What Is Jiu-Jitsu?
Around the world, more and more adults are taking up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a hobby they love. Here's the secret behind why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is growing in popularity, and why TATORU has 400 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts, from kids to adults (as of August 2024).
What Is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grew out of the judo (then called jiu-jitsu) that Mitsuyo Maeda carried to Brazil in the Taisho era. The Brazilian Gracie family developed it further as self-defense, and today it's the newest martial art to spread around the world. It's interesting that its roots are in Japan, but it also has a deep connection to Kumamoto. Masahiko Kimura, a Showa-era judoka from Kumamoto City, once fought Helio Gracie, founder of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, in Brazil.
That match is still told as a legend. The move Kimura used to finish Helio is known as the Kimura lock, and every jiu-jitsu player and MMA fighter in the world knows it.
Speaking of MMA, the strongest tournament in the world today is the UFC in the United States, but few people know that the first UFC event was actually staged to show the world how effective Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is. That's how much jiu-jitsu has become the foundation of ground fighting in MMA and spread widely.
JIU-JITSU Goes Mainstream
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a hobby is spreading faster overseas than in Japan. The reason is that MMA has become a major sport worldwide. At the same time, it's interesting that jiu-jitsu has been embraced by ordinary people as fitness and as a lifestyle. No martial art has ever been this popular across ages and genders. People who love jiu-jitsu say things that sound like big praise, such as "Jiu-jitsu affirms life." So what is it about jiu-jitsu that's so appealing? Beyond its appeal as a sport, I think the dojo becoming a "third place" to belong adds to the charm. Here are the keywords jiu-jitsu fans often mention.
- Low risk of injury, so you can do it while working
- Brainpower matters more than strength, so you can start at any age
- The unusual closeness of grappling with others somehow lets you affirm other people
- Martial arts as an after-work pleasure
- No-strings communication with people of all ages
- Realizing how important relationships are: you only get strong because of your partner
- Clear milestones that come from losing
- The thrill of learning a technique and being able to use it
There are probably more, but these are all phrases that anyone who does jiu-jitsu will nod along to. Do other martial arts and sports lack these? I think they have them too. It's just that jiu-jitsu makes them easy to feel. I honestly don't know why, but one hint, I believe, is that we don't see the dojo as just a place to build your body.
JIU-JITSU Goes Mainstream
Dojos like TATORU that aim to make Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a way of life are sweeping away the negative image of martial arts as tough, dirty, painful and sweaty, and aiming to be clean, stylish and fun. This is a movement that martial arts have never had before. Cool dojos like this are increasing in New York and California too. Like surfing and skateboarding, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu culture is growing in the US and Europe as a culture of its own, a flow that martial arts never had. TATORU members come to the dojo to simply enjoy moving their bodies, treating jiu-jitsu as fitness or a hobby. Their reasons vary: "a new hobby," "getting healthy," "fitness that helps women slim down in a pretty way," "wanting to get strong," "an after-school activity for my kids," "staying in shape." I hope everyone finds their own kind of fun, falls under the strange spell described above, and comes to affirm their life.
TATORU Owner Yosuke Takagame
