Except for this observation the research material is presented verbatim from its source and is published primarily to inform people. It suffices to know that Ueshiba studied Judo for 2 years and that the controlling techniques he developed to counter Judo where in reality hansoku-waza or prohibited techniques (i.e., use of hand blades to break balance, use of joint techniques against wrists, elbows, and knees) when viewing Judo as a sport. In actual combat of course it is common sense that, anyone - judoka or not - can apply anything to kill or hurt an opponent.
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Counter techniques against Judo: the process of forming Aikido in 1930s
Archives of Budo, Vol. 4, pp. 4‐8, 2008.
Fumiaki Shishida
Waseda University, Tokyo,Japan
Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) the aikido founder was engaged in developing modern aikido from ancient Daito-ryu-aiki-jujutsu (originally called Daito-ryu)around 1930. Part of this development was involved in creation of techniques designed to counter judo techniques. In my article from 2006 for ISHPES,The Process of Forming Aikido and Admiral Isamu Takeshita: Through the Analysis of Takeshita’s diary from 1925 to 1931, I introduced a manuscript written by Admiral Takeshita. The manuscript says clearly that Ueshiba taught techniques intended for use as counter attacks against judo techniques. This is consistent with Kenji Tomiki’s statement: Tomiki was unable to find a chance to break Ueshiba’s balance with judo techniques when sparring with Ueshiba in the summer of 1927 [1]. In other words, Tomiki was unable to enter the defensive sphere of Ueshiba.
That was reason why Tomiki, a skilful judo practitioner, became Ueshiba’s apprentice and continued practicing aikido with him for decades. Because of the lack of historical documents, it is not clear what kind of skills Ueshiba performed in those days or how Ueshiba’s skills developed over time.
This article will clarify the process of forming aikido in 1930s through analyzing Ueshiba’s 147 counter techniques against judo. This analysis based upon Takeshita’s notes Kon, which were written between spring 1930 and winter 1931. The Kon is a 252-page set of notes, which have not been studied in the academic literature regarding aikido in Japan despite it has been known among aikido practitioners. These notes contain 1,095 techniques classified into 39 forms of fighting [2]. Author focus on 147 techniques described as “Tai judo” or counter techniques against judo.
Author will also compare Ueshiba’s counter techniques against judo with the techniques of Kito-ryu jujutsu (originally called Kito-ryu), one of the most influential martial arts styles of the Edo era (1600-1868). It is well known that Jigoro Kano created judo through the study of two kinds of jujutsu, Kito-ryu and Tenjin-shinyo-ryu. Interestingly, that Ueshiba also studied Kito-ryu and judo before he learned Daito-ryu.
The study of Kito-ryu within the context of both aikido and judo can be significant not only to recognize aikido history but also to understand the technical relation between aikido and judo. Even though aikido became popular in recent decades over the world, almost nobody knows how it was established.
This article is a revised version of the paper, which author has presented at the Joint World Congress of the ISHPES and the ISSA at the University of Copenhagen, between July 31 and August 5, 2007.
The comments received after that conference have helped author significantly in revising and improving this article.
1. Counter Techniques against Judo in the Takeshita’s notes Kon
For the first eight techniques out of the 147 judo counter-techniques, Takeshita describes only how to apply each counter-technique without mentioning the nature of the judo attack, which designed to counter. For technique No.9 he gives a brief description of the judo attack, e.g. “when his hands are about to touch my collar and sleeve”. For techniques 10 to 12, Takeshita gives again only the method for applying the counterattack described in No.9. However, in Author’s opinion the techniques numbered 10, 11, and 12 are different variations of the technique No.9 and thus refer to different ways to deal with the attack. The same form of description maintains to the end.
After examination, author classified the 147 countertechniques as dealing with 51 methods of attacking using judo techniques (See, Table 1), which are clearly described in the Kon. Afterwards classifi ed (these 51 judo attacks) into 20 patterns by removing repeated methods etc (See, Table 2). We can understand the trend of Ueshiba’s study against judo through these two tables. However, all of the 147 techniques should be examine to understand their substantial content.
