AIKI JUTSU & JU JUTSU
Aiki Jutsu and JuJutsu, are Martial Arts probably developed from or in parallel with Daito Ryu Aikijutsu, the only "soft style" Japanese Martial art that I can trace back to the 11th century with any degree of certainty. The category of "soft arts" defines those styles that work by moving to deflect or avoid an attack rather than meet it head on, they are not soft in the sense of easy or ineffective (Soft could also be translated as gentle, pliable or flexible, so take your pick)!! Both styles use controlled aggression to work against an opponents movements and control or disable him, using blocks (hard & soft), locks, throws and Attemi (strikes). Anger forms no part of the arts, it clouds judgement and the ability to function and fight effectively and is not tolerated in the Dojo. The key to any of the martial arts taught within the Fraternity is relaxation, but there is no real or deep philosophy within JuJutsu or AikiJutsu, especially when compared to Aikido , only winning and surviving. The main difference between AikiJutsu and JuJutsu is the amount of movement within any particular technique, with Aiki Jitsu being slightly more flowing with a tendency to larger movements and JuJutsu having a tighter, more direct approach, sometimes referred to as the path of the small circle. Both styles accentuate strikes as a primary disabling movement but JuJutsu is more pragmatic in the type of technique used. Modern JuJutsu borrows good techniques from many other styles and adapts them to fit within the general framework of the art. I nstructors in these two styles believe that they are the best all round defensive systems in the world, although exponents of other Martial Arts, fairly predictably would tend to disagree. Daito Ryu Aikijutsu is believed to have started during the 11th century being taught only to those within the clan of one particular warlord. Two of the more prominent names associated with this Art were those of the brothers Minamoto No Yoshimitsu and Yoshie Minamoto who helped develop the styles both on and off the battlefield. They codified and wrote down all of the impromptu techniques that had been developed by warriors and also studied the bodies of the dead and wounded to enable them to develop more effective forms of unarmed combat. Remember that these techniques were primarily intended for warriors who had somehow lost their weapon and were facing an heavily armed opponent, they had one chance at most! A later revered master within the art of AikiJutsu was Sokaku Takeda he was a descendant of the two brothers and the link between the rapidly modernising Japan of the 19th Century and the time of the Samurai. He helped preserve the "secrets " of the Art and made sure that they were available to later generations when they once more became interested. One of his most well known students was Morei Ueshiba who went on to develop the defensive parts of AikiJutsu and JuJutsu into the modern art of Aikido, modern in concept, but based on a thousand years of tradition.
