The American Ju-Jitsu Association (AJA) is a national, non-profit amateur athletic association founded in 1972 to support the martial art of traditional Japanese

ju-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...

. It is registered with both the state of California and the U.S. government as a

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of t ...

, and is the only martial arts body in the U.S. classified as an amateur athletic association. The AJA promotes a variety of safe competitive formats, recognizes outstanding instructors with national awards, and provides liability/accident insurance and certificates of rank to members who meet the criteria of their particular ryū (style).

Purpose

The American Ju-Jitsu Association brings together different ryū of the art in an atmosphere of cooperation and respect. Among the styles currently represented in the AJA ar
American Combat JujitsuJu-Jitsu

Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu , originally called , is a Japanese martial art that first became widely known in the early 20th century under the headmastership of Takeda Sōkaku. Takeda had extensive training in several martial arts (including Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū ...

Danzan-ryū is a ryū of jujutsu founded by Seishiro Okazaki (1890–1951) in Hawaii. Danzan-ryū jujutsu is of mainly Japanese origin but is most common on the West coast of the United States. The Danzan-ryū syllabus is syncretic, and includes non-J ...

, Hakkō-ryū Jujutsu, Small Circle JuJitsu, and Taiho-jutsu.

History

George Kirby (1944-) and William Fromm (1935–2003) established the American Ju-Jitsu Association in 1972 at the request of their sensei
Sanzo “Jack” Seki (1914-98)
a student of

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese educator, athlete, and the founder of Judo. Along with Ju-Jutsu, Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical inno ...

, the founder of

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

. Since its inception, the AJA has grown from two dojo (schools) to over thirty, in addition to international affiliates, and currently serves over 500 registered or affiliated members. Led for many years by co-founder George Kirby—prolific author of instructional publications and Black Belt magazine's “Instructor of the Year” in 2007—the AJA works closely with other major ju-jitsu organizations in the United States and abroad in areas of mutual concern. Over the decades, martial artists with international reputations have served on the AJA's board of directors, including Tony Maynard, founder of American Combat Jujitsu.

Affiliates

The American Ju-Jitsu Association has partnered with th
United States Ju-Jitsu Federation
the European Ju-Jitsu Union (EJJU), and the Intercontinental Ju-Jitsu Organization (IJJO). The AJA is also an honorary affiliate o
Seibukan Renmei USA
which promotes the spirit of friendship, cooperation, continual education, and development of Japanese martial arts and ways ( bujutsu and budo).

References

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External links

American Ju-Jitsu Association (AJA)
Jujutsu organizations