What Do You Know About Aikido? Quiz

Answer: Jujitsu

Daito-ryu translates to "Great Eastern School" and refers to the type of jujitsu that Takeda Sokaku taught in the early 20th century. Morihei Ueshiba was a student of his; born in 1883, Ueshiba studied several martial arts in his youth, and went on to complete military service after stretching his spine through various techniques in order to reach the height minimum.

The development of aikido was the result of three deep spiritual experiences spread throughout approximately twenty years - the first was after defeating an attack by wooden katana without hurting the attacker. Ueshiba realized that it was important to defend oneself without seeking to harm or destroy one's attacker.

The principles of aikido are based in daito-ryu, which Ueshiba began to teach to his students.

Answer: Tatami

Tatami mats can be used in any type of room, such as in a house, and are often made of foam. Tatami used in aikido are often thick rubber, and work to cushion the body during rolling or falling, as the principle of aikido is not to cause harm to a training partner; it is not regarded as fighting or combat as such. Students should bow when leaving the tatami as well as coming onto them, and if one arrives late to a session, he is usually expected not to come onto the tatami until the instructor says so.

Answer: Dan

Dan is usually translated as "step", and represents black belt grades, beginning from 1st dan (shodan), which is achieved for mastering all the basic techniques of aikido. Dan ranks are used in Japanese martial arts in general, and 3rd dans (sandan) are usually regarded as qualified enough to become an instructor, also called a sensei. The grades take a very long time to progress through, with dan ranks requiring consistent practice for a certain number of years in the previous rank.

Kyu grades are represented by colored belts, progressing from white to yellow, orange, green, blue, and brown.

Answer: Alan Ruddock

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1944, Alan Ruddock became interested in various martial arts in his youth, such as judo and karate. However, as there were no dojos nor instructors in Ireland at the time, he practiced with friends. He introduced karate to Ireland, and learned about aikido through the chief instructor of the Japan Karate Association, Tetsugi Murakami. Again he taught himself, and made a second trip to Japan in 1966 specifically to learn aikido, and after only four days he met Osensei. He reached 6th dan before his death in 2012.

Answer: Knife

A tanto is a short blade, used traditionally by samurai. In aikido training, usually a wooden tanto is used in tantotori, although steel can be used by very experienced participants. Even within the training setting - and considering that in aikido, no harm is to be done to the partner - there is risk involved, and instructors are often reluctant to teach tantotori as self-defense to be used in the "real world", against real knife wielders.

However, some basic training in tantodori can mean the difference between life or death in a real altercation, especially as it emphasizes that by risking cuts to one's hands and arms, the trunk can be shielded against more life-threatening injuries.

Answer: Figure-ten (jujinage)

"Juu" is a Kanji symbol shaped rather like a Christian cross, and means the number ten, hence the name of figure-ten for the jujinage throw, in which pressure is applied to the elbows to force the attacker's arms into a + shape. It is also called "jujigarami", or "figure-ten entanglement".

Answer: Atemi

The importance of atemi is regarded differently among different people, but disrupting an opponent's balance is vital for many non-striking throws. Even if the atemi are not landed upon the body, sending the opponent off-balance, for example as they step back to avoid the strike, can make it easier to then initiate a throw against them.

There is a well-known phrase in aikido that 80% of problems can be solved by atemi.

Answer: Tori

"Taking ukemi" is usually translated to "receiving body" - uke initiates an attack against tori, who then reacts with a defensive technique. There are other names for tori in different contexts, such as "shite" ("doer" or "performing hand") and "nage" ("thrower").

Answer: Yoshimitsu Yamada

Yoshimitsu Yamada was born in 1938. He became interested in aikido through a relative, Tadashi Abe, who was the first to teach it in the Western world. Able to speak proficient English, Yamada Sensei first came to the USA in the 1960s for aikido demonstrations, and ended up joining the New York Aikikai.

At the time, he was only one of two Japanese aikido teachers on the East coast, and he traveled to various cities to teach there. In 2010, he founded Aikido Sansuikai International.

Answer: Seiza

Seiza literally means "proper sitting". The person first kneels, before resting their buttocks on their heels, while stretching the feet out so that the tops of the feet are flat against the floor. In aikido, usually a space of two fists is left between the knees. For non-Japanese students of aikido, at first this can be extremely uncomfortable or even painful, whereas Japanese people who have likely encountered the seiza position growing up generally find it easier. Suwari waza are practiced in aikido to improve balance.