Yoseikan Aikido (養正館合気道 Yoseikan Aikidō) is the aikido taught at the Yoseikan Dojo in Shizuoka, Japan, under the direction of Minoru Mochizuki (望月 稔 Mōchizuki Minoru, 1907–2003).
Mochizuki was a direct student of aikido's founder, Morihei Ueshiba. He was an uchi deshi (live-in student) from around November 1930, to around August 1931. Mochizuki maintained contact with Ueshiba until the latter's death in 1969.
In the 1970s Yoseikan Aikido was formally organised into Yoseikan Budo along with the other arts Mochizuki had studied and mastered, including judo, karate, Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, jujutsu, kobudo, iaido, kendo, jojutsu, and kempo. Pockets still exist throughout the world that maintain their art as aikido, and as such, refer to it as Yoseikan Aikido.
A typical Yoseikan symbol depicting Mount Fuji.
Summary: Traditionally Yoseikan Aikido contains all the aspects present in other aikido schools, for example ai (harmony), ki (energy), kokyu (breath), seika-no-itten (one point), irimi (entering), and tenkan (turning). Other important aspects from judo are also included, including kuzushi (unbalancing), tsukuri (positioning), jita kyoei (mutual welfare and prosperity), sei ryoku zen yo (maximum efficiency).
Due to Mochizuki’s experiences in France in the 1950s he felt that aikido needed a stronger technical basis to ‘meet all challengers.’ In essence all judo techniques can be thought of as Yoseikan Aikido techniques. In reality, this only adds several core judo techniques, such as hip throws, shoulder throws (which exist is other aikido schools), sacrifice throws, and foot sweeps. Some in the aikido community see the ideas of foot sweeps and sacrifice throws as contrary to the core principles of aikido, where balance and being centred are paramount. These techniques, however, do not result in a loss of centre or balance.
Fundamentally, the foot sweeping techniques in Yoseikan Aikido are identical to otoshi waza (dropping techniques) in other aikido schools. The use of the foot ensures the technique is effective, even when the opponent is resisting. Less emphasis is then placed on timing, and more importantly, an overcommitted attack is not required. As for sacrifice throws, a fundamental principle used in Yoseikan Aikido is gyokushin, or the spirit of a ball. Even when a ball rolls it maintains its centre, and that is true of the Yoseikan Aikidoka when performing sacrifice throws. You do not need to be on your feet to move spherically, which is important in the application of aikido techniques.
Sincerity is another aspect which greatly influences Yoseikan Aikido. It is for this reason that Yoseikan Aikido includes basics and fundamental kata from karate. This makes sure that uke (the attacker) in Yoseikan is as effective and sincere in attack, as nage (the thrower) will become in defence. It is important to note that prior to World War II, aikido students were required to have previously study martial arts, and have a letter of reference from their instructor. This meant that all pre-war students already possessed basic skills of uke (the attacker), including falling and striking. Now, aikido is taken as a first art, hence no such prior experience exists. Therefore, in Yoseikan students are taught how to attack.
Put simply, the main difference between Yoseikan, and other schools is the way Mochizuki sensei structured his teachings, and hence the way aikido was taught at the Yoseikan. Yoseikan has a very logical structure, which can be seen as a fundamental influence of Jigoro Kano, who stressed the science of judo. More emphasis is placed on fundamentals, such as escaping from a grab. These techniques are typically mentioned in other aikido schools, and are the first part of a locking or throwing technique. However, in Yoseikan Aikido they are drilled and examined as basics. It is important to note that after its construction in 1931, Morihei Ueshiba visited, supervised, and taught at the Yoseikan, and Mochizuki was awarded his 8th Dan in the 1950s (10th Dan awarded later by the IMAF with the approval of Kisshomaru Ueshiba), as well as obtaining scrolls in Aikijujutsu from Ueshiba in the 1930s, hence, his method was approved.
History, Japan: In October of 1930 after witnessing a demonstration of Morihei Ueshiba, Jigoro Kano organised (in a formal letter to Ueshiba) for two students to study under him. These two men were, Jiro Takeda and Minoru Mochizuki. With his previous knowledge in judo, jujutsu, kendo and kenjutsu, Mochizuki rapidly progressed under Ueshiba. He was appointed supervisor of the uchi deshi, and also served as a teaching assistant, Ueshiba even suggested that Mochizuki marry his daughter and hence become his successor. Mochizuki was an uchi deshi under Ueshiba for several months. In mid to late 1931, Mochizuki fell ill with pleurisy and pulmonary tuberculosis. During his 3 month hospital stay the Yoseikan dojo was constructed for Mochizuki. Ueshiba, who was at the official opening of the Yoseikan in November 1931, regularly taught seminars at the dojo.
In June of 1932, Ueshiba awarded Mochizuki with two Daito Ryu scrolls. The first (in Daito Ryu order) was the Hiden Ogi no Koto and the second was the Goshinyo no Te. In Daito Ryu, one learns the Hiden Mokuroku, then the Aiki no Jutsu, then the Hiden Ogi, and then the Goshinyo no Te. After attaining these four levels, the person is then qualified to teach the art. After these levels comes Kaishaku Soden and then finally Menkyo Kaiden. In terms of Daito Ryu, Mochizuki was qualified to teach all that he had learnt up the Goshinyo no Te. It is also worth noting that this is the technical level Ueshiba had achieved in Daito Ryu, although he held the official title Kyoju Dairi in Daito Ryu. This enabled Ueshiba to give instruction and travel to teach as a representative of the headmaster, Sokaku Takeda.
Aikido at the Yoseikan continued to develop until 1972, when after returning from France, Mochizuki had decided to change the name to Yoseikan Budo. This also resulted in technical restructuring and the amalgamation of the once separate arts Mochizuki taught under a single term. The characteristics of Mochizuki's Yoseikan Budo was still in essence aikido, with the addition of more Judo techniques, specifically ground work, the development of more sacrifice throws, and the inclusion Katori Shinto Ryu in higher grades.
Today the Yoseikan in Japan is home to the Seifukai, an organisation headed by Mochizuki's son Tetsuma. They maintain a strong affinity to the primarily aikido based Budo of Minoru Mochizuki.
France: In 1951, Mochizuki travelled to France mainly to teach judo, but he also found time to give instruction in aikido and is therefore credited with being the first to disseminate aikido abroad. Europe's introduction to aikido and its association with judo came about directly due to the early activities of Mochizuki. He was to set a pattern that would be repeated in most European countries where aikido would cast its roots within the existing judo community. A large number of early European practitioners were judoka who were past their competitive years and found the graceful techniques of aikido to be a perfect alternative allowing them to continue active martial arts practice. Mochizuki spent a total of two-and-one-half years in France and his efforts sowed the seeds for the development of the world's largest aikido population outside Japan. It is said that today there are more than fifty thousand active practitioners in France!
America: The legitimate start of Yoseikan Aikido in the US was through Capt. Sadayuki Demizu of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force. As Liaison Officer for Japanese students at the missile school at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, Demizu was a 4th dan in Yoseikan Aikido, mostly trained by Kyoichi Murai, but a direct student and son-in-law of Minoru Mochizuki. When Huntsville officers learned that Demizu was an aikido man, they asked him to begin teaching and he agreed. Among the first students was Thomas E. Bearden (then Captain, US Army--later retired as Lt.Col.). Glenn Pack, now the technical director of the United States Yoseikan Budo Association (USYBA) started training around this time. In February 1974, Pack began teaching Yoseikan Aikido at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Pack continued teaching at the University of Alabama until 1975, when he went to graduate work in Arkansas, leaving the Tuscaloosa class in the hands of Rick Moncrief.
In 1975, Bearden sent a letter to Mochizuki asking for a teacher to be sent to the US. In early 1976, Mochizuki sent Patrick Auge. Auge had lived in Japan for several years, with four years as an uchi deshi at the Yoseikan, and was at the time a 4th dan. Auge settled in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada. He oversaw the already established Yoseikan in the US and began teaching in Canada, with two clubs in Ottawa. Currently there are 8 schools listed under the International Yoseikan Budo Federation (IYBF) in Canada, all have the world aikido in their title. The IYBF hombu is in Torrance California under the direction of Patrick Auge, with two other dojos in the US.
The USYBA, while currently affiliated with the Yoseikan World Federation under Hiroo Mochizuki, still maintains its Yoseikan Aikido like syllabus. The USYBA list seven clubs on there website through the US, some include the term aikido in their title. Another organisation in Canada is call the Canadian Association of Aikido Mochizuki. Although the term Yoseikan Aikido is not used, the origins of their aikido are with Mochizuki from the Yoseikan.
Australia: Yoseikan Aikido was the second school of aikido in Australia, and the first in the state of Western Australia. In 1968 a gentleman by the name of Phillipe Boiron began teaching Yoseikan Aikido for Jan de Jong in Perth, Western Australia. This lead Jan de Jong to travel to Japan in 1969 to train directly under Minoru Mochizuki. In 1974, on an official request from Jan de Jong, Mochizuki dispatched Yoshiaki Unno to Perth to teach Yoseikan Aikido. Unno also taught Iaido, Kobudo and Karate.
Almost half of the aikido schools in Perth had some relationship to this early introduction of Yoseikan Aikido in Perth. The Jan de Jong Martial Arts School continues to teach aikido. Hans de Jong, son of the late Jan de Jong and student of Unno, teaches Yoseikan Aikido and is a Shodan. The aikido branch of the UWA Martial Arts Club started under Unno then continued by his student Brett Nener, 4th Dan in Yoseikan Aikido, is now affiliated with Butoku Ryu Aikijujutsu. Unno's last senior student Darin Hyde, 4th dan in Yoseikan Aikido, teaches aikido at the Mushin Shindo Aikido school. Another of Unno's students, Ross Taylor, 4th Dan, heads the West Coast Aikido Academy, and is now affiliated with the Seifukai. John Langley, principle of the Institute of Aikido Australia, was also a student of Unno's.
Vietnam: In 1960, Kazuo Ishikawa and Harie Watanabe went to Saigon, Vietnam to teach aikido at the invitation of the Cercle Sportif Saigonnaise. Nguyen Dang Duc was one of the early students at the Yoseikan Akido Dojo in Vietnam. Nguyen was subsequently awarded a 5th dan and named the head of the Yoseikan Aikido - Vietnam, by both Ishikawa and Watanabe. Nguyen traveled to the United States in 1986, and died in 1987. The current state of the Yoseikan Aikido in Vietnam is not known. Yoseikan Aikido from Vietnam also spread to the United States. The first person Vinn Le Vann, is believed to have been the first teacher of Yoseikan in the US. Another, Phan Huynh Tam, was a student of Nguyen's in Vietnam, now teaches Yoseikan Aikibudo in Ontario, Canada.
Techniques: Technically Yoseikan Aikido is very similar to other aikido styles. The fundamental technique, Ikkyo, is referred to as Robuse, or arm rowing. The majority of other aikido techniques are included in Yoseikan Aikido, although some have different names. The fundamental attack, however, is not shomen uchi, it is an opposite posture single hand grab. Below is a list of common attacks used in Yoseikan, excluding strikes and kicks which encompass all of the basics from karate. An equivalent Aikikai attack is give in parentheses after the translation.
Attacks: Japanese: English (Aikikai equivalent):
Jun katate dori: Normal single
hand grip (gyaku hanmi katate dori)
Dosoku katate dori: Same side
single hand grip (ai hanmi katate dori
or kosa dori)
Gyaku katate dori: Reverse
single hand grip (none)
Ushiro watte kumi tsuki: Rear
over arm bear hug (none)
Ushiro shitate kumi tsuki: Rear
under arm bear hug (none)
Mae ryote ippon dori: Front two
hand on one grasp (morote dori)
Mae ryote dori: Front two hand
grasp (ryote dori)
Ushiro ryote dori: Rear two
hand grasp (same)
Sode dori: Sleeve grasp (same)
Eri dori: Lapel grasp (mune
dori)
Kata dori: Shoulder grasp
(same)
Ushiro hiji dori: Rear two on
two sleeve grasp (ushiro ryo sode dori)
Ushiro kata dori: Rear two on
two shoulder (ushiro ryo kata dori)
Ushiro eri dori: Rear collar
grasp (same)
Hadaka jime: Naked strangle
(ushiro kubi shime)
Mae kumi tsuki: Tackle (none)
Eri dori yokomen uchi: Lapel
hold side strike
Eri dori sukiage: lapel hold
upper cut
Mae kubi tsukami shime: front
neck strangle (none)
Mae eri shimeage: Front both
hand lapel grab (mune dori)
Mae kami dori: Front hair grab
(none)
Tsukami kakari: attempted
strangle (none)
The following is a list of Locks and then
throws, again with Aikikai, Yoshinkan, and
Shodokan equivalents in parentheses. Please
note that these techniques are used as
equivalents to Yoseikan techniques for the
benefit of those who study a different
school of aikido, and are not meant to
equate the techniques of other schools.
Locks: Yoseikan: English (Aikikai, Yoshinkan, Shodokan):
Robuse Taoshi: Arm Rowing
Takedown (Ikkyo, Ikkajo, Oshi Taoshi)
Hiji Kudaki: Elbow Smash
(Rokkyo, Hiji Shime, Waki Gatame)
More techniques exist; the ones listed
here have known equivalent techniques in
other schools. The Aikikai and Yoshinkan
refer to a lot of techniques as Kokyu Nage,
a term which is not used in Yoseikan, all
techniques have separate names. At higher
levels the term Aiki Nage is use to describe
throws utilising perfect timing, as Kokyu
Nage implies, and it is also the term used
in Morihei Ueshiba’s Budo Renshu.
Structure:Below is a list of the technical
elements which make up Yoseikan Aikido.
Chokutai Ho: Straight line
body methods (Mukae Daoshi, Do
Gaeshi, etc)
Ude Dori Ho: Arm grabbing
methods (Seoi Nage, Ushiro Sumi
Otoshi, etc)
Ashi Dori Ho: Leg seizing
methods (using the hand to grab the
leg, eg kicking techniques)
Ashi Waza: Foot techniques
(sweeps and reaps from Judo)
Koshi Waza: Hip techniques
(from Judo)
Sutemi Waza: Sacrifice
techniques
Han Sutemi Waza: Half
sacrifice techniques (tori kneels)
Yoko Sutemi Waza: Side
sacrifice techniques (tori lays on
side)
Ma Sutemi Waza: Flat
sacrifice techniques (tori lays on
back)
Kime Waza: Restraining
Techniques
Osae Komi: Ground work
(from judo)
Shime Waza: Choking
techniques
Kansetsu Waza: Joint pins
Kaeshi Waza: Counter techniques
Renzoku Waza: Combinations and
continuation Techniques
Emono Dori: Weapon taking
Tanto Dori: Knife taking
Tachi Dori: Sword taking
Bo Dori: Staff taking
Randori:
Shite Randori: Fixed combat
(two attackers, set attack and
defence)
Jyu Randori: Free combat
(two attackers, any attack and
defence)
Chigara Randori: Power
combat (knife and stick fighting)
Suwari Waza: Seated techniques
Han Suwari Waza: Half seated
techniques
Ninin Dori Sanin Dori: 2 person
& 3 person grab
Kenjutsu: Sword Work
Suburi: Practice cuts
Kumitachi: Paired sword
forms
Kenjutsu Kata: Sword forms
Tachi Iai: Standing sword
drawing
Suwari Iai: Kneeling sword
drawing
Kata: Solo (striking) and
paired (techniques) forms
Kata:
Below is a list of Yoseikan Aikido Kata, and
the techniques in them.
Solo kata;
Happo Ken no Kata: Form of
Eight Fists
The Happo Ken no Kata contains
the fundamental striking and blocking
techniques. Originally, the kata was
made up of the following movements; 1) soto
yoko uke, 2) hiji ate, 3) gedan
barai, 4) gedan tsuki, 5) soto
barai, 6) chudan tsuki, 7) gedan
tsuki uke, 8) jodan tsuki age.
