Judo has its origins in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, a system of hand-to-hand combat. The bushi of feudal Japan (samurai) are generally credited with developing jujutsu (in their day, the art was known as Yoroi kumi-uchi, a method of wrestling for fighters clad entirely in Japanese armor). However, the Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of the Japanese Nation) documents public bare-handed competitions (hikara-kurabe) dating back to 230 BC. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayJujutsu has been known by many names throughout Japanese history: taijutsu, yawara, kempo, kugusoku, kumiuchi, koshinomawan. What is unique about this art is that it does not use brute force to defeat an opponent, but rather skill, finesse and flexibility. Economy of energy, balance and grace were the exceptional characteristics of the good jujutsu practitioner. Unlike the Western hand-to-hand fighter, the jujutsu fighter had to be soft and malleable, winning by appearing to yield. In its classical form, during the feudal period, jujutsu was part of bushi training, along with archery, spear fighting, fencing, horsemanship, maneuvering and etiquette. Its importance grew with the rise of the bushi class after the end of the Heian period. During later periods of Japanese history (Kamakura, 1185-1336; Muromachi, 1336-1573 until the Tokugawa period, 1603-1868), the art became more diverse and specialized, being taught in schools (ryus ). Ryus organized around different aspects of art, carrying on the vision of its founders. The schools differed in their priorities and strategy. Some specialized in throwing (nage), others in ground work (osae, shime, kansetsu) and still others in striking (atemi). When it came to strategy, some schools valued taking the initiative in combat while others preferred to react quickly to an opponent's aggression. Those who followed the principles of fencing insisted on a sudden and all-out attack. Others preferred to neutralize the opponent's attack once it was in motion. Given the constant state of war in Japanese feudal history, the ryus tested their vision of jujutsu on the battlefield, where survival was the priority. The three hundred years of peace that followed the Japanese civil wars led to a change in the nature of this art. Under the harsh martial codes of the Tokugawa, fights between bushi became rarer and bitter wars much less frequent. On the other hand, hand-to-hand combat has become more common. The rise of the common citizen at the end of this period required that jujutsu techniques be adapted to the needs of everyday life. At this time, many ryus abandoned their emphasis on ceremonial or ritual postures in favor of a more practical approach to working by hand. -hand-to-hand combat. During the late Tokugawa period, the ancient Japanese martial arts (Bujutsu) created for the warrior class began to lose importance as martial methods (Budo) created for commoners gained ascendancy. Budo was not simply a set of combat techniques but also a spiritual discipline, a way of life. During the Meiji Restoration after 1868, the transition from Bujutsu to Budo was completed. Several branches of martial arts have completely changed their name and focus. Kyujutsu became Kyudo, iai-jutsu became iaido, aiki-jutsu became aikido and jujutsu became Judo. There was ashift from war techniques to the principles of everyday life, with the spiritual aspect of the arts being more emphasized. Schools now pass on their tradition to students in the form of techniques, philosophy and codes of ethics. Students had to be perfectly familiar with hand-to-hand combat, but also embody the philosophy of the founders of ryu. Jigoro Kano, founder of modern judo, was born in Mikage City, Hyogo Prefecture on October 28, 1860. Shihan Kano never viewed martial arts as a means to display physical prowess or superiority. As a pacifist, he studied to find a way to live peacefully with other human beings. In his youth, Kano studied Jujutsu under several different masters. Sensei Teinosuke Yagi was his first teacher, but at the age of 18 he entered the dojo of Tenshin-Shinyo Sensei Hachinosuke Fukuda. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he studied the Kito tradition under Sensei Iikubo. By his mid-twenties, Shihan Kano had been initiated into the secret teachings of the two ryus. Kano's search for a unifying principle for the techniques he had learned led him to the first principle of judo – Seiryoku Zenyo (maximum efficiency of mental and physical energy). For him, only techniques that prevent practitioners from expending a lot of physical and mental energy should be integrated into the system. You must use your opponent's energy to overcome their aggression. He called the resulting body of knowledge Judo. To propagate his art, Kano founded the Kodokan ("school for learning the way") at the Eishoji temple in 1882. Kano built his system around three main sets of techniques: throwing (waza swimming), basic work (waza swimming), katame waza) and strike (atemi waza). The throwing techniques, taken from Kito ryu, were divided into standing techniques (tachi waza) and sacrifice techniques (sutemi waza). Standing techniques included hand (te waza), hip (koshi waza) and foot (ashi waza) throws. Sacrifice techniques include full sacrifice (ma sutemi waza) and side sacrifice (yoko sutemi waza) throws. Kano's basics and striking techniques were drawn more from the martially oriented Tenshin-Shinyo ryu. The basic work is organized into holds (osaekomi waza), chokes (shime waza) and joint locks (kansetsu waza). While Kano taught the basics to his students earlier, the secrets of shime and kansetsu waza were reserved for those who had achieved a higher rank in the art. High-ranking students were also required to know the art of resuscitation (kappo), in order to conduct their training safely and responsibly. Judo striking techniques included strikes to the upper (ude ate) and lower (ashi ate) limbs. Striking techniques included those using fists, elbows, edges of hands, fingers, knees, and feet as striking points. Due to its deadly nature, the Atemi waza was also taught exclusively to high-ranking judokas at the Kodokan. Judo was taught using a well-structured process. The standing techniques were organized into five series classified from the least tiring or technically difficult to the most advanced (the Gokyo no Waza). Ground and striking techniques were also organized in series. The sets were introduced slowly as judokas became more proficient in the art. The students were divided into mudansha (color belt level) and yudansha (black belt level). Mudansha students were classified into five classes (kyus) while yudansha were classified into ten degrees (dans). The ranks indicated the student's level of expertise in the art since.