The Different Spellings of Jujutsu, Jujitsu and Jiu Jitsu (v2.2)

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your Profile PhotoBLOG #5: A FINAL word on what the different spellings of Jujutsu/Jujitsu/Jiu jitsu actually mean.

Andrew Yiannakis, Ph.D., Research Professor (UNM), 8th Dan Traditional Jujutsu; 6th Dan Traditional Kodokan Judo. He is Chair of the Traditional Jujutsu Committee of the USJJF and Director of the Institute of Traditional Martial Arts at the University of New Mexico (USA).

If you’ve been following my blog on this issue it should be clear that it’s not just about how you spell it.  The different spellings are actual portals to different styles/systems, and the cultural practices and ways that characterize and differentiate them. The point is that  Jujutsu systems are significantly different from Jujitsu, or Jiu Jitsu systems.

Genuine Japanese, or Japanese-based systems use Romaji and the correct spelling under Romaji is Jujutsu. Jutsu in Romaji means “art” or “craft”. Of note is the fact that Jigoro Kano himself (the founder of Judo) began…

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Author: andrewyiannakis

Andrew Yiannakis, Ph.D., is currently a Research Professor at the University of New Mexico (USA). He is also Professor Emeritus from the University of Connecticut where he taught the Sociology of Leisure, Tourism & Sport, as well as Research Methods and Computer Applications. He also holds the rank of 8th Dan in Traditional Jujutsu and a 6th Dan in Traditional Kodokan Judo. He is the Director of the Institute of Traditional Martial Arts at the University of New Mexico. He is also the Chair of the Traditional Jujutsu Committee of the USJJF. As an amateur historian, he has led several expeditions to Greece to conduct research at Thermopylae, and locate the path the Persians used in 480 BC to encircle, and defeat King Leonidas and the Greek allies. Prof. Yiannakis has published extensively in a number of areas.

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