Have you ever watched a video of a demonstration and wondered, “Is that really how it works?” In fact, I often see videos of people showing more respect for the sensei than necessary and simply taking a flying ukemi. Of course, there are things to be learned from such training, but at Rakushinkan we don’t think it can be called true Aiki.

At Rakushinkan, we practice in which techniques actually work from a firmly held position, so you can experience that techniques are not pre-established.

There are cases where a clean ukemi has become the standard for evaluating whether an Aikido technique has been applied. However, this takes you away from acquiring practical skills. It does not necessarily lead directly to practical self-defense.
At Rakushinkan, we do not practice “tobi ukemi” or “jump ukemi,” which are often referred to in Aikido.

“Let’s suppose someone hits you” – there is an episode for each technique. It is an imitation, and we do not actually hit the other person with the intention of seriously injuring them. We practice in a kata style, and there are no matches.
However, since it is a martial art, there is pain, and injuries can occur, but since we are both focused, no serious injuries occur. We ask that you sign up for sports insurance when you join.

We train in a way that suits each person. If they can’t do sitting techniques, we’ll practice standing techniques, and for older people, we may end the lesson early. We hope that they will train in a way that suits them and use what they’ve learned in their daily lives.

This is because the aim is not to destroy the opponent in the first place. If your aim is to “defeat the opponent”, it would be more effective to learn another martial art.

Aikido aims to train the use of the body, known as “aiki”, and to help each other grow. Also, if you focus on competing in matches, you will lose sight of the original aim of martial arts, which is the pursuit of inner strength, character development to become not someone who does not lose in fights but someone who does not start fights in the first place, and the importance of applying it to everyday life.

Adult training is 1.5 hours, and children’s training is 1 hour. Adult training includes 30 minutes of swordsmanship practice. This is in accordance with the adage “Kenjuu Ittai” (the sword and the softness are one), and is to apply the principles of swordsmanship to taijutsu. Specifically, the first 30 minutes are spent on basic training and sitting techniques, and the next 30 minutes are spent on basic standing techniques.