MITSUGI SAOTOME: STAFF OF AIKIDO

In this video, Saotome Sensei — a direct student of Aikido’s legendary founder — explains the use of the staff (jo) as a training tool for Aikido. After discussing basic jo movements and exercises, Saotome Sensei offers a sequence of six kumijo (complex two person kata), each with several variations. The video also includes ten of Saotome Sensei’s “patrol kata” (paired forms with the long staff), a brief interview on weapons training, and several spontaneous demonstrations.