- George Kirby
- Aug 6, 2024
- 7 min read
Mythical Origin of Ju-Shin
During the early part of the Tokugawa era (1603-1868), there lived in Japan’s Saikaido province a respected samurai named Saik- ouhou Matsuyama. He had a beauti- ful daughter called Ju Shin, which means “gentle spirit.” At that time in history, women weren’t allowed to train in the martial arts. However, because Saikouhou was a doting father, he’d let his daughter sit on the edge of the tatami while he practiced his jujitsu.
Ju Shin would study his every movement from afar. Each day after he left, she’d slowly go through the motions of the techniques. Eventually, Saikouhou caught on, but because she’d translated his fight- ing moves into a flowing form that looked like a dance and because she kept her knowledge to herself, he allowed her to continue.
One day, as she’d done many times before, Ju Shin walked to a meadow to pick wildflowers. Two ronin spied on the girl and decided to take advantage of her. As they grabbed her, she executed a few of the techniques she’d practiced as part of her “dance.” Her slow, smooth form sped up, and she dispatched both attackers in seconds.
When Ju Shin got home, she told her father about the two attackers in the meadow. He ran there, found the men nursing their wounds and beheaded both with his katana.
Although Saikouhou was upset, he hugged his daughter and tried to comfort her, letting her know how proud he was of her reaction. He said he’d never dreamed that her dance-like movements would mani- fest into self-defense, much less into a system a girl could use effectively against men. He could think of no greater honor to bestow on Ju Shin than to classify all her slow, graceful movements as ju-shin in honor of her gentle spirit.
Real History of Ju-Shin
Early in my jujitsu studies with Jack Seki in the 1960s, my sensei mentioned that women in old Japan weren’t allowed to train like men. Women could practice many of the moves, but they had to do them slowly with another woman in a dance-like form composed of prearranged sequences called kime- no-kata.
Seki encouraged us to practice techniques slowly so we’d learn how to execute them smoothly. Speed comes naturally with continued prac- tice, he said. Our sensei also encouraged us to practice this way at home with an imaginary partner. Of course, I followed his instructions.
Over the years, I’ve looked back on this part of my martial education and wondered what name could be given to this type of slow execution other than kime-no-kata, a rather generic term. Although I devised several Japanese names, none really conveyed the main idea while retaining all the physical, attitudinal and philosophical elements that go into jujitsu.
That bugged me for decades. I longed to come up with a simple name that conveyed the relevant ideas within the physical framework of combining jujitsu techniques into smooth-flowing sequences. Then, in 2013, I started writing my seventh book, Jujitsu: Advanced Techniques for Redirecting an Opponent’s Energy. One of the things I was searching for was a Japanese term that conveyed the importance of maintaining one’s physical and emotional balance while perform- ing jujitsu techniques. I managed to develop a list of terms, a few of which made it into the text.
Early in 2014, a student named Sharon Takeshita agreed to research the topic. Among the words her relatives recommended was ju-shin, which means “center of gravity.” Unexpectedly, she’d solved the problem.
As you may know, in Japanese, one word often can be written with different kanji characters and thus have different meanings. The name of my art is budoshin jujitsu, which included both halves of “ju-shin.” The kanji for shin is identical, but the kanji for ju is different. By changing the kanji for ju, my ju-shin, which meant “center of gravity,” could be linked with the old ju-shin, which meant “gentle spirit.”
I now had a name for the sequences my students and I have practiced for decades.
Analysis Of Ju-Shin
In a nutshell, it refers to the slow and smooth execution of a series of basic jujitsu moves in a way that has one technique flow into the next while combating an imaginary opponent. There are usually five to 10 techniques in each sequence. To the unaware, they can resemble tai chi, but there are four important differences.
• Ju-shin is based on traditional jujitsu kata. It uses techniques that have direct self-defense applications. If the movements of one or two sequences are sped up, they become effective. Thus, a student who learns ju-shin is also learning self-defense.
• Ju-shin can be practiced by any- one. No special clothing or surface is needed. Footwear can be wornas long as you can move your feet smoothly without slipping. Because techniques are done slowly and from a balanced position, there’s no risk of injury.
