Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs Kenjutsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Kenjutsu side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Kenjutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Brazil | Japan |
| Created | 1910s | — |
| Type | judo, jujutsu and jiu jitsu | bujutsu |
| Notable practitioners here | 43 | 2 |
| Top countries of practitioners | United States, Brazil and Australia | France and Japan |
| Belt ranks | Yes | — |
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Portuguese: jiu-jitsu brasileiro [ʒiw ˈʒitsu bɾaziˈlejɾu, ʒu -]), commonly abbreviated as BJJ, is a self-defense system, martial art, and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds. It is primarily a ground-based fighting style and involves taking one's opponent down to the ground, gaining a dominant position, and then using a number of techniques to force them into submission such as joint locks, chokeholds, or compression locks.
From the Wikipedia article Brazilian jiu-jitsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu (剣術) is an umbrella term for all (ko-budō) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Kenjutsu is a martial art that puts more emphasis on various real-life sword combat scenarios, compared with its modern adaptation, kendo, which has evolved into a modern sport with fewer target areas and attack patterns and more rules. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also include modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "sword techniques", as opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword".
From the Wikipedia article Kenjutsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q189336, Q249608. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.