#tomiki

Early Life and Education (1900-1929) Kenji Tomiki was born in March 1900 in Kakunodate, Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. He progressed through Kakunodate Elementary School and Yokote Prefectural Middle School before attending Waseda University’s Second Higher Academy. He ultimately graduated from Waseda University’s Faculty of Political Science and Economics. Tomiki began practicing judo…

A person is identified not just by their name but by the human values they embody. Strip away those values, and the person becomes an object, easily manipulated by dictators, corporations, and social media.Similarly, a martial art is defined by its name and the human values it imparts. Remove those values, and it becomes vulnerable to exploitation by salespeople, corporations, or worse—it loses…

The use of excessive power is always a concern when practicing ‘randori’. Although we stress the importance of softness during practice, sometimes it is necessary to use all your human resources, including muscular strength. Effective use of controlling techniques requires a solid grip. Your opponent will overpower you during randori practice if your grasping method lacks the strength to keep…

Martial arts marketing mainly emphasizes the idea of winning against a much stronger opponent. This idea is enforced by a clever training system that has rules and limitations for the attacker. A competing format tries to break out of those limitations. Unfortunately, the competitive format to become safe requires limitations and rules.The study and training in a martial art occur in a specially…

Kata is a key element in the Japanese martial arts traditions.A kata is a type of activity that is regulated by “rules or norms” for the use of efficient body movements. The purpose of a kata can involve simulating a martial situation. This is a recreation of the original,’real’ version, with the removal of certain elements that are not relevant at the present time. A kata contains both static…

Short version. There was no special reason, but since in sumo there were forty-eight techniques, we decided that it would be roughly the same.

The syllabus of Aikido styles usually contains short version basic sequences. This evolution was a result of martial arts becoming a highly educational and recreational activity for amateur practitioners worldwide after WW2.The syllabus for the “short version” is not exclusive to Aikido. Short versions of Karate-do, Kendo, Judo, Iaido, Jodo,… are available.In Iaido, a 12-kata syllabus called ‘Zen…

Martial Arts sportification is a result of several reasons. Political and/or economical reasons are often the cause of inspiration for many. The Japanese Military Government during the first half of the 20th century is an example. To survive in an economic-inspired world, Japanese Martial Arts had to change their view and training after WW2. Sport is a significant business that cannot be…

A set of ‘waza’ was created by Tomiki that can be used for Randori, Koryu no Kata, or Old style forms. The basic techniques for randori were introduced by him in his book ‘Judo and Aikido’ (1956), which included the idea of avoiding grappling with each other (Rikakutaisei).Tomiki wanted to introduce Aikido techniques as part of modern physical training. He selected fifteen “basic techniques”…