History of Taiho Jutsu - Part 1
The term 'Taiho Jutsu' 逮捕術 was first used during the latter years of feudal Japan. "Jutsu, or Jitsu, roughly translated as 'Fighting System' and 'Taiho' for 'Arresting'. Together, Taiho Jitsu, could be translated as Arresting System, as a thread of the JuJitsu fighting family.
Originally used by Street Police of feudal Japanese Cities. Police who would need these techniques during encounters with thugs and criminals. A major difference between the Taiho Jitsu techniques and other JuJitsu concepts was found in the fact that Street Police were not permitted to use lethal force or force that caused serious injury to their detainees. The majority of techniques were unarmed and aimed to restrain, pin & arrest instead of a strike or submit. As times & cultures evolved, so did basic Law Enforcement and street defense tactics. The need for an unarmed Street Fighting Martial Art used by Police began to become a thing of the past. As did many other Martial Arts of feudal times, Taiho Jitsu started to phase out of popularity among the Police academies.
The next time we'd see this term re-emerge would be Post WWII Japan. After US Forces defeated Imperial Japan, Allied Forces took occupation of the country. This began the county's ordered Demilitarization. Japanese Military & Government Police were dethroned and stripped of authority. As a new Government was being structured, the Japanese began to establish new Police stations with young inexperienced civilians appointed as local Street Police. These newly establish Police Stations were no match for the threats of a newly liberated Japan. Most major cities were quickly becoming controlled by Organized Crime Gangs, Yakuzas. Japan's Capital City, Tokyo & the Tokyo Police Department recruited a committee of advisors to help create a specialized fighting system for Japan's Street Police to use. Naming this system, "Taiho Jitsu" once again. This committee was put together with black belt masters of various JuJitsu styles, veteran bodyguards and pistol shooting experts. A combined effort to develop a quick curriculum to train Police cadets to counter the threats of unarmed, club, knife and pistol holding street thugs. Once again, this type of "JuJitsu" was much different from others as it's main focus was to engage, restrain & detain rather than kill, injure or exchange strikes. In 1947 Modern Taiho Jitsu was founded & adopted as the national street fighting system for Japanese Police.
As the US Armed Forces continued to occupy and protect Japan, more and more Military Post became training halls for many JuJitsu & Taiho Jitsu instructors. US Soldiers, Marines & Air Men found great benefits in training JuJitsu during their tours in eastern Asian duty stations. The US Air Force, stateside, also adopted the theory of a mixed martial art being created to counter street attacks with less than lethal force. The US Air Force Strategic Command contacted the Japanese Kano JuJitsu Headquarters, the Kodokan, home of the Olympic fighting system Judo. This contact was to request permission to start sending US Pilots to Japan for an 8 week " JuJitsu Bootcamp " in an effort to better prepare Airmen for close-quarters combat overseas.
Kodokan recruited a committee of Black Belt Masters to help train the US Forces. This committee brought together Karate Masters to better explain the principles of stand up striking defense & counters; Masters of Aiki Jitsu to help explain principles of redirecting and exploiting the attacker's movements; Masters of Judo to improve clinches & takedowns; JuJitsu Masters to help with Grappling and Taiho Jitsu Masters to help with basic street reality focused techniques. This "boot camp" gave Taiho Jitsu more exposure to Americans. Many US Servicemen continued to teach & train these street fighting techniques, stateside, throughout their Military Careers. As the Army started creating the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) based on Gracie JiuJitsu Combatives tactics, the Air Force had the Air Force Combatives based on the hybrid JuJitsu/Judo/Taiho Jitsu system.
"Gunji Taiho Jutsu" is the most Modernized and current style of Taiho Jitsu. A young JuJitsu enthusiast named Tony Pacenski, from Philadelphia would begin his early journey training in Gracie JiuJitsu. Over the years, Tony became not only a Brazilian JiuJitsu Black Belt but was recruited by Rickson Gracie to help organize a curriculum and federation to unite JiuJitsu together under one Federation, a federation that focused on Street Fighting Self Defense over Sport BJJ. Rickson Gracie, Tony Pacenski and Carlos Gama co-founded federation is now the JIUJITSU GLOBAL FEDERATION (JJGF) governing body over Gracie JiuJitsu, Brazilian JiuJitsu & rooted in pure street self-defense Jujitsu. Prof. Tony spent many years traveling and training directly with Rickson Gracie in an effort to spread both the JJGF & the concepts of Rickson Gracie's "Invisible JiuJitsu". Along with years of studying Gracie JiuJitsu, Prof. Tony was also a direct student under Yoshitsune Combat Ju Jitsu's founder- Grandmaster M. DePasquale. After receiving black belts in both Brazilian JiuJitsu & Yoshitsune JuJutsu, Prof. Tony's heart lead him to join the US Air Force.
As the highest-ranking Gracie JiuJitsu Black belt in the Active Duty Military, Prof. Tony was quickly recruited to oversee and organize combatives training. It was during this time Prof. Tony identified a need for a more realistic answer to the threats of Street Self Defense. Teaching Army, Air Force combatives & Brazilian JiuJitsu, Prof. Tony decided to start developing a united system that would give Service Members a way to not only defend themselves but others in a Non-Combat Zone situation.
The main difference between the type of JiuJitsu used in Military Combatives and in this new Gunji Taiho Jutsu was the fact that Combatives' goal is to close in with, engage & kill the enemy where Gunji Taiho Jutsu's goal is to give soldiers, stateside, a non-lethal way to protect, defend and restrain street assaults. Gunji Taiho Jutsu is for Americans to use to protect other Americans in times of need where Combatives JiuJitsu is used by Americans fighting the enemy on the battlefields.
After identifying the need for a revised Taiho Jutsu system, Prof. Tony wrote an official Taiho Jutsu handbook and began to teach the system to Air Force Security Forces, Military Police and Brazilian JiuJitsu students serving in the Military. As Gunji Taiho Jutsu grew in popularity, demand for MORE also grew. Prof. Tony decided to update the handbook as a revised second edition as well as create an online study course- Gunji University.com.
Gunji Taiho Jutsu is a "JuJutsu" system focusing on restraining aggressive attacks and life protection skills. Following the same traditions and values followed by Taiho Jitsu Masters all the way back to the feudal Japanese Street Police era. Gunji Taiho Jutsu is a complete martial art with pure life protection principles and techniques.
