Jittejutsu (Art of the Jitte)
十手術A Japanese martial art of the jitte, a hooked metal rod carried by Edo-period police officials. It is a skill, not a school.
Quick Facts
JapanCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Jittejutsu (Art of the Jitte)
About Jittejutsu (Art of the Jitte)
Jittejutsu is not a separate school but a skill. The Nipponica encyclopedia defines it as the art of arrest with the jitte weapon. According to the Daijisen and Kokugo daijiten dictionaries, the jitte was the tool Edo-period police officials used to arrest criminals, and according to Kokugo daijiten it also served as ID for police assistants.
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According to Nipponica, the weapon usually has an iron body, and the Kokugo daijiten dictionary describes it as an iron rod with a hook at the handle. According to Nipponica, its length followed the distance from the grip to the elbow, normally one shaku and two to three sun, that is 36 to 39 centimeters. Kokugo daijiten gives around 45 centimeters, the Heibonsha encyclopedia 30 to 60 centimeters. According to Nipponica, the basic technique is to catch a sword attack, lead it away to the elbow, grip the blade, close in on the opponent, strike and arrest him. According to Nipponica, the weapon's origin is unclear and it does not appear in old sources. The encyclopedia states that the art was allegedly passed on by the Chinese Chin Genpin in 1648 to 1652, and judges the weapon probably of Chinese origin. Of the schools that transmit the art, the Britannica encyclopedia names Ikkaku-ryu, taught together with Shinto Muso-ryu. Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists it as an affiliated school of one line of Shinto Muso-ryu, and according to Wayne Muromoto it was added to the curriculum by the third representative, Matsuzaki Kinueumon Tsunekatsu. Meik Skoss writes that the baton method of today's Japanese police also derives from Ikkaku-ryu.
History
The Nipponica encyclopedia states that the jitte was carried by Edo-period police officials, that its origin is unclear and that it does not appear in old sources. According to Nipponica, the art was allegedly passed on by the Chinese Chin Genpin in 1648 to 1652, and the encyclopedia therefore judges it probably a Chinese weapon from the early Edo period. Britannica, citing the work Kinsei Jibutsu-ko, states that this Chinese man served in the Owari domain and taught a method of arrest with the jitte. Japanese Wikipedia, however, writes that theories of Chinese origin are refuted. According to Nipponica, schools also differed in writing the weapon's name. Britannica names Ikkaku-ryu among the schools that transmit the art. According to Wayne Muromoto, it was added to the Shinto Muso-ryu curriculum by its third representative, Matsuzaki Kinueumon Tsunekatsu. English Wikipedia states that the original Ikkaku-ryu was a system of arresting arts in which the jitte was only one of the weapons, and that after the Meiji Restoration only the art of the jitte and the iron fan tessen remained.
How it differs
Jittejutsu is a skill, whereas Ikkaku-ryu is a school that transmits it. Nihon Kobudo Kyokai does not list jittejutsu or Ikkaku-ryu as a separate school, and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists Ikkaku-ryu only as an affiliated school of one line of Shinto Muso-ryu. Meik Skoss writes that the baton method of the Japanese police, keibojutsu, comes from Ikkaku-ryu and was adapted to modern conditions. In its overview of schools that teach the jitte, Japanese Wikipedia lists other schools besides Ikkaku-ryu.
Technique
According to Nipponica, the jitte usually had an iron body and a cord on the handle ending in a loop. Wooden, chain and extendable forms also existed. Its length followed the distance from the grip to the elbow, normally 36 to 39 centimeters. The Kokugo daijiten dictionary gives about 45 centimeters, the Heibonsha encyclopedia 30 to 60 centimeters. According to Nipponica, the basic technique is to catch a sword attack, lead it away to the elbow, and when the blade slides down to the hand, grip it, close in, strike and arrest the opponent. Kokugo daijiten writes that in arrests the jitte deflected attacks, beat and stabbed. Britannica states that against resistance, the opponent's dominant hand is struck hard. English Wikipedia also describes, for Ikkaku-ryu, using the jitte with the tessen fan against a sword attacker.
Training
English Wikipedia states that Ikkaku-ryu has 24 kata in two series, omote and ura, with the same names, and that it is taught mainly to advanced practitioners of Shinto Muso-ryu. According to it, lower levels train with wooden weapons, and some advanced groups use a metal jitte against a blunt sword. According to the CiNii library listing, Nippon Budokan published a video presenting Ikkaku-ryu together with the Isshin-ryu kusarigama.
Today
We have not found a separate jittejutsu school among the members of Nihon Kobudo Kyokai or in the koryu.com guide. Ikkaku-ryu is transmitted together with Shinto Muso-ryu, and Nihon Kobudo Shinkokai lists it for the line headed by Esumi Kazutoshi in Kunitachi, Tokyo. According to Meik Skoss, the baton method of today's Japanese police derives from it.
Did you know
According to the Kokugo daijiten dictionary, the jitte also served as ID, because police assistants identified themselves with it during investigations. According to Kokugo daijiten, the tassel color on the handle indicated affiliation, and the Heibonsha encyclopedia states that it differed between offices, from red to purple or light blue. Japanese Wikipedia adds that in Edo-period series the jitte is worn at the waist, but in reality it was carried in a sheath under clothing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the jitte?
It is a metal rod carried by Edo-period police officials. The Kokugo daijiten dictionary describes it as an iron rod with a hook at the handle, and the Nipponica encyclopedia states that it was used to catch the blade of a sword.
Is jittejutsu a separate school?
No. The Nipponica encyclopedia describes it as an art of arrest with the jitte weapon. The Ikkaku-ryu school, which transmits it, is taught together with Shinto Muso-ryu.
How long is the jitte?
The figures differ. The Nipponica encyclopedia gives a standard of 36 to 39 centimeters, the Kokugo daijiten dictionary about 45 centimeters and the Heibonsha encyclopedia 30 to 60 centimeters.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.