The story of Koichi Tohei Sensei’s career in Aikido and his lasting impact on the art!

We are pleased to availability of an exciting new DVD featuring one of the most famous Aikido teachers of all time: Koichi Tohei, 10th dan. This new production is titled Koichi Tohei: Aikido with Ki, and explores the early phase of Tohei Sensei’s career while he was Chief Instructor of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo. This represents the heyday of postwar Aikido and the period when the art experienced steady growth to assume a prominent role among Japanese martial arts.

Tohei Sensei was known for his unique approach to Aikido based on the principles of ki. He devised an elaborate technical curriculum that included a series of ki development exercises in addition to Aikido techniques. Tohei Sensei’s theories and methodology enjoyed a large following with the Aikikai and abroad, especially in Hawaii and the mainland USA. His many publications in both English and Japanese further enhanced his popularity to the point that, by the late 1960s and early 1970s, his fame eclipsed that of the Founder and the Second Doshu.

Kendo sparring training provides an invaluable insight into metsuke, maai and deai, ki no musubi; and totally improves Aikido because it reveals insights into many attributes of combat that require speed and attrition to understand.

Some people have called Aikido the swordsman’s jujitsu as a result.

If you do decide to try kendo, be sure to begin slowly and softly and to escalate the intensity safely as you build up tolerances progressively. Otherwise, people won’t come back. The black and blue bruises are not as bad as they look and soon go away. Make sure to keep your elbows tucked in.

NEVER use tsuki in the beginning as it poses a very serious risk of grave injury and even death. (The shinai can shatter and penetrate the faceguard of the men with grave consequences) Use only proper shomenuchi and yokomenuchi cuts with men, kote and do frontal cuts as targets. (no wild sideswipes-they can be dangerous and leave you wide open to brutal counters)

“I was reminded on the incredible power of our brain recently as a window in my bathroom fell open. Before I had a chance to think, my body had jumped into a fighting stance as a surge of adrenaline shot through my body and a growl escaped my lips. It was kind of funny but as this was happening I already knew what the affront to my serenity was – the window. But like it or not, I was as ready as my body could possibly be for whatever the external environment might throw at me. This I attribute to my brain’s intervention with my normal thought processes.”

Click here to read entire article.

LEARN AIKIDO BUKIWAZA FROM MORIHIRO SAITO, 9TH DAN!

We are now offering the outstanding Aiki Ken and Jo DVD set by Morihiro Saito Shihan in a multilingual edition. When viewing the DVDs, you can choose to listen to Saito Sensei in the original Japanese or your preferred voiceover in English or French.

“Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness — of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.”

Click here to view video.

“I was fortunate to attend an excellent training seminar taught by Kyoshi Bill Hayes this past weekend. Major Hayes is the author of ‘My Journey With The Grandmaster’. I walked into the session with a notebook and pen. I took several pages of notes but it was not enough to capture the amount of information presented. I simply could not write fast enough.”

Click here to read entire article.

The article below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.

I am a little bit surprised that people have never heard about Russian martial arts and that they are surprised to hear that they exist. Look at the huge territory Russia occupies. Someone had to protect this territory. In Russia there were always warriors who were known for their bravery. And if you look at the development of Russia in the olden times, cities were built by rivers and monasteries were the sources of the first settlements. There were no roads so people traveled by river in boats in summertime and in sleds in wintertime. All the infrastructure of the early settlements came from monasteries. They provided the livelihood for communities. All of the functions of life were centered in them.

New practitioners of aikido today have vastly more options than those of us who began decades ago. Aikido has grown enormously as an art and many fine teachers have emerged over the years. The march forward of technology has also provided an abundance of pedagogical materials that would have been unimaginable in the past.

But there is something that newcomers have missed. They have been denied the opportunity to study directly under many of the art’s top masters of the early postwar era. I refer to names such as Founder Morihei Ueshiba, Noriaki Inoue, Koichi Tohei, Morihiro Saito, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Kenji Tomiki, Minoru Mochizuki, Gozo Shioda, Seigo Yamaguchi, Shoji Nishio, Kisaburo Osawa, and Rinjiro Shirata to mention many of the best known figures.

At Aikido Journal, we have taken upon ourselves to partially remedy this situation by documenting and disseminating the techniques and theories of these past masters. Today’s aikidoka may not have had a chance to learn directly from these masters, but they do have access to excellent study materials such as the many books and DVDs offered through this website.

“When I met him again many years later he had been awarded the 4th Dan black belt by the Aikikai Foundation in Japan and was a fully fledged Aikido instructor based in Dubai where he is the Chief Instructor of the Dubai Aikido Club. He also teaches self defence to the Dubai Police and the cabin crew of a leading airline. As an instructor he regularly visits Aikikai-affiliated dojos in Cape Town, South Africa, Kuwait, Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Switzerland.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

Click here to read entire article.

“I believe that training the mind is just as important as training the body, for were the mind goes the body follows, something many of us forget in our pursuit of physical mastery. It is almost impossible to achieve our full potential as martial artists unless we acknowledge the fact that the mind plays a significant role in our over all development. It is the key to all growth and without it we are merely puppets on a string, all physical movement and lacking in the depth and understanding that’s absolutely necessary to take us to the higher levels of mastery.”

Click here to read entire article.

The interview below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.

It wasn’t until 1961 or 1962, when a representative from the Hombu Dojo, Mutsuro Nakazono Sensei, came to Vietnam to begin laying the foundations of aikido there, that I was able to spend more time practicing the art. Because of my ten years of judo training, I was able to absorb the essence of aikido without much difficulty, and I progressed quickly. Nakazono Sensei taught both aikido and judo at the Association for Judo and Aikido, founded by Tri Thong Dang. Since I was often able to accompany Nakazono Sensei to his many seminars at training centers for paratroopers and police officers, I was able to learn many of his special techniques.

“The club house was overflowing with people when I arrived Tuesday evening for the meeting about the proposed disc golf course at McLaren Park. There were a couple hundred people crowded together in chairs, with another fifty standing at the back of the room.”

Click here to read entire article.