Ju Jitsu has not had a neat, organized history as many other Martial Arts have. It is easier to trace a Martial Art when there is a single source from which it began. It is more difficult to trace the roots that form the base of an art. Such has been the case with Ju Jitsu. 

            The practice of Ju Jitsu can be traced back in history more than 2,500 years. Ju Jitsu (Ju means gentle; Jitsu art) 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 Japanese legend one might be able to trace Ju Jitsu back to the ancient Japanese gods Kajima and Kadori who allegedly used the art to chastise the lawless inhabitants of an 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 Doddhidharma, 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). As legend has it, Boddidharma 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 training. 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.

Ju Jitsu Defined

            Stated simply Ju Jitsu is the gentle art of self-defense. This is a very simple definition for a very complicated art. It does have a more complex definition. If we look at the many characteristics of the art it will be possible to come up with a more complete definition, one that is more suitable for the serious student. 

            First, 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 more correctly, 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 to Ju Jitsu. Therefore; in addition to being a parent art, Ju Jitsu is also a combination of many of the more popular martial arts taught today.  Upon observing a practitioner of Ju Jitsu one will see flashes of each separate do (way, art). One will also see how many separate moves can be combined into an effective self-defense system.