“In Japanese martial arts, the term atemi (当て身?) designates blows to the body, [1] as opposed to twisting of joints, strangleholds, holding techniques and throws. Atemi can be delivered by any part of the body to any part of the opponents body. They can be percussive or use ‘soft’ power. Karate is a typical martial art focusing on percussive atemi. The location of nerve and pressure points, such as might be used for certain acupressure methods, also often informs the choice of targets for atemi (see kyusho-jitsu).

Some strikes against vital parts of the body can kill or incapacitate the opponent: on the solar plexus, at the temple, under the nose, in the eyes, genitals, or under the chin. Traditional Japanese martial arts (the ancestors of judo, jujutsu and aikido) do not commonly practice atemi, since they were supposed to be used on the battlefield against armoured opponents. However, there are certain exceptions.”

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Click here for promotional clip of “Divine Techniques” hosted on youtube.com.

We are pleased to announce the release of our newest DVD titled “Divine Techniques,” featuring Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba. This is the fifth DVD of Aikido Journal’s definitive DVD series on the Founder of aikido.

Click here for a detailed description of the DVD and for ordering information.

Click here for information on ordering the complete 6-volume set of DVDs at more than 30% off.

“The history of aikido had not been systematically recorded. In 1977, the second Doshu, Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei, published the founder’s biography which is the first extensive biography of his father. But, certain very important areas were not really dealt with in-depth and certain people who had fallen out of favor with the Aikikai were neglected or not even mentioned. I don’t think it was something I could call a “balanced” biography although the book really is essential for anyone interested in the history of aikido.

I found the history for me to be a way of organizing a body of material and establishing its roots. It’s like an anchor-point for the activity, the discipline, the family, and so forth. It gives you a tie to some focal point that can help you guide and give you a sense of belonging or the desire to want to contribute to that extended family.”

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Ellis Amdur’s new book will be released in mid-July. Ellis is offering 250 prepublication sales, which will be signed and numbered. Please go to his website at http://www.edgework.info/buy.html

Ellis Amdur’s writing on martial arts has been groundbreaking. In this volume, Amdur has radically reworked his iconoclastic essays first published on the website of Aikido Journal. Here, he attempts to establish the existence of something all but lost in Japanese martial arts — a sophisticated type of training, encompassing mental imagery, breath-work, and a variety of physical techniques that offered the practitioner the potential to develop skills sometimes viewed as nearly superhuman. Commonly
referred to as “internal training,” and usually believed to be the provenance of Chinese martial arts, Amdur asserts that not only was it once common among many Japanese martial traditions, but elements of such training still remain, passed down in a few martial arts — literally “hidden in plain sight.” As always, Amdur reminds us that this is a human endeavor and he provides vivid, even heartbreaking portrayals of some of the great practitioners of these skills, men who devoted their lives to an obsessive pursuit of power.

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.

In part one, we saw the dramatic effect of the Second Omoto Incident and its aftermath on the life and psychology of Morihei Ueshiba. Many of the ties he had developed over a period of 15 years became instantly severed or pushed into the background due to the persecution by the Japanese government of the Omoto religion. After a period in hiding in the house of the Sonezaki police chief, Morihei was able to resume his life and teaching activities.

Without doubt, one of the finest reference sources on Aikido technique is the six-volume series titled Takemusu Aikido authored by Morihiro Saito, 9th dan, in the last decade of his life.

The Takemusu Aikido series contain hundreds of techniques that encapsulize the teachings of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba in Iwama in the years following World War II. These wonderful reference manuals feature thousands of technical photos including historical shots of O-Sensei and Saito Sensei.

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.

Master Onisaburo insisted that he would carry out his role as a religious leader in the spirit of the view that “All religions have the same root.” As a matter of convenience he created what he called “Omoto Lamaism” and took the titles of Dalai Lama and Su Son Kan. The Master changed his name to O Bun Sho, a Chinese name and the Founder (O-Sensei) became O Shu Ko.

“What is Aikido? One could simply say that all Aikido, regardless of style, has a certain basic set of techniques and movement principles which make the art “Aikido” as distinct from aikijutsu or jiujutsu or any other martial art. But, as any person who has trained widely in the Aikido community can tell you, there is such a wide range of interpretation with regard to how these techniques are practiced and executed that the surface similarities get outweighed by these inherent differences.

In Japan there is the traditional faction that believes that the art is the sole creation of Morihei Ueshiba and that Aikido is essentially the property of the Ueshiba family. Whereas, this might be the attitude of certain members of the Aikikai Honbu Dojo in Tokyo, I don’t think one can effectively maintain this as a point of view. Unlike the koryu, or classical martial styles of Japan, Aikido has had no set curriculum or any narrowly defined standards for the certification of its teachers. Even before the term “Aikido” came into common usage in the 1940’s, a wide gulf existed between the interpretations taken by various early instructors. The Yoseikan, Yoshinkan, Shudokan, Aikibudo (later Shin’ei Taido) systems emerged as distinct styles of what was just becoming known generally as “Aikido”.”

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One of world’s leading Aikido instructors featured on new DVD from Aikido Journal!

We would like to call to your attention our outstanding DVD featuring one of Aikido’s top instructors, Christian Tissier of France. This one-of-a-kind DVD presents an in-depth look at the life and art of one of Aikido’s preeminent masters, Christian Tissier, 7th dan.

“If you can deeply and profoundly accept that your body is by its nature completely connected, you are able to keep your joints free which facilitate good aikido. Some of this acceptance comes from exploring the physical nature of one’s joints – understanding the ligaments, tendons and muscles, and their relationship to range of movement. By allowing your arms and legs to simply be, and driving movement from your core we are able to produce force without the sensation of doing so. This can be disconcerting, especially from the standpoint of living in a society where success is synonymous with putting in hard long effort at work, and study.

It takes a bit of a leap of faith to accept that at the instant we are born, we are connected to the universe and everyone in it. However, when you contemplate upon this matter, this fact is no less deniable than our limbs being connected to our torso. This relationship with others may feel tentative however when confronted with hostility, it feels very real.”

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The article below by Don Angier Sensei 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.

Although Yoshida Sensei spoke English poorly, he had a way of getting things across by body language and using simple physics demonstrations. The main thing he stressed was that the forms were only examples of how the principles were to be used. As long as the principle is used correctly, the form itself is of little importance. Only basic moves and forms have names. It would be impossible to name every form. He told me to name them anything I wanted as long as it helped me to remember them

We have had many new subscribers since we launched our offer of the free back issue DVD for those subscribing or renewing their subscriptions to the Online Aikido Journal for two years.

Many of you know that this incredible DVD includes 26 years of Aiki News / Aikido Journal, more than 4,300 pages in PDF format to be read on your computer. However, this information-packed DVD also includes several bonuses. Among them is a 4-hour lecture by Stanley Pranin on the history of aikido in mp3 format. This detailed lecture will give you many new perspectives on the life of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba not found in any book.

Here is a 15-minute sample from the lecture.