Jujutsu 柔術

 Japanese Jūjitsu ‘The gentle art’, also spelled Jujutsu, originally referred to in the Ko-ryū 古流 or "old school era” as Yawara Jutsu ‘The art of agility’, form of martial art and method of fighting that makes use of few or no weapons and employs hold downs, throws, and paralyzing blows to subdue an opponent. 

It evolved among the warrior class called the Bushi, or Samurai in Japan from about the 17th century. Designed to complement a warrior’s Spearmanship ‘Sojutsu’ & ‘Kenjutsu’ swordsmanship in combat on the battlefield. 

It was a necessarily ruthless style, with the usual methods of warfare: crippling or killing an enemy. Jujutsu was and still is a general name for many systems of fighting involving techniques of hitting, kicking, kneeing, throwing, choking, immobilizing holds, and use of certain weapons. 

Central to these systems was the concept Jū, from a Chinese character commonly interpreted as “gentle”—gentle, however, in the sense of bending or yielding to an opponent’s direction of attack while attempting to control it. Jujutsu also involves the use of hard or tough parts of the body e.g. knuckles, fists, elbows and knees; against an enemy’s vulnerable points. Jujitsu declined after the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877.

(Jujitsu | martial art, 2020)  

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2020. Jujitsu | Martial Art. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/sports/jujitsu> [Accessed 19 June 2020].