# Myth or Legend



## Josh (Jan 29, 2004)

Yea. I've heard that Jujitsu started like this:

some samurai(don't remember the name) of course went to battle and was wounded. And he was fallen and the bandits came out to still stuff from the dead soldiers. They got to this one dude and he however, had a knife and got one of these bandits. They freaked, fled off. And so he knew they'd be back, so he with all his will gets to the woods and passes out. Sleeps a long time. Wakes up and stumbles upon a cottage. Now here's some more believeable stuff. 

Of course, there's an old guy in this cottage who takes care of this samurai and gets him to full strength and the samurai starts pracitsing and training again. And so he's training and working with this old guy. And the samurai is curios about this old man's roots, background. And apparently this guy was a soldier himself and he of course would have to kill in battle. He grew old and got tired of killing. So he stopped all that and just wanted to live in solitude. All the while developing a 'gentle art' and "softer" way of figthing without having to kill. And he goes on to teach this samurai this figthing method with bare hands. And then the samurai, learns and learns. Then leaves the old man, and starts teaching others this form of fighting and goes on to eventually call it, Jujitsu, or gentle art.


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## Yari (Jan 30, 2004)

Sounds like a good plot for a movie.....

Never heard about this myself, but if you find the name of the samurai maybe the story will reveil itself.....

/Yari


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## Aegis (Jan 30, 2004)

Total Myth.

Jujutsu did not start as a peaceful gentle art. Many of the old school techniques are designed to throw someone wearing a helmet in such a way that they break their neck.

Jujutsu was created over a long period of time by warriors who came to the conclusion that they were essentially useless without their swords. Most of the techniques would originally have been created as a defence against a sword-armed attacker, and would have been a very minor art entirely dedicated to getting a weapon for yourself again. Eventually it developed into a full system of unarmed combat, including techniques in and out of armour. 

Nothing to do with peaceful gentle techniques really. As far as that goes it might be better to describe jujutsu as the art of either yielding or flexibility, implying that you don't directly resist the force the opponent pouts into an attack, instead you use the energy and redirect it (kinetic energy, not anything spiritual)


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