“When I began teaching in the fifties and mentioning aiki jujutsu, Kotaro and Kenji Yoshida, and the Daito-ryu, everyone said that I was a phony and there are no such people and no such art as aiki jujutsu. Now aiki jujutsu is the new buzzword!”
This video captures an outstanding demonstration by one the unique martial artists of our time, Don Angier Sensei, Soke of Yanagi-ryu Aiki Jiu Jitsu. The tale of how he came to learn his incredible martial arts skills is really something out of a storybook. You can read all about it here on the Aikido Journal Members Site. This is a rare video by an outstanding budoka.
Yanagi-ryu is influenced by Daito-ryu Jujutsu and the Yoshida family arts. Angier Sensei was trained as a teenager by Kenji Yoshida, son of Kotaro Yoshida, who was, incidentally, the person who introduced Morihei Ueshiba to Sokaku Takeda way back in 1915.
This demonstration of Angier Sensei took place at Aiki Expo 2002 held in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performs a number of knife disarming techniques, multiple-attacker throws, and soft-touch aiki techniques. His poise and execution are superlative.
Duration: 4:32
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