Kenshiro Abbe Ju-no-Kata

Ju-no-Kata (forms of gentleness) is a kata (a set of prearranged forms) in Judo.

It is designed to teach the fundamental principles of judo, especially the principle of ju (yielding or gentleness). It consists in three sets of techniques.
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Judo by Kenshiro Abbe

Kenshiro Abbe (Abe Kenshiro, December 15th, 1915-December 1st, 1985) was a Japanese martial artist. He was the youngest student to gain his 4th Dan in Judo and has been credited with the introduction of aikido to the UK and Europe, and founded the British Judo Council, British Kendo Council, British Karate Council, and the International Budo Council. Starting his life training with his father, he attended the Budo Senmon Gakko and is credited as being the founder of the Kyushindo system.

Getting Too Old For Judo If…

You May Be Getting Too Old For Judo If…

1. The first and last words that you say every day is “Ouch”.
2. The last time you gave a kiai your dentures projected across the dojo.
3. Your training partner always begins each move with “Don’t worry, I won’t throw you”.
4. If you try the same movement twice in a row you consider it uchikomi.
5. Your belt and your hair have both turned white with age.
6. Each time your training partner takes his grip he always says “Did I hurt you?”
7. “A little action” means your prune juice is finally working.
8. Your get up and go, like your knees, have long ago, got up and went.
9. You are wondering if a walker is allowed in randori.
10. You would rei but you are afraid of not getting back up.
11. Your tokuiwaza is now geezer waza.
12. Your favorite competition throw is a kata move.
13. You hate meditation because you fall asleep.
14. You barely have enough ki to pull up your gi pants.
15. Your favorite combination is Nuprin and Geritol.
16. You do have a favorite hold-down but you can’t, for the life of you, remember it.
17. The cute new girl asks you if its really true that you met Kano.
18. You are adamant that tatami, like redwood, becomes petrified with age.
19. Your Judo membership number is the Roman Numeral I.
20. Your Life Membership certificate has the word “EXPIRED” stamped across it.
21. More and more you wonder why it is called “The Gentle Way”.
22. You remember when Judogi pants were above the knee.
23. Your best technique is Ne Ne Waza (sleeping techniques).

Source: Judo Info

You Might Be A Judo Player If…

Relax… And enjoy your good laugh!

1. You think sweating builds character.
2. You don’t mind having more bruises than medals.
3. You think nothing worth while comes easily… and you’re OK with that.
4. You think teamwork means actually helping each other.
5. You think mixing it up is a way to have a good time.
6. You miss wrestling season.
7. You can get slammed on your back… and laugh.
8. You think safety is as important as learning to apply pain.
9. You think learning to fall helps you learn to throw people.
10. You have more potential than you realize.
11. You want to wrestle competitively… but you’re a girl.
12. You think traveling to tournaments is a vacation.
13. You want to interrupt your summer for the Hoosier State Games… and win.
14. You can get thrown by a smaller player… and you don’t mind.
15. You think your family includes people that you’re not even related to.
16. You think the slogan No Pain, No Gain hasn’t been overused yet.
17. You spend more time planning for a healthy diet then you do for a date…
18. ……because your date is practicing too.
19. You actually need calories!!
20. You take your child to practice because you’re in the same class.
21. You can pivot on one bent leg while sweeping with the other… but you can’t dance.
22. Your wedding day is the same day as the Nationals… so you’re late to one event.
23. You remember your wedding anniversary as the day after the big tournament.
24. Your honeymoon was a trip to the Midwest Open in Joliet, Ill.
25. You think your spouse understands. (yeah, right!!)
26. You think “mutual welfare and benefit” means taking turns strangling each other to the point of unconsciousness.
27. During intimate relations with the opposite sex, you find yourself thinking, “Wow, he/she’s wide-open for an armbar.”
28. You just don’t feel right unless your body feels like a six-ounce steak after a hard session with the tenderizer.
29. Your list of desirable qualities in the opposite sex includes: “attractively placed gi burns on the face and neck,” “never submits until arm is ready to break,” and “wicked drop seoi-nage.”
30. People refuse to hug you, shake your hand, etc., because you never let go until they tap out or someone yells “Matte!”

Is Aikido a Martial Art?

Sensei Henry Ellis Co-Author of the new book Positive Aikido.- 2005. A direct student from 1957 of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei 1915 – 1985.

At first sight of the above title I am sure that a lot of Aikidoist’s will be angry, they will assume that this is yet another attack on the credibility of Aikido by other martial artist’s. On this occasion they are totally wrong, I have been a student of Aikido since 1956, In those early days I first started Judo in 1955 at the Kenshiro Abbe School of Budo, I studied Karate with Harada Sensei and Kendo with Tomio O’Tani Sensei, so with my background I feel that I have something to offer to this debate.

First Impressions

The Aikido that I first saw being demonstrated by Abbe Sensei in 1956 was without doubt a positive martial art. I was immediately impressed by its positive techniques and power, and in those days my fellow martial artists and I were in no doubt that we were witnessing a devastating new form of self-defense as demonstrated by Kenshiro Abbe Sensei. Abbe Sensei had begun his martial arts career at the age of five and became a legend in his own lifetime. At eighteen he was the youngest ever all Japan Judo champion and also the youngest ever 5th Dan at the world renowned Kodokan. He later became the oldest ever all Japan Judo champion at the age of thirty three.

When Abbe Sensei arrived in the UK in 1955 he was 8th Dan Judo, 6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kendo, 6th Dan Kyudo, 6th Dan Aikido, the question must be asked; would this Budo master have studied Aikido if he did not believe it to be a martial art?

It is my opinion that Abbe Sensei would not have studied Aikido as it is today. Read more

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