The birth of Jiu-Jitsu is generally thought to coincide with the origins of the Samurai class in 792 AD. The army at that time consisted of foot soldiers armed with spears. Officers were recruited from the young sons of the high families and schooled in archery, swordsmanship, and unarmed combat. The Emperor Kammu built the Butokuden (Hall of the Virtues of War) as a formal school for these officers who became known as Samurai.

The samurai worked for their masters, called shogun, who dominated political life from 1185 until 1868. Medieval samurai were generally illiterate, rural landowners who farmed between battles. The progression from rural workers to 'samurai' took many centuries as they were increasingly called and relied on to defend the ruling classes.
   
The first publically recognised Jitsu ryu was formed by Takenouchie Hisamori in 1532 and consisted of techniques of sword, jo-stick and dagger as well as unarmed techniques. Because these techniques were designed for combatants wearing armor, the large leaping and kicking movements found in many other martial arts were not used in jitsu. The name Ju-Jutsu or Yawara (flexible) first started to be used around 1600.

Many samurai became teachers of the martial arts - shifting from weapon to weaponless styles. These weaponless styles were developed from the grappling techniques of the weapon styles and were collectively known as jiu-jitsu. During the height of the Edo period (1603-1868), there were more than 700 systems of Jitsu. The styles differed in their emphasis on kicking, punching, throwing, locks and takedowns.

The samurai class lost its privileged position when feudalism was officially abolished in 1871. In 1876, Meiji declared a new law that ended the wearing of swords - the ultimate symbol of the warrior. An Imperial edict was issued declaring it a criminal offence to practice the old style combative martial arts. Under this edict Jitsu and many other martial arts were almost lost. However, some masters continued to practice their art in secret, or moved to other countries, allowing the style to continue. Following the end of American occupation in 1951, the ban on Jitsu was lifted, allowing the free practice of the art.

During the US occupation, the various 'jitsu' styles (jiu-jitsu, karate-jitsu, ken-jitsu, aiki-jitsu...) were banned. At this point the more sporting and competitve 'do' styles started to gain popularity (judo, karate-do, aikido...).