“Nothing under heaven is softer or more yielding than water; but when it attacks things hard and resistant there is not one of them that can prevail. For they can find no way of altering it.
That the yielding conquers the resistant and soft conquers the hard is a fact known by all man, yet utilized by none.”
Lao-Tzu
The principle of Jū:
The underlying foundation of the principle of Jū is that of yielding. In theory, the principle of Jū accepts an attackers “force”, or attack, and uses it against the attacker. It allows an unarmed combatant to unbalance and hurl his foe to the ground. One practical application of this theory is the art and sport of Judo.
A brief history of Judo and it’s founder:
Born in 1860, when Japan’s feudal age was quickly drawing to a close, Jigoro Kano was the third son in a family of three boys and two girls. His grandfather was the founder of a prominent Sake brewing business, and his father was a Shinto priest and high-ranking government official. As a young man, being only 5’2” and weighing a mere 90 lbs., Jigoro was a constant target of bullies. With a strong desire to learn to defend himself, he began his quest to study the art of Jujitsu; a popular and flourishing form of martial art at that time in Japan.
At age 17, Jigoro had a difficult time finding a Sensei who was willing to teach him as he was considered too young for formal training. While attending the Tokyo Imperial University, Jigoro spent all of his free time searching for a Sensei who would be willing to train him. He finally wound up at the dojo of Hachinosuke Fukuda, a master of Jujitsu. Fukuda’s method stressed technique over formal exercises, giving an explanation of exercises but concentrating on free-form fighting in practice sessions. This initial form of training is most likely the main influence for Jigoro to stress “randori” in Judo.
In 1879, Jigoro’s instructor fell gravely ill and passed away. Shortly thereafter, Jigoro began to study at the dojo of Masatomo Iso. He spent the next two years devoting his entire life to the study of Jujitsu, and by 1881, at 21 years of age, he was considered a master in Tenjin-shinyo-ryu Jujitsu, and was instructing 20 – 30 students at Iso’s dojo. He had also graduated from the University and had secured a position as a literature instructor at an exclusive school for high-born Japanese children, balancing his instructions at the children’s school with his instructions at Iso’s dojo. Iso, like Fukuda, became gravely ill and died, and as Jigoro wanted still to learn jujitsu instead of teach, began to study under Tsunetoshi Iikubo, master of the Kito School of Jujitsu.
It was while studying under Iikubo, that Jigoro began to reform his knowledge of Jujitsu to develop what would become Judo. His main emphasis was to develop an art that young men could study, not only as a form of martial art, but of physical and spiritual training that would be beneficial to the daily lives of his students. He borrowed the mat and throwing techniques of Jujitsu that held up under scientific scrutiny, rejecting all others. All harmful or dangerous techniques were eliminated in the development of Judo.
In 1882, at only 22 years of age, Jigoro established his own Dojo in Eishoji Temple with 9 of his students. During the dojo’s early years, Jigoro’s former instructor Iikubo would assist in instructing the students, which meant they were learning more Jujitsu than Judo. Gradually this was reversed, and although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the students began to study Judo exclusively, it was likely the day that Jigoro bested Iikubo on the practice mat. Jigoro had never been able to beat the Jujitsu methods of his former instructor until one afternoon he was able to block every move and throw the Jujitsu master no less than three times. Kano explained: "Force your opponent to make his body rigid and lose his balance, and then when he is helpless, you attack." Iikubo replied: "From now on, you teach me."
Although Judo had a meager and difficult beginning, today over 6 million people in 30 different countries practice the Art of the Gentle Way.