The modern version of happo ken
has two differences; 4) kubi uchi,
8) hiji ago tsuki age. The kata
is said to have come from Shorinji
Kempo, which Mochizuki studied while in
Mongolia.
Keri Yon Ho no Kata: Form of
Four Kicks
The Keri Yon Ho no Kata
compliments the happo ken, in
that it teaches the basic kicking
techniques. The kata contains the
following movements; 1) mae geri,
2) yoko geri, 3) ushiro geri,
4) mawashi geri. An older version
of the kata, call San Bo Geri no Kata,
contains only the first three kicks.
Another version of the kata, Keri Go
Ho no Kata. also includes; 5) ushiro
mawashi geri.
Paired kata (attacker and defender);
Ken Tai Ichi no Kata: Form of
Sword and Body as One (sword attack -
sword defence; sword attack - sword
taking; attack - defence)
Tsuki - Maki Uchi Kote; Tsuki -
Hiji Kudaki; Oitsuki - Hiji Kudaki
Kote Uchi - Hari Gaeshi Kote Uchi;
Kote Giri - Kote Kudaki; Dosoku
Katate Dori - Kote Kudaki
Kubi Giri - Kote Age Kata Uchi;
Kubi Giri - Tenbin Nage; Yokomen
Uchi - Tenbin Nage
Maki Uchi Men - Suri Age Do Uchi
Ushiro Kata Uchi; Maki Uchi Men -
Shiho Nage; Shomen Uchi - Shiho Nage
The Ken Tai Ichi no Kata
illustrates the idea that aikido is
based on Muto Ryu Kenjutsu. The
first part of the five techniques, sword
verses sword, demonstrates the kenjutsu
form. The second part, sword taking,
shows what Mochizuki refers to as the
jujutsu forms. Finally, the empty hand
techniques are the aikido forms.
Jutsuri no Kata: Forms of Soft
Catch (attack - defence)
Mae Ryote Dori - Do Gaeshi
Eri Dori Yokomen Uchi - Hachi
Mawashi
Ushiro Kubi Jime Kata Te Dori -
Tenbin Nage
Mae Kumi Tsuki - Kata Ha Otoshi
Tsuhari - Hazu Oshi Sutemi
Taisabaki no Kata: Forms of
Body Movement (body movement - inside or
outside - technique)
Nagashi - Soto - Hiki Otoshi
Nagashi - Uchi - Kubi Otoshi
Hiraki - Soto - Waki Tori
Hiraki - Uchi - Hiza Oshi Taoshi
Irimi - Soto - Mukae Daoshi
Irimi - Uchi - Ko Uchi Gari
Irimi Senkai - Soto - O Soto Gari
Irimi Senkai - Uchi - Kata Guruma
O Irimi Senkai - O Irimi Senkai
Ude Domoe
The Taisabaki no Kata
demonstrates the use of body movement,
with the judo principles of kuzushi
(unbalancing), tsukuri
(positioning), and gake
(throwing). The kata shows how these
principles relate to the aikido
techniques performed.
Hyori no Kata: Form of Escapes
and Counters
Eri Dori Yokomen Uchi
Ushiro Kubi Jime Kata Te Dori
Yuki Chigai
Hiji Kudaki
Robuse
Do Gaeshi
Gyaku Tsuki
Shiho Nage
Tenbin Nage
Mukae Daoshi
Kata Ha Otoshi
Kata Guruma
The Hyori no Kata (lit. Form of
Front and Back) demonstrates counter
techniques, which have been removed from
some aikido schools. The rolls of
attacker and defender are continuously
being changed. The first attacker,
performing eri dori yokomen uchi,
escapes the second attack, ushiro
kubi jime kata te dori, with yuki
chigai. The switching of rolls
continues through the kata until the
final technique, were the initial
defender escapes kata ha otoshi
to finally throw the attacker with kata
garuma.
