Weapons or No Weapons in Aikido?

I understand that this topic has been discussed at length and with huge debates and many demonstrating which viewpoint is most persuasive to train with weapons or not when practicing Aikido, so you could be saying, quite rightly, why am I writing another of what could be a ‘déja-vu’ article?

Well, I wish to reassure anyone reading this, that firstly it is not my intention to divide but to give my honest view, which you are, of course, entitled to agree or to disagree.

Fundamentally, I also recognise that it is inevitable that we will have our differences of opinion and that they have been long debated for many good reasons. It is quite a complex subject, but I think I can keep this discussion relatively simple, so to speak.

Firstly, each one of us is unique, meaning no one will be able to be exactly like O’Sensei and vice versa to be fair. It is important to recognise that we are all individuals and so our Aikido experience will be unique even if we practice the same Aikido representing a specific school. Like with the painting, there is only one Mona Lisa painting so why trying to make another one? It would be impossible to achieve.

But the interesting thing is that many of our senior Instructors who were fortunate to practice under O’Sensei all have a different perspective of what Aikido is. If we compare Kochi Tohei Shihan and Morihiro Saito Sensei, we can see that they were very different but yet, they were practicing the same Aikido from Founder.

The difference also, lies with time and location when they studied this Art under Founder. Morihiro Saito Sensei was fortunate to practice with O’Sensei for over 23 years in Iwama and benefited often private tuitions with the Founder who was still perfecting the Art and it was in Iwama that the study of Aikiken and Aikijo began. And yet, Morihiro Saito Sensei used to say openly that O’Sensei thought Kochi Tohei Shihan was his best student of all times.

Throughout O’Sensei’s lifetime, everyone studying Aikido would agree that the Founder was continuously perfecting his Aikido, so whenever techniques were added, O’Sensei over a period of time has made various transformations because some techniques had to be altered due to Uke finding a way to stop Tori from doing the technique for instance (for instance, Shiho Nage with Katate Dori, the starting point used to be with the Hara applying a strong pin upward to lift Uke until someone strong enough was able to prevent the lifting, the technique was then modified) with lots of Taijutsu techniques and including with the weapons study, which were practiced in Iwama after the WWII. Aikido was (and still is) new so it was understandable that O’Sensei was still going through some trials throughout his life.

To put things into perspective, we can say that even today, our individual experience will be hugely influenced with whom we have learnt and/or continue to practice this Art. For many, it would be fair to say that ‘you know what you know’. So if you only have been practicing Aikido and not studied weapons, your experience will be different than any Aikidoka who has learnt Aikiken and Aikijo from Iwama Aikido school for instance, which is understandable. But are we right to say that this is still Aikido being performed or not?

Personally, I think if the same Aiki principles (non-resistance to keep it simple etc.) are applied with Aikidoka who practices Aikido without weapons, we should recognise Aikido techniques and yes that they practice the ‘same’ Aikido too.

The same thinking applies to those who practice Aikido and incorporate Iaido or Kenjutsu or Jojutsu will also have a different view from those who practice Aikiken and Aikijo from Iwama. We are practicing the same Aikido in a nutshell if the Aiki principles are applied or whether the techniques applied were done correctly and effectively. This, I think, truly expands our subject further and we can easily go beyond and debate what is an effective technique if we want to.

But to return to our main subject of this discussion, those who practice Aikido, do you believe in Weapons or No-Weapons practice

I cannot speak for others but I can speak for my own experience and having studied Aikikai, Yoshinkan Aikido, I can say that the Iwama weapons system is a wonderful system, that it builds your Aikido helping your Taijutsu tremendously.

During pandemic situation, we can still practice Aikido solo doing our suburi training, which is a huge benefit, despite restrictions imposed by Government with maintaining social distancing.

