Aikido glossary
Please note that this glossary is neither comprehensive or authoritative. It reflects our understanding of these concepts based on the culture of our dojo and our federation. Any errors are ours alone, and do not reflect the teachings of our Sensei.
Bokken: Wooden practice sword, literally “stick sword”. It has a two-handed grip and a single curved edge. It's a practice version of a classic samurai sword. Safer than metal, but not harmless!
Dojo: “The place of the way”. The training hall where we practice our art. In the US, many dojo are decorated with a Japanese aesthetic, but some are in racquetball courts or gyms. In the end, the dojo is wherever the people are who show up to practice.
Gi: Training uniform consisting of jacket and pants (normally plain white for aikido, sometimes with a patch or embroidery to indicate affiliation) and an obi, or belt. In our federation, belts are either white or black, but in many federations, there are colored belts--most commonly blue and brown--but sometimes there are more gradations. Some aikido practitioners also wear a hakama with their gi.
Hakama: The pleated pants (that look like a skirt) worn by some aikido practitioners. In some
organizations, it is (or can be) worn by students of any rank. In others, