It is a very old fighting style with origins dating to the 14th century when China and Okinawa established trade relations and Chinese martial arts were absorbed. Karate is primarily a striking martial art that emerged on the island of Okinawa as an adaptation of Chinese fighting styles. Hidehiko Yoshida: A Japanese judo gold medalist (1992) and MMA fighter, Yoshida is known for wearing his gi into matches and for his terrific throws, toughness, and submissions. Gene LeBell: LeBell is a former American judo champion, author of many judo books, stunt performer, and professional wrestler. Jigoro Kano: The founder of judo, Kano brought the art to the masses, and his efforts eventually brought it to the Olympic stage.

The term judo translates as “the gentle way.” It is a competitive martial art, with the goal of either throwing or taking an opponent to the ground, immobilizing him with a pin, or forcing him to submit with a hold. Judo is a popular martial arts style that originated in 1882, and it became an Olympic sport relatively recently, starting in the 1960s. Iaido is sometimes called “Zen in motion.” Like most Japanese martial arts, iaido is steeped in religious philosophy-in this case, Confucianism, Zen, and Taoism. It was developed to counter surprise attacks with one motion.īecause of its potential for injury, iaido is usually demonstrated in solo performances. Shigenobu is the man credited with formulating and establishing the exclusive art of Japanese sword fighting that is known today as iaido. Kisshomaru Ueshiba: The third child of Morihei Ueshiba, Kisshomaru became the international leader of aikido when his father died.īetween the years of 1546 to 1621, a man by the name of Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto Shigenobu lived in what is now considered the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan. Steven Seagal: Seagal is one of the most famous martial arts movie actors of all time. Morihei Ueshiba: The founder of the martial arts style of aikido. There is a strong spiritual aspect to aikido, as it is based on neo-Shinto philosophy and practice. The martial arts style of aikido that he founded during the 1920s and 1930s is just that. His goal was to create a form of martial arts that allowed practitioners to protect themselves without seriously harming the attacker. We’re talking about true self-defense, the kind that emphasizes holds instead of strikes, and using an opponent’s aggression against him or her rather than being the aggressor.

Morihei Ueshiba sought a style of fighting that was peaceful in nature. Yellow Dog Productions/DigitalVision/Getty Images The four most common styles of Japanese martial arts are aikido, iaido, judo, and karate.

Iaido martial art stances