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A Classical Heritage

by David Shipley

The development of Japan’s fighting arts goes back many centuries. And their history is intertwined with the history of war. The greatest advances in the martial arts typically occurred in the periods immediately following a time of war. Techniques and principles that survived the field of battle were refined and systematized. Interactions between those trained in the various arts would lead to the development of counter-techniques and strategies. These were typically periods of social change as well, and there was usually a greater need for properly trained law enforcement personnel. Such was the case in 1947 when Taiho Jutsu was re-created.

This modern version of Taiho Jutsu was created during the Allied occupation of post World War II Japan. Japan was being demilitarized, the practice of the martial arts had been prohibited, and the Japanese police force was unable to cope with the outbreaks of violence during that period. The technical committee that updated Taiho Jutsu sought to further develop the art as an effective system of self-defense for the Japanese police force. An unofficial objective was to develop a system which would preserve those elements of Japan’s martial arts which could be adapted to the realities of the 20th century.

Taiho Jutsu incorporated and adapted restraining techniques which were developed during Japan’s long feudal period. These techniques allowed palace security to discreetly restrain potential attackers without causing injury.

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Taiho Jutsu incorporated and adapted the unarmed self-defense disciplines cultivated by Okinawan law enforcement officers in the 16th century when civilian ownership of weapons had been banned. These disciplines along with other influences later evolved into Karate Jutsu.

Taiho Jutsu incorporated and adapted baton techniques from the classical art of Jutte Jutsu. 17th century policemen found the jutte (a steel truncheon with a protruding hook) especially handy when dealing with armed opponents. They could use it to not only parry and deflect blows, but also to attack vital points of the body.

At the outset of the Korean War in 1950, the prohibition on martial arts was lifted and the USAF Strategic Air Command instituted a combative measures program for its personnel. During the next decade physical training instructors were sent to the Kodokan to study a range of martial arts, while teams of Japanese martial arts instructors visited every SAC base in the USA and Cuba. As disciplines such as Karate, Kendo and Judo began to place greater emphasis on physical education and sport, Taiho Jutsu continued to be refined in terms of its effectiveness as a police art.

Today Taiho Jutsu is without equal as an art for confronting, controlling and subduing individuals, as well as for all around self-defense. The system has a long record of proven success. This tradition lives on in the United States through the United States Taiho Jutsu Federation.

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