Jiu Jitsu has not had the neat organised, linear history of many martial arts. The first mention of Jiu Jitsu can be found in the history of Japan at circa 230 B.C.
At this time methods of wrestling, known as Chikura Kurabe were integrated with Kung Fu skills learnt from the Chinese. The combination of these skillsets became the foundations of Jiu Jitsu.

Much of the credit for the fomalisation of Jiu Jitsu goes to Hisamori Tenenuchi who formed a Jiu Jitsu school in Japan circa 1532. In 1559 a Chinese monk, Chin Gen Pinh, migrated to Japan, bringing his Kempo skills to the already diverse mix that was Jiu Jitsu.

During the feudal era of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1857) Jiu Jitsu thrived, becoming the unarmed combat system of the Samurai warriors.

From the time of the Meiji Restoration and the destruction of the Shogunate in 1868 onward Jiu Jitsu has become more open, no longer restricted just to the Samurai.

In 1882 Jigoro Kano formulated, from Jiu Jitsu, a set of Techniques and Kata that became Judo.

In 1925 Morihei Ueshiba took techniques from Jiu Jitsu and developed and blended them with the philosophy of the Japanese Omote Kyu religious sect until in 1942 he rechristened his art Aikido.

The foundations of Aiuchi Jiu Jitsu began between the wars when Doshin So, a Japanese martial artist, was working in China. He observed the monks practicing martial arts at the Shaolin Temple and developed the Shorinji Kempo (or Shaolin Fist) style of Jiu Jitsu.

A student of Doshin So, named Ryukyu Myura, combined his own skills of Kodokan Jiu Jitsu with the Shorinji Kempo style. He named this style Shorinji Kan.

Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu was introduced into Britain by Brian Graham (6th Dan) in the 1960's. Shihan Graham learnt his skills in Melbourne, Australia from Matthew Komp. Shihan Komp learnt Jiu Jitsu as a student of Ryukyu Myura.
Upon his return to Britain Brian Graham set up the Samurai Jiu Jitsu Club in Keighley, West Yorkshire, where he still teaches.

Further development of the Shorinji Kan style led to the creation of the Aiuchi Jiu Jitsu Association in 1994 by Simon Parker-Leehane and Julian Straker-Jones, who saw the need for the re-establishment of the values and philosophies which are the basis of the art, and which had begun to be neglected.