Judo is derived from Jujutsu. It was created by Professor Jigoro Kano who was born in Japan on October 28, 1860 and who died May 4, 1938 after a lifetime of promoting Judo. Mastering several styles of jujutsu including Kito-ryu and Tenjin-Shinyoryu in his youth, he began to develop his own system based on modern principles. In 1882 he founded the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo where he began teaching and which still is the international authority for Judo.
Judo was introduced into the Olympic Games in 1964 and is practiced by millions of people throughout the world today. People practice Judo to excel in competition, to stay in shape, to develop self-confidence.
Judo is best known for its spectacular throwing techniques but also involves considerable grappling on the ground, utilizing specialized pins, control holds, arm locks and submissions, and strangling or choking techniques. Judo emphasizes safety, and full physical activity for top conditioning. Judo is learned on special mats (tatami) for comfort and safety.
Judo is unique in that all age groups, both sexes, and most disabled persons can participate together in learning and practicing the sport. Judo is a year-round activity, that appeals to people from all walks of life regardless of age.
Judo develops self-discipline and respect for oneself and others. Judo provides the means for learning self-confidence, concentration, and leadership skills, as well as physical coordination, power, and flexibility. As a martial art that has evolved from a combat art, it develops complete body control, fine balance, and fast reflexive action. Above all, it develops a sharp reacting mind, well-coordinated with the same kind of body when you study Judo.
The Principle Goals of Judo
Judo, which is translated as the "gentle way", teaches the principle of flexibility in the application of technique. This is the flexible or efficient use of balance, leverage, and movement in the performance of Judo throws and other skills. Skill, technique and timing, rather than the use of brute strength, are the essential ingredients for success in Judo. For example, in Judo you may learn how to give way, rather than use force, to overcome a stronger opponent.
The principle goals of Judo, "Maximum Efficiency" and "Mutual Benefit", can be directly used in your dealings with others in life. The ultimate goal in Judo is to develop oneself to the maximum extent possible, always striving for perfection, so that you can contribute something of value to the world.
The Difference between Judo and Jujutsu
By The Founder Jigoro Kano, Shinan
Most people are no doubt familiar with the words jujutsu and judo, but how many can distinguish between them? Here, I will explain the two terms and tell why judo came to take the place of jujutsu.
Many martial arts were practiced in Japan during its feudal age: the use of the lance, archery, swordsmanship and many more. Jujutsu was one such art. Also called taijutsu and yawara, it was a system of attack that involved throwing, hitting, kicking, stabbing, slashing, choking, bending and twisting limbs, pinning an opponent, and defenses against these attacks. Although jujutsu's techniques were known from the earliest times, it was not until the latter half of the sixteenth century that jujutsu was practiced and taught systematically. During the Edo period (1603-1868,) it developed into a complex art taught by the masters of a number of schools. In my youth I studied jujutsu under many eminent masters. Their vast knowledge, the fruit of years of diligent research and rich experience, was of great value to me. At that time, each man presented his art as a collection of techniques. None perceived the guiding principle behind jujutsu. When I encountered differences in the teaching of techniques, I often found myself at a loss to know which was correct. This led me to look for an underlying principle in jujutsu, one that applied when one hit an opponent as well as when one threw him. After a thorough study of the subject, I discerned an a1l-pervasive principle: to make the most efficient use of mental and physical energy. With this principle in mind, I again reviewed all the methods of attack and defense I had learned, retaining only those that were in accordance with the principle. Those not in accord with it I rejected, and in their place I substituted techniques in which the principle was correctly applied. The resulting body of technique, which I named judo to distinguish it from its predecessor, is what is taught at the Kodokan.
The word jujutsu and judo are each written with two Chinese characters. The ju in both is the same and means "gentleness" or "giving way." The meaning of jutsu is "art, practice," and do means "principle" or "way," the Way being the concept of life itself. Jujutsu may be translated as "the gentle art," judo as "the Way of gentleness," with the implication of first giving way to ultimately gain victory. The Kodokan is, literally, "the school for studying the Way." As we shall see in the next chapter, judo is more than an art of attack and defense. It is a way of life.
To understand what is meant by gentleness or giving way, let us say a man is standing before me whose strength is ten, and that my own strength is but seven. If he pushes me as hard as he can, I am sure to be pushed back or knocked down, even if I resist with all my might. This is opposing strength with strength. But if instead of opposing him I give way to the extent he has pushed, withdrawing my body and maintaining my balance, my opponent will lose his balance. Weakened by his awkward position, he will be unable to use all his strength. It will have fallen to three. Because I retain my balance, my strength remains at seven. Now I am stronger than my opponent and can defeat him by using only half my strength, keeping the other half available for some other purpose. Even if you are stronger than your opponent, it is better first to give way. By doing so you conserve energy while exhausting your opponent.
This is but one example of how you can defeat an opponent by giving way. It was because so many techniques made use of this principle that the art was named jujutsu. Let us look at a few other examples of the feats that can be accomplished with jujutsu.
Suppose a man is standing before me. Like a log on end, he can be pushed off balance -- frontward or backward -- with a single finger. If at the moment he leans forward, I apply my arm to his back and quickly slip my hip in front of his, my hip becomes a fulcrum. To throw the man to the ground, even if he greatly outweighs me, all I need do is twist my hip slightly or pull on his arm or sleeve.
Let us say I attempt to break a man's balance to the front, but that he steps forward with one foot. I can still throw him easily by merely pressing the ball of my foot just below the Achilles' tendon of his advancing leg a split second before he places his full weight on that foot. This is a good example of the efficient use of energy. With only slight effort, I can defeat an opponent of considerable strength.
What if a man were to rush up and push me? If instead of pushing back, I were to take hold of his arms or his collar with both hands, place the ball of one foot against his lower abdomen, straighten my leg and sit back, I could make him somersault over my head.
Or suppose that my opponent leans forward a bit and pushes me with one hand. This puts him off balance. If I grab him by the upper sleeve of his outstretched arm, pivot so that my back is close to his chest, clamp my free hand on his shoulder and suddenly bend over, he will go flying over my head and land flat on his back.
As these examples show, for the purpose of throwing an opponent the principle of leverage is sometimes more important than giving way. Jujutsu also includes other forms of direct attack, such as hitting, kicking and choking. In this respect, the "art of giving way" does not convey the true meaning. If we accept jujutsu as the art or practice of making the most efficient use of mental and physical energy, then we can think of judo as the way, the principle, of doing this, and we arrive at a true definition.
In 1882 I founded the Kodokan to teach judo to others. Within a few years, the number of students rapidly increased. They came from all over Japan, many having left jujutsu masters to train with me. Eventually judo displaced jujutsu in Japan, and no one any longer speaks of jujutsu as a contemporary art in Japan, although the word has survived overseas.
Judo was developed by Professor Jigoro Kano from a martial art called Jujutsu (also spelled Jujitsu). Professor Kano opened the Kodokan Dojo in Tokyo, Japan in the year 1882 and started to train students in Nippon-Den-Kodokan-Judo. Judo, which means the "gentle way", is not only concerned with attack and defense techniques but the physical conditioning and total health that could be attained from its practice. The meaning of the word Ju (gentleness) denotes not resisting the strength of the opponent, adapting to it, and taking advantage of it by turning it to one's own advantage. The meaning of the word Do (way) denotes not just methods or techniques, but also signifies strict moral principles which are essential in striving for "Self-Perfection as a human being". The judo principle can be best expressed by the words left by Professor Kano (as translated in Keiko Fukuda, Born for the Mat (1973, pp. 9):
"The aim of judo is to utilize physical and mental strength most effectively. Its training is to understand the true meaning of life through the mental and physical training of attack and defense. You must develop yourself as a person and become a useful citizen to society."
Judo is considered to be a scientific and rational sport. Although all modern sports possess scientific attributes, judo, especially, is a sport with waza and movements based on scientific principles. The Japanese saying, ju yoku go o seisu (gentleness controls strength), aptly expresses judo's essence, which is based on physics and its scientific application of force principles. Use of strength against strength is not judo. To overcome a force with another force exceeding the opposing strength is nothing more than the use of strength and waza is not required. Judo, however, is mastering the skill of waza to readily fell an opponent using a force much less than the opponent's strength. In other words, the 'waza' takes advantage of the opponents force by using the physics principle for one's own benefit. If pushed, one moves back without resistance. If the opponent retreats, then one advances. A smaller person can throw a larger person through this application.
The phrase sei ryoku zen yo expresses the essence of judo's rational attribute. 'Seiryoku' refers to mental and physical forces and 'zenyo' means to put to good use. Together sei ryoku zen yo means to use one's own mental and physical forces to accomplish worthwhile goals most efficiently. This is to say, for performing any task (physical or otherwise), there will be a precise opportunity (or timing) when one's effort can most effectively be applied. The judo training is to master the alertness to detect such an opportunity and seize that instance to exert oneself to use one's own force most effectively. By learning and mastering the judo's essence from experience, we can always maintain composure, make decisions clearly, and foster self-esteem throughout our living in this complex society.
.....translated from Matsutaro Shibazaki, Judo (1974, pp. 11-12)
