Aikido vs Aikijutsu
Aikido and Aikijutsu are martial art forms of Japan. Though the two are popular martial art forms, Aikido is more popular than Aikijutsu. The two art forms have similar fighting techniques but this does not mean that they are the same.
Known as Japanese throwing art, Aikido is mainly based on the technique using the opponents’s weight against themselves. On the other hand Aikijutsu is a martial art form that includes throwing art of Aikido along with other techniques like grappling, throwing and striking.
When talking of strikes, Aikido uses only very few when compared to Aikijutsu. When comparing the styles, Aikido has a softer style whereas Aikijutsu has a harder style. While Aikido has a defensive nature, Aikijutsu has a combat nature. Aikijutsu was mainly designed during the civil wars in Japan and intended to kill or cripple an opponent.
Aikido manly focuses on more resistance technique when compared to Aikijutsu. On the other hand in Aikijutsu, it is not offensive technique that has an upper and than the defensive technique. Unlike Aikido, Aikijutsu fighters use more power for attacking and holding the opponent.
Morihei Uyeshiba is credited with designing the art form of Aikido. Aikijutsu was formed from Aikido. It took over two decades for the transformation of Aikido to Aikijutsu. During its transformation, the martial art form had may names like daito-ryu aikijujutsu, Uyeshiba ryu, tenshin-ryu aikijujutsu, aiki budo Takemuso aiki budo and finally aikido. It was Prince Teijun who laid the foundation of the art form of Aikijutsu during the ninth century. Though the art form was passed down for many generations, it was from 1180’s that art form developed various sophisticated techniques.
Summary
1. Aikido is mainly based on the technique using the opponents’s weight against themselves. On the other hand Aikijutsu is a martial art form that includes throwing art of Aikido along with other techniques like grappling, throwing and striking.
2. Aikido has a softer style whereas Aikijutsu has a harder style. While Aikido has a defensive nature, Aikijutsu has a combat nature.
3. Aikido manly focuses on more resistance technique when compared to Aikijutsu. On the other hand in Aikijutsu, it is not offensive technique that has an upper and than the defensive technique.
4. Unlike Aikido, Aikijutsu fighters use more power for attacking and holding the opponent.
5. Morihei Uyeshiba is credited with designing the art form of Aikido. Aikijutsu was formed from Aikido. It took over two decades for the transformation of Aikido to Aikijutsu.
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The following statement is erroneous “5. Morihei Uyeshiba is credited with designing the art form of Aikido. Aikijutsu was formed from Aikido. It took over two decades for the transformation of Aikido to Aikijutsu.”
#5 should read as follows “Morihei Uyeshiba is credited with founding aikido in 1938. He first
studied aikijujutsu but eliminated painful and dangerous techniques, as weIl as kicks and punches. ”
Aikido is an art, it has useful moves which are made vulnerable by adding large unecessary circular movements though the footwork is reasonably sound. Having studied Aikido in Yokosuka and the fundamentals of Aikijutsu in West Texas I can tell you that Aikijutsu is far more “real” combat oriented. It may lack the graceful flow of Aikido but it definately makes up for its lack of showmanship with effectiveness. Alot of things can be debated but one was historically designed to compliment Bushido for killing and the other is designed to be graceful and artistic for show. Take your pick.
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I agree. The closest I can get to describing the purpose of Aikido training is as sort of dynamic martial yoga and provides corporal philosophical realization. It is neither defensive nor offensive. It is not a fighting style. If understood and practiced correctly it will hone you as a person and human being. If you want to become a proficient fighter, Aikido will help, but your main focus should be in sweating and bleeding MMA, boxing and Brazilian jujitsu. If you want real protection, buy a gun and learn to use it.
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after loads of scanning the web on aikijutsu, i always end up back on aikido, as in this part of the uk where i live, there seems to be nobody who knows the real aikijutsu, outside of the aikido tequniques. i have tried and enjoyed aikido (tomiki) i cannot even find a yoshinkan dojo local to me!! i know there is an aikijutsu dojo in felixstowe but thats about 2 and a half hour drive!! if your connections come to this side of the pond and you know of someone please let me know. im based in the whitstable area of kent near canterbury, i know this is a massive chance of someone being in my area even more for you to know about, but if i dont ask i dont find out. many thanks for taking the time to read this. best wishes, paul bradley.
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I trained Aikijitsu for around 11 years. I was always told that Aikido came from Aikijitsu as a more modern, less battlefield orientated art. My master and instructors always trained that if you were using muscle, then you were doing is wrong. I have trained some with a few different people experinced in Aikido. In my experience, yes it is very flowing but lacks what I like to refer to as “pain compliance.” It fully relies on flow. Aikijitsu is very flowing but can also create movement from pain. Aikido merely took out the pain involved. There is no “best” art. Simply find the one you like and fits you the best. That being said, good luck finding a true Aikijitsu school. Instructors are usually very selective in who they want to teach. It can be a very dangerous art in the wrong hands.
