SAIGO-HA AIKI BUDO 

(Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu)

HISTORY

SENWA TENNO 850AD - ( Emporor Senwa is regarded by many as the first in the Daito-Ryu Line.

• Tsukamoto Minamoto -(894-961)
• Mitsunaka Minamoto - (912-997)
• Yoroimabu Minamoto - (968-1084)
• Yoriyoshi Minamoto - (995-1082)

Soke Shinka Saburo Yashimitsu Minamoto, (Minamoto no Shinra Saburo Yoshimitsu ) (1045-1127), the last grandson of emperor Seiwa. Yoshimitsu, was the younger brother of Minamoto no Hachiman Taro Yoshiie (1041- 1108), who was considered to be the greatest warrior in all of Japanese History.

• It's very likely that the earlier combat methods of the Minamoto clan were actually just refined and perfected by General Yoshimitsu, and his elder brother Yoshiie.
• Yoshimitsu, was a teacher of so-jutsu (spear), To- ho (sword methods), and Tai-jutsu (body arts), as well as archery, and he was noted firstly, for having dissected the cadavers of executed criminals and slain enemy soldiers of the "Three-year war" (1083).
• Through this study of the structure of the human body he mastered Gyakute and Ichigeki Hissatsu (techniques of killing with one blow); secondly, by watching the silk spider catch it's prey, he obtained a hint which led to the discovery of the core of Aiki.
• Therefore Yoshimitsu is considered to be the one who originally developed the techniques of Daito-Ryu by adding to the previous secret techniques of the Minamoto clan, and passing those techniques down to the Takeda family of Kai in the 12th century, which merged the techniques of the Aizu & Minamoto clans into a new style, called it Daido-Ryu

• Yoshikyo Minamoto, 998-1163

Begining of Takeda-Ryu Aiki Budo

• Kyomitsu Takeda, 1116-1159
• Nabuyoshi Takeda, 1138-1186
• Nabumitsu Takeda, 1162-1248
• Nabumasa Takeda
• Nabutoki Takeda
• Nabumune Takeda
• Nanutakw Takeda
• Nabunari Takeda
• Nabuharu Takeda
• Nabumitsu Takeda
• Nabushige Takeda
• Nabushige Takeda
• Nabumoei Takeda
• Nabusigi Takeda
• Nabutora Takeda, 1493-1573
• Shingen Takeda, 1521-1573

Soke Takeda Kunitsugo, 1551-1592, moved to Aizu in 1574, where the art of Oshiki-Uchi was taught to the Aizu clan for the next 300 years . Daito-Ryu (also called Goshikinai ), became the official self- defense art at the Aizu castle.

• The successive lords, and their bodyguards practiced it as the secret art of the Aizu clan, and passed it on until the fall of the Shogunate. According to history, only the chief samurai's with an income of more than 500 koku, the pageboys, the court ladies, and those who served directly under the Shogun, were allowed to learn the art.
• It was at this point that the fighting system developed by the Minamoto clan merged with the martial art of the Aizu clan to become what we now call Daito-Ryu !

Kunisigi Takeda, 1546-1582

Soke Takeda Soemon, 1758-1853, taught a system known as Aiki-In -Yo-Ho (the aiki of ying & yang) and is the first to use the term "AIKI" in recorded Japanese martial arts history.( and he can be rightly called the true "father of Aiki")

• He was the grandfather of Sokaku Takeda and instructor for Tanomo Saigo who were both involved in the governmental uprising to prevent the Emporor from assuming control over all the provinces and territories in Japan .

Soke Saigo Tanomo ( also known as "Chikanori Genzo" and "Hoshina Genshin" ) 1829-1905, student of Takeda Saomon, and sixth generation of the Emporer Seiwa, although he still called the system Oshiiki Uchi, he was the second generation to use the term Aiki . , He was born into the Kikuchi family based in Kyushu.