The result of the examination is as follows:
1) All of the techniques except No. 36 are standing techniques. Many of the techniques applied instantly to case of attack, because skilled judo practitioners break an opponent’s balance as soon as they grab their opponent’s clothes somewhere.
We can see the instantaneous nature of most counter techniques in the following expressions:
as soon as an opponent tries to touch the collar and sleeve (No. 9 and 26); both sleeves (No. 13 and 23); right sleeve (No. 20); tries to touch with both hands extended (No. 14). Granted that when fighting against an excellent judo practitioner, balance breaking is required just before grasped at the collar(s) or sleeve(s).
2) The expression “Kokyu wo ire” means “show sprit” use in 37 passages in the 147 techniques. Based on examination of these 37 passages, this expression refers to the usage of the hand blade(s) in order to break balance, and it is the same as the skill of aiki, which is, in Daito-ryu, the skill of breaking an opponent’s balance in a flash by straining hand(s).
3) There are around 32 expressions “Hikiotosu” or “pulling an opponent down”, which is a kind of throwing technique. This throwing technique in Japanese martial arts like judo and sumo intends to throw down by the direct use of hands and hips. Special features of “Hikiotosu” include moving backward while arcing downward and sitting down swiftly to drop one’s body weight.
Hikiotoshi is appling without a direct use of the hip as a fulcrum on which to tip the opponent, but with both centripetal and centrifugal force arising by body movement. Those are numbers 1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 15, 20, 21, 27, 29, 33, 34, 40, 41,42, 45, 46, 47, 55, 61, 62, 75, 82, 86, 87, 89, 135, 137. With one of the reasons, there are so many throwing techniques like Hikiotoshi showing that Ueshiba was under the influence of Kito-ryu etc.
Development noted in the Kon in 1931 may be crucial to understand the postwar development of aikido in that aikido would share with judo the quality of emphasizing the practice of relatively safe techniques and skills.
4) Ueshiba also devised techniques to control an opponent (68, 92, 104, 105, 114, and 147) which were not many in the comparison to the number of counter-attacks that involved throws. These controlling techniques are joint techniques against wrist, elbow, knee etc., and, therefore, there is the risk of suffering injuries like fractures and sprains.
2. The relation to Kito-ryu
Kito-ryu formed during the early time of the Edo era (1600-1868) and propagates in several prefectures (Nakajima, 2007) [3]. Judo founder Jigoro Kano had learned Kito-ryu before developing Judo, thus Kito-ryu became one of the most famous schools of Japanese Jujutsu.
The Kata (forms) [4] of Kito-ryu, authorized by the judo headquarters Kodokan those days inherited as the Koshiki-no-kata, which consists of 21 techniques in two parts (14 and 7 forms). All of the techniques differ from Atemi-waza or striking and kicking techniques but deal with the art of throwing down showed at the pictures of Shashin Kaisetsu Kodokan Judo [5] where Jigoro Kano demonstrates it. Atemi-waza is almost insignificant because the Kata builts it on the assumption of a fight between two people whom were armor.
Obviously, there are also no techniques where two people grasp each other by the collar and sleeve. The greater part of the 14 techniques consists of a kind of Hikiotoshi. Nine Hikiotoshi perform with kneeling down and one Hikiotoshi perform with squatting, while the remaining four are Sutemi-waza [6], or “sacrifice techniques” in which the defender must throw itself into lying position while performing the techniques.
In the Koshiki-no-kata, a balance breaking that makes use of the momentum produced by body movement often applies in the 14 techniques, whilst Ueshiba uses “Kokyu wo ire” or “aiki”. Especially two techniques, numbers 5 and 6, perform clearly with handling the body and hands to neutralize the attack just before an opponent is touching. It is conceivable that pulling an opponent down by utilizing his own weight and terrestrial gravitation is quite effective at throwing down a heavy person. “Mizunagare (No. 5)” and “Hikiotoshi (No.6) in the Koshiki-no-kata are very similar to the Hikiotoshi described by Ueshiba in the “Kon”.
