TAIJUTSU
Taijutsu (body art/movement)
Today Tai(Body) Jutsu(Art/application) is composed of a merging of nine schools making it a Self Defence that is unsurpassed in its breadth and practicality and has a traceable lineage of over 900 Years with a record of 34 Generations of Grand Masters down to to-days Grand master Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi.
Tai Jutsu is an art of movement, training concentrates on motion, timing and distance and the effective use of the body in all situations so it does not matter how strong or heavy or how small you may be.
The Taijutsu comprehends all the techniques executed with the body, and includes procedures of rolling, leaping, walking, kicking, punching, grabbing, throwing, strangulations, joint locks, etc. Taijutsu includes Taihen Jutsu (rolling, leaping and evasion movements), Daken Taijutsu (punching, kicking, blocking) and Jutaijutsu (joint locks, throwing, quite similar to the samurai’s Jujutsu). Such techniques can be found today in various refined ways in the modern martial arts tech curriculum, but Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu includes them as they were created in the old times.
One of the main aspects of the Taijutsu techniques resized in the way of using body’s natural weapons such as weight, balance, and moving with a natural attitude, rather than force and toughness, one being able to defeat in this way stronger or bigger adversaries. It is a system adapted to ninja’s fight conditions, where the main goal was to distract and defeat any kind of adversary, no matter how trained they were, by using natural (often deceiving) moves, techniques, or weapons.
The Book of Techniques from the Bujinkan is known as the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku No Maki and is divided into three sub sections: Ten Ryaku No Maki – The Heavenly Strategy Book, Chi Ryaku No Maki – The Earthly Srategy Book and Jin Ryaku No Maki – The Manly Strategy Book. The Ten Chi Jin Ryaku No Maki contains many useful techniques from the nine classical schools of the Bujinkan but they are merely empty forms without the Kuden (Oral Transmission) that traditionally accompany them. It is important to understand that Katas are merely transmissions of forms used for transcending generations and each display their own fundamental characteristics and each open a different avenue in the infinite tapestry of Taijutsu.
The Art is made up of a number of elements including:
junan taiso (body conditioning)
taihenjutsu (body movement)
ukemi (Receiving the ground safely)
kaiten (rolling)
tobi (leaping)
dakentaijutsu (striking methods)
koppojutsu (the “knack” of striking using the opponent’s skeleton against them)
koshijutsu (manipulation of the body, especially the spine, in order to restrain or break an opponent’s balance)
jutaijutsu (grappling methods)
nage (throws)
hajutsu (escapes)
gyakuwaza (locks and controls)
shimewaza (chokes)
jissen newaza (ground fighting)