• His father Saigo Chakamoto was a prominent samurai of the Aizu clan (the Saigo-Hoshina family were retainers of the Matsudaira clan)
• He was a believer in a sentient diety or spirit world ( one kami or god) which was a unique belief in the Shinto world of his day .( which is was he reportedly preached in his Nikko Toshugo Shrine in later years.) which caused his much friction with the mainstream shintoists of his day.
• His religious and political views made him many enemies. On several occasions assassins were sent to kill him, but he was never hurt and one story accounts how he was caught alone by a paid assassin, but, because he showed no fear, although unarmed, the assassin was psychologically unable to kill him. After guards captured this assassin, and asked him why he didn't kill Tanomo, he said " How can you kill a man who is already dead ? "*
• This is something that the western mind cannot fully comprehend : It is based on the shinto prefex that without freedom, one is never really alive , and to Tanomo and many other like him, the Meijii restoration period meant the end of freedom for the samurai, so ! To them, they were already dead.( It is unfortunate that more western minds cannot realise this as being truth today with the erosion of personal freedoms under dictatorships with so many nice-sounding names )
• He had training in Misoguchi-ryu swordmanship and Koshu-ryu, and his resitance of the Meijii government, led to the ritual suicide of his mother, wife, five daughters and 14 other members of his family who thought he had been killed by the government.( to the samurai family, the man was the central point or core, without which, the family no longer existed , whereas today, the family unit is no longer functiomal, with no structure, purpose or path to follow, resulting in vanity by the parents and children raising themselve on their own, which leads to a break-down of morality and ethics for future generations.) 
• He then served as a Shinto priest, and adopted Shiro Saigo as his son, hoping he would take-over the Daito-Ryu system, but, Saigo Shiro, joined the fledging art founded by Jigoro Kano, which became known as Kodokan Judo, ( This led to Saigo Tanomo asking a young fighter by the name of Sokaku Takeda to become the next inheritor of this art.)
• note * During the early 1800's there arose in Japan an idealogy that rallied around deposing the Tokugawa Shogunate and replacing the Emperor to the throne. Clans were the political parties of the time and the Aizu clan was in favor of the Shogun.
• The Aizu leader Katamori Matsudaira had served the Shogunate for many years and thus the loyalty of the Aizu lay with the Shogun. The Aizu fought many battles in an attempt to keep the Emperor and his forces from the throne. They were pivotal in the Bakumatsu wars.
• Now, their political lifestyle was threatened by the Choshu and Satsuma clans who were in support of the Emperor. As a result of their opposing idealogies, the Aizu samurai under the leadership of Saigo Tanomo (1830 - 1905) clashed against the forces of Choshu and Satsuma at Shirakawaguchi.
• note * Saigo Tanomo was an Aikijujutsu and Kenjutsu student under Takeda Soemon (1758 - 1853). Saigo had studied for years with the Takeda schools and was a famous warrior even though he was defeated by the Choshu and Satsuma clans. Because of this loss, however, he had been sent on an politocal mission just prior to this battlewhere most of his clan were killed, which is why the family of Saigo Tanomo, 21 in all, committed suicide thinking that Tanomo had been killed.
• * Unknown to his family, Saigo Tanomo survived the battle of Shirakawaguchi! But now that his family was gone, Tanomo returned to Aizu and became a teacher of the Mizoguchi Ha Itto-Ryu and Koshu-Ryu Gungaku kenjutsu. , before recruiting Sokaku Takeda to inherit the Daito-Ryu art.
• note * For almost 20 years Tekada Sokaku wandered from dojo to dojo, challenging almost every known martial arts master, and he was never defeated. ( many of these bouts were to the "death" ) which greatly enhanced the reputation of Tanomo Saigo and Daito-Ryu.
• He took time in his travels to instruct others, often staying with the student for a period of time before moving on. He intelligently concentrated on government officials and military leaders as well as local police departments for his student body. In this manner his reputation spread quickly.

Soke Shiro Nashiyama, 1846 - 1932 (student of Tanamo Saigo,) founded the Kaze Arashi Ryu system.which is sometimes considered a branch or version of Daito-Ryu or AIKI .Nishiyama was first trained by the priests of the Shugendo Shinto sect at Dewa Shrine located at Mt. Haguro before he trained under Tanamo Saigo at the Nikko Toshugo Shrine. ( Although not pure DAITO - RYU, Kaze Arashi was influenced greatly by the techniques taught by Tanomo Saigo, which is why we list it here ! )

• We realize that KAZA ARASHI is not DAITO-RYU or even true AIKI, but, it has techniques in it that are identitical to those of Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu which is why we consider it related to Daito - Ryu.( although it has great Chinese influence )

Soke Sokaku Masayoshi Minamoto Takeda , 1858-1942 , the grandson of Takeda Soemon ( 1758-1853) inherited the system from Tanomo Saigo, after mastering several other martial arts systems , including Ona-Ha-Itto-Ryu swordmanship , Hozoin spear-fighting, plus training with the reknown Sakakibara Kenkichi, of the Jikishin-Kage-Ryu .

