Aiki In Yo Ho

            Shinra Saburo Minamoto Yoshimitsu 

                                              Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu

                                       1056-1127

The beginning

Tradition describes  the origin of Daito Ryu as the creation of Shinra Saburo Minamoto Yoshimitsu ,a legendary warrior and descendant of emperor Seiwa (850-880 years).The tales surrounding the skills of yoshimitsu portray him as a man proficient in the art of the bow(kyu jutsu), spear (so Jutsu),and the Swoord, (ken Jutsu).

According to legend ,Yoshimitsu,besides being a great horsman,was inspired to create some of the techniques of his art by watching the movements  of Spider trapping its prey.He is also said to have dissected the bodies of dead enemy soldiers in order to look into the structures of the body joints,ligaments,and supporting muscle structures.Based on his observations,he divised principles of unarmed combat.

Yoshimitsu's art remains as a family tradition and was kept alive throught the successive generations,and eventually passed to his descendants,the Takeda of kai.

 The Aizu time

Nobutomo Takeda,a brother of  Shingen Takeda ,leads the lineage of the art that sprang from the art of the Takeda of Kai and has survived into what is currently know as Takeda Ryu.Kunitsugu Takeda traveled to aizu after the defeat of kai by the forces of Oda Nobunaga and Ieyasu Togugawa and established himself in the Aizu Han han's (fief) bringing with him the techniques created by Yoshimitsu ,The aizu clan's history has been relatively well recorded. Its martial arts traditions are vast and prestigious and several of wich have survived to the present day.It was a suitable place for the art of the Minamoto and Takeda to flourish.There, the art  created by Yoshimitsu,  encountered the influence of the other  combat arts ,not only ju jutsu ,but others such as swoordmanship,spearmanship amongst others..Several other families with martial art traditions were also part of the clan and Takeda's art took its place amongst that created byYoshimitsu and began to assume its final form of aizu.

Another prominent family of the aizu was Saigo Hoshina,with the prominent martial tradition of its own and it was to play a fundamental role in the survival of Daito Ryu.

Oshikiuchi also called Odome or Goten Jutsu as the art has often been called,was being taught to  members of prominent families within the clan of Hatamoto.Members of the palace guard of both sexes,and other individuals whose rank or occupation made it necessary,were also taught the art.However,it is  necessary to mention that the teachings,manners, and proper behavior,mainly for those working in the palace,as well as protocol and startegy for the saftguarding the palace were inclued into religious ceremonies. all these aspects, and others teachings were indivisible from the combat techniques for many individuals.

Even then,Oshikiuchi presented two marked tendencies although some researchers have pointed out even more).One type of teaching showed techniques with broad movements,long steps and postures much more suited to a battle field strategy than the confined spaces of the palace headquarters and halls.this type seemed to be the way favored byTakeda.On the other hand ,there were also the techniques performed within  a small  space with less  maneuvering room,more self contained,and emphasizing seated techniques that countered the attacks with a minimalchanges of posture.Reputedly the Saigo Hoshina influence was remarkably similar  in the principle to the techniques of the art of Kuroda famlly wich in theory it is better for the indoors use

1643 Masayuki Hoshina,a former teacher of Oshikiuchi, became lord of the aizu clan. He received the name Matsudaira from the shogun. in october 1799 the Nisshinkan martial art academy was built. this teaching complex shows more clearly than any other historical record the importance that the aizu clan placed on the education of its members.

The Ramifications time of Daito Ryu

  Sokaku Takeda / Tanomo Saigo. These pictures were taken on september 22,1868 at the end of the Boshin ware were the Aizu Clan surrendered and the new historical chapter began .

At the later time, the last jodai karo or minister of the aizi clan , Hoshina Genshin (1830-1905).who is also know as Chikanori Saigo or better asTanomo Saigo and a former teacher of the Oshikiuchi retired to private life to work at the Nikko Toshogu Shrine . this by no means meant the end of the Ryu .It is important to point out  that the techniques of Oshiokiuchi (Daito Ryu) are the roots of several  other art lineages. Some as well know as Shinno Shindo Ryu,other are private family art such as Koyama Ryu,whose roots are linked to members of the aizu han.Some of these members left the clan at the one point in the time or another but the techniques were kept alive by adding or modifying them to suit their needs.In some cases, The smaller yu-ha,or off shoots,have remained  faithfull to the original.It must be clearly stated however that Daito Ryu itself would never been as widely know if not for the teaching of one man Masayoshi Sokaku Takeda no Minamoto (1859-1943).

                                          Masayoshi Sokaku Takeda No Minamoto

          Soke of The Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu Takeda (Oshikiuchi) Branch

Sokaku was a descendant of the Emperor Seiwa and also of Yoshimitsu.He was the man strongly attached to the old ways,the ways of the Samurai.It is worthy to recognise that even though other families kept the aizu traditions alive to preserve something of the great value, these  teachings were not available to the general public.These techniques were taught only in a closed environment and those who learned them were relatively few until today.

Sokaku Takeda received the advice from his  teacher Saigo Tanomo to teach the art of Oshikiuchi publiccy.The art was first called Yamato Ryu and later changed,as oral tradition tell us ,by the suggestion of Kotaro Yoshida .to Daito Ryu.The secret art of the aizu clan now began to be taught to many prominent members of Japanese society as well as to Morihei Ushiba, the founder of Aikido.    

                  Morihei Ushiba,Takeda's most famous student                        

                                                                    
                                                                                                               Yoshida Kotaro Sensei

Although Takeda Sokaku kept no official dojo,he nevertheless taught many students and some of those he taught contributed to the survival of the style and the few went become teachers in their own right.We recognize that Sokaku did not teach each student in exactly the same way,nor was the way of performing the techniques identical in Daito Ryu.It is speculated that Sokaku taught each student according to their individual needs.He changed methods and techniques as needed and each change has become a particular trademark for each style of Daito Ryu.

Today

Whether is Rengokai,Kodokai,Takumakai or the amazing techniques of Saigo Ha fromYukiyoshi Sogawa,there is no right  or wrong method,all is Daito Ryu and can coexist in mutual respect with all other forms of the art descended from the original even though the names many vary from one style to another. The oldest of documents show us that even though there are names wich are  no longer in use, such as kamon o hiraku(opening a small gate) or shimon o mamora(defending the four gates),only the principles remain.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Saigo Tanomo for his advice and the endeavors of SokakuTakeda for making sure that the art of Aizu's has kept its place  practiced widely today.Unknow individuals teachers have contributed to a much smaller but always with true spirit and respect to the original art form.