The art of sumai, or sumo as it is called today, was Japan’s first system of empty hand combat. Employing striking techniques and the use of many forms of unbalancing techniques, most historians believe its origins date back to 23 BC. Often used in conjunction with religious or seasonal festivals, sumo’s originally objective was to ‘force an opponent to surrender unconditionally, or to kill him.” To this end sumo developed many techniques and principles which later found their way into numerous styles of jujutsu and more recently judo. Bare chested and wearing only a loincloth, these grappling techniques rely on a true understanding of balance as well as the strength and focus of the practitioner. Throughout the centuries training in sumo has been most martial artist’s introduction into the principles of kuzushi and their subsequent training in the martial arts.
The classical Japanese warrior, the samurai, was trained in multiple arts and weapons, the yumi,(bow) and later the naginata (pole weapon) and Katana (sword) as primary examples. The use of these weapons in combat, sometimes while seated on a horse, required years of training, coordination, an absolute control of the weapon and understanding of one’s center of gravity and balance.
With the advent and use of armor, the art of Yoroi Kumi-Uchi, grappling in armor, a system developed between the 9th and 15th century enhanced the samurai’s ability to fight in close proximity to one another. This system of grappling and locking to each other developed the samurai’s understanding and use of his balance, leverage and mobility to unbalance and ultimately kill or capture his opponent. While not designed as a strictly unarmed system of combat and as several versions of Kumi-Uchi developed as the armor of the samurai changed or was eliminated, the skills and techniques of this art formed the basis for many classical jujutsu styles. It is in these classical jujutsu styles, developed from the 15th century onward, which melded the skills and techniques of the bladed samurai arts with the lessons and understanding of anatomy, balance, motion and leverage learned through the many centuries of practice in Kumi-Uchi.
Without the benefit of a weapon, differences in size, weight, age and skill levels between opponents became more pronounced. These new challenges required a refinement of the fighting techniques and more thorough understanding of the variables which could affect the outcome of a conflict. The importance of natural posture (shizen hontai), mental alertness(zanshin) position (tai sabaki), and distance (ma-ai), skills which were always and integral part of the combat training of the samurai, were reevaluated and modified as classical styles of jujutsu were created.
Many of these classical styles fully embraced the flexibility and pliancy of the ‘ju” in jujutsu. This concept of both yielding and resisting an opponent’s attack, first by absorbing and thus negating its power and then taking advantage of the vacuum created by the attackers momentary weakness is the core of all martial arts. The ability to control, manipulate and ultimately negate an opponent’s attack is at the essence of all martial arts training. While it is this understanding of “ju” which enables a smaller man to defeat a much larger and stronger one and an unarmed man to defeat an attack by someone with a weapon, it is the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of over a thousand years of training and execution, much involving weapons and much by mortal combat, that allowed Master Kano to create judo, and gives the martial artists of today our understanding of kuzushi and all the other variables which form the essence of jujutsu.