• Sokaku was instructed by Takeda Soemon and his father before studying under Tanomo Saigo as preparation to teach this art to the general population. ( Sokaku travelled throughout Japan for the remainder of his life giving seminars to the descendants of Samurai and the upper classes of society and he kept written records of everyone he taught, which was well over 30,000 people although he was totally illiterate.) 
• Sokaku Takeda usually used the term DAITO-RYU ( Great Eastern Style) to discribe his version of SAIGO-HA AIKIBUDO.
• The last true samurai, Sokaku killed dozens of men with the sword or spear and was known as the "little demon" because of his constant duels with both the live sword and other weapons.
• note *At the end of the 1800's the Samurai were politically disbanded and many Jujutsu/Kenjutsu schools died out. A few survived, however. Jujutsu schools came in from the countryside to the city, and by doing so were exposed to other ryu.
• There were many contests between Jujutsu schools at the time, each trying to prove they were the best. Many Jujutsu styles were defeated and discredited, some unjustly. Nevertheless, they were forced out of existence, or the practitioners simply joined other ryu. It was also a time of bullying on the part of the Jujutsuka.
• Many of the younger students found enjoyment in trying the techniques out on unsuspecting city folk. Also, many bar brawls were started in order to practice their techniques. Jujutsu itself fell into ill repute and many of it's practitioners were seen as trouble makers. Because of this view the practice of Jujutsu was restricted to a very few traditional schools.
• NOTE * AIKI - although Daito-Ryu was first introduced to the world by Sokaku Takeda (1860-1943), after the Meiji era. since before that time, details were hardly known, and it wasn't shown to the public. ( because it was a secret art of the Aizu clan )
• The "Aiki " technique that Sokaku had mastered was strongly influenced by traditional Jujutsu, as evidenced by photo's published in a book by Takuma Hisa, which shows Sokaku twisting his opponents by force, using kansetsu waza (joint locking) similar to Aikido and Jujutsu. This is apparently what he usually taught as "Daito-Ryu".

It was in 1882 that things began to change. It was in that year that Kano Jigoro founded a new type of Jujutsu that he called Judo. Kano was a Jujutsu teacher who had studied under senseis Teinosuke Yagi and Hachinosuke Fukada of the Tenshin Shin'Yo-Ryu for two-years Later he also studied under the tutelage of Tsunetoshi Iikubu of the Kito-Ryu for another two years..

• He also studied a while with the Sekiguchi-Ryu ( for about 1 1/2 years ) for a grand-total of less than 6 years. ( which is why no established jujitsu schools masters at the turn of the century considered him to be a jujitsu master , rather, they thought he was genuinely interested in preserving the traditional jujitsu systems, which is why they taught him some of their techniques and took photos with him.).

Jigoro Kano founder of Kodokan Judo

JIGORO KANO 1860-1938 was born in a small costal town outside of Kobe, Japan . His main martial theories were developed by his study of the "secret" books HONTAI and SEIKO which discuss the fundamentals of Nage (throwing) through the principle of KI-TO (to raise up - to strike down).

• This, combined with his grappling knowledge from the Tenshin Shin'Yo-Ryu led Kano to retire to the solitude of the Eishoji temple and develop his Judo. ( actually, we have to realise that Jigoro Kano was just a young man in his early twenties when he started to formulate a new art !)
• He first called it KANO  JUJITSU, then KANO JUDO, and finally, took the name of a famous and respected Shinto Temple, called the KODOKAN to give more creditability to his new art ! He did not coin the name JUDO, it was used by a traditional jujitsu system for a few hundred years , and he merely "borrowed" it as he did other things !) 
• Supporters of Judo claim that what made Kano's Jujutsu different was his approach to training. Because he sought to preserve the Jujutsu techniques, but realized that Jujutsu had a bad reputation, he changed the entire philosophy surrounding his art. Kano emphasized the physical fitness aspects of the art and altered the techniques to make them appealing to the general public.
• ( this is not quite true ! He merely took a very limited number of jujitsu techniques and modified them to allow anyone to engage in sport with a minimal chance of injury !) 
• The sporting aspect of the judo was also introduced . Kano included new KATA, (prearranged forms) for the self defense techniques in order to ensure safety and enjoyment in learning, along with a small number of kata from older jujitsu schools to add creditability within jujitsu circles.but emphecised SHIAI (contest) to test timing and technique in safe semi-combat situation.
• Kano also credited with inventing the modern ranking system that consisted of KYU ranks (colored belt trainees) and DAN ranks (black belt grades), although he actually "borrowed" the ranking system from the ancient martial art of Kyudo or archery, * They still claim that before Kano the current ranking system was non-existent in Japanese martial arts.
• . Kano also targeted government and military officials as his primary student population. By doing this the popularity of his Judo spread quickly.
• * It must be understood that Jigoro Kano was a senior member of the Japanese education system which allowed him to introduce his new judo into the school corriculum and accounts for the fast growth of this new sport-art. (this factor is probaby more responsible for the success of Judo than the actual art itself which was a watered-down version of jujitsu, having most of the dangerous techniques removed for safety reasons.)
• Of course, it must be realized that Kano's Judo achieved it's early notoriety because of Aikijujutsu. It seems that Kano not that good a Jujutsuka himself, and felt that in order to prove that his new judo was "undefeatable" he would need to employ an "undefeatable" representative of his new art form. This "undefetable man" was Daito Ryu 's Saigo Shida who later changed his name to Saigo Shiro (1867 - 1922) , not a student of judo, but of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, who was adopted by Tanomo Saigo the grandmaster of Daito-Ryu and who taught him the secrets of this great art of Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu ...

SOKE TOKIMUNE TAKEDA , 1916 - 1993 son of Sokaku Takeda, inherited the Takeda-Ryu line (mainline) Daito-Ryu system from his father. He was responsible for introducing/exporting Daito-Ryu outside Japan. ( He restructured and reorganised Daito-Ryu, crearted a better ranking system, and helped open the doors for westerners.)

