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Aiki jutsu- (eye-key joo tsoo) Jp. "spirit harmonizing art"
or "mind meeting art" or "art of
coordinating the vital energy.". This term is used for
jujutsu styles which emphasize the subtle
leading and blending of the kind represented in aikido, but
which teach relatively strong (and
sometimes potentially injurious) forms of the techniques.
Throwing and locking techniques are emphasized. Typically,
"jutsu" or "skill oriented" forms place greater emphasis on
the development of effective
technique and less on the overall self-development which is
the overarching goal of "do" forms,
although both goals may be considered worthwhile. Jutsu forms are
typically older than do
forms.
There is considerable variability in the uses of the terms aikijutsu
and aikijujutsu. One tendency
is to reserve this word for the style which was eventually learned
by Sokaku Takeda and
transmitted as Daito-ryu aiki jutsu to Morihei Ueshiba, the founder
of aikido. The origins of this
style are disputed among scholars and the conventions for discussing
it seem to have changed
during Takeda's tutlage of Ueshiba.
Other writers classify as aikijutsu or aikijujutsu those jujutsu
styles which incorporate aiki
doctrines and techniques. This list is often extended to include a
fairly large proportion of the
jujutsu ryu extant in the second half of the 19th century, notably
Tenshin Shin'yo Ryu, one of the
main precursors of judo.
As a practical matter, contemporary martial artists who label their
practice aiki jutsu typically
teach stronger and (some would argue) more practical versions of
techniques in the hombu
aikido canon, plus other techniques which were taught by Ueshiba
at an earlier period or which
were taught and practiced by Takeda or parallel teachers in his
tradition. The Yoseikan style
includes many techniques which might be considered by some
practitioners to be aikijutsu, but
seeks to incorporate these into the overall emphasis on moral
and spiritual development
characteristic of a "do" form.