Different schools of jujutsu.

[Fimbulvinter]

I only found limited information on this on the net.

What are the main styles? And how are they different?

Thank you.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

There are quite a lot of Jujutsu ryuha(schools)

Breaking it down into Koryu(old school before Meiji era)

And Gendai(new school after Meiji area) would most likely be the first start.

Here is an excellent site to help you out.

http://www.koryu.com/

 

[arnisador]

There are a lot of jujutsu styles. I don't know of a simple classification of them.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hi,

As stated, Jujutsu is a large subject, and is very difficult to cover with such limited information... but what the hell, I'll give it a go.

Koryu Jujutsu is basically a generic term for unarmed (or lightly armed) combat methods from before the Meiji Restoration (circa 1868). If this is what you are after, be prepared to get confused. The term Jujutsu is not the only one you will encounter, and it will most likely be only a part of the entire curriculum of any school you train in. For the record, you may also encounter terms such as Kumi Uchi, Yawara, Te, Kogusoku, Koshi no Mawari, Taijutsu, Goho, Koppo, Kosshijutsu, Jutaijutsu, Dakentaijutsu, Wajutsu, Aiki, and Aikijutsu, to name a few. Each have their own particular flavour, and the use of a particular term in two different schools will not necessarily have the same meaning, or even share similar traits.

You can also split these systems up into other sub-sets, such as whether armour is worn (Yoroi Kumiuchi, Kogusoku, or Kattchu Yawara, depending on the system), or regular "street" clothes (Suhada Jujutsu). Or if you are studying a Samurai system, or one of the Commoner systems taught after and during the Tokugawa reign, when the Samurai were looking for more ways to earn money without the constant war of the preceding era (Sengoku jidai - Warring states period). Then you have the focus: Jujutsu with some weapons (such as the Sekiguchi Ryu, or the Takenouchi Ryu), or weapons with a Jujutsu-style syllabus (Yagyu Shingan Ryu, Kashima Shinryu, Araki Ryu).

Gendai Jujutsu, on the other hand, wil include some arts you may not have considered. Gendai (or Modern) Jujutsu is anything founded after the Meiji Restoration (1868), and includes arts such as Judo and Aikido. Judo was founded by Jigoro Kano, who was trained in a number of Koryu systems, chief amongst which (as pertains to Judo) were Kito Ryu Jujutsu, and Tenshin Shinyo Ryu. Kano took what he felt was the best of these arts, and tested his new approach against the best Jujutsuka in a type of personal challenge to other schools known as Taryu Jiai. Eventually, he founded his new system, which he simply called Kano-ha Jujutsu, and began taking students. When his students had developed enough, Kano began organising tournaments against other schools, where he restructured the rules to a degree, and his students began to win convincingly. This led to higher levels of fame for Kano-ha Jujutsu, and this eventually adapted into Kodokan Judo, taking one of it's final steps when it was accepted into the Olympics in 1964.

Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba, again after studying a number Koryu systems, and developing his own understanding of them. Like Judo, Aikido went through quite a long development period, and different branches today have approaches based on the point at which their founders left to start their own system (for various reasons).

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the only commonly accepted use of this mis-spelling of jujutsu, originated from one of Kano's top students, named Maeda, who was sent to the Americas, and settled in Brazil. There, he taught a number of people, including the Machado and Gracie families. The Gracies he taught were the older brothers of the late Helio Gracie (who was considered to smal and weak to join in), but young Helio watched their training and practiced what he saw. Later, he joined in the classes himself, and went on to found probably the most dominant family in BJJ. The Gracies took what Maeda had taught them, and essentially changed the emphasis to focus more on ground fighting, which reflects the Brazilian approach to fighting, forming a new art.

The other way to get Jujutsu these days is to look to Ninjutsu schools, the Bujinkan, Genbukan, Jinenkan, or any legitimate off-shoot. These schools incorporate teachings of Jujutsu schools such as Takagi Yoshin Ryu, Kukishinden Ryu, Shinden Fudo Ryu and others (in the case of the Genbukan, look to it's partner organisation, the KJJR. In this, you will be taught from the previous mentioned schools, as well as Bokuden Ryu, Asayama Ichiden Ryu, Shinden Tatara Ryu, Araki Shin Ryu and others. And after a particular point, you can focus on just one or another of the individual Ryu). Bear in mind, though, that apart form the KJJR, you will be taught the Jujutsu systems typically mixed in with the other arts (Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu, Gyokko Ryu, Koto Ryu etc), which are similar, but different.

I hope you can get something out of this, and start to get an idea of what exactly it is you are after from your interpretation of the term "Jujutsu". Should you have any other questions, we'll be here.