• Tokimune Takeda's training under his famous father, Sokaku, was severe ! He was trained to such a high degree that by the time he was 12 years of age, Sokaku, claimed no adult could beat him !

SOKE MASANOBU TAKEDA, current inheritor of the Daito-Ryu Aiki jujutsu from the Sokaku Takeda line. ( He is a descendent of Sokaku Takeda's bother, who is married to Takeda Tokimune's first daughter) .He inherits the Tokimune estate including the Daito-Ryu scrolls ! *

• note * Tokimune Takeda's second daughter who ran the hombu during her father's illness vouches for Takeda Masanobu Sensei's administration and leadership skills. Takeda Masanobu Semnsei now heads the Daitokan dojo. ( since he has possessions of the Daito-Ryu scrolls, it might be correct to accept him as the legal headsmaster of the ryu.)

Munimitsu Takeda, the younger brother of Tokimune Takeda claims to have legal rights to the Takeda Ryu ( mainline Daito-Ryu) of Tokimune Takeda ! ( as of this writing, nobody is quite sure just who is in charge of traditional Daito-Ryu of the Sokaku line )

Katsuyuki Kondo is curently one of the most respected leader of the Daito-Ryu factions which occured after the death of Tokimune Takeda ! He is reported to have assumed some control of many of the former students of Tokimune Takeda ! ( some consider him the rightful heir to the sokeship of the Sokaku Takeda line of Daito-Ryu !)

• Katsuyuki Kondo is the only person to have been awarded the full Menkyo Kaiden from Tokimune Takeda, which is why many feel he should be the one to take-over the system, but, according to Daito-Ryu tradition, the art has to be passed-over to blood lines.

SOKE SHIRO SAIGO, 1863-1922, was adopted by Tanomo Saigo,( it is suspected he was actually the illigitimate son of Tanomo Saigo . born out of wedlock ) but joined Jigoro Kano , founder of Kodokan Judo, where he helped establish Judo as a viable martial art by winning several contests against rival jujitsu clans. ( He later relocated to Nagasaki, then Horoshima, where he taught Daito-Ryu and other arts until his death.)

• * Shiro Saigo was the adopted son of Aikijujutsu master Saigo Tanomo. Shiro was a master of Daito-Ryu at a young age and was trained for the headmastership of the Takeda tradition, but was recruited by Kano to be his "showman" for the Kodokan system. This is basically why Takeda Sokaku became Daito-Ryu's headmaster. Shiro was known for his great ability and strength at a young age.
• In fact, he was a Godan (5th degree) in judo by the age of 21.( based most likely on the fact that Judo was crude compared to Daito-Ryu of which Shiro Saigo was an expert) In the contests set up between the Kodokan and the area Jujutsu schools, Saigo easily defeated all opponents, mostly with his favorite Daito-Ryu technique called YAMA ARASHI. .( similar to Hane Goshi and Uchi Matta )
• Kodokan judo was "proving" its worth by using Aikijujutsu" although most of the Daito-Ryu techniques Saigo used were never taught by Kano. As a matter of fact, whereas Aikijujutsu had over two thousand techniques, the Kodokan system boasted only about 150. After many years Saigo Shiro left the Kodokan due to pressures from outside that art and became a reporter and master of Kyudo (archery). Only when Saigo left the Kodokan did the style move totally into the realm of martial sport.
• In 1938, on his way back from Germany where he had met with the IOC ( Olympic committee) to have Judo become an olympic sport, Jigoro Kano died of pneumonia on a passenger liner. ( In his lifetime, he saw the very dangerous techniques from various jujitsu schools become an international sport enjoyed by millions worldwide.)
• Saigo Shiro, perhaps one of the world's greatest Jujutsuka died on 23 December 1922 at the age of 57. after teaching small select groups of students throughout Japan. Facts surrounding his life after leaving judo are obscure and clouded in mystery, but it is known that he continued to compete occasionally, eventually suffering a serious injury to his spine which haunted him in his later years and is probably why he is remembered by many as having a mean disposition.,
• note * Even though Kano had, in fact,used successfully Shiro Saigo' s Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu to make his art ( Kodokan Judo ) famous, he did un-intentionally do Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu a great service, for if it were not for the renewed interest in the grappling arts caused by the introduction of Judo into the Japanese school system , there is a distinct possibility that Jujutsu as a whole would have never survived as a martial art.

Soke Yamashita, Houei , 1889-1972, student of Saigo Shiro, founded the Daito-Ryu Shuukikan in 1968 after training under many great masters. He was an expert in weapons, horsemanship, the sword and Saigo-Ha Aiki Budo ( Yamashita was a military man for part of his life and travelled throughout Asia where he studied different arts and taught Saigo-Ha Aiki Budo and it is reported he was involved with police work, either as an instructor or an officer for many years .)

