Samurai Aikijutsu - techniques of the samurai swordsmen

irst edition of this book: "Samurai Aikijutsu - techniques of the samurai swordsmen" is from 1987. This is the second printing, from 1991. It is written by Toshishiro Obata, who also is the author to the book: "Naked Blade".

Daito ryu aikijutsu (or aikijujutsu, aikibujutsu) is an ancient art - the main forerunner to the art of aikido (Ueshiba learned aikijutsu by Sokaku Takeda). Without a doubt modern aikido has very little resemblance to the combative form of aikijutsu, something you will be aware of very quickly by reading this book, or any other in-depth study on the subject. This is by no means any critique of the fantastic art of aikido, it is merely a statement based on the big differences in execution (form) as well as content. The author makes no attempt to hide the fact that he does not like the modern aikido too much. He even opinionates that aikido in it's soft form is something close to an insult to both Ueshiba and Takeda.

Gozo Shioda and his Yoshinkan aikido is the art that today comes closest to what Ueshiba was taught by Takeda. Our friend Kevin Blok from Ontario in Canada is a shihan in this art, one of the very few non-Japanese to receive this honor from Shioda himself. Anyone that has had the pleasure of being "taken care of" by shihan Blok, can confirm to that this is the real thing. Harmony, or no harmony - this stuff works :-)

Throughout the centuries aikijutsu was only taught to members of the Minamoto clan. It was developed and maintained by the family from around year 1000, later on by the Takeda family. The latter was a branch of the Minamoto family.

In many books (on Aikido in particular) you will see that the techniques are being executed with what seems to be little force or "power". There is, in my opinion, a tendency to overplay this aspect a little (again without saying nothing negative about aikido as an art :). In this book by Obata you see (or rather feel) instantly that it is great force involved - these are methods ment too function in combat, then as well as now.

The book does give a true picture of ju jitsu in true combative form - methods that are still alive and kicking today. As a technical reference as well as a historical document I can only recommend this book.

You do remember to do a search on Abebooks? Most probably this book can be found there, together with lots of other stuff that is no longer in print.

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