Aiki Ju-Jitsu
How to explain Aiki-ju-jutsu to the common layperson… Aiki is the combination of 2 Japanese Characters or words Ai= to come together or blend Ki= Energy/ life
Aiki could therefore mean the coming together or blending of energy. This principle of Aiki, stresses the coming together of your energy with your attackers - rather than blocking or stopping their energy, you accept it and blend it with your own and re-directing it.
Aikijujutsu is the oldest of the Japanese arts and was what Samurai used to fight, involving weapons, striking, grappling, joint locking and….killing!
Modern Aikijujutsu has very strong ties to the OLD WAYS, practitioners train in HAKAMA (and gi top -similar to clothing of Samurai)
Much of the training involves defence against sword and knife attacks and grabs - a lot of focus is on wrist grabs, because if you grabbed a samurai by the wrist -it could be life or death as a samurai who has a restrained hand cannot grab a sword or knife.
We feel Aiki-jujutsu is the most complete of the martial arts, because it has all the striking of arts like KARATE, it has all the throws of Judo (Judo came from Aikijujutsu!), all the wrist locks and throws of Aikido-and many, many more! (Aikido also came from Aikijujutsu), and all the grappling of Judo and BJJ (as judo came from Aikijujutsu and BJJ came from Judo!).
It is difficult to find Aikijujutsu teachers and as there is no sport side of Aikijujutsu - it is not popular like other arts, it takes many many years to be competent and your progress is not measured by belts like other arts, so people do not see rewards as quickly nor is there the goal of Black Belt.
Barton Sensei had learned Kindai-Ha Shinto Ryu (Saigo Ha Aikijujtsu) and is now a student of Daito-ryu Aikibujutsu, Dai Nippon Daito-ryu Aikibujutsu Rengoka, Japan under Guidance of Guillermo Murphy de Cueto of Fuji Yama Dojo www.daitoryu.ca