Japanese Martial Arts

Suffice it to say that this article will provide a very brief history of Japanese martial arts.

In the limited amount of space within this article, the history of such an ancient combat form will be very basic indeed. They are similar to the martial arts created by their Chinese neighbors and are generally a combination of hand and joint locking, throwing styles and those forms devoted to combat with weapons.

Karate is a Japanese word that means "empty hand" and is actually believed to have originated on the island of Okinawa. It is believed that natives of Japan actually picked up their version of martial arts from the Shaolin monks of China with whom they used to trade. There are many different kinds of karate; some of the most common today are ken-jitsu and ju-jitsu. Kendo stands for the "way of the sword" and goes way back to the Samurai culture and way of life. Jujitsu is the Japanese martial art that concentrates on joint locks and throwing moves that can both disarm and take control of an opponent.

The history of this form of martial arts is as ancient as some of the world's oldest mysteries. Many forms of these martial arts are still closely guarded secrets that are not meant for general use outside of various groups and sects.

Today, another form of karate is very popular and is used in many military and police forces around the world. This martial art is called Judo. Judo can be said to be a child of jujitsu, and was created in the early 1900s. Still another child of jujitsu is called aikido, which is a martial art form that uses an opponent's very own energy and movements as weapons against themselves.

However, of all the history of Japanese martial arts, the ninjas are perhaps the most famous for developing a combat art form known as ninjutsu. Anyone who has seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles knows what a ninja is. Actually, back in the feudal days of the Japanese Empire, a ninja was looked at as a personal bodyguard to Japanese warlords.

Japanese martial arts have been around for centuries and continue to be one of the most popular forms of hand-to-hand combat used by personal and professional organizations around the world today. It's worth your while to learn about the history of this beautiful art form.

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