Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu

Aikijutsu, previously called Daitō-ryū Jujutsu, is a Japanese martial art that first became widely known in the early 20th century under the headmastership of Takeda Sokaku. It is a defensive style that specializes in counters and grabs, anticipating an opponents attack and countering after disabling it.

Aikijūjutsu can be broken into three styles: jujutsu (hard/soft); aiki no jutsu (soft); and the combined aikijujutsu (soft). Modern Japanese jujutsu and aikido both originated in aikijujutsu, which emphasizes "an early neutralization of an attack." Like other forms of jujutsu, it emphasizes throwing techniques and joint manipulations to effectively subdue or injure an attacker. Of particular importance is the timing of a defensive technique either to blend or to neutralize an attack's effectiveness and to use the force of the attacker's movement against them. Daitō-ryū is characterized by ample use of atemi, or the striking of vital areas, to set up jointlocking or throwing tactics.

Some of the art's striking methods employ the swinging of the outstretched arms to create power and to hit with the fists at deceptive angles, as may be observed in techniques such as the atemi that sets up gyaku ude-dori (reverse elbow lock). Tokimune Takeda regarded one of the unique characteristics of the art to be its preference for controlling a downed attacker's joints with one's knee to leave one's hands free to access weapons or to deal with the threat of other attackers.

Aikijutsu Practitioners

 * Momiji (combines Aikijutsu principles with Ninjutsu techniques)