Bukiwaza training is not intended to be taught as a separate Art with Aikiken or Aikijo unlike Iaido or Kenjutsu as these are also fantastic Arts of their own, but they are not created to directly link with Aikido. There are going to be some similarities for sure, but they do not form this ideology: “think Taijutsu when you practice Iaido and vice versa” for instance. And that is why they are considered separate Martial Arts of their own.

To me, the study of Aikiken and Aikijo form an essential part to build strong basics with our Taijutsu practice. Bukiwaza was never intended to practice more with Ken and less with Jo or vice versa but to be studied 50-50 as each unique weapons offer great layers to reach a deeper understanding with our Taijutsu.

When we practice Bukiwaza, we think Taijutsu and when we practice Taijutsu, we practice Bukiwaza.

Study of Bukiwaza offers precised footwork which we find lots of similarities with Taijutsu and Bukiwaza like Ken No Kamae and Kamae stance for Katate Dori, Bukiwaza teaching correct hips use, hips stability and solid posture, building our Kokyu feelings which add huge benefits with our Taijutsu.

Bukiwaza creates a body development system which incorporates all Aiki principles taught via the weapons that make them so indispensable.

Here are some quotes that Stanley Pranin (RIP) shared from interviews he held with Morihiro Saito Sensei:

Quotes from Morihiro Saito, 9th dan:

“Before the war, the founder usually studied weapons by himself and did not teach these techniques to his students. It was during the Iwama period, mainly when only O-Sensei and I were left, that he began to teach weapons…

By the time I learned it, the 31-jo kata was already complete, but when Koichi Tohei Sensei [presently head of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido] came to practice in Iwama it had not yet been perfected. What he learned was different from what I learned, probably because O-Sensei’s way of instructing was not yet fully developed.

When I learned under O-Sensei his teachings included all of the weapons techniques including the kumitachi. At one stage, there was no one left in Iwama except me, so I trained with O-Sensei by myself. His teaching gradually became more elaborate…

The aikido that I learned consisted of both taijutsu and weapons techniques. We can use any type of weapon, but we mainly use the ken and jo. This is the only explanation I can give you.

The founder explained aikido from many different viewpoints depending on the period and his state of mind. He said aikido was taijutsu that incorporated sword principles.

So I believe aiki-ken and aiki-jo correspond to hanmi-ken and hanmi-jo. In other words, weapons techniques are expressed in the form of taijutsu, enabling you to enter into your opponent’s space and throw him.

The weapons-based techniques in taijutsu enable us to attack an opponent and throw him. I think taijutsu and weapons techniques should have a relationship, which is neither too close nor too remote.

At the Iwama dojo I hold a weapons practice only once a week, so I am certainly putting the emphasis on taijutsu. But I think it is my duty, as one who was taught directly by the founder, to teach ken and jo to my students and to maintain the traditional teaching the founder left in Iwama.” Excerpts from various interviews Morihiro Saito.

It is fair to say that the Founder was a genius and a very talented Martial Artist but his teaching was difficult for many to truly understand what his teachings were (often speaking words that many failed to understand) and that over the years of practice and during his lifetime, many Instructors set their own Aikido schools and explored with what they were touched in their ‘own way and understanding’ from the teaching of the Founder.

So to name a few, talented Martial Artists such Gozo Shioda Shihan with Yoshinkan Aikido, Kisshomaru Ueshiba former Doshu with Aikikai Aikido, Kenji Tomiki Shihan with Tomiki Aikido, Kochei Tohei with Ki Society Aikido, kazuo Chiba Shihan with Birankai Aikikai, Minoru Mochizu Shihan with Yoseikan Aikido, Morihiro Saito Sensei Iwama Ryu Aikido formed their schools and develop what we could see a style of Aikido.

But truly speaking, the Founder never created any styles of Aikido and so it would be right to think that there are no styles in Aikido – Aikido is Aikido! Hence, why I believe in welcoming anyone who practices Aikido, no matter which school they represent or are from and whether or not they practice weapons.