HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF JUDO
Judo is based on the three philosophical principles defined by Jigoro Kano which, as dictated by himself, show the main difference between KODOKAN JUDÔ and the old Jiu-Jitsu : "Judo can be summarized as the elevation of a simple technique to a principle of living” (Jitsu = technique; Do = principle). These principles, even if not consciously clarified and understood, are present in all acts and activities of the judo practitioner. On the other hand, when the practitioner has established and becomes aware of the principles that guide judo, it can be verified that they are not restricted to the Dojo, but are equally valid in any activity of daily life, when one intends to reach a certain objective.
The three principles of judo are:
JU = softness
SEIRYOKU-ZEN-YO = maximum efficiency with minimum effort
JITA-KYOEI = mutual welfare and benefits
The principle of maximum efficiency is applied to the elevation or perfection of the spirit and body in the science of attack and defense, it first requires order and harmony of all members of a collective and this can be achieved with aid and concessions to each other to achieve mutual prosperity and benefits.
The ultimate spirit of judo, therefore, is to instill in man's heart respect for the principles of maximum efficiency, mutual prosperity and benefits, and gentleness, to be able to reach, individually and collectively, their highest states and at the same time most developed in the art of attack and defense.
Professor Kano states the following: “Although I consider Judo
dualistically, mutual prosperity and benefit can be seen as its ultimate end and maximum efficiency as the means to that end. These doctrines are applicable to all human conduct.”
THE ORIGIN OF JUDO
Based on tales and legends, the documentary origin of melee combat is imprecise. The text of Prof. Carlos Catalano Calleja, who was one of the greatest scholars of Judo in Brazil, shows a bit of the history of the beginning of these combats, which gave rise to Jiu-jitsu. The beginning of the historical development of corporal combat is lost in the night of the times. The fight, even for necessity and survival, was born with man and, in this regard, documents date back to mythological times.
A very old manuscript, the Takanogawi, reports that the gods Kashima and Kadori maintained power over their subjects thanks to their attack and defense skills.
The Ancient Chronicle of Japan (nihon Shoki), written by imperial order in the year 720 of our era, mentions the existence of certain strokes of skill and dexterity, not only used in physical combat but also, as a complement to physical, spiritual and mental, relating a mythological story in which one of the competitors, grabbing his opponent by the hand, throws him to the ground, as if throwing a leaf.
According to some Japanese historians, the earliest record of a hand-to-hand combat took place in 230 BC, in the presence of Emperor Suinin. Taimano Kehaya, an insolent fighter was quickly knocked out by a fearsome practitioner of bare-knuckle combat, Nomino Sukune.
At that time there were no standardized rules and combat. The fights could develop until the death of one of the competitors.
The attack and defense techniques used are very similar to sumo and ancient jiu-jitsu strikes.
THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME JUDO
In 1882 Kano opened his own Dojo, called the Kodokan, where he taught a modern variation of Jujutsu which he called Judo. The name change was due to the fact that Master Kano did not want his art to have the negative connotation given to Jujutsu practitioners, as he considered the prostitution of martial arts repugnant through paid combat and challenges. In addition, the word “Do”, path, was more suited to his objectives: to make Judo a path, a healthy practice for the body and mind and possible to be practiced by men and women of any age.
In his time, the number of serious accidents during Jujutsu training was frequent. Jigoro Kano also stated that the chosen term, “judo”, had not been created by him, but was very old, being used by the Jikishin Ryu school. To differentiate his art he called it “Kodokan Judô”, the name by which it is still known.
In 1898, in one of his lectures, Jigoro Kano, said:
“I studied jujutsu not only because I found it interesting, but also because I understood that it would be the most effective means of educating the body and spirit. However, it was necessary to improve the old jujutsu, to make it accessible to all, to modify its objectives that were not aimed at physical education or morality, much less at intellectual culture. On the other hand, as the jujutsu schools despite their qualities had many defects – I concluded that it was necessary to reformulate jujutsu even as a combat art. When I started teaching jujutsu it was falling into disrepute. Some masters of this art earned their living by organizing shows among their students, through fights, charging those who wanted to attend. Others lent themselves to being wrestling artists along with sumo professionals. Such degrading practices prostituted a martial art and it was repugnant to me. This is why he avoided the term jujutsu and adopted that of judo. And to distinguish it from the Jikishin Ryu academy, which also used the term judo, I named my school Kodokan Judo, even though it sounds a little long.”
Not much is known about Jikishin Ryu, and it is suspected that it is a precursor style variation of Shirai or Negishi Ryu, or even Kashima Shinto Ryu, as its method consists of placing the right foot one step forward to throw the blade. The main difference is in the way of holding the blade. The three smaller fingers are bent, while the index finger points forward, as if making a “revolver” shape with the hand. The blade is on the inside and the thumb applies light pressure from top to bottom, holding it firmly over the bent middle finger, and holding the opposite tip down as the blade leaves the hand. The forefinger then rests on the side of the blade, providing support. Throwing is done simply by raising and lowering the arm from the side while taking a step forward. The arm cuts like a sword.