History of Jiu Jitsu

HISTORY OF THE ART OF JIU JITSU

JITSU is a modern style of the “gentle art” of Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu can also be translated as Jiu Jitsu, Ju Jitsu or called Yawara.

It is a method of fighting that can be unarmed or make use of weapons and employs holds, locks and throws to subdue an opponent.

Central to these techniques is the concept ju, from a Chinese character commonly interpreted as ‘gentle’ in the sense of yielding to an opponent’s direction of attack while attempting to control it. This is the concept of “Ju yoku go o sei suru”: “the soft conquers the hard”.

The methods of combat known as Jiu Jitsu are at least 2000 years old, with mention in Japanese mythology. The beginnings of Jiu Jitsu can be traced to the turbulent period of Japanese history between the 8th and 16th Century.

During this time, there was almost constant civil war in Japan and the classical weaponry systems were developed and honed on the battlefield. Close fighting techniques were developed as part of these systems to be used in conjunction with weapons against armoured, armed opponents.

The birth of Jiu Jitsu probably coincided with the origins of the Samurai class in 792 AD. The army at that time consisted of foot soldiers armed with spears. Officers were recruited from the young sons of the high families and schooled in archery, swordsmanship, and unarmed combat.Brian Graham

The Emperor Kammu built the Butokuden (Hall of the Virtues of War) as a formal school for these officers who became known as Samurai. Their name comes from the Japanese word for service, saburaui. The samurai worked for their masters, called shogun, who dominated political life from 1185 until 1868.

Initially samurai were illiterate rural landowners who farmed between battles. The progression from rural workers to ‘samurai’ took many centuries as they were increasingly called and relied on to defend the ruling classes.

The first publicly recognised Jiu Jitsu Schools (“ryu”) was formed by Takenouchie Hisamori in 1532 and consisted of techniques of sword, jo-stick and dagger as well as unarmed techniques. Because these techniques were designed for combatants wearing armour, the large leaping and kicking movements found in many other martial arts were not used in Jitsu.

Modern Jiu Jitsu is a very different art compared to the traditional Japanese Schools (koryu) that teach Jiu Jitsu alongside with the use of the sword, spear and other weapons. Trying to establish a link to the past with modern jiu jitsu styles is somewhat akin to trying to unscramble an egg, this is because many modern schools have taken aspects of other martial arts and combined them with their own.

THE HISTORY OF JITSU

Our “Jitsu” style of Jiu Jitsu was established by Pete Farrar. Pete was taught by Brian Graham and Brian by Mathew Komp. Each instructor’s style had significant differences to his mentor’s. Since Pete’s passing in 1997, the syllabus and styles of his students who now run Jitsu organisations in the UK (TJF & Aiuchi), Canada and Oceania have been equally dynamic. All do however share a common underlying philosophy and set of techniques.

Mathew Komp

Hanchi Mathew Komp (10th dan in Australian jiu jitsu) learned his jujutsu in Germany from various instructors including Wolfe & Hassermayer who may have trained in Japan prior to the World War II. The most likely lineage for Komp’s style point towards Kano’s early Judo and show a strong similarity in the Kodokan’s techniques of self-defence (Goshin Jitsu). His instructors may also have experienced Kenshiro Abbe who taught in Europe prior to teaching aikido & judo in the UK.

Komp, who also held grades in judo, aikido and karate, emigrated to Australia in 1953, where he founded German style jiu jitsu schools in Melbourne. In addition to jiu jitsu, Komp taught judo to his students. They wore their judo grades as belts and their jiu jitsu grades as a colour flash on their sleeves. An infrequent visitor to the club was Akira Miura (also referred to as Riukia or “Rocky” Myura), who was a Judo instructor at the Tokyo Police Academy in Japan. Komp was also visited by Chung Yung Kim a judoka from Korea. Komp visited Japan and did a little teaching. His style was described as ‘similar to Shorinji Kempo’. There are however no direct links to Shorinji Kempo.

