JIU-JITSU (Syllabus GS Paper 1 – Art and Culture)

Context: The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said that during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra earlier this year he had “a daily routine of practising jiu-jitsu every evening” which brought together young martial arts students from towns where they stayed.

Jiu-jitsu

• Meaning: Jujutsu, a family of martial arts from Japan, translates to "gentle art" with "ju" meaning "soft/supple/gentle" and "jutsu" meaning "art/technique".
• Origin: Originating in late 16th century Japan, jujutsu was developed by samurai warriors for situations where they lost their weapons in battle.
• Combat Techniques: Samurai created techniques like pins, joint locks, and throws to neutralize heavily armored opponents by using the opponent's energy against them.
• Offshoots of Jujutsu

o Judo: Developed in the late 19th century from traditional jujutsu styles and became an Olympic sport in 1964.

o Sambo: Created by the Soviet Red Army in the 1920s to enhance soldiers’ hand-to-hand combat skills.

o Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Evolved in the 1920s, focusing on allowing smaller individuals to defeat larger opponents through leverage and weight distribution.

o MMA (Mixed Martial Arts): The most popular combat sport today, influenced heavily by jujutsu and its offshoots.

• Modern Popularity: Interest in Brazilian jiu-jitsu surged after Royce Gracie’s success in the first UFC in 1993, where he defeated larger opponents using submission holds rather than strikes.

Aikido

• About: It is derived from the martial art of jujutsu.
• Founded by: It was developed in the early 20th century by the martial artist Morihei Ueshiba.
• Modern Martial Art: Aikido is one of the youngest among Japan’s martial arts.
• Meaning: The term Aikido literally translates to the “way of harmonising energy”.