Weapons in Aikido

In the early years of Aikido, every student already had a background in various budo arts or had even been involved in serious fights. O’Sensei himself had come into contact with war. He himself mastered various weapons schools and also taught soldiers who used this knowledge in an emergency.

Such experiences sharpened the senses and understanding in combat. Although Aikido has deliberately developed away from aggression and combat, O’Sensei considered it essential to study and teach the use of weapons. However, he only taught a handful of his closest students himself. Some of these select ones were M. Saito Sensei, N. Tamura Sensei and T. K. Chiba Sensei. Morihei Ueshiba sent the latter to an Iaido school for a while.

Due to these experiences and traditions, T. K. Chiba Sensei places great value on balanced training with and without weapons. Just as the founder required him to study Iaido as an additional subject, T. K. Chiba Sensei’s closest students are also tasked with studying the art of swordsmanship.

Regular training with weapons such as Katana (Japanese sword), Bokken (wooden sword), Jo (stick) and Tanto (knife) provides greater precision and requires increased attention. At the same time, weapon training makes many of the techniques of Tai Jutsu (without weapons) easier to understand, as many Aikido techniques are derived from an existing weapon technique.


		Weapons in Aikido In the early years of Aikido, every student already had a background in various budo arts or had even been involved in serious fights. O’Sensei himself had come into contact with war. He himself mastered various weapons schools and also taught soldiers who used this knowledge in an emergency. Such experiences sharpened the senses and understanding in combat. Although Aikido has deliberately developed away from aggression and combat, O’Sensei considered it essential to study and teach the use of weapons. However, he only taught a handful of his closest students himself. Some of these select ones were M. Saito Sensei, N. Tamura Sensei and T. K. Chiba Sensei. Morihei Ueshiba sent the latter to an Iaido school for a while. Due to these experiences and traditions, T. K. Chiba Sensei places great value on balanced training with and without weapons. Just as the founder required him to study Iaido as an additional subject, T. K. Chiba Sensei’s closest students are also tasked with studying the art of swordsmanship. Regular training with weapons such as Katana (Japanese sword), Bokken (wooden sword), Jo (stick) and Tanto (knife) provides greater precision and requires increased attention. At the same time, weapon training makes many of the techniques of Tai Jutsu (without weapons) easier to understand, as many Aikido techniques are derived from an existing weapon technique.
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