Anyone with an interest in Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu will be aware of its two main study groups, the one from Hokkaido operated by the successors of Takeda Tokimune, and the one in Kansai, run by the students of the famous Takuma Hisa, the only recipient of the Menkyo Kaiden from the hands of Takeda Sokaku.
Being closely involved with the latter group, Olivier Gaurin and I were introduced to a third major branch of the discipline, one whose Hombu Dojo is located further south on the island of Shikoku. There we met Chiba Tsugutaka Sensei, a Daito-ryu instructor who has been the direct student of both Takeda Tokimune and Takuma Hisa, as well as the close pupil of a man who, according to Takeda Tokimune, was even more skilled in the art than Takuma Hisa himself[1]: the great Nakatsu Heizaburo. Such a pedigree makes Chiba Sensei one of the last living legends of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu. This documentary is the first detailed account of his life, told by the man himself.
Full Playlist of the Interview with Chiba Tsugutaka
- Interview with Mori Hakaru by Stanley Pranin - Aikido Journal
