武徳流合気柔術

WHAT IS BUTOKU?

BUTOKU

Butoku literally means martial (bu) virtue (toku). Butoku as developed by Fujimori Akira is specific to his personal and modern interpretation of the seven martial virtues (described below) and their role within aiki jujutsu training for personal development. He described it as "a set of rules for action, morals and ethics based on the premise of the importance of life..."This is a set of values that should be cultivated in both life and in training and students are encouraged to adhere to them whilst they are training. They consist of the following:

• IKEI. Respect. Respect for others and recognition that you cannot operate in isolation.
• RENCHI. Honour and integrity. Forgetting personal desire and profit and to have a sense of shame.
• WAHEI. Peace and co-operation. Maintaining harmony through respect and by remaining calm.
• REISETSU. Etiquette. Manner and a behaviour that maintains harmony through simple politeness and a consideration for others.
• JINGI. Benevolence. To give of your time freely, to maintain sincerity and rectitude.
• KENKO. Health. NINTAI-RYOKU. Perseverance. YUKI. Courage or Spirit. Balanced mind and body giving it the ability to withstand adversity.
• CHOKKAN-RYOKU. True sight. CHOKKANRYOKU. True feeling. KAN. Sixth sense. Cultivate making the correct intuitive choices.

WHAT IS BUTOKU-RYU AIKIJUJUTSU?

BUTOKU-RYU AIKIJUJUTSU

Akira Fujimori (1937-2012) studied martial arts over many years. One area of interest was in the study and understanding of the principles used in martial arts. Specifically to re-discover their original principles. In the old training schools the secrets of the schools were often transmitted through the kanji on their banners, documents or certificates. Reading these kanji however would give no insight into the methods or principles except to those trained in the art. It is the application and the understanding of the principles that were implied in these kanji that is part of the key to this style.

The Butoku-Ryu system is the culmination of Fujimori Shihans intensive study of numerous martial arts throughout his life. He was given permission to open his own school by Tanaka Shihan and the more formal name of the school is Tanaka-Ha Butoku Ryu Aikijujutsu.

Butoku Ryu Aiki Jujutsu is a style of defensive Aiki Jujutsu closely linked to Aikido and it employs the same basic techniques when first learning. The most notable difference between Butoku Ryu Aiki Jujutsu and traditional Aikido is that it is more direct and favours a style closer to the origins and principles of the original schools of Aiki Jujutsu combined with the modern ethos of Butoku.

Fujimori Akira was very conscious that martial arts as being taught were becoming less relevant to real fighting. He would often describe some display techniques as being "not budo" or that they were "selling a lie". His emphasis was on not visibly taking a martial stance whilst having a martial stance (mukamae), ensuring correct technique was being applied as directly as possible, taking and controlling an opponents balance (kuzushi), using strikes (atemi) as a part of any given technique and not seperately and having correct distance and timing (maaibyoushi) to achieve this.

HISTORY

HISTORY

Fujimori Akira (1937-2012) was born in Tsuyama, Okayama prefecture. In 1953 he joined his school judo club competing nationally at an international competition in China, getting to the semi-finals and gaining 3rd place. He took up Aikido in 1963 whilst at Tokyo University as a student of Tanaka Shigeho. He continued to train in the martial arts hall Shichitoku-do or Nanatoku-do (Hall of Seven Virtues) that is part of the University until 2001.

In 1978 he was appointed to teach and lecture on martial arts at the Shiseikan Budojo at the Meijii shrine in Tokyo. Later he received his 7th Dan in Aikido from Ueshiba Kishomaru. In 2001 Fujimori Akira left Tokyo and moved to Oita-shi, Oita prefecture. He continued teaching about the spirit of martial arts and the principles of aiki-jujutsu in Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom until his death in 2012.

In December of 2017 his book on the 'Philosophy and principles of Japanese martial arts Martial arts as a tradition of ancient Japanese spiritual and physical culture' was published though currently it is only available in Japanese.

日本武道の理念と事理 日本古来の精神的且つ 身体的文化の伝承とし ての武道 ISBN 13: 9784809678486 ISBN 10: 4809678482

As well as teaching martial arts he studied Chinese meridian, acupressure and shiatsu (theory and practice) and their relationship with/to ancient martial arts and the human body (muscles, skeleton and joints). He was also a member of the Tanka Association (ancient poetry form of the Japanese Imperial court) and worked to promote and encourage creative activity in poetry. His poems were published in 2015.