Nineteen
Study the teachings of the pine tree, the bamboo, and the plum blossom. The pine is evergreen, firmly rooted, and venerable. The bamboo is strong, resilient, unbreakable. The plum blossom is hardy, fragrant, and elegant.
"The Art of Peace" by Morihei Ueshiba
Prerequisites: Because the Jyo and Bokken are DANGEROUS WEAPONS in their own right, normally it is required that a student be at least a green belt in Aikido. Exceptions can be made on an individual basis, but will still require that the prospective student be a participant in one or more of the following arts: Judo, Ju Jitsu, Iaido, or ARMA. The minimum age for participation is 18.
Class time and cost: Jyodo class is Saturday afternoon from 4:00 until 5:30 pm. The cost is $20/month.
Techniques and Katas
The student, (shidachi), first performs a series of basic strikes alone, without a partner. Then he(she) executes the same strikes with a partner (uke, or uchidachi), who attacks with a bokken, (wooden sword). Lastly, shidachi and uchidachi work together to learn the 12 basic, (Kihon), katas. It is important that the student learn both the shidachi and uchidachi roles, and especially that the basic strikes be carried out as correctly in the katas as they are done in solo and paired strike practice. Listed below are a series of positions (Kamae), names of the strikes, and the names of the 12 Kihon Katas.
Positions (Stances)
Strikes
Kihon Katas
About the Sensei
Tim Cleghorn began the study of Jyodo in 1992 as a member of Clear Lake/NASA Aikikai, which was a member dojo of the Fugakukai International, Karl Geis Shihan. He attended a 4-day Jyodo seminar presented by Ms. Tsunaku Miyake at the Fugakukai main dojo in Houston, Texas. He was awarded 4th Dan in Jyodo in June, 2000.