I - BJJ History (Part 1) - The Birth of Japanese JU-JUTSU

I – The Birth of Japanese JU-JUTSU The history of Japan and the Samurai -Ancient Japan (up to 710) -Nara and Heian (710-1192) -Kamakura (1192-1333) -Muromachi (1338-1573) -Azuchi-Momoyama (1573-1603) -Edo (1603-1868) -Meiji (1868-1912) -Taisho e Showa (1912-1945) -Post war (1945 until present date) -During the Heian period, powerful families contracted warriors (bushi) to form a private guard. The central government is weakened and these families start to take over political power. -The so-called samurai are the warriors (bushi) hired by these powerful clans. -In the Kamakura period, families of warriors come to power. Samurai will dominate Japan for the next 700 years. The supreme military chief is called Xogum. -Between 1,467 and 1,615 there is an intense period of civil war, known as Sengoku. -Schools of warriors, known as “Koryu bu-jutsu”, are more concentrated on the use of weapons. There were also techniques for unarmed fighting, but they were not the focus. -Solidification of the samurai class - warriors trained in bujutsu. Edo Period (1603-1867) -Period of peace -Unification of Japan. -Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes the Xogum. -Closing of Japanese ports to the west. -Prohibition of the use of weapons for those who are not samurai. Appearance of schools that emphasize fighting without weapons, known as Koryu Ju-Jutsu. -Koryu Ju-Jutsu becomes very popular and dozens of styles are developing. Meiji period (1868-1912) Crisis in the government and the fall of the Shogunate system. -Opening to the west -Ocidentalization of Japan and denial of traditional Japanese culture, such as Ju-Jutsu. -Extinction of the samurai class. -Decline of Traditional Ju-Jutsu schools, which are beginning to be seen as something old, outdated and meaningless. -Teachers of Ju-Jutsu start looking for other jobs. -Violent challenges between schools to see “which is better” worsen the image of Ju-Jutsu schools. -Jigoro Kano was born in 1.860 and started training Koryu Ju-Jitsu at the age of 16. He becomes an expert in 2 styles of Ju-Jutsu, Tenjin-Shinyo Ryu and Kito Ryu. -The modern martial arts schools emerges, they are called Gendai Budo.