The development of unarmed and close combat systems
Compared with the empty-handed fighting arts of neighboring China and Korea, the Japanese systems place more emphasis on joint-locking, throwing, immobilizing or pinning, and strangling techniques.In most classical Japanese martial traditions, unarmed atemiwaza (techniques for assaulting the vital points of the human body) are of secondary importance, but in the many Chinese arts subsumed under ch'uan-fa (J. kempo) more importance is placed on punching, striking, and kicking with the body's natural weapons. It is generally believed that hakuda, kempo, and shubaku display a greater degree of Chinese influence in their particular stress on atemiwaza, while systems deriyed from more purely Japanese sources show no special preferences for such techniques but will use them as and when appropriate.
There are several reasons why Japanese unarmed fighting arts devcloped in this way. First, the context in which they evolved, the battiefieid ofthe Sengoku jidai helped to shape them. Combat was then typically a matter of large-scale battlefield engagemenrs. Bushi, dressed in armor and armed with powerful weapons, fought all over the place of battle, in what amounted to a melee situation, on yarious types of terrain. These were not the sort of conditions where striking an enemy with fists or feet would be terribly effective. Further, the usual closequarters tactics of the day called for closing with an enemy, throwing him down, and then taking his head.
Another reason for this lesser emphasis on atemiwaza in Japanese systems created for use on the battiefleid is the fact that, even if one were able to penetrate an enemy's armor or protective equipment, it would be exceedingly difficult to defeat a trained fighter with one blow by killing or incapacitating him; failure is more likely than success in such a circumstance. If the attempt fails, the enemy will use the weapon he is carrying to cut you down. The most important thing then, when one is grappling on the battiefleid, is to prevent the enemy from using his weapon. If possible, you must be able to control his hands to prevent him from bringing his weapon to bear. If he does manage to do so, then you must be able to stop him from using it against you. On the other hand, if you are the one with the weapon, you must be able to free yourself from the enemy's grasp, open sufficient distance to move freely, then apply an effective counterattack. In battiefleid combat, war-riors are borh mentally and physically prepared for life-and-death conflict and this factor must also be taken into account.
In peacetime, however, there is less likelihood of actual combat and a greater chance that one will be involved in a situation of self-defense. There may very well be an element ofsurprise involved, when one has been suddenly, unexpectedly attacked. Furthermore, it would be very unusual for the attacker to be wearing heavy armor. In this scenario, with both of the combarants dressed in everyday clothing, the use of atemiwaza becomes a highly effecrive element in subduing an opponent. It was this aspect of close combat in the peacetime society of the Tokugawa shogunate that led to the development of what we now usually refer to as jujutsu.
"Tenjin Shinyo Ryu Ju Jutsu", Meik Skoss (1995)
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Jujitsu
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