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Old 02-10-2010, 02:47 AM   #128
Carl Thompson
 
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Location: Kasama
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Excellent posts from Toby Threadgill and Josh Reyer
Quote:
Joshua Reyer wrote: View Post
The distinction between aiki-ken and "kenjutsu" should not be that aiki-ken doesn't have to be real or practical because it's simply an aid to the taijutsu, and "kenjutsu" is purely concerned with whatever that particular ryuha is concerned with. The distinction should be that aiki-ken is swordsmanship (kenjutsu, if you will) grounded in the combat paradigm of aikido, including such things as aiki (however one wants to define it) as well as such principles as irimi-denkan and/or irimi-issoku, and so on, while other kenjutsu is concerned with whatever that particular ryuha is concerned with.
Just some thoughts...

In a purely sword-based art, if you lose your sword, you can no longer practice your art. Aiki-ken uses the sword but if you take the sword away, the dynamic principles remain the same. Also, when you practice without the sword, the sword is "still there".
Quote:
Toby Threadgill wrote: View Post
If you want to be a aikidoka who is also a competent swordsman, thats fine and dandy...... Train in kenjutsu in addition to aikido.
Josh mentioned aikido principles such as "Aiki" (however defined).

One problem I have with any "Aikido VS whatever" discussion is this: It seems to me that aikido isn't VS anything. The whole point is to avoid a VS situation. It's not your power with the sword/jo/body VS the other guy's. If you do well, you are able to create the non-VS situation and sort things out. If you don't, you don't. More likely you'll get a mixed bag. The training as I see it (with or without weapons), is a study of how to get into that non-VS situation. How testing comes into that (resistance, sparring, competition etc) is another debate, but can we call it kenjutsu when it's done with a sword...?
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