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Old 04-26-2008, 07:02 PM   #14
Ellis Amdur
 
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Re: Functional Origins of Aikido/Daito-Ryu Techniques

Paul - It's not so simple. We are talking about a 400+ year regress. Imagine a technique specifically for responding to a stab with a knife. (I never said, BTW, that the techniques were all "weapons taking"). Now, imagine it is adapted to empty handed attack (well-adapted or poorly). Now, add the fact that because there is not a weapon involved, you could combine it with a hip throw (you're not concerned about being stabbed), OR, someone realizes that one can take that technique, which may be martially inefficient and adapt it as a training method to hone everything from body displacement to internal strength. All of which leads to a flowering of a myriad of different jujutsu techniques in different ryu, with different specialties. 400+ years pass and Takeda Sokaku appears with his Daito-ryu, which, at least to Meiji jujutsuka, is remarkable (aiki, remember?). Because otherwise, it's just some wristy-twisty stuff. Then this is distilled down further AND altered in focus (centrifugal rather than centripital) and you have aikido.

As for ikkyo, it's my understanding that it's adapted from ippon-dori, the first tech in Daito-ryu.

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