Ueshiba learned Kito-ryu for about one year from the age of 18, and bayonet fighting in the army for three years. After that, he learned judo for two years with a good instructor Kiyoichi Takagi [7] from the age of 24 to 26. Ueshiba learned Daito-ryu from the age of 28, and later he became one of the highest-ranking instructors in the school [8]. Once we compare his skills in around 1930 with the features of Daito-ryu, we can easily find that his martial art puts emphasis on throwing techniques. Hence, Ueshiba’s counter techniques against judo apparently have a unique quality in that Ueshiba always tried to counter before the grasping of body or clothes took place. On the other hand, he was under the influence Daito-ryu with skill “kokyu-wo-ire,” which is almost the same skill as the aiki of Daito-ryu.
Unfortunately, historical sources are not sufficient in this matter, so far. But, as a temporary result, it is reasonable to conclude that Ueshiba, with his talent and efforts, had been devising a unique skill, based on methods of Kito-ryu, judo and Daito-ryu as a part of his jujutsu, later called aikido, while also forming another, separate, part dealing with techniques against sword and spear.
SUMMARY
(1) Ueshiba’s martial art emphasizes on throwing techniques. Once we compare his skill in around 1930 with the features of Daito-ryu.
(2) Ueshiba’s counter techniques against judo have a unique quality in that Ueshiba always tried to fight before the grasping of body or clothes.
(3) Ueshiba was under influence Daito-ryu from his skill “kokyu-wo-ire,” which was almost the same as the skill referred to as aiki in Daito-ryu.
Concluding Ueshiba with his talent and efforts, had been devising a unique skill based on methods of Kito-ryu, judo, and Daito-ryu as a part of his jujutsu, later called aikido, at the same time also forming another part dealing with techniques against sword and spear.
REFERENCES:
1. According to Tadayuki Sato, he heard such an anecdote from Tomiki in 1977 when he was a student of both the Waseda aikido club and Waseda judo club. Tomiki seemed willing to answer Sato’s earnest questions because Sato was one of the best judo practitioners at Tenri senior high school, which has always had one of most powerful judo clubs in all of Japan (Noted in July 23, 2007).
2. Ryuta Kudo, my graduate student, investigated these figures for my study (2007B-234) supported by a research grant from Waseda University.
3. Nakajima, Tetsuya: The historical realities of Kito-ryu jujutsu at the early
modern age, a master of thesis, Waseda University, Tokyo, 2007.
4. Kenji Tomiki well explained the term Kata as follows in his book Judo Appendix: Aikido (Tomiki, 1956, pp.11-12). “Exercises in the forms are practiced in accordance with the process and method of attack and defense; every action and movement is prescribed according to reason, and shows the student the fundamental techniques of attack and defense.”
5. Kodokan ed.: Shashin-kaisetsu Kodokan Judo. Kodon-sha. Tokyo, 1951.
6. “Throwing in a lying position is the technique of bringing down one’s opponent by utilizing the momentum produced by laying down one’s own body.” (Tomiki, 1956, pp. 10).
7. Kiyoichi Takagi (1894-1972) was only 18 year old in 1907, when Ueshiba started to practice judo. If Takagi was really Ueshiba’s instructor, he should have been very strong in judo. Incidentally, Takagi won the invitational judo meeting for under twenty in 1913, run by Dai-nihon-butoku-kai, the most prestigious organization of Japanese martial arts in prewar days. Later he was pomoted to 9th dan. (See, Kano, Y, Daigo, T, et al., 1999, p. 295.)
8. Ueshiba, Kishomaru: Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba (Revised edition), Shuppan Geijutsu-sha. Tokyo, 1999, pp. 72-73, p. 301.
Recommended bibliography:
1. Kano, Jigoro: Outline of judo and its educational value. In: Journal of Dai-nihon-kyoiku-kai. Tokyo, 1890.
2. Kano, Yukimitsu, Daigo, Toshiro, et al.: Encyclopedia of Judo, Akaneshobo, Tokyo, 1999.
3. Oimatsu, Oimatsu: Kito-ryu Jujutsu. In: Journal of faculty of sport sciences, Juntendo University. Tokyo, 1963.
4. Tomiki, Kenji: Judo Appendix: Aikido, Japan Travel Bureau. Tokyo, Archives of Budo