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Spiritual Breath/Movement Meditations
Shin Kokyu - Divine or spirit breath. Breathe in, then "I" out, "KU" in, "MU" out, "SU" in, "BI" out, in and repeat.
Ame no tori bune - The rowing movement, meditation. Literally the heavenly bird boat. The Shinto gods and goddesses travelled from Earth to heaven, heaven to Earth in a large bird-shaped boat. The rowing movement represents the harmony of opposites, such as yin/yang, heaven/Earth, Izanagi/Izanami, and so on.
Furutama - To shake up, stir up, with a sense to polish the soul itself. In Japanese spiritual thought, real growth comes during periods of crisis and turmoil, during which the inner sword or soul is forged and shined. Visualization exercise: Imagine a crystal that starts out blue and is then transformed to red.
Amaterasu no omikami - The sun goddess, representing a divine, impartial love. The sun shines on everything and everyone, symbolizing this kind of love.
Ame no minakanushi no omikami - The spirit of the universal center. In ancient Japanese thought, the first entity to come into existence in the creation, therefore the center around which everything else was created.
Reppaku no kiai ("EI" ) - The shout that cuts away barriers or impurities, thereby uniting opposites. This symbolizes the sword of life, which cuts things things together, as opposed to the sword of death, which further divides and separates.
General Terms
Ai - harmonizing, blending
Bo - long staff
Dan - black belt ranks
Do - way, path
Dojo - a school, a place where the "way" is practiced
Jo - short staff
Kancho - supervisor, director of a school
Ki - spirit, energy, mind
Kiai - focusing of spirit through a shout
Kyu - ranks for those under black belt
Nage - person throwing, one who performs a technique when attacked
O-sensei - great teacher (refers to Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido)
Rei - bow, the command to bow
Sensei - teacher
Shinbukan - school of the martial spirit
Takemusu - martial generating/creating
Takemusushinbukan - school of the martial creating spirit
Tanto - wooden knife
Uke - attacker, one who receives the technique
Ukemi - falling skills
Definition of Attacks
Kata dori - shoulder grab
Kata dori men uchi - shoulder grab and straight thrust to the head
Katate dori - wrist grab (one hand on one hand)
Mune dori - chest grab
Mune tsuki - thrust or punch directed at the stomach
Morote dori - one wrist held by both of attacker's hands
Shomen uchi - strike directed at middle of the head. Can also be an extension to the face of a partner when initiating a movement.
Ryote dori - both wrists are held
Ushiro ryote dori - both wrists are held from behind
Ushiro waza - holds from behind. Holding points can be wrists, shoulders, elbows, collar, or throat.
Yokomen uchi - strike directed diagonally at the side of the head
Definition of Techniques
Ikkyo - elbow to shoulder take down
Irimi nage - entering throw
Kaiten nage - rotary throw
Kokyu - breath infused with mind/spirit
Kokyu nage - a throw generated by kokyu
Koshi nage - hip throw
Nikyo - pressure through wrist take down (horizontal)
Sankyo - pressure through wrist take down (vertical)
Shihonage - four-corner throw; pivot, wrist to shoulder take down
Tenchinage - Heaven/Earth throw
Yonkyo - Forearm pressure take down
Ways of Practice
Bo dori - long staff taking
Hanmi handachi - attacker standing, person throwing kneeling
Jo dori - short staff taking
Kaeshi waza - counters
Kokyu ho - exercises to develop extension and breath power
Suwari waza - knee work. Techniques done kneeling.
Tachi dori - sword taking
Tachi waza - normal sword practice, standing techniques.
Tanto dori - techniques where wooden knife is taken from an attacker