Taiho Jutsu: Arresting martial arts of feudal and modern Japan

By Maurizio Colonna

Taiho Jutsu is the martial art of arrest, originally adopted by Japanese police forces. It is a very different system from all other martial arts, since the practitioner not only aims for his own safety, but also has to arrest his assailant. The original techniques of Taiho Jutsu are based on traditional Japanese martial arts schools, and were used for public order purposes after the unification of Japan in the 17th century, at the beginning of the feudal era. Centuries later, after the end of the Second World War, the changed social consciousness and modernization of the country led the Japanese police forces to standardize their own system with techniques suitable for a modern personal defense. The Taiho Jutsu is constantly evolving. For this reason, in Europe and America, it is used by police forces, security workers and private citizens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Volume Press
• Release date: Nov 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9789492488206

Book preview

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PREFACE

There is no book like this in the martial arts publishing scene, for two main reasons: it reports in greater detail the genesis and the history of a centuries-old art, and it is a sort of textbook for both beginners and experts.

Maurizio Colonna is an enthusiast of Eastern martial arts, with a deep knowledge of them thanks to his experience and sensitivity. I have known him for many years and I have always respected the intellectual honesty and the passion that always guide him in his path.

This book contains the essence of Taiho Jutsu: its origins, history, the spirit that makes it a lesson to understand the essence of our existence. Martial arts, in fact, are not just techniques but a method of conduct, a lifestyle that should go along us in our life.

In this book, Maurizio Colonna shows us a path. And, from my own experience, I can assure you that his indications and teachings can give the student the answers for the everyday life.

This is a book to read and to study but, above all, to refer to as a textbook even when we feel ourselves alone or when we seem to have lost our identity.

Martial arts are not just techniques, but also a lifestyle. And in this respect, Maurizio Colonna is a real Master.

Vincenzo Bacarani

Journalist and Taiji Quan 3° Duan black belt instructor

INTRODUCTION

by Maurizio Colonna

Many martial arts practitioners erroneously think that traditional is synonymous with obsolete and ineffective. Conversely, I have always affirmed that the martial tradition, with its roots going deep into wartime contexts and life and death fights, surely offers principles and concepts that are always effective in a real fight for survival.

Martial arts and self-defense cannot be learned by osmosis. Two one hour lessons a week with an expert are not enough to become like him/her. Moreover, there are some aspects that are irreproducible while training a traditional martial art, a combat sport or a self-defense system. We will never be able to reproduce the real intentions of an aggressor; the rancor, resentment and rage that a potential assailant could manifest, suddenly and for whatever reason; in a real situation, we have no time for warming-up, nor we are dressed in athletic apparel; there are no rules, divisions or weight classes. No medical assistance, no ambulance ready to take us to the hospital in the event of serious injuries. Above all, we will never the able to reproduce in training the psychological and physiological reactions occurring in a human being when he/she is assaulted.

Having said that, does the practice of martial arts and self-defense still make sense? I would say yes, provided that we expand the vision of our martial culture and have some intellectual honesty. Things like prevention, personal safety, knowledge of physiological and psychological reactions to fear and fundamentals of law should be part of our technical and theoretical expertise.

Intellectual honesty should tell us that there is no martial style that is absolutely better than the others. In a scenario of war or urban assault, variables are too many even for the most rational and methodical creator of martial systems. Effectiveness doesn’t lie in the theoretical-technical structure of a martial method. Effectiveness is the result of training and experience that surpass the technique itself through a consistent and repetitive training (provided that it