Japanese wrestling: types, description

Japan is a country in which traditions are closely intertwined with the latest technological innovations. Among the skyscrapers, robots and computers, there was a place for the numerous martial arts that were formed over the long years of the country's existence. In the meantime, while most other martial arts developed the technique of kicking and kicking, the Japanese paid the most attention to wrestling techniques, as kicking fists with armor is not the most useful occupation on the battlefield. Fortunately, many traditional Japanese martial arts have survived to this day. Some in the processed form, others have reached us almost the same as they were hundreds of years ago. Of course, traditional techniques are problematic to apply in the framework of a sporting duel, which has made the development of such arts a minority lot. It is thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts that we can study and develop the techniques developed by experienced soldiers of ancient Japan.

Japanese wrestling sumo

What do most people associate with the Land of the Rising Sun? Sakura, geisha, samurai and, of course, sumo. This amazing kind of struggle takes its origin from the deep antiquity. Although many Japanese researchers find some kind of confirmation that the wrestling tournaments were held in the territory of present-day Japan more than a thousand years ago, it is impossible to establish the exact date for the birth of Sumo wrestling. Tournaments on wrestling were conducted from time immemorial and were accompanied by various rituals and rituals. That is, they were more religious in nature than competitive. Initially, the rules almost did not limit the ability of fighters. It was allowed to strike with kicks and hands on any part of the body, which led to significant injuries.

Only in the Heian era were drawn up the rules of the fight, there was a clear system of refereeing. Since then, sumo has steadily lost its religious significance and more and more resembled modern sports, which made it only more popular among the broad masses. However, in times of terrible internecine wars that swept the Japanese lands, this kind of fighting was increasingly used by soldiers in battles. So there was a division between the military kind of sumo and its sports variety. From the combat direction later began to branch off the numerous martial arts schools, known to this day.

Sumo these days

Ancient competitions of giants are popular in Japan and nowadays. Today Sumo is the Japanese national struggle, which has become one of the unchanging symbols of this country. Professional sumoists, or rikishi, as they are called in the homeland of this art, are very popular, along with show business stars and outstanding athletes. Although in general to be a wrestler sumo today is not so prestigious as in the old days, but the most eminent wrestlers are very rich and have many admirers. Often, eminent rikishi enjoy success with women, despite all the specificity of the appearance. The fighters are simpler in obtaining the average, by the standards of Japan, salary and are approximately on the same level as ordinary civil servants.

Why are the sumoids so huge? The thing is that in today's sumo, like a thousand years ago, there are no weight classes, which makes participation in them of light weight athletes inexpedient. Modern fights are held on a special round arena, 4.55 m in diameter, which is built of clay and covered with a layer of sand. In addition, during the construction of this traditional structure, special rituals are performed - in the center of the arena special offerings are buried, and just before the tournament, the place is watered with the sanctified sake to earn the favor of the gods. It is interesting that even today women are not allowed to step on this platform. Tournaments are held once in 2 months in Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and in the capital - Tokyo, in which there are already 3 of 6 such tournaments. As before, the rikishi are divided into two camps - East and West. During the access to the platform a special ritual is observed, designed to drive away evil spirits and other evil spirits. The bandage in which the wrestlers are dressed is called kesyo-mawashi and is an expensive and complex design that can weigh up to 10 kg. This bandage is embroidered with gold and silver and is made only by hand, so it is very expensive. This only shows how important an important place in modern culture is the Japanese wrestling sumo.

Life of the sumo

Sumo wrestling clubs take young men between the ages of 10 and 15, giving preference to strong-built new recruits. A newcomer, getting into the club of this unusual fight, does not have any rights, but gets a lot of duties. He should cook for older students, clean and wash after them. All instructions the beginner should carry out instantly and without superfluous questions. Such an army discipline can scare away an unsure adept, but those who stay and go through such a school will become great fighters, and maybe one of them will even get the coveted title of the absolute champion or yokozuna. Strangely enough, future rikishi come to this sport with ordinary boys, and incredible size is gained thanks to a special regime of the day and constant training.

Sumoists rise at dawn. After all the necessary procedures, they immediately go on a long hours of grueling training. This Japanese struggle requires total dedication. Only this way you can withstand 4-5 hours of training. After that fighters take a bath and go for breakfast. The main food at this time is a special stew made from meat and vegetables - chanko. It is cooked in a cauldron on a slow fire and the recipe for this dish is familiar to every rikishi, since they turn the food in turn. After a meal sumo wrestlers leave for 2-3 hours to sleep, in order to effectively convert food to fat. After that, there is an evening training and dinner. They eat sumoists only twice a day, but a lot. Also they are not limited in the use of alcoholic beverages, that is, to drink at dinner sake or beer is not considered in the environment of wrestlers sumo something bad.

Jujutsu

The full opposite of sumo is the Japanese wrestling jiu-jitsu, or jujutsu. In it, in contrast to the forceful methods of fighting typical of sumoists, emphasis is placed on skills that provide a fighter with a victory over a stronger opponent. The technique of jujutsu was formed under the influence of numerous internecine wars, which are so rich in Japanese history. Therefore, this Japanese struggle is flooded with completely inhuman methods of combat. In jiu-jitsu, there are many creases and seizures designed to break a limb or strangle an opponent. Also in this martial art are vitally affected vital points on the enemy's body, which makes it impossible to conduct full-fledged competitions in this type of struggle.

