The martial art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a system of one-on-one ground fighting, where the objective is to achieve a superior position for joint locks, chokes and strikes. Some Historians say that Jiu-Jitsu is the oldest form of martial art having originated in India more than 2,000 years before Christ. It was originally thought to have been developed by Buddhist Monks. Concerned with self-defense, these monks created techniques based upon principles of balance and leverage, and a system of manipulating the body in a manner where one could avoid relying upon strength or weapons.With the expansion of Buddhism, Jiu-Jitsu spread from Southeast Asia to China, finally arriving in Japan where it developed and gained further popularity. However, with the passing of the Tokugawa era (ca. 1800), Japan became somewhat united and there were many changes in Japanese society. One of the results of these changes was the reduction of the Samurai warrior to the status of the common citizen. In his new position, the Samurai could no longer carry a sword. He was forced to rely solely on empty-handed techniques as a means of defending himself. Over the years, since the reforms imposed by the Meiji restoration in Japan in the 1900s, Jiu-Jitsu became practically extinct in that country surviving only as a very restricted sportive form of Judo.