The Wisdom of Jigoro Kano

In the days of feudal Japan it was noticed by the Samurai that there was a need for a hand to hand combat system that would be effective against armored opponents. The martial arts available in those days were based on the Kung Fu imported from mainland China that comprised mostly of striking techniques. It was realized that striking was ineffective against armored opponents and that the armor worn by the Samurai was so heavy that it affected the balance of the person wearing it. A system of grappling was developed that relied on throws and how to pin and kill opponents on the ground. The first Jiu Jitsu school was started by Takenouchi Nakatsukasadaiyū Hisamori  the lord of Ichinose Castle in Sakushū and the system was known as Takenouchi-ryū Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu spread across Japan and soon all Samurai were studying it as an essential part of warfare. After the Samurai became obsolete Jiu Jitsu was taught to those who were not part of the Warrior cast and Jiu Jitsu became even more popular. With the systematic formalization of Jiu Jitsu into an art taught by masters, a young man named Jigoro Kano started training Jiu Jitsu in 1877. After training Jiu Jitsu for three years he discovered a basic flaw of traditional Jiu Jitsu: only techniques were taught to students and the underlying principles of Jiu Jitsu seemed to be lost. Jigoro Kano studied these principles and started his own system of Jiu Jitsu by removing the techniques from the system and changing the name to Judo to distinguish it from Jiu Jitsu. With the newly rediscovered principles of Jiu Jitsu, Kano also developed a grappling system that adhered to these principles. A different school of thought soon entered the Judo world and it was known as Kosen Judo. Kosen Judo practitioners believed that an efficient ground game is more effective than a throwing game. One of Jogoro Kanos students, Mitsuyo Maeda was a member of the Kosen Judo school of thought and was the person that introduced Judo to the Gracie family who developed BJJ.


Based on the above history it is possible to say that the Jiu Jitsu principles, researched by Jigoro Kano, are the principles that are at the foundation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In this article I will discuss these principles and philosophies as written by Jigoro Kano.

Prof. Jigoro Kano
Photo from  http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Kano_Jigoro.jpg
 

In his book "Kadokan Judo" Prof. Kano wrote the following:

"The words jujitsu are each written with two Chinese characters. The ju in both is the same and means "gentleness" or "giving away". The meaning of jitsu is "art, practise," and do means"principle" or "way"..."Jujitsu may be translated as "the gentle art," Judo as "the Way of gentleness," with the implication of first giving way to ultimately gain victory."..."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." 

On the subject of training Prof. Kano wrote:

"The primary training methods"..."are (1) kata and (2) randori." (Kata in judo are the same as drills we do in BJJ.) "Kata, which means "form" is a system of prearranged movements that teach the fundamentals of attack and defense." (Randori in Judo is what we in the BJJ world call rolling or sparring) "Randori means "free practice." Partners pair off and vie with each other as they would in an actual match. They throw, pin choke and apply joint locks"..."all movements are made in conformity with the principle of  maximum efficency."..."The object of this sytematic physical training is to perfect control over mind and body."..."Both kata and randori are forms of mental training, but of the two, randori is the most effective. In randori, one must search out the opponent's weakness and be ready to attack with all the resources at his disposal the moment opportunity presents itself"..."Another tenet of randori is to apply just the right amount of force - never to much, never to little." 

For all BJJ practitioners it is important to practice Judo and I don't mean the system of throws and grappling (even though that will improve your game), I mean Judo as in "the way of gentleness", the principles that I mentioned above as written by Jigoro Kano in his book "Kadokan Judo". For a Jiu Jitsu player to learn Jiu Jitsu (the art of giving way) he must first learn Judo or how to give way (the way of gentleness).

I hope this helps one understand the principles a Jiu Jitsu player must keep in mind when training Jiu Jitsu.