• Not much is known about Yamashita Houei in his younger years, but, he was reported to have travelled throughout Japan, korea and parts of Manchria prior WWII. where he made many contacts that would serve him during the war. ( it is on one of these trips that he is said to have met Sigung Lin Po, who would study under him on several occasions up until 1948 and teach him Chinese Kempo & pressure point Atemi wasa )

Soke Sogawa Kazuoichi, is the current head of the Saigo-Ha Shukikan and main student and successor of the of Yamashita Hoori system . His system was accepted as a branch of Daito-Ryu by the late Soke Tokimuni Takeda in 1984 after many years of dis-association and friction between the two camps over the actions of Shiro Saigo .

• SHUUKIKAN DAITO-RYU is noted for it's great mastery of weapons and specialization in striking techniques ( atemi wasa ) based on pressure-points and acupuncture. And those who witness the techniques of Sogawa Sensei say it is identitical to mainline Daito-Ryu aiki Jujutsu.
• * It is highly likely that Yamashita Hoorii was influenced by his student Lin Lin Po who was an expert in both Chinese acupuncture and pressure-point techniques and probably combined the traditional Daito-Ryu atemi wasa with Chiese pressure point techniques to arrive at the current stage..

Sigung Po ,Lin, 1902-1951, from China, student of Yamashita and several other Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu instructors, founded Po Mu Gow Chinese version of Saigo-Ha in 1948, where he included Kung Fu techniques to Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu syllabus . Po was a Chinese Kung Fu master who studied Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu for many years in Japan. ( he was a very wealthy merchant and certified acupuncturist and herbalist )

• He had very extensive training in Northern Shaolin kung fu systems beside his much favored
• Saigo-Ha Aiki-Jujutsu ( * He was reportedly married to a Japanese lady who was related to one of Matsuda Tayasaku's cousins , which is probably one reason why he was allowed to study mainline Daito-Ryu ) and although, his loyalty was to Yamashita Houei who was not part of the Sokaku-line Daito-Ryu practitioners of the day, he nevertheless reportedly took lessons from anyone in mainline Daito-Ryu willing to teach him.,
• The fact that his current system includes well over 3000 different techniques demonstrates he must have had a great exposure to the two lines of Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu
• Like many Saigo-Ha Aiki Budo masters before him, Master Po was a warrior who frequently engaged in contests to perfect his fighting skills ! ( It is reported that he made a small fortune by engaging in inter-kwoon competitions where he was often hired to pose as a member of one school or another to demonstrate that school superiority over others ) It is said that he had killed over 10 men in battle ( but, this was most likely military battles, not indevidual duels to the death ) 
• He travelled throughout China as a military instructor under Mao Tse Tung before the war and is reported to have made many trips to Japan during peacetime as an attache for the Chinese war department ( which is likely another reason why he was allowed to study Saigo-Ha under another former military expert -Yamashita Hoorii. )
• (it is even rumored he was possibly a spy for Japan prior to the start of WWII )

Sigung Shen, Pok, 1921- 1983, ( it is believed he died in the early 83 in Formosa ) originally from mainland China, first-cousin and student of Sigung Po, he founded his own version of Takeda- Ryu / Daito-Ryu which he called Shen Mu Gow, (based on Northern Shaolin Kung fun and Saigo - ha Aiki Jujutsu), after years of study under Sigung Po and other Japanese Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu teachers.

• But, unlike Sigung Po , Shen was a scientist and anti-communist who fled mainline China and relocated to Formosa before moving to the U.S.A in the late 50's( where he worked as a chemist with the an American chemical company.)