Brian Graham

Komp taught Brian Graham who, having emigrated from the UK to Australia in 1958, later returned to the UK in the late 1960’s as a first dan in jujutsu (as well as a second dan in judo). Graham initially named his style ‘Shorinji Kempo Jiu Jitsu’, then later changed the name to ‘Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu’. This name reflects the superficial similarity to Shorinji Kempo (Shorinji) and its roots in Kano’s Judo/Jiu Jitsu (Kan). Graham established a ‘Samurai jujitsu’ club in Keighley, Yorkshire in 1969. In 1971 Brian received his second Dan, his third Dan in 1975, fourth in 1979 and fifth in 1983. Mathew Komp visited the UK in 1997, graded Brian to 6th dan and awarded him the title of Shihan.

Pete Farrar

One of Graham’s first students, Pete Farrar, who started learning jiu jitsu at the age of 9 in 1969, started a club in 1979 at Plymouth Polytechnic (now the University of Plymouth). Pete greatly changed his style from Brian’s and was responsible for the growth of Jitsu as we know it in the UK and abroad.

To cope with the administrative and organisational demands of the growing number of clubs, Pete founded an association called the National Samurai Jiu Jitsu Association (NSJJA). The NSJJA organised and ran national compettions, seminars and gradings. In 1990 the growing demands for Violence Awareness and Control & Restraint courses in the commercial sector (Studio III) required the reorganisation of the NSJJA into separate divisions as part of the The Jitsu Foundation (TJF) UK.

JITSU UK

Jitsu in the UK was initially largely driven by Pete Farrar and much of its success can be attributed to his charismatic leadership. After Pete died the Foundation continued to grow in the UK under the direction of Directing Tertiary Fellows Dave Walker, Andy MacDonald, John Hamer & Steve Allison. Currently there are approximately 100 TJF clubs in the UK.

In 1993 Aiuchi Jitsu, headed by Julian Jones, split off from the UK’s TJF. In 1998 Richard Catterick established Seishin Mizu Ryu Tatakai Jutsu in Exeter. Each of these organisations have about a dozen clubs. Smaller splinter groups were established in 1997 by Greg Regan in Plymouth; in 2000 by Paul Golz in Edinburgh; and in 2012 Paul Lemar set up Pure Jiu Jitsu UK.

JITSU INTERNATIONAL

Jitsu Foundation derived organisations have been established both in the UK and around the world: Europe The first overseas Jitsu clubs were part of the Cyprus Jitsu Association (CJA), started by Andy Wallace in 1989 and then instructed by Jules Robson from 1992-97. The Limassol club was recently reopened by Andreas Stylianou. Rolland King moved to Holland in the early 1990’s and has a club in Amsterdam. In 1995 Chris Spencer has set up his own style in Finland. North America In 1993, Andy Dobie moved to Canada and started Jitsu Canada. This is by far the largest international organisation and has a multitude of clubs mainly in Ottawa and Brittsh Columbia. In 1995, Mike Mallen opened his club in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. Africa In 2005 Davis Cook founded Jitsu South Africa and there are currently 2 clubs at the Universities of Pretoria (Christiaan Steyn) and Johannesburg (Wesley Parkin).

In 2002 Jitsu Australasia was founded by Simon Ogden (Wellington) and Rowan Searle (Sydney). Its chief instructors were Jules Robson & Lorne Roberts (Auckland). The Wellington club (an amalgamation of the town and Victoria University Clubs) was taught in turn by Simon Ogden, Andy Bickerton, Alex Sumner and Paul Huston. In 2010 Simon Ogden opened a new club in Masterton.

In Sydney, the initial club was at University New South Wales and was taught by Rowan Searle and then Simon Crook. This closed in 2006. In 2010 Doug Austing opened a Penrith club in the Blue Mountains and in 2011 Jason Himes opened a Sydney town club in the Eastern Suburbs.

In December 2011 Jitsu Australasia was formally closed and has now been rebranded as Jitsu Oceania. In 2012 two new clubs were opened by Tim Travail in Melbourne and Lorne Roberts and Jules Robson in Auckland.

Simon Ogden has established a separate organisation; Jitsu New Zealand.