by Sensei David Maynard

If you’ve been around Japanese martial arts very long you’ve probably been bombarded by a confusing array of terms which seem to lack consistent usage. Koryu jujutsu, gendai jujutsu and goshin jujutsu are some of these. In this essay I will attempt to clarify the use of these terms and give the reader some historical perspective on how these terms relate to one another.

Koryu is a term that generates frequent controversy. Although different definitions abound, the most commonly accepted definition of koryu, or “old school” is associated with the end of the samurai class in Japan. This roughly equates to the date of 1868, the period in which the Tokugawa Shogunate had completely relenquished it’s military and political power back to Japan’s Emperial House and the Emperor Meiji. This political shift identified as the Meiji Restoration roughly symbolizes the end of the koryu martial era. The Meiji Restoration, originally supported by the most powerful samurai clans in Japan, the Choshu and Satsuma, soon embraced policies associated with the moderization of Japan that led to several short and unsuccessful bloody uprisings that once and for all ended the era of the samurai.

Jujutsu is a more difficult word to define as it has in recent times become a non-specific term loosely associated with unarmed grappling of Japanese origin.

The original fighing forms which are the precursors of koryu jujutsu were culminations of many different traditions that existed throughout the ancient far east. Some of the earliest references to Japanese systems of combat appear in the Nihon Shoki (Japan Chronicles) and the Kojiki (Ancient Records). These recordings include fanciful tales that deal with the mythology surrounding the divine creation of the island of Japan and the establishment of the Japanese royal family. Other even older sources hint at a martial source of what we now refer to as modern sumo. These descriptions include sumai no sechie, a court pastime in Kyoto performed to appease the gods and bring about good fortune.

Japanese methods of combat were first systemized in the Heian Period (approx. 794-1185 CE). Many of the early warrior traditions were further organized into formal ryu or schools during this era. Virtually all of these were battlefield based systems, meant to be practiced exclusively by the samurai class. These fighting arts actually used many different names. Hyoho, Heiho, Bujutsu, Bugei, Kumiuchi, Kogusoku, Koshi no Mawari, Yawara, Wajutsu, and Hakuda are just a few. All of these systems fall under the general description of Sengoku bujutsu. Most of these battlefield methods were integrated systems of combat that also included battlefield troop tactics, the study of fortifications, and espionage. Some of these ryuha however were less comprehensive, intended to instruct lower level samurai in means whereby an unarmed or lightly armed warrior could defeat a heavily armed and armored enemy. It was these systems that during the early to mid Edo period began to adopt the use of the name jujutsu. Methods of jujutsu frequently included the extensive use of joint locking, throwing, pinning and strangling intended to be performed either armed or unarmed. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off balancing, blending and escaping. Weapons such as the daito (long sword), shoto (short sword), tanto (dagger), ryufundo kusari (weighted chain), Chigiriki (weighted chain and scythe) were frequently included in the curriculums of Sengoku jujutsu.

In later times, many koryu jujutsu schools evolved into systems more familiar to practitioners of Nihon jujutsu commonly seen today. These are more correctly classified as Edo jujutsu, systems generally intended to deal with opponents not wearing armor or operating in a battlefield environment. For this reason, most systems of Edo jujutsu include extensive use of atemi waza or vital striking. These tactics, of little use against an armored opponent on a battlefield, would however be quite valuable to anyone confronting an enemy or opponent in a civil environment. Frequently, weapons such as tanto (daggers), tessen (iron fans) jutte (helmet splitter) and kakushi buki (secreted or disquised weapons) were originally included in the curriculum of Edo jujutsu. Today only a few of the Edo period jujutsu systems still embrace a comprehensive syllabus of bukiwaza (weapon techniques). Frequently this is attributed to the popularity of modern Judo, who’s acceptence into the Japanese educational system significantly influenced the existing schools of jujutsu in the early 20th century.

Many legitiment Nihon jujutsu schools exist but are not considered koryu. These are classified as Nihon gendai jujutsu schools. They are modern variations of Nihon koryu jujutsu founded after the end of the Tokugawa reign (1603-1868 CE). Many well respected traditional Nihon jujutsu ryu are considered gendai traditions. These include schools such as the Daito ryu and Hakko ryu. Although modern in formation, gendai jujutsu systems have direct historical links to ancient traditions and frequently demonstrate a organizational structure and teaching method obviously influenced by their koryu predecessors. The curriculums of gendai jujutsu reflect an obvious bias towards Edo jujutsu systems as opposed to the earlier Sengoku jujutsu systems. Many versions of gendai jujutsu, have over time been embraced by law enforcement officials worldwide and continue to be the foundation for specialized systems used by police. Perhaps the most famous of these specialized police systems is the Taiho jutsu system formulated and employed by the Tokyo Police Department.

If a Japanese based martial system is formulated in modern times (post Tokugawa) but is only partially influenced by traditional Nihon jujutsu, it may be more correctly referred to as gendai goshin jujutsu ( modern self defense jujutsu). Gendai goshin jujutsu is usually formulated outside Japan and may include influences from other martial traditions. The popular Gracie/Brazilian jujutsu system, influenced by modern judo, and Danzan ryu, carrying further influences from Indonesian and Okinawan martial traditions are popular examples of gendai goshin jujutsu.

Some systems exist today that have adopted the name jujutsu but have no historical connection to Japan whatsoever. Whether the founders of these systems are dishonestly trying to legitimize their arts existence by using a traditional Japanese name or instead feel the term “jujutsu” most accurately describes the system they are teaching, is irrelevent. Koryu Jujutsu refers to a specific art of specific historical origin. Gendai jujutsu and gendai goshin jujutsu while ocassionally very different from their predecessors are still linked to koryu jujutsu by verifiable lineages. Martial systems, unrelated to Japanese schools of jujutsu may teach similar skills and may be excellent forms of study to pursue, however without historical roots in authentic Nihon jujutsu they should be called something else, abandoning the misleading use of Japanese terminology.