This unique Japanese art is more traditional than other types of Japanese wrestling. Many techniques of jujutsu seem to the modern man too complex and impractical. However, one must understand that this art was created for warfare, where various types of cold steel were widely used. The majority of jiu-jitsu techniques are aimed at disarming the enemy or for occupying a position from which it is more convenient to use his own weapons. The principles on which this struggle is built are interesting. Masters of Jiu-Jitsu use the strength of the opponent against him, preferring not to get involved in a straightforward confrontation. This art makes use of knowledge about biomechanics and levers, which makes the master of jujutsu a dangerous opponent for any fighter.

Judo

The creator of this interesting form of struggle is Dzigaro Kano - a man who decided to choose the best techniques and principles from jujitsu to synthesize more applied, contemporary art. If jujutsu is translated as an art of softness, then the translation of judo means "soft path". This single combat, like many other types of Japanese wrestling, whose names you will meet in this article, professes overcoming the power of gentleness. The techniques selected from the ancient military system were adapted to meet this principle. In this single combat there are no punches and kicks, and the most dangerous techniques were excluded. Therefore, in this form of the Japanese struggle there are competitions, which positively affects the preparedness of athletes.

Fights in judo take place on tatami - elastic mats made of modern materials or, as it was before, made of pressed straw. The wrestlers are dressed in strong jackets, which seriously increase the importance of a good grip, and also participate in some asphyxiating techniques. This Japanese wrestling is characterized by beautiful amplitude shots and limited actions in the stalls. The judo master can easily feel the center of gravity of the opponent and feel the vector, on which his effort is directed, which allows to make a throw using the strength of the opponent. This struggle has won worldwide fame. Judo is practiced around the globe and its popularity only grows. There is nothing surprising in the fact that this struggle is included in the program of the Olympic Games.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

One master of judo and jiu-jitsu moved to live in Brazil, which gave rise to an interesting fighting style that has become incredibly popular in recent years. His name was Mitsuyo Maeda, and he taught his art to Carlson Gracie - the first member of the legendary family, who laid the foundations of Brazilian jujitsu. Despite the fact that initially the Brazilians studied the techniques of judo and jujutsu, what they did was no longer the Japanese struggle. Gracie's family wrestling was marked by a wealth of techniques designed to lead the fight from lying on the back. This unique manner of fighting was formed because some of the members of this wrestling family had a rather fragile physique. Thanks to the competent use of levers and the features of the structure of the human body, they could defeat the fighters much harder and more themselves.

The greatest popularity of the art of the Gracie family was due to their battles with representatives of other martial arts, of which the masters of Brazilian jujutsu most often won. They proved that mysterious masters, capable of killing a person with one blow, are just fiction. One by one, the martial arts masters who were considered the strongest in those times surrendered. These fights between representatives of various martial arts have laid the foundation for the now popular MMA, where the adepts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu feel like a fish in the water.

Aikido

This Japanese struggle was created by an extraordinary man - Morihei Ueshiba, who was nicknamed O-Sensei, which means "great master". He sought to create an art that gives students not only fighting skills, but also teaches them to manage their vital energy. It can be safely said that Aikido trains not only the body, but also the consciousness of man. The master of this martial art is able to neutralize the enemy, without causing him serious damage, than can not boast of craftsmen from other martial arts. In this struggle, as in judo, the emphasis is on redirecting someone else's power, instead of using one's own. The philosophy of Aikido prohibits the use of this art for the sake of attack, and in general, does not encourage violence in any form. Therefore, in this form of struggle there are no attacking techniques, all techniques are exclusively defensive in nature.

Kendo

Of course, when speaking of Japan, one should not forget about such an important attribute of a samurai as a samurai sword. Japanese sword fighting is called kendo and goes back to the distant past, when the ability to own a sword could depend on the life of a person and his family. The technique of fencing was honed for thousands of years, during which the masters of the sword constantly fought in bloody wars. From the technique of the warrior depended on whether he could survive the battle. Therefore, it is hardly possible to find useless or complex movements in kendo. Simplicity and efficiency is what allowed this martial art to live up to our days.

Previously, in fencing training, students practiced their skills mainly on projectiles and trees, as real sparring was very dangerous. Even training fights were then held with real weapons, which led to extremely high injuries. Nowadays special bamboo swords and strong protection are used. This allows you to conduct training fights without worrying about the health of athletes. However, this is not just a Japanese fight on sticks, all kendo techniques can be applied with a samurai sword. Without a doubt, this spectacular art will develop and spread around the world.

Modern Japanese wrestlers

Today, martial arts in the Land of the Rising Sun are still as popular. Japanese wrestlers are considered to be among the best in the world. They participate in competitions according to the rules of MMA, judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Japanese freestyle wrestling is also well developed. This country was one of the first to see the incredible potential of mixed martial arts. And given the huge number of fighters living in Japan, there are always willing to go into the cage. It is also worth noting the skill of Japanese judokas, who often show incredible results in international competitions. I want to believe that the MMA fights in this country will make martial arts even more popular among the Japanese, and we will be able to see more skilful fighters from Japan.

Japanese Martial Arts

The amazing world of Japanese martial arts has technicians for every taste. For example, the Japanese hand-to-hand fighting of jujutsu with a huge number of ancient techniques, which is not only a self-defense system, but also a unique cultural heritage. For those who prefer to fight shock equipment, there is karate. A peace-loving and kind person will find everything that is needed in aikido. This system not only teaches self-defense, but also helps to achieve harmony and spiritual perfection. If you like competitions, then you will like the other Japanese wrestling, whose name is judo. The skills acquired in it will help you to stand up for yourself, and a sporty way of life will bring health and joy into your life. Japanese wrestling is popular all over the world. Dozens of countries employ thousands of rooms that promote the arts of the Land of the Rising Sun. There are reasons to believe that Japan's martial arts will only become more popular over the years. This gives us hope for a brighter future.