• The biggest change made to Daito-Ryu by Sigung Shen was the introduction of centrifugal force kicking techniques from Northern Shaolin Kung Fu and a structured grading syllabus based on a combination of the mudansha/yudansha and traditional menkyo systems..
• Sigung Shen explained to his disciple Dr.John J.Williams ,( a Canadian who worked with him in the U.S.A.) that although his system was 90% Saigo-Ha Aiki Budo ( Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu ) he would be best served not to adverise it as such because the Japanese had disassociated themselves from Soke Yamashita and would never accept anyone into their group who had lineage going back to Shiro Saigo because in their eyes he was a traitor and had committed a very disrespectful act toward grandmaster Tanomo Saigo.
• Another reason for not advertising it as Takeda-Ryu or Daito-Ryu was that both Sigung Po and Sigung She were both pure Chinese, and it was not accepted within mainline Daito-Ryu circles to show the core of this art to non-japanese ( which is a still fact within some of the Daito-Ryu schools in Japan even today ! )  * although it is apparent that Yamashita Hoori did not share this view !
• Sigung Shen placed a tattoo on Dr.Williams' rear shoulder that he said would have meaning to those in traditional Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu, and it was found-out years-later, that this was the mon of the Minamoto family.
• This is why Dr.Williams, although everyone who saw his system recognised it as looking very similar to Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu, merely called it either Tai-Jitsu, Kindai-Ha Aiki Jujutsu, Kindai-Ryu jujitsu or when he registered it with the World Headfounders./Headfamilies Council, he simply called it Nihon Kindai-Ha Shinto-Ryu AikiBudo since he was slowly introducing his own brand of Shintoism to it.. ( but, those times have changed and Daito-Ryu is now more open to non-Japanese, making it appropriate to give it the name of Saigo-Ha Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu / Aiki - Budo !)
• It was explained by Sigung Shen that although he had trained extensively in Japan under various Daito-Ryu teachers in the early 50's there was anomosity between anyone associated with Yamashita Hoori, so he kept his previous training secret to prevent being expelled ! ( one of the teachers he claimed to have briefly trained under was Horokawa Sensei whose son went-on to found Kodokai, actually, Sigung never said which Horokawa-sensei he trained under, the father or son, merely that he was called Horokawa Sensei ) and that he ( Horokawa - Sensei ) thought that Yamashita Hoori was involved with policework or possibly police training. ( which is where that rumor originated )
• Sigung Shen explained that traditional Daito-Ryu has close to 3000 techniques but that they are not categorized or organized into teaching blocks or units ! Rather, they are taught randomely (often mixing basic techniques with advanced ones)
• So, he restructured them based on the Kodokan Judo grading syllabus, of mudansha & yudansha, grouped with the shoden, chuden, okuden, hiden or Kaiden certification system. ( which is how Dr.Williams teaches the techniques today )
• It was recently explained by a senior Daito-Ryu master , after witnessing a demonstration by Dr.Williams, that the system resembles that taught by Katsuyuki Kondo-Shihan in Tokyo today more than other versions ! ( And a number of top Daito-Ryu masters agree that most of the techniques look exactly like those found in Daito-Ryu )
• but, in an article published in 1988 and 1992, Shihan Kondo denounces the Saigo-Ha Daito-Ryu of Shiro Saigo and Yamashita, saying it is not Daito-Ryu, (although, in 1984, Tokimune-Soke visited the dojo of Sogawa-Shihan, the successor to Yamashiuta Shihan, to accept them back into Daito-Ryu which suggest possible fragmentation of Daito-Ryu in Japan and possibly a number of power-struggles within the heirarchi who were under the late Tokimune-Soke )
• In an article by Stanly Pranin & Katsuyuko Kondo in Aiki News #92, one of the things they say disproves the claims of Sogawa-Sensei about the Yamashitta Houei lineage is that in 1978, Sogawa-Sensei adverised that he was teaching a version of "AIKI KEMPO" which is of chinese origins,
• However, since Sigung Shen NEVER met or corresponded with Sogawa Sensei, and his claims are exactly the same as Sogawa Sensei in regards to Yamashita Houei having learned Chinese Atemi Wasa/kempo from Sigung Pok, it is next to impossible to imagine that two complete strangers with no contact what-so-ever between them could come-up with the very same story complete with dates, names, and most important, techniques.
• Even today, some 75 years after the death of Shiro Saigo, some hard-line traditionalist within Daito-Ryu still harbour deep resentment over his decision to join the efforts of Jigoro Kano in establishing Kodokan Judo instead of assuming the post of headmaster of Daito-Ryu and some even refuse to acknowlege that Tanomo Saigo taught him the art of Takeda-Ryu as his own adopted son, but you can't erase history, and the facts are straight-forward and true, Shiro Saigo did master Takeda-Ryu and taught others, including Yamashita Hourii his art which has survived till this day as Saigo-Ha AikiBudo
• Sigung Shen was a pacifist who did not believe in fighting. (whereas his successor, Dr.John .J. Williams was a fightrer who did not believe in pacivism) He stressed that Daito-Ryu should only be used for self defence when everything else failed. But, on at least one occasion he proved his fighting ability when he was mugged in Boston and reportedly send his two attackers to the hospital with broken arms & legs .( He rarely talked about this incident because he felt it was wrong to purposely injure anyone , but his abilities were very evident whenever he applied a technique in training or demonstrated his ability to escape from holds applied by strangers as part of his demonstrations . )
•  * Dr.Williams remembers the training under him as severe and often very painful.

Taiso Horikawa first met Sokaku in 1912 on the train, in Hokkaido. Before they parted, he introduced himself out of politeness and said, "My name is Horikawa. I live in Kitami. If by chance you come near my residence - you are always welcome to visit me."

• A few days later Sokaku actually visited him and said, "I would like to teach Aiki Jujutsu. Can you gather some people?" At first Horikawa was astonished, but he too loved Budo (He was an expert in Shibukawa Ryu Jujutsu). He at once gathered a group, and they used his own inn as a Dojo.
• Before the training started, master Sokaku held one end of a thin twisted paper string and let another man hold the other end; then he said, "Hold it tight or you'll be pulled towards me!" The people were astonished to see Sokaku pull the paper string towards him without tearing it, and at the same time throwing the man up onto his shoulders. He also let his arms be tied up from behind, ordering the students to attack him simultaneously from all directions. To their dismay the students were all thrown down just like floor mops. All the participants attacked the master, but as soon as they touched his body they were thrown. Mr. Taiso Horikawa trained diligently, and was awarded the title of "The acting instructor".

