Jitsu was probably only saved from oblivion by the efforts of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, who paradoxically displaced it in Japanese culture with Judo. His Kodokan and the manner in which he transformed the art from jutsu (simple hand-to-hand combat) to do (spiritual way) ensured the survival of many of the teachings of the ancient schools. The famous victory of the Kodokan over the Yoshin Ryu ju-jitsu men had been in a large part a consequence of the development of the randori method of training. In a sense Kano had rediscovered how to apply the principle sen (first strike) and still more subtle sen no sen (pre-emptive counter-attack) in training. The kata form training of ju-jitsu had weakened the strategic application of the techniques so that the ju-jitsu exponent was essentially passive until attacked, where upon a counter-attack (go no sen) would be permitted. Judo offered something new which was, in fact, the rediscovery of something old.
The term ju-jitsu was applied to a body of techniques which became popular for self-defense in a social context as distinct from the military, in the Edo period (1600 - 1868) when, under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan enjoyed a period of peace. Methods of unarmed fighting were evolved for dealing with routine social violence by the common people alongside the battlefield ju-jitsu of the classical ryu. The ju-jitsu of this period was popularly known as yawara among the common people who were prohibited from carrying weapons and its techniques were undoubtedly influenced by a Chinese born, naturalised Japanese man named Ch'en Yuan Pin.
Ch'en Yuan Pin taught techniques of ch'uan fa (fist way) which developed into Japanese Kempo, which in turn were subsumed into the jitsu systems taught in the seventeenth century. The use of striking techniques, effective against unarmoured opponents became popular among the common people at this time. A host of terms existed in the Edo period to describe systems similar to ju-jitsu, including wajutsu, tai-jitsu, yawara and koshi-no-mawari. All of these were battlefield systems incorporating hand-to-hand fighting with weapons, but alongside versions were taught to the ordinary people for dealing with combat situations that arose in daily life, arrest techniques and self-defense for policeman and such, leading to two quite distinct mainstream forms of ju-jitsu type systems developing simultaneously. All of these systems operated by utilising the principle of ju; yielding when necessary, becoming pliant and supple in response to an attack. This is apparent in the Edo forms into which they evolved; aikido and judo. One of the major weaknesses of most modern martial arts is that they are essentially conservative activities which tends toward ossification. The hallmark of modern ju-jitsu, however, is its ability to assimilate change, whether it takes the shape of new, more scientific training methods or new strategies and techniques for dealing with new situations and weapons. It is a modern discipline designed to provide the practitioner with a system of exercise and self-defense.
In a very important sense it is what you make it, the choice is yours. If you are ever fortunate enough to see top Japanese martial arts experts watching their colleagues in action you will see that their attention is absolutely riveted to what takes place before them, because they are always alert to the opportunity to learn. The Japanese have an expression for learning by watching, which roughly translates as 'stealing with the eyes' Ultimately, everyone is their own master and responsible for their own individual actions and consequences in, as well as out, of the dojo.
The principle of yielding can be applied to everyday life, and an experienced practitioner will try to defuse a fight rather than commit to it. He would be aware of the damage his techniques can cause and, if forced to use his art, would always try to choose a technique appropriate to the attack. The ideal defense immobilises our opponent but causes no permanent harm.
The main principles behind our training style are summarised by Kaiso, the founder of Shorinji Kempo.Judo players often have the attitude that judo is a higher form of ju jitsu, mainly because of the successes of Jigoro Kano's early students in tournaments against other ju jitsu schools. However, many of the Kodokan's (Kano's 'school for studying the way') original members were in fact ju-jitsu experts who had been guided by Jigoro Kano into adopting a synthetic approach to training and so had pooled their skills. The great difference between Kodokan judo and the other ju-jitsu schools was that Kano had developed a type of freestyle combat called randori, whereas the old ju-jitsu schools trained almost entirely by practising kata. In a match held in Tokyo in 1885 under the auspices of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, a team of experts from the Kodokan took on a team from the Totsuka Yoshin Ryu, the strongest ju-jitsu school in Japan at the time. The match was a triumph for Kano's freestyle randori methodology as opposed to the traditional kata training: the Kodokan men completely outfought their opponents. Each team had 15 men who were hand picked for their combat skills. Particularly notable was the success of Saigo Shiro who utterly over whelmed his opponents with his yama-arashi (mountain storm) throw. Saigo had learned this technique whilst a student at an aiki-jitsu school.
The Kodokan lost only 2 matches and drew a third, thereby establishing themselves at that time as the main force in Japanese Ju-jitsu. When he devised his system of Kodokan judo, Jigoro Kano knew just what he was doing, but it should never be forgotten that Kodokan judo was derived directly from classical ju-jitsu. Kano himself trained in the Tenjin Shin'yo Ryu and the Kito Ryu and it was from these classical ju-jitsu schools that the bulk of the techniques of modern judo were culled.
Kano perceived much of value in ju-jitsu both in terms of its practical worth as a method of essentially unarmed self-defense and as a cultural artifact capable of embodying traditional values. Its main drawback was the poor image - both of it and its practitioners - and it was to fall to Kano to transform that image. In the UK judo is currently practised as an Olympic sport. The majority of those who participate do so with a view to improving their performance in randori, where they attempt to throw, hold, strangle and arm-lock training partners who attempt to do the same to them. This method of practising simulates most effectively the conditions of contest and so is appropriate as preparation for the sport of judo. Kano, however, concieved his judo to be much more than a sport.