"We Turn the Spotlight on the Life of...
Aiki-jujutsu Master Tokimune Takeda"

Tokimune Takeda (1916-1993) was the headmaster of Daito-Ryu Aiki Budo. He was the 3rd son and successor of Sokaku Takeda, and a police detective.

He was born in Hokkaido, Japan and had extensive martial arts training as a boy under his father. In 1953 he established the Daitokan dojo in Abashiri.

He classified the Daito-ryu system of techniques and also included elements of the Onoha Itto-ryu sword school, aiki kenpo, and Nihon kendo kata to create Daito-ryu Aiki Budo. He received Cultural Social Education Award from Abashiri City in 1987.

Due to his ill health in the years prior to his passing, the issue of Tokimune's successor was left unresolved.

Many regard Menkyo Kaiden holder Katsuyuki Kondo, who has assumed the titles of Daito-ryu aikijujutsu Hombu-cho and Somucho, as the continuation of the mainline Daito-ryu school. Other smaller groups follow various other senior students of Tokimune.

Aiki-jujutsu focuses on 'a quick neutralization of an attack.' It also emphasizes throwing technique and joint manipulation to effectively control or injure an attacker.

Of particular importance is the timing of a defensive technique to blend with an attack, and use the force of the attacker's movement against them. Daito-ryu is noted for it's use of atemi strikes to vital points, to prepare for jointlocking or throwing.

Morihei Ueshiba developed the martial art of Aikido from his combat studies of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu with Sokaku Takeda, and his spiritual studies with the Omoto Kyo and Onisaburi Deguchi. The art of peace that focuses on harmony and non-resistance, leading to Aikido Success

There are several organizations that teach Daito-ryu, and each trace their lineage back to Sokaku Takeda through four of his students... Tokimune Takeda, Takuma Hisa, Kodo Horikawa, and Yukiyoshi Sagawa.

The Tokimune branch descends from the teachings of Tokimune Takeda, the son of Sokaku Takeda, and designated successor of Daito-ryu after his father passed. When Tokimune died, he had not officially appointed a successor, and there are two main groups that carry on his teachings...

The first group is led by Katsuyuki Kondo, who began his training under Tsunejiro Hosono, and continued training under Kotaro Yoshida, and then Tokimune Takeda. Based on the high level teaching licenses Kondo was awarded by Tokimune, his followers represent his school as mainline Daito-ryu, which has a lot of support in the martial arts community.

Kondo has greatly increased Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu by hosting seminars in Tokyo, Japan and internationally, particularly in the United States.

The second group is headed by Shigemitsu Kato and Gunpachi Arisawa, who are long-time students and teachers from Tokimune's original Daitokan headquarters in Hokkaido, Japan.

Their organization is called the Nihon Daito Ryu Aikibudo Daito Kai. They maintain a smaller organization in Hokkaido, with strong connections in Europe, the United States, and Brazil.

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