The Jujutsu we practice at STMA is Shiro Tora Jujutsu, it is a modern refinement of traditional Japanese Jujutsu, the unarmed combat of the Samurai.
In it's modern refinement it is known as Kempo Jujutsu or Kempo Goshin Jujutsu
It involves the standing strikes, blocks and kicks of kempo
locks and projections
throws and takedowns
groundfighting
it involves defence against weapons when unarmed
Japan
There are many Japanese Jujutsu schools
Jigoro Kano refined Jujutsu at the start of the 20th Century into a modern form of Jujutsu
This became Kodokan Judo
In Judo we seperate the standing throwing art tachi waza
from the ground grappling art newaza
Ueshiba refined the aiki blending principles of Jujutsu with the principles of kenjutsu to further develop a new form of Jujutsu which became Aikido
Tomiki then took aikido and married it up with Judo again to create a new art Tomiki Aikido
That is pretty much as far as Jujutsu has evolved in Japan and this was achieved by the mid 20th century
Brazil
In the early 20th century one of Kano's senior shihan Maeda left Japan and ended up in Brazil, staying with the Gracie family. At this time the Jujutsu he had studied and mastered was not yet called Judo.
Kano renamed his art Judo after Maeda had left Japan.
Kano trained the Gracie brothers in Judo's original form - this became the art that would be Gracie Jujutsu. Had things been a bit different it would have been called Gracie Judo, which in some ways more accurate.
What makes the art Gracie JJ and not Maeda JJ is the further developments done by the Gracie brothers, and most of the credit for this is with Helio.
Japanese have long torsos and short legs.
A lot of newaza, such as guard moves, although in JJ, are often taught as theoretical as they can't be performed by a lot of Japanese. Guard moves get even harder to do if your thighs get thicker, which tends to happen with any grappler, Judo or wrestler, due to the muscles developing in countless throws.
The Gracies are all tall and thin so they made their long legs work for them.
Second - in Japan everyone is the same height and build and if you are 5'6 and 10 stone you are a "big" guy!
JJ was never developed against opponents who were 6'4, 250 lbs, 22 musclar inch biceps - the Japanese masters didn't know such men existed, had never encountered them, and certainly never developed techniques against them.
However - the leverage based techniques of JJ, which are further refined in Judo and Aikido, will work against anyone. The principles are there, they just need to be funcionalised.
Now in Brazil, street fighting meant going against any kind of opponent, including men bigger and stronger and heavier than you - which is how the Gracies developed their art - take on ANY an ALL opponents, get the to the ground and finish them there.
Helio was small and frail and had to further adapt the techniques his more athletic brothers used against his opponents. So he truly refined the Kano-Maeda JJ into the new Gracie JJ.
Helio's sons were all champions and master fighters in their own right, Rickson in particular, Rorion, and of course Royce who won the early UFCs.
Gracie Jujutsu
The point of the UFC was to showcase Gracie JJ to the world as a street fighting self defence system that works against ANY attacker from ANY background even if bigger, stronger and heavier.
The problem then was that anyone in Brazil who had some grappling, be it some JJ, Judo, or wrestling, tried cashing in on teaching grappling - people wanted to learn grappling from Brazilian experts.
Rorion was quick to point out that Gracie JJ was a trademark name and only if certified by the family as an instructor could somebody teach it.
Brazilian Jujutsu
This gave rise to everyone else teaching grappling systems from Brazil which became known as BJJ
To be fair most of these have some Gracie training, lineage, and use, or try to use the techniques and concepts
However, if they didn't qualify to teach it, they aren't teaching it
What is more, due to the rise of what is now called MMA, what is being taught as BJJ has been adapted to be the newaza, the ground phase, of the new MMA sport
Or Sport JJ
It is NOT a self defence art, it will NOT work on the streets, only on mats, and only under MMA rules.
Back to Judo
Now the new art of Gracie JJ is a great refinement of Judo newaza - however it's important to remember where it came from
The Gracie's teacher was Maeda, a Judo master (though he didn't yet call it Judo)
When Helio suffered his only real public defeat it was at the hands of Kimura, a Japanese Judo master, who put him in the ground version of ude garame, which is why that lock now bears his name
When Royce suffered his only real public defeat (we don't count the Mat Hughes match) he was rear mounted and choked out by a Japanese Judo master.
So while BJJ is just a watered down sport, we still recognise GJJ as a self defence street fighting system, which specialises in newaza
However there is nothing in GJJ not in Judo and in the original Japanese JJ, for those who take the time to study it properly
