In the past, we've explored the various explanations of aiki used both in our system of American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu and the internal community at large. In part 2 of the "Is This Aiki?" mini-series (click here to read), I included generalized definitions of common terms such as: 

• Aiki no Rentai
• Aiki no Inyo'ho
• Aiki no Jutsu
• Aiki Jujutsu
• Aiki Kenpo

However, there is something important we need to consider. In all of these terms, aiki is the adjective. It describes what is happening, but it is not the thing. Our art is not simply aiki, but rather aiki jujutsu, and it's on this I'd like to explore today. 

My last several articles have been dedicated to defining aiki as we use it in American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu. However, aiki is not a concept unique to the myriad of systems that ultimately stem from Daito Ryu. While Takeda Sokaku (the founder or rejuvenator of Daito Ryu, depending what you believe) may have been the first to attribute this concept to a physical, conditioned state of being, the origins of aiki go back much farther and I'd like to briefly dive into that history. 

We first see written accounts of aiki, often written 相氣, as early as the late 1600s, and was used to describe the moment in time when two swordsmen would find themselves with the mutual intention of attacking at the identical time and space. It was taught as something to be avoided, as this could only result in mutual death if they proceeded with their attack. 

Fast forward to the late 1890s, and the book Budo Hiketsu: Aiki No Jutsu was published by Kondo Yoshizu, where aiki was described as the highest level of mastery in Japanese martial arts. It's unclear when and where the shift in perspective happened, with aiki once being something to avoid and now defined as the pinnacle of Budo, but this interpretation would significantly influence the development of the aiki arts. 

In my latest mini-series entitled "Is This Aiki?" (click here for part 1), I mentioned a concept in internal martial arts known as the Six Harmonies. Originally derived from Taijiquan, the Six Harmonies are:

1. Hands harmonize with the feet
2. Elbows harmonize with the knees
3. Shoulders harmonize with the hips
4. Heart harmonizes with intention
5. Intention harmonizes with Ki
6. Ki harmonizes with movement

The three external harmonies describe how to move the body as a cohesive unit to express coordinated power (集中力 shuchu ryoku). The three internal harmonies describe the relationship between your intent and your actual, physical movement. Together, the Six Harmonies are the key to balancing In (Yin) and Yo (Yang) in the body, and ultimately creating what is known as the aiki body. However, because the Six Harmonies are largely a Chinese concept, practitioners of Japanese internal arts may mistakenly overlook them. 

​In the image above of Takeda Tokimune, son of Takeda Sokaku and the late Soke of mainline Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, we can clearly see the kanji for Jusoku Rikugo 充塞六合, "Fulfill the Six Harmonies" (written in the classical manner of right-to-left). The more I research into the history and training methods of both our system of American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu and our related/parent aiki arts, it has become clear that the development of Chinese and Japanese internal martial arts were more intertwined than we are led to believe. While the scroll displayed in Takeda sensei's dojo is the only written reference I have seen from an official Daito Ryu source to the Six Harmonies, taking into account the ryu's adherence to secrecy and obscurity, it would not surprise me if like the very nature of aiki itself, it was hidden in plain sight.