the |
| on the battlefield), a way to practice the art | | | | Kodokan fighters and the Fusen Ryu men began to |
| realistically was needed, which is why Jigoro Kano | | | | fight, the Jiu-Jitsu practitioners immediately went to |
| (1860--1938), a practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu, developed his | | | | the guard position ( lying on their backs in front of |
| own system of Jiu-Jitsu in the late 1800's, called Judo. | | | | their opponents in order to control them with the use |
| Judo was helpful because it allowed practitioners the | | | | of their legs). The Kodokan Judoka didn't know what |
| ability to try the art safely and realistically at the | | | | to do, and then the Fusen Ryu practitioners took |
| same time. The most important contribution Judo | | | | them to the ground, using submission holds to win |
| made to the practice of "Jiu-jitsu" was the concept | | | | the matches. This was the first real loss that the |
| of Rondori. Rondori was a form of sparing and | | | | Kodokan had experienced in eight years.Kano knew |
| contained a set of sportive rules that made practice | | | | that if they were going to continue challenging other |
| safe, yet realistic. Because of the sportive outlet | | | | Jiu-Jitsu schools, they needed a full range of ground |
| (rules that made practice safe), students of Jiu-jitsu | | | | fighting techniques. Thus with friends of other |
| from Kano's school were able to practice more | | | | Jiu-Jitsu systems, among them being Fusen Ryu |
| frequently due to the fact that they were not | | | | practitioners, Kano formulated the Ne Waza (ground |
| always recovering from injuries. This multiplies the | | | | techniques) of Kodokan Judo which included three |
| amount of training time for student's of Kano's school | | | | divisions: Katame Waza (joint locking techniques), |
| and drastically increased their abilities. Judo (Kano's | | | | Shime Waza (choking techniques), and Osae Waza |
| version of Jiu-jitsu) was watered down from the | | | | (holding techniques). This all occurs shortly before |
| complete form (of Jiu-jitsu), but still contained enough | | | | Judo arrives in Brazil, and serves as an excellent |
| techniques to preserve its realistic effectiveness. The | | | | suggestion as to why Brazilian Jiu-jitsu contains a |
| one problem that occurred was, in Kano's opinion, | | | | higher percentage of techniques on the ground than |
| ground work was not as important as achieving the | | | | most styles of Jiu-jitsu or Judo. Thus, we find |
| throw or take down, therefore ground fighting was | | | | ourselves faced with the impending development of |
| not emphasized in Judo and became weak in that | | | | Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil.Gene Simco is a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Black |
| system. Judo also began placing too many rules and | | | | Belt and author of several tuitles on the subject. |
| regulations on the art to make it more acceptable as | | | | |