Everything you need to know about Taijutsu

Sadly, these days most people associate Taijutsu with Naruto. As it happens, Taijutsu is a genuine martial art with a rich history. It doesn’t really have anything to do with ninjas either. However, like ninjas, the reality of Taijutsu is that these days, it’s not really around much and has kind of died out. Why is this? The reason is due to the emergence of more effective, newer martial arts that has replaced the need for Taijutsu. Nonetheless, the history and impact of Taijutsu is worth learning about, so here’s everything you need to know about the forgotten Japanese martial art.

When was Taijutsu invented?

Taijutsu was created around 700 AD and was created slightly after ancient times. It was founded in Japan and was part of Buddhist training, meaning it has links with Chinese martial arts. Generally, most Japanese martial arts have some kind of origins rooted in China, so it’s not too surprising to see this with Taijutsu.

Taijutsu roughly means ‘body technique’ and was mostly a striking based art that focused on the body. In other words, for some reason it neglected head strikes and has been described as similar to Karate, but without kicks or punches to the head. Some forms of Taijutsu also include grappling, but it depends on what variation you’re taught. Taijutsu does not include weapons either.

Is Taijutsu a real martial art?

As alluded to above, Taijutsu is certainly a martial art. In some ways, you could moan about the anime show Naruto confusing viewers and understandably viewers may think it’s made up. However, Taijutsu is a genuine, real martial art. These days, it is mostly considered lost in time. Whilst there are still some schools that teach Taijutsu, the likelihood of finding one locally is very slim.

Further, it’s sad but true that a lot of genuine Taijutsu schools no longer exist, especially in the west. If you do happen to find one, then there’s a chance it could be watered down or teaching something very different from the original martial art.

Can you do Taijutsu in real life?

As said, you can do Taijutsu in real life. The issue is finding a place that actually teaches Taijutsu. This is not an easy feat and many people don’t even know that Taijutsu is a real thing. Instead, many people will look towards mainstream martial arts such as Karate or Kickboxing instead.

There are a few videos online that will give you a glimpse of genuine Taijutsu, and perhaps you could also learn some of the techniques from a book. Having said this, actually finding a genuine Taijutsu gym may prove challenging.

How do you master Taijutsu?

Mastering Taijutsu is not an easy skill and takes years to practice. Really though, it depends on your definition of ‘master’. In some martial arts, the term ‘grand master’ is used, which can literally mean over 50 years of practice. In others, it can mean closer to 10 years. With this in mind, you would expect a Taijutsu master to be training for over 10 years at least. Ultimately though, this definition is fluid and as there’s little gatekeeping involved with Taijutsu, it’s up to the individual

Is Taijutsu good for self defense?

Genuine Taijutsu can be considered good for self defense…up to a point. Perhaps the main reason as to why Taijutsu never caught on was because it was very big on hitting the body and not the head. Everyone knows that the way to knock people out is by hitting the head, which is something that Taijutsu doesn’t teach. This means that it has a glaring weakness.

Having said that, in terms of striking it has been compared to certain types of Karate. The reason for this is that it uses similar punches and kicks and can also use elbows like in Muay Thai. From this perspective, Taijutsu is genuinely effective for self defense. Just don’t expect any unrealistic Naruto moves. Remember, Taijutsu is a real martial art and should be treated like on.

Can Taijutsu beat Ninjutsu?

This question is a little odd, considering Taijutsu was actually a part of the 18 Ninjutsu skills or disciplines. In other words, Ninjutsu literally incorporates Taijutsu into its system. This comparison is like asking whether wrestling would beat MMA. Wrestling is commonly used in MMA, so it’s a bit of a dumb thing to compare against.

In short, Ninjutsu is a collection of techniques thrown together to create ninjas who use these methods in combat. Of those 18 skills, Taijutsu happens to be one of them and is one of the striking parts. Having said this, you’d be better off learning Taijutsu at a standalone Taijutsu dojo rather than as part of Ninjutsu, as it would be more of a pure experience.

How do you fight Taijutsu?

If you wanted to defeat Taijutsu in a fight, there would be several ways to win. Firstly, you could use a martial art such as Kickboxing and aim for the head. As Taijutsu is more body focused, this would give the Kickboxer the edge. You could apply a similar example to Taekwondo as well. Another method would be to use grappling such as Judo or wrestling to defeat a Taijutsu practitioner.

This is because many of the old Wushu and Japanese striking martial arts didn’t really train takedowns, or at least did to a very primitive level compared to the grappling of today. Something like BJJ would also fare well in terms of submissions that may not be covered greatly with Taijutsu as well. Against an untrained opponent though, Taijutsu would do well and with enough practice, it would more than hold its own.

Conclusion

Overall, Taijutsu is a legitimate martial art that has literally been around for over 1000 years. However, these days it has faded into obscurity and has been replaced by more efficient forms of fighting. For better or worse, Taijutsu was highlighted in Naruto where it was one of the main fighting styles on the show. Regardless of its history though, the reality is that it’s quite difficult to learn Taijutsu these days, and one day soon it may become extinct as a result of lack of interest. Nonetheless, it’s fair to say that Taijutsu helped shape martial arts and played an important role in contributing towards arts such as Karate and others.

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