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Hi Paul, I hope you had some luck finding somewhere to learn Aikijutsu nearer home. I thought I’d reply as I train in the Felixstowe dojo as well as the sister dojo in Ipswich. Both are run by extremely good teachers, we are very lucky in this area, having probably the best Aikijutsu teachers and practitioners in the country. It’s well worth your while to study this martial art, if you can make it up here, you’d always be welcome to come and train. Someone here says that Aikijutsu teachers are very choosy about who they train. Really? Where?
This article is pretty appalling,full of huge mistakes, as others have pointed out. My main irritation is that Aikidokas often seem to have this need to claim Aikijutsu as their own, as if it owes it’s existence to Aikido. I’m so tired of this that I can’t be bothered to refute it anymore. Just do some research. Aikijutsu is NOT Aikido, or a ‘harder form of aikido’,or even aikido with atemi. Aikijutsu is a form of jujutsu, not a form of aikido. *sigh*
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As an aikidoka, I see no major differences between aikido and aikijutsu. All good aikido masters are able to perform the techniques softer or harder, in big circles or small circles. I cross-train in western boxing and judo, trying to be as tough as I can. So, what I think is that this is just a “branding” issue, some japanese masters call themselves “aikijutsu masters”, differentiating themselves from aikido masters. But, again, any good aikido masters are able to perform any techniques in “aikijutsu” (that is, strict, narrow, hard) style.
Aikijutsu has however one big advantage: its repertoire is much wider, so it has more techniques than aikido, while aikido is a virtually closed system. So it is worth even for aikidokas participating in aikijutsu trainings, in order to learn new techniques.
But, it is not true that the principles are different. Aikido can also be a tough and brutal martial art, just try to beat me. 🙂
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Hello,
I’m new to this blog page and I also was a little confused with the guy who wrote the original post exclaiming that Aikijutsu was formed from Aikido.
In fact, Aikido was actually formed from Aikijustu!
Although Aikijustu goes back centuries to Yoshimitsu, History and Artifacts only date back to Tekada Sokaku. Perhaps the most famous student of Takeda was Morihei Ueshiba, the found of Aikido.
The reason why he is the founder of Aikido is because he was originally taught Aikijutsu and his concept was to dilute the art to make it more appealing to the masses and to spread Aikido to the world.
Although Aikido is a brilliant Martial Art, it is the softer and diluted version of Aikijutsu which was the Art of the Samuria and was used on the Battlefield.
Although I have studied different martial arts such as Wing Chun, JKD, Aikijust has been my art of choice for the last 13 years and have no intentions of trying another.
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Basically, Aïkido is to Aikijujutsu what Judo is to Ju-Jutsu. The same art, ripped of its lethal techniques and strike, focused on balance, and with philosophical/educative aspect, with a pacific vision.
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My research indicates that aikido is a derivative style of daito ryu not the other way around
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I love reading about the different opinions on both Aikijujitsu and Aikido. In it’s simplicity, Aikijujitsu is the parent art to Aikido that was formed from it’s founders background in Aikijujitsu.
Too many people get wrapped up with which one is better which is a very common age old question. I firmly believe what I have found over the years which is: There is no such thing as the “best” art! Best is purely dependent on the individual. It is determined by what works for “you” and no one else.
I agree with pretty much all of the descriptions differentiating the two arts of Aikido and Aikijujitsu. In the end what really matters is what you are looking for and what you prefer.
Train hard and be well!
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Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu dates back to the mid 9th century Japan, and O-Sensei Ueshiba developed what is now called Aikido in the early 1900s. Pre-WWII, Aikido was much more brutal and would have looked much more like what people consider Aikijutsu today. This is also colloquially known as pre-war Aikido. It should be understood that Ueshiba used many strikes, kicks, locks, and throws well above and beyond what is found in typical Aikido dojos today (especially those of the Aikikai Foundation). “Soft” Aikido is a dilution of the art Ueshiba founded, and is a result of changes made by his students. It’s like if Ueshiba were alive today, he would not be pleased with what Aikido has become (in large part – there are still schools that teach true traditional aikido, though those schools would be easily confused with aikijutsu schools).
This article also fails to make any mention of aiki-jo or aiki-ken – both are fundamental to the practice of Aikido (that is, sword and jo weapons practice). Any Aikido (or aikijutsu) study that does not include rigorous sword and jo practice cannot be considered traditional or according to the methods created by O-Sensei.
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