Shobudo Jujitsu History
What little I have to say on this page is vastly expanded by the web-sites I've listed below and the literature I have in the bibliography. I would suggest to anyone interested in a more than cursory examination of Japanese martial history to start by reading these books and perusing the more in-depth websites.
I am introducing Japanese martial arts history and specifically that of jujutsu here because Shobudo Bujitsu Jujitsu is a Japanese jujutsu style and as such is shaped by the societal and historical pressures that come to bear on any cultural artifact. I won't deal with other martial arts here, except in a more peripheral manner, as they may have influenced or been influenced by jujutsu.
Jujutsu & Grappling
Japanese martial arts history begins in the pre-history of Japan. The legendary founding of Japan was by the god Amaterasu and the emporers, descendants of Amaterasu, were given a sword, mirror, and jewels (The Three Treasures) as a sign of godly favor. The sword has always been a part of Japanese history, both as a symbol and as an actuality of the many wars that were waged throughout the country. Wherever humans practice with weaponry, methods of using them will be discovered and passed down, and the Japanese culture is no different. Little is known about actual Japanese martial arts until writing was introduced from China in the 8th century AD (I'll be using the modern western calender for my own convenience). However, some of the oldest known chronicles contain references to martial concepts and even actual contests. One, recounted in the Nihon Shoki, is a fight between two wrestlers before the Emperor. The winner fractures the loser's ribs with a kick and then, after he falls to the ground, tramples him, breaking his hip and causing his death. This bout is considered to be the apocryphal origin of combative sumo and thence all Japanese open-handed arts (encompassing sumo, sumai, yoroi kumiuchi, kenpo, koshi-no-mawari, wajutsu, hakuda, taijutsu, torite, yawara, kogusoku, jujutsu/jujitsu, judo, aikijujutsu, aikido, and a host of other terms used to describe these arts).
For much of Japanese history and that of many other cultures, the pre-eminent martial arts were those that utilized weapons. Specifically, those that utilized the weapons used for warfare. These, in Japanese culture, were the spear (yari), the polearm (naginata), the sword (katana or tachi), and the bow (yumi). Grappling and associated secondary armaments, were taught, but not as primary arts, as they were of limited use on the battlefield. The use of grappling and weaponry such as knives (tanto), staves (bo), thrown weapons (shuriken), rope-tying techniques (hojojutsu), and other secondary weapons was primarily taught as techniques of last-resort or something that one would use if one's primary weaponry was lost, broken, or otherwise unavailable. In short, not the most effective techniques for that situation.
The emphasis on battlefield weapons held true throughout much of early Japanese history, until the 15th and 16th centuries, when styles arose that were more oriented towards secondary weapons. One such style was the Takenouchi-ryu, a style of both grappling (kogusoku) and weapons training that focused primarily on the grappling and secondary weapons, rather than katana, yari, or naginata. The reason that we know of this style is that it survives to this day (Takenouchi-ryu). There may have been other specific styles of jujutsu-like emphasis that existed previous to this one, but they have no record of existence, even in the histories of the earliest jujutsu schools (such as the Takenouchi-ryu or the Yagyu Shingan-ryu).
In the following 3-4 centuries, approximately 700 jujutsu styles were formed, many of which then died off after a few generations of transmission, being absorbed into other schools or passing into oblivion upon the death of the sole remaining fully licensed instructor. During this time, the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan and there was relative peace. This resulted in what many samurai (the warrior class) bemoaned as the failing of the martial arts, declining into mere spectacles for entertainment and losing their combative focus. As a result of this relative peace, there was great fragmentation of the martial arts, leading to the proliferation of different styles. This is thought to be because there was insufficient social/evolutionary pressure on the arts to remain focused on combative applications. This may also be because the decrease in combative application (ie. the reduction in open warfare) created fertile ground for more civilian-/peacetime-oriented applications of the arts. This could be seen as the "Golden Age" of jujutsu, if not of martial arts in general (particularly the battlefield arts).
The greatest decline in jujutsu occurred during the latter half of the 19th century, following the introduction of modern Western culture (rather forcibly imposed by Admiral Perry and his Black Ships) to Nippon. With the increasing popularity of Western modes of dress and some aspects of Western culture, combined with the reforms of the Meiji Restoration, the samurai class was formally dissolved and much of the martial arts culture that accompanied that class was thrown into disrepute or lost due to indifference. For jujutsu, this cumulative loss resulted in the formation, by Jigoro Kano, of a jujutsu style that was also meant to preserve some of the techniques of other, fading styles (such as Tenshin-shinyo ryu,Kito ryu, and other styles). This style, first known as Kano jujutsu, would later become Kodokan Judo. The integration of new forms of training and a more physical fitness oriented approach, combined with recruitment of numerous jujutsuka from other styles and a narrow victory in a challenge match against several other jujutsu styles, led to the continuation of this new style and method of jujutsu (judo). One of the early judoka (Maeda, a travelling practitioner of early Kodokan judo) was the original instructor of the Gracie family, modern-day creators of the Brazilian Gracie jujutsu style.
It was in the latter part of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th that Sokaku Takeda developed the art of Daito-ryu aikijujutsu. This style of jujutsu encompassed a wide range of techniques and emphasized the use of aiki- (energy blending). The founder was reknown for his punishing techniques and ability to use them in real-life encounters. This style was then the progenitor for another martial art of the 20th century, Aikido, founded by Morihei Ueshiba, a student of Takeda. Aikido has since gone through many iterations, ranging from the more straight-forward, "harder" technique of Yoshinkan Aikido (founded by Gozo Shioda) to the much softer Ki Society Aikido, and even Tomiki aikido, an amalgam of aikido and judo created by Kenji Tomiki, an aikido instructor sent by Ueshiba to study judo under Kano (after seeing a demonstration put on by the Kodokan). Another offshoot of Daito-ryu aikijujutsu is Hakko-ryu jujutsu, as well as the Korean art of hapkido.
Web links
Jujutsu History
Kano & Kata - Essay by Steve Cunningham in response to one by Geoff Gleeson. Good insight into the history of Kano's development of Judo and the early art.
Jujutsu & Karate - Great article on the use of atemi in Japanese jujutsu.
Martial Arts of Japan: Koryu.com - Great site for all sorts of info on traditional Japanese martial arts (koryu), history & resources.
Jujutsu & Taijutsu - Article by Meik Skoss on the evolution of jujutsu.
Japanese History
Chronology/Timelines
Period Names
Draeger, Donn. Classical Bujutsu, Classical Budo, Modern Bujutsu & Budo. This 3-volume set was the first out in English on the broad topic of the martial arts of Japan. Not necessarily completely accurate, but a great introduction and far beyond anything else available in English now or then.
Draeger, Donn & Robert Smith. Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Again, not completely accurate, but far ahead of its time.
Hurst, G. Cameron. Armed Martial Arts of Japan: Swordsmanship & Archery.
Ratti, Oscar & Adele Westbrook. Secrets of the Samurai.
Ratti, Oscar & Adele Westbrook. Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere.
Pranin, Stanley. Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu.
Mol, Serge. Classical Fighting Arts of Japan: A Complete Guide to Koryu Jujutsu.
Sato, Hiroaki. Legends of the Samurai.
Skoss, Diane. Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Vol. 1. Highly recommended for anyone interested in koryu (traditional) Japanese martial arts.
Skoss, Diane. Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Vol. 2.
Skoss, Diane. Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Vol. 3.
Friday, Karl. Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan.