By Brian Jessen., Member until 2011.
Like all other martial arts and martial arts, jujutsu was developed on the battlefield. In our own system's history, it is told that Yashin Mon Yakami no Taijutsu (taijutsu is an older term for jujutsu) was developed by Noro Suke no Kami to give his samurai extraordinary skills so they could perform better on the battlefields. It was developed from Yashin Mons's 8 forces but explained in terms of 12 more understandable main principles.
This means that a system was developed that the common samurai could use. A system that was faster and easier to learn based on the level of the time. A system which meant that you had a better chance of surviving on the battlefield.
I'm thinking though, which came first, the chicken or the egg. In the history of our system, it is Yashin Mon that is the original system, but it must also have arisen from something. It must also have arisen from the battles and battles that were fought. It must also have arisen from a need to survive, of which jujutsu, as we call it today, is a part of..
Because what is jujutsu. Jujutsu is a tool for survival, a tool for getting out of a situation alive and not with too many scratches. Jujutsu is the ultimate melee where everything counts. Be it hitting, kicking, tearing, stabbing, throwing, locking and strangulation. Everything counts, because the only thing that counts is survival.
Jujutsu is raw fighting. It's not something with fancy techniques, but it's brutal and violent.
On the old battlefields, where it was many against one, man against man, the situation could arise where you were unable to use your weapon, be it spear or sword. The situation could e.g. be that you had gotten so close to your opponent that you could not cut or stab your opponent. You may also not have the opportunity to use your kotachi, so the only option is jujutsu. Simply punch, kick or throw, so that the opponent is caught off guard and at a distance, so that you can use your weapon and thus neutralize him.
The situation could also be that you had lost your weapon. A truly desperate situation on a battlefield. Here it is about getting really close to your opponent so that he cannot use his weapon on you, knocking him out of his wits by punching or kicking while at the same time gaining control of his weapon, after which you e.g. breaks his arm with a lock, throws him and neutralizes him as soon as possible.
Things had to happen quickly, otherwise there would be other opponents. There was no time to create fancy techniques and see them work.
You also couldn't count on being able to knock out your opponent when you were wearing armor. One's punch or kick will not be able to knock out an opponent. It could shake him, but you had to follow up with other techniques to completely neutralize him.
In the modern age, you may ask yourself if you need jujutsu. You are not on a battlefield. There is no armor or swords, so in case you do get up and fight, your karate should probably be enough. It must be enough to just be able to punch and kick. It just turns out that it isn't. Most of the time you will get into melee, where your punches and kicks will not have much effect. It will have the effect of shaking one's opponent, but not knocking him out. One must remember that karate, like judo and aikido, comes from jujutsu. You cannot be content with knowing only one of the things. You have to be able to do it all, to have a chance of getting out of a dangerous situation with your life intact. It all ties together.
We are told all the time that we must take care of ourselves, we must be good to ourselves. In our karate training, we are constantly told that we must avoid being hit. In jujutsu 1, we were told to perform the falls in tai-chi form, that is, as slowly as we could, to avoid injury. In jujutsu 2 we were told to perform the throws as slowly as we could and feel the movements. The focus is always on getting us safely from step to step. That we learn the movements, that we learn to feel the techniques, that we learn that there is a flow from technique to technique.
All this, and more to come, is for us to get safely through a dangerous situation, should we one day be so unlucky. But not only that, we also learn more about ourselves. We learn to know our limitations and expand them. And in that way learn to accept ourselves as we are.
In jujutsu 1 we learned to fall correctly, in jujutsu 2 we learned to throw correctly and the next step is jujutsu 3 which will be melee/floor fighting. How many can't remember what it was like to fight with your sibling or friends for fun. You lay and fought on the floor, where almost everything went wrong, but also only almost, since you were friends.
On the street it is different. There are no rules here and you may just be yourself. If you get into a melee/floor fight situation there, it would be nice to be as prepared as possible. It will be nice to know what you yourself are capable of. Therefore, it is important for us to learn how to react in a melee/floor fight situation. And as always, this is done under pressure but realistic conditions.
During some of our black belt camps, where we fight man against man, we get into melee and the more tired we get, the faster we get into melee, which is a dilemma as you use a lot of strength in a melee/floor fight and therefore become even more tired. In the end, all that's left is the will. The will to get out of a dangerous situation as best as possible.
So what is jujutsu then. It's a fight in every way.
What is battle then. It is wanting to get out of a dangerous situation with one's life intact. How do you do it. You do this by having the right attitude and the will to live.
The essence of jujutsu: To want to survive by having the will and the right attitude.
