Japanese Jujutsu Today

While the most popular translation of jujutsu remains “the gentle art,” a more apt translation would be "the art of flexible adaptation". jujutsu requires the ability to yield or flow with an attack or offer momentary resistance in order to break the attacker's balance and/or momentum and thereby control, disable, cripple, or kill the opponent. True jujutsu is achieving the maximum effect with the minimum effort.

jujutsu was the first Japanese martial art to be widely recognized in the West. Until the 1950s, jujutsu was the art of choice for law enforcement and military organizations worldwide. It is the confusion of combat systems with martial sports that allowed jujutsu to be superseded by karate, kung fu and tae kwon do in the public eye. Ironically, it is the perception of jujutsu as a sport today that has thrust it back into the public eye. While many jujutsu techniques are used in the cross-style tournaments so popular on pay-per-view TV, the chokes and joint locks seen in the UFC are just scratches on the surface of traditional jujutsu's wealth of knowledge.

Modern jujutsu, with its emphasis on ground fighting, bears slight resemblance to the traditional techniques of kumi-uchi as practiced by the Samurai. Understanding the need to evolve and adapt to meet new and previously unanticipated challenges, Akayama Ryu has kept pace with the times while retaining a connection with the koryu or ancient schools of classical jujutsu. Advanced students learn kata and technique that can be traced back hundreds of years and, while designed to deal with sword and dagger attacks, can easily be applied in a modern setting against contemporary threats.
Jujutsu, in its true form, is not a sport. There are no rules, no concept of fair play, no “gentlemen's understanding” in the application of self-defense technique. It is direct and often times brutal. In the event of an attack, the ability to cripple or kill was and is essential. While damage to the opponent can be minimal, the goal is always to do whatever is needed to survive a confrontation. Jujutsu is surgical violence in its purest form.