It is widely thought that China and Japan are where the ancient martial arts were developed, but little is really know as fact. We do know that in 1532 Japan founded the takenouchi-ryu martial art system where jujitsu was taught, and over the next 700 years these namely self-defence arts were studied and practiced by the famous Samurai warriors. Most martial arts were unarmed combat. There were over 700 different forms of jujitsu systems by the mid 1800’s.
We explore briefly below some of the most well-known:
Judo – the gentle way
Dr Jigoro Kano (known as the Father of Judo) adapted the ancient art of jujitsu back in 1882, adjusting techniques in order to create a new form, taking out the more dangerous elements of the art. He opened up Judo schools encouraging pupils to learn Judo as an art and a sport, educating both the body and mind.
Karate – the way of the hand
The earliest form of Karate (or Kempo as it was originally known) was founded on the Ryuku island of Okinawa back in the 17th Century and came to Japan in the 1920’s. An un-armed martial art, Karate literally means “empty hands”. Over the ages, Karate techniques have been perfected and today there are 4 main styles: Goju-ryu, Shito-ryu, Shotokan, and Wado-ryu.
Kendo – the way of the sword
This martial art is armed combat, a form of fencing, where opponents use a two-handed wooden sword and protective armour. The art of sword fencing, combined with the influence of Zen Buddhism was widely practiced by the Samurai warriors and led to the development of Kendo. Bamboo swords (Shinai) were introduced in 1711 for the purposes of training.
Aikido – the way of harmony of the spirit
An un-armed martial art, focussing on throwing techniques and the use of momentum to gain advantage of your opponent, Aikido was not used to kill, rather than to overthrow the enemy. Originated from the 14th Century, taking elements from jujitsu, the art was formalised by Morihei Ueshiba in 1942.