Ju-Jitsu (JU - gentle/soft; JITSU - art), a Japanese System of Martial Arts in which the strength and weight of an opponent are used against him by means of anatomical knowledge and principle of leverage. Included in this soft or gentle art are methods (fists, fingers, elbows, feet etc.), throwing, constrictions (pins and chokes), joint locking, bondage, and weaponry. Ju-Jitsu has not had an organized history as many other martial arts have. The knowledge was given and pass on orally and secretly from teacher to student, master to disciple, father to son for hundreds of years.

The practice of ju-jitsu can be traced back in history more than 2,500 years. Ju-Jitsu developed from many individual teachings that either originated in Japan or found their way to Japan from other Asian countries. In 2674 B.C. the first mention of martial arts comes from Huang-Di (China) who founded Wu-Su (martial arts), a concept in which the body was used for self - defense purposes. Going far back into ancient Japanese legend one might be able to trace ju-jitsu back to the ancient Japanese gods Kajima and Kadori who allegedly used art to chastise the lawless inhabitants of and eastern province.

The first dated mention of ju-jitsu was during the period 772 - 481 B.C. when open-hand techniques were used during the Choon Chu era of China. In A.D. 525 Boddhidrarma, a Zen Buddhist monk, traveled from India to China, visiting the Shaolin monastery. He soon combined Chinese Kempo (Kenpo in Japanese) with Yoga breathing to form Shaolin Chuan Fa - Shorinji Kenpo in Japanese (Shorinji is the Japanese spelling of the Chinese Shaolin. The Shaolin monastery is considered to be the source of Sil Lum Kung Fu). As legend has it, Boddhidrarma eventually developed the system further into what became Go - Shin - Jutsu - Karate (self-defense art of open hand).

In 230 B.C. the wrestling sport of Chikura Kurabe developed in Japan and was integrated into Ju-Jitsu. Approximately 2,000 years ago there is also mention of the development of wrestling and related techniques that served as the base of Ju-Jitsu. There is evidence that empty - hand techniques were in use during the Heian period (A.D. 794 - 1185) in Japan, but in conjunction with weapons training for samurai. In AD 880 Prince Teijun (also known as Sadagami) formed the Daito - Ryu Aiki Ju-Jitsu School. Daito - Ryu Aiki Ju-Jitsu was based upon the secret teachings of Shugendo (SHU - search, KEN - power, DO - way), the eventual source of Kendo, which used circular hand motions to assist in defending oneself with weapons. It was from this school that Morihei Uyeshiba took portions of the art to start his own system of Aikido in 1925.

Most of the actual credit for founding the formal art of Ju-Jitsu goes to Hisamori Teneuchi who formed the school of Ju-Jitsu in Japan in 1532. In 1559 Chin Gen Pinh, a monk, migrated from China to Japan, bringing Kempo with him, parts of which were integrated into the current teachings of Ju-Jitsu. During the Tokugawa era (circa. 1650) Ju-Jitsu continued to flourish as a part of samurai training.

The next historical phase of Ju-Jitsu, which had gone into decline with the closing of the Tokugawa era, was in 1882, when Jigoro Kano developed the sport of Judo in order to increase the popularity of the martial arts and to provide a safe sport using selected techniques taken from the art of Ju-Jitsu.

Ju-Jitsu is what might be called a Parent Art. A parent art is an art from which other martial arts develop. Since ju-jitsu has such a broad history it was inevitable that other arts, or " Ways " would evolve from it. Judo (Gentle Way) and Aikido (the Way of the Mind and Spirit) can trace direct lines to Ju-Jitsu. Many styles of Karate, especially Kenpo, can also trace some of their techniques back Ju-Jitsu. In addition to being a " parent art ", Ju-Jitsu is also a combination of many of the more popular martial arts taught today. Ju-Jitsu is a series or combination of techniques that have been separated into other arts.

More than 725 systems of Ju-Jitsu were developed in Japan. Most of the modern Japanese " Do " forms (Judo, Aikido, Karate-do etc.) are rooted in ancient Ju-Jitsu. These developed primarily as sport, eliminating many techniques to minimize the possibility of injury to the contestants.

Ju-Jitsu made its way into the United States in the early 20th century. There are historical accounts that indicate President Theodore Roosevelt practiced Ju-Jitsu. A significant influx of the art was first felt in Hawaii and on the Pacific Coast of the United States in the period between 1920 - 1940, during which time a number of Japanese migrated from Japan. A second influx was felt following World War II when a number of United States military men returned from tours of duty in Japan.

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