Aikido jo techniques
A step by step guide on how to correctly do the 13 jo kata
START in hidari-hanmi kamae (hidari jō no kamae) – Hold the jo vertically with your left hand so that it touches the ground just in front of your left foot.
- Choku tsuki 直突き(Direct Thrust) – in left stance; no step.
- Jōdan gaeshi 段返し(High counter) – (Stepping strike to the front of the head) – change hands and step forward into right stance.
- Jōdan gaeshi 上段返し (High counter) – raise jo up to the left to protect your head; at the same time draw left foot back then right foot.
- Choku tsuki 直突き(Direct Thrust) – step right foot forward into right stance
- Hassō gaeshi 八相返し(Figure of eight counter) – turn 180° to face the back of the room; push jo down with left hand, let it come up and end up in Hasso no Kamae in left stance
- Shōmen Uchikomi 正面打ち込み (Stepping strike to the front of the head) – step forward into right stance (still facing the back of the room)
- Chūdan gaeshi 中段返し (Mid-level counter) – turn 180° to left, back to face the front of the room again. Tenkan (left foot moves back around 180°) into another right stance.
- Choku tsuki 直突き (Direct Thrust) – right stance
- Gedan gaeshi 下段 返し(Low counter) – Thrust back and down the ground on your left side, in right stance
- Chūdan gaeshi 中段返し (Mid-level Counter) – step forward into left stance
- Jōdan tsuki 上段突き (High Thrust) – left stance, no step
- Tsuki kamae 突き 構え– slide both feet back, still in left stance Slightly rotate the front tip of the jo clockwise to parry an incoming thrust.
- Choku tsuki 直突き(Direct Thrust) – still in left stance
END in hidari-hanmi kamae 左半身構え
Saito Morihiro Sensei
Saito Morihiro Sensei developed the 13 jo kata (Aikido drill) as a sequence to learn the Aikido Jo (Aikijo).
Here is a videos on how to correctly do the 13 jo kata by Saito Sensei
Lewis Bernaldo de Quiros Sensei
Lewis Bernaldo de Quiros trained under the late Morihiro Saito Sensei (9th Dan) from 1986 until 1993 in the Iwama Dojo in Japan. He has been busy ever since teaching Aikido both at home in the Netherlands and abroad in seminars throughout Europe.
Bjorn Saw Sensei
Bjorn Sensei was an uchi-deshi (live-in student) and direct student of Saito Sensei. He teaches Aikido at Aikido Alive London. In this video, Bjorn Sensei demonstrates the 13 no jo kata.
Cromwell Salvatera Sensei
Cromwell Sensei is an instructor from the dojo in NSW Australia. He is also an author at this (Good Aikido).
Cromwell was an Iwama uchi-deshi. He started his Aikido doing sports Tomiki Aikido when he was 16 under Bill Fetus (5th Dan). He is a direct student of Roger Gibson Sensei (5th Dan), Mic Marelli Sensei (6th Dan) and Saito Sensei.
Mohamed Oulghazi Sensei
Mohamed Oulghazi Sensei is from Aikido Meknes. In this video Mohamed demonstrates the 13 jo kata in the outdoors of Meknes Morocco
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