Aikido Sword Style

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[GC_Chew]

Hey all I am looking for a book that contains AIkido sword techniques to help with my training. Any suggestions? Is there a video i can get or download off somewhere?

Thanks.

[Fausto]

If you practice Iwama Ryu Aikido a "must have" for you is the video of Saito Sensei you can buy it here www.aikidojournal.com even if you don't do Iwama Ryu it's a very good help with sword and jo.
Also the videos of Nishio Sensei are good.

Others videos can be availible but I no nothing else.

[Jeff Tibbetts]

I know it's not actually Aiki-style, but Dave Lowry's bokken and jo books are very similar to what we do in our dojo. Your own dojo may do things differently, however, so I would ask Sensei to check out the book before reading anything for practical purposes.

[Mark Balogh]

If you practice Iwama Ryu Aikido a "must have" for you is the video of Saito Sensei you can buy it here www.aikidojournal.com even if you don't do Iwama Ryu it's a very good help with sword and jo.
Also the videos of Nishio Sensei are good.

Others videos can be availible but I no nothing else.

I totally agree with Fausto. I don't practise Iwama (I'm Aikikai) but those 2 Saito Sensei DVD's (Aiki Ken & Aiki Jo) are fantastic. They are MUST OWNS. :)

[Robert Cowham]

Christian Tissier has a video which looks interesting:

http://www.christiantissier.com/04_produit/04_pdt_video_02.html

Quick translation:

Basic suburi. Exercises for solo or partner practice. More than 40 Aikiken techniques from basic to sophisticated. A detailed presentation of kihon-dachi, the 5 basic techniques of KEN-JUTSU from KASHIMA-SHIN RYU.

If anyone else has seen it I'd be interested in feedback!

Robert

[akiy]

Christian Tissier has a video which looks interesting:

http://www.christiantissier.com/04_produit/04_pdt_video_02.html

Quick translation:

Basic suburi. Exercises for solo or partner practice. More than 40 Aikiken techniques from basic to sophisticated. A detailed presentation of kihon-dachi, the 5 basic techniques of KEN-JUTSU from KASHIMA-SHIN RYU.
I don't have the video, but I will say that I really enjoyed training in Tissier sensei's weapons classes which are based off of his training in Kashima Shin ryu. I don't know if he's "licensed" in that art or anything, but I found what he presented to be quite applicable to a lot of aspects of general weapons training that I have received in aikido.

-- Jun

[Kent Enfield]

Tissier sensei's weapons classes which are based off of his training in Kashima Shin ryu. I don't know if he's "licensed" in that art or anythingAccording to his official website, he learned from Inaba sensei. (My French isn't that good, but I think I got that right.) Karl Friday, a licensed shihan and menkyo kaiden of Kashima Shin Ryu, gave the low down on Inaba sensei from their perspective several years ago.

iaido-l archive article (http://listserv.uoguelph.ca/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0002&L=iaido-l&P=R6669&I=-3)

It basically reduces to:
1) Inaba sensei only studied the basics of one part of the ryu for a short time,
2) he was never given permission to use the name Kashima Shin Ryu, and
3) what he and his students do bears only the most cursory resemblance to Kashima Shin Ryu when it bears any at all.

One interesting note in the posting from Dr. Friday is that Christian Tissier had apparently agreed to no longer call what he teaches Kashima Shin Ryu. But in the ad copy for his video, there it is. If Dr. Friday was right, that certainly gives me a poor impression of Mr. Tissier.

[Arianah]

This is an interesting site:

http://www.stenudd.com/aikibatto/

Sarah

[Robert Cowham]

Regarding Inaba sensei, he actually studied with Kunii sensei (previous head of KSR) for a year and a half before his death, and was in fact subsequently authorised to teach KSR kenjutsu, but without authority to issue diplomas.

Tissier sensei did indeed study with Inaba sensei, but does not claim a license or similar. From an article on his site:

This video should not be in any way considered an official progression or a work of reference, but rather the continuation of a study and as one proposal among many.

I was given an introduction (indirectly by Karl Friday) to the KSR class in Toyo and it happened that Seki sensei (current head of KSR) taught it (he asked if I had the permission of Inaba sensei who had had no problems!). I can certainly say they are rather different approaches, but nothing really more after just the one class. I hope to be allowed to practice again on future trips to Japan. I can certainly say that Seki sensei and his students were very friendly and welcoming (and I very much enjoyed lunch with Karl Friday whom I met in Tokyo a different time!).

Robert