What is Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu ?

Daito-ryu aikijujutsu ( 大東流合気柔術 ) is an ancient and noble bujutsu School; ancient because it was founded in 1087 a.d. by Yoshimitsu Minamoto (1056-1127); noble because its genesis and evolution are along all classical Japan history. The martial teachings of the school were transmitted secretely within the Takeda family up until the present days. The 36° Soke, Takeda Tokimune (1915-1993), decided to develop these marvelous self-defense techniques in all the world only in late 1988, accepting the first foreign students and thus giving birth to the reknown of this art. All the Aikijujutsu techniques practiced within the School are the one and only techniques practiced by the bushi of the Minamoto (1100), and later Takeda (1500) families and, at last, the Aizu Clan.These techniques were faithfully handed on to the present days by the Takeda family. Purpose of the School is to pass on in a correct way the teachings received by Takeda Tokimune, who received them from his father Takeda Sokaku ( 武田惣角 ), 35° inheritor of the Daito School. Daito-ryu is a School that teaches a complete martial art, among the hand-to-hand combat techniques with atemi waza (kicks, strikes, elbow hits etc.), nage waza (throws), shime waza (strangles), kansetsu waza (joint-locks), kyusho waza (pressure on vital points of the human body) and aikinojutsu (throws), the practitioner studies the use of all the ancient weapon of the bushi (like katana, yari, bo, tessen, jutte, kodachi, etc.).

Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu and Daito-ryu Aikibudo.

With the word Aikijujutsu ( 合気柔術 ) we refer to the practice and training of the techniques of jujutsu and aikinojutsu only, while with Aikibudo ( 合気武道 ) it is meant the practice of jujutsu, aikijujutsu, Ono-ha Itto-ryu kenjutsu ( 小野派一刀流 ) and other weapons. It was Takeda Tokimune ( 武田時宗 ) to change the name of the art inherited by his father, trying to stress the importance, in a traditional martial art, of practicing kenjutsu. Tokimune then taught to his most trusted students the kata of the Ono style with those modifications that his father introduced; so today this style is called Takeda-den Ono-ha Itto-ryu.

by http://www.daito-ryu.com/home1.html

Daito-ryu and aikido

Aikido founder Ueshiba Morihei (1883-1969) was one of the best students of Takeda Sokaku. Sokaku had a major effect on Ueshiba, and clearly the origins of aikido lie in Daito-ryu. Morihei met Sokaku for the first time in 1915 in the town of Engaru in Hokkaido. He was amazed at Sokaku's martial skills and immediately became his student. He studied Daito-ryu assiduously for about five years, and was so enthusiastic that he invited Sokaku to relocate to the village of Shirataki where he was living at that time along with a group of settlers from Tanabe city in Wakayama prefecture. Sokaku agreed and lived and taught Daito-ryu in Morihei's house for a period of time. In late 1919, Morihei suddenly departed Shirataki upon receiving news that his father had become ill, and he left his house along with all its furnishings to Sokaku.

The association between Morihei and Sokaku was renewed in 1922 when Sokaku spent about six months together with his entire family at Morihei's home in Ayabe. By that time Morihei had joined a community of believers in the Omoto religion and, with the encouragement of the religion's co-founder Deguchi Onisaburo, had set up a dojo in his home where he was teaching Daito-ryu. At the end of his stay in Ayabe, Sokaku awarded Morihei the Representative Instructor (kyoju dairi) certificate, which entitled him to teach Daito-ryu on Sokaku's behalf. Subsequently, Morihei received the kaishaku sodensho, the highest Daito-ryu certificate at the time. Although the relationship between the two ceased to be as close as before, they would meet again on several occasions during the next decade.

Overall, historical records show that Ueshiba Morihei practiced Daito-ryu for some twenty years. He gradually changed Daito-ryu techniques, eventually formulating his own system, which is now known as aikido.

by http://www.daito-ryu.org