Kaeshi Ryu Ju Jitsu Academy
History
Martial arts are recorded in China as long ago as 2700 BC and ju jitsu itself was first mentioned around 500 BC. Little is known of how it evolved over the next 2000 years but it is known that it was developed and taught at monasteries in China and then exported to Japan with Buddhist missionaries. Ju jitsu itself is the oldest documented form of Japanese martial art. The word 'ju' means means 'gentle, supple or to yield' , whilst 'jitsu' simply means 'art' or 'skill'; thus ju jitsu is also known as 'the gentle skill' or 'the art of yielding'.
It was originally developed as an unarmed combat system of the samurai (Japanese warriors) to enable them to continue fighting if they lost their weapons or for situations where weapons were not warranted.
Today's ju jitsuka (ju jitsu practitioners) build on the tradition with new techniques and defences against different types of attacks that can occur in everyday situations.