In or around 1887, Kano designed Ju-no-kata to illustrate the principles at the heart of Judo. Some years later, Kano saw an Aikido demo by Ueshiba and exclaimed, "This Aikido is my ideal Judo!" So, since Ju-no-kata and aikido are both Kano's ideal of Judo, one would expect Ju-no-kata to have something to do with Aikido - particularly Tomiki's aikido (also known as "separated judo").
Ju-no-kata expresses the same principles as seen in Tomiki Aikido, but instead of the ideas and motions being separated out of their context like in the Walking, or focusing on a particular type of connection like in the Releases, Ju-no-kata keeps everything in a rich, complex context. Kano could have separated all of these ideas out and illustrated them in a much more straightforward way, but instead, he chose to trust the students with the complexity involved in the context.
Ju-no-kata is fundamental, but not basic. Ju-no-kata is sort of like a Rorschach blot or perhaps a Mandelbrot set - different folks can see a lot of different things within these 15 exercises. Despite this, Junokata was not designed to be abstract performance art for aging masters or retired competitors. It is well-documented that Kano intended Ju-no-kata to convey practical randori knowledge to relative beginners.
For two days in September, Patrick Parker (6th dan aikido, 5th dan judo, instructor at Mokuren Dojo) will be teaching the 15 exercises of the Ju-no-kata at the beautiful Windsong Dojo in Oklahoma City. Parker sensei will be discussing and exploring the connections between Kano's Ju-no-kata and Tomiki's "separated Judo" (Aikido). This should be a fun and intriguing exploration for beginners and black belts alike, and you should leave with some great hints and ideas to improve both your Aikido and your Judo.
First Session Friday Sept 21, 7:00PM -9:00 PM / Second Session Saturday Sept 22, 10:00 AM to Noon/ Third Session Saturday Sept 22, 3:00 PM to 5:00PM
Cost - $60 full Clinic/ $40 for one day Limited Registration of 35 -- First come, first serve -Reserve your spot today! http://www.eventsbot.com/events/eb784095958