His son Kodo Horikawa (1894-1980) began training under his father first and later, when his progress became noticeable, he trained directly under master Takeda.

• Kodo was a short man 4'11", but his techniques came to be known as very subtle, effective, and strong. Sokaku specifically told him that he needed to master"Aiki" because of his short stature. In 1930 he received from master Sokaku the certificate of "The acting instructor", and still continued his training for 6 hours everyday. One year later, Kodo Horikawa received the certificate of "The secret Essence", and a month later he received the final certificates of "The secret essence of Mysteries", and "The secret essence of Aiki". In 1950 he established the Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu Kodo Kai in Hokkaido. In 1974 Kodo Horikawa received the "Order of Eternal Mastership", which is the highest title of the Budo society.

Mr. Seigo Okamoto, was born in Yubari, Hokkaido in 1925. It was in 1963 that Mr. Okamoto at the recommendation of a friend, entered the Kodo Kai Dojo of master Horikawa. He had never heard of Daito-Ryu until then. He just entered out of curiosity, having heard about a master who did mysterious things. At that time Mr. Okamoto was already 38 years old.

• At first Mr. Okamoto thought that the fights were fake, he couldn't believe that the small master Horikawa was really throwing 4 to 5 students instantly down, although they attacked all at once. However, when he was facing the master, the moment he made contact with the master's finger he was thrown down to the floor. Admiring the master's great technique, he continued to train and follow the path of Aiki.
• Okamoto recalls that the training was extremely tough in those days in Hokkaido, and only after two to three years did he become good at ukemi (falling). He admits that he didn't understand very much about the training then. Gradually, he became able to use Aiki and soon he became regarded as the most senior. After ten years he began to teach in place of the master. In 1974 Mr. Okamoto after 11-years of training was promoted to 7th dan.
• In 1977 Okamoto sensei moved to Tokyo. Master Horikawa then gave him permission to open the Tokyo branch of Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu Kodo Kai, and also gave him the "master certificate", and told him that having mastered Aiki, he could now create new techniques freely.
• In the old days, one had to train for several years at least, before actually being able to touch the master's hand. And one received only the technical training, it was unthinkable to ask for explanation's. The opposite is the case at master Okamoto's "Roppokai."

HISA TAKUMA - 1885 1979, was the senior student of Sokaku Takeda ! He is one of only two people to recieve the full "menkyo Kaiden" directly from Sokaku Takeda, and he went-on to establish the very popular Takumakai with several thousand students. ( His experience as the uki of Sokaku Takeda allowed him to travel throughout Japan and being exposed to most of the Daito-Ryu techniques.)

• Hisa Takuma was one of the first students under Morehei Uyeshiba, founder of Aikido, and his Takuma-Kai is considered by most to be a version of Aikido, although it more resebles Daito-Ryu than Aikido. ( One of the things that helps modern Daito-Ryu practitioners to better understand that art is that Hisa Takuma took photos of Sokaku Takeda doing techniques and had them published in a book.)

J.K. ( Kei) Yamaue - 1946 - present , a priest of the "Shingon Sect" of Shintoism, oversee's many Temples in Japan, as the EEC culture attache of Imperial Palace ( Buddhist priest of imperial saga Palace , Imperial Daikakuji Temple 7 Imperia; Daishijo Temple

• He was introduced to judo as a child by his father Yamaue Motoi (1915-1974) , a school master and judo expert.( member of the Japanese Olympic Committee) as well as Kendo. He also studied Goju ryu and Karate by his uncle T.Inoue ( very highly respected master)
• He practiced Nippon Shirinji Kempo ( combination of Kung Fu and Daito-Ryu ) while in high school, as well as studying Daito-Ryu under the legendary Hisa Takuma who was his grandfather. ( this gave him the Daito-Ryu basis for the Family art he founded as Yamaue Aiki Budo )
• In college he practiced more Karate and Kung Fu than aiki because he didn't really under what "Ki' was.( he left Japan in 1970, and relocated to Denmark, where he trained with such greats as Nato sensei in Judo and Tonegawa-Sensei in Gensei-Ryu before opening his first dojo.
• He married a lady from Denmark and has two sons ( Lars and Kenn) and resides in Copenhagen where he oversees several schools and hundreds of students. He is a member of the Executive Council of the WHC, Inc. ( The most prominent jujitsu members of the WHC are himself, Professor Wally Jay and Dr.John J.Williams) and he now holds the title/rank of Soke, 10th dan, in Yamaue Aiki Budo

Morehei Uyeshiba , 1883 - 1969 was a student of Sokaku Takeda from 1915 to 1942, and he went-on to formulate the art of AIKIDO in 1943 ,( which was very instrumental to the growth of "Aiki" - hense Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu" )but he is most known for combining the spritual religious concepts on the OMOTO religion with the deadly techniques of TAKEDA-RYU ! ( Aikido is now one of the most popular martial arts from Japan )

• Presently, there are many branches of Aikido practiced worldwide, some are focused on the religious, others on the mysterious "Ki" force, while some still stress the pure aiki of Daito-Ryu /Takeda-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu .

Dr.John J.Williams , 1940 - present, from Canada,a retired police officer and shinto priest, senior student of Sigung Shen, founded (renamed) a new version of Takeda-Ryu which he called Shinto-Ryu Aiki Budo in 1990, ( after over 40 years in the arts ) he has mastered several Japanese and western systems under many well-known teachers and continues his search for knowledge in his main art of Saigo-Ha AikiBudo

• ( He trained under Sigung Shen while living in the USA, but, his training was all private lessons and included all facets of the the Takeda-Ryu art except samurai weapons, being that the Chinese students of Saigo-Ha were rarely taught the sword arts due to their implications to the fuedal system and the samurai.) and he was awarded the Menkyo Kaiden
• Dr.Williams was also awarded the rank of nanadan (7th dan) by the late Soke Shogo Kuniba in both Shito-Ryu karate and Goshin Budo (Dr. John J.Williams assisted Soke Kuniba in creating / formulating the Kuniba - Ha Goshin Budo Art based on karate and jujitsu ) along with a 3rd dan in judo,and asides from competing in amature & professional boxing, toughman contests, judo, karate, kickboxing and weightlifting, he is best-known for his world record ice break with the bare knuckles which has never been equalled or broken since it was established in 1987.
• Dr.Williams became the only Canadian accepted as a 9th dan first generation founder/headmaster of a branch of a legitimate martial art ( Saigo-Ha ) by the prestigious World Headfounder / Headfamilies Council , which in it's ten years of operation has recognized less than 20 people out of the 3000-plus who applied from around the globe for recognition as the qualified head of a martial art system ) * One of this very elect few is Soke J.K.Yamaue, 10th dan, grandson of Daito-Ryu's Hisa Takuma .

NOTE * Dr.John J.Williams does not claim to have created a new martial art system ! Rather, he merely registered a training system of traditional SAIGO-HA AIKIBUDO (Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu) which has Chinese influences that adds to the number of techniques taught to the students and which creates a different structure and sequencial introduction of the basic techniques over a longer period of time.!

• As such ! Dr. Williams does not claim to be or desire to be called a "Soke" or "Grandmaster" of anything ! instead he prefers to be called a "SHIHAN" since he was awarded a "Shihan Menjo" from both his friends and teachers Soke Shogo Kuniba and Sigung Shen ( and it ,to many this title translates into "Teacher of Teachers", which is what he does and is .)

In 1988, Dr.John J.Williams founded a new sect of shintoism he called "INTERI" and this new religion was incorporated into the Saigo-Ha Aiki Budo he was practicing for many years ! (He studied Japanese Shintoism since the early 60's, and combined Christianity with Shintoism to reach what he felt was the true meaning of life.)  

(and although the name has changed, the structure and contents are still the very same )
• * Although Dr.Williams has taught over 10,000 people Saigo-Ha AikiBudo over the years, nobody has yet mastered the whole system ! Some mastered different parts of it, but, nobody has stayed in training long enough to know the whole system. ( Yet ! Dr.Williams still continues to search for the disciples who will carry-on the system, while restructuring it to better fit-into mainstream Takeda-Ryu / Daito-Ryu without dis-honoring his teachers. )

Dr.Williams has six sons who are all accomplished fighters in their own right and through them the spirit and basics Saigo-Ha Takeda-Ryu will carry-on after he is gone. ( Through his association with Sigung Shen, Dr.Williams was introduced to what he considers to be the greatest martial art to originate from Japan and although he is approaching 60 years of age, he continues to research this art in hopes of opening doors to even more secrets of the samurai )

• Although some might try to portrey Dr.Williams' claims of ties to traditional Daito-Ryu or Takeda-Ryu as an effort to add creditability for lack of credential on his part, it should be pointed-out that he was awarded one of the highest blackbelt ranks bestowed upon a non-japanese in Shito-Ryu karate (one of the five major karate systems in Japan) by the late Soke of that art, as well as having a very highly distinguished martial art career aside from his aiki jujutsu, and he could attract far more followers with karate , kickboxing, judo & grappling than the hard-style "aiki" which is considered "too hard" for western students.

This is not a complete lineage chart of all those in Takeda -Ryu / Daito-Ryu ! Some very important Persons have yet to be added . ( however, this is suffucient to help one understand the Tanomo Saigo branch we call Saigo-Ha AikiBudo )

SAIGO-HA can be called the following :

(a) Takeda-Ryu

(b) Minamoto-Ryu

(c) Aizu-Ryu

(d) Daito-Ryu

Check- back as we will regularly add more information & photos to this homepage .