• Ju-shin provides an excellent form of training for both new students and experienced practitioners. Performing basic techniques slowly helps you develop the foot- work, body positioning and balance needed to do jujitsu in the real world. When you learn what each technique feels like under ideal conditions, your execution under less-than-ideal conditions becomes more effective.
• Ju-shin improves balance, joint flexibility and sensory awareness. It leaves you simultaneously relaxed and energized.
Meaning Of Ju-Shin
Jujitsu translates as “gentle art,” but clearly it can be devastating. A practitioner has the option of using whatever is needed from the art’s skill set, which ranges from simple releases to painful control techniques to moves that can cause permanent injury. Within the system are two ways to practice these techniques with minimal risk to one’s training partner: kata-no-nage and the aforementioned kime-no-kata.
Kata-no-nage refers to executing a technique until just before the crux occurs. This allows the tori (person doing the move) to practice the technique numerous times without forcing the uke (attacker) to endure endless punishment. It’s an excel- lent way to perfect one’s form at normal speed while stopping short of the throw or lock.
In the second alternative of kime- no-kata, the tori and uke execute prearranged moves in a cooperative manner. Some jujitsu ryu have kime-no-kata competitions, and impressive technique is frequently seen because movements can be full speed and flashy.
But it would be a mistake to assume that kime-no-kata and ju- shin are identical. Whereas kime-no- kata can be done at normal speed with a partner, ju-shin is executed slowly by oneself as a mental, spiritual and physical exercise that improves balance in life while polishing technique. In short, the slow and artistic movements of ju-shin are based on the significantly faster self-defense movements of jujitsu.
The value of slowly executing a jujitsu (gentle art) technique so it becomes a solo activity known as ju-shin (gentle spirit) is that you, the practitioner, are carrying the spirit of jujitsu in the execution of ju-shin movements. Although you’re not performing techniques on your partner or opponent, you’re going through the movements needed to construct a memory map of each technique — in the same way that Ju Shin used dance-like routines to memorize her moves. Both can lead to a state of mushin, or no-mind, which refers to doing techniques without having to think about them.
Getting Started In Ju-Shin
Ju-shin practice can benefit almost anyone, from those who are experienced in jujitsu or aikido to those who have no martial arts background (assuming they have access to a competent instructor). There’s no limit to the kinds of sequences one can do using ju-shin. All that’s required is a willingness to slow down the techniques so the sequence becomes a relaxing-but- stimulating exercise.
As you become more experienced at executing a ju-shin sequence, you develop a greater awareness of your balance, as well as improved coordination and a sense of inner peace that stems from getting closer and closer to mushin. You learn how to move from one technique to another with no conscious effort.
Environment is not important, but removing yourself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life — asyou might do for meditation — is ideal. I’ve practiced ju-shin while on a morning walk, sitting at a desk, working in the backyard and waiting in a car at a red light.
As mentioned above, the true value of ju-shin revolves around memory-mapping through slow repetition, which happens to be the reason martial artists practice kata. The only way you can effectively defend yourself in a real situation is if you’re in a state of mushin. If you have to think about what you will do while you’re under attack, it’s probably too late. Therefore, memory-mapping — which results from repeated strikes, throws, joint locks, take- downs, nerve attacks and submissions, as well as the transitions that occur between them — is crucial. Ju-shin not only helps you memory-map your moves for instant recall but also provides ready options in case your chosen response gets countered.
So how do you get started? Whether you’re a sensei or a stu- dent, you need to ensure that you perform your techniques smoothly and slowly with all parts of your body — including your feet and head — positioned properly and pointed in the direction you want your ki to flow. So before you begin, make sure you’re mentally prepared to do this.
Next, if you have a good core knowledge of your art, put several techniques together in a sequence that flows. That sequence might have you facing different directions at different times before returning to your original ready position of tachi waza, which is standing, or sutemi waza, which is sitting.
Once you have developed a few such sequences and practiced them repeatedly, you’ll find that you’re furthering your physical under- standing of your art. You’re start- ing to move from one technique to another without conscious thought. You’re finding it’s easier to modify a sequence on the fly by incorporating other moves into it as the situation requires. And that, as we all know, is the essence of self-defense.
A 10th-degree black belt based in Southern California, George Kirby has taught jujitsu since 1967. He was Black Belt’s 2007 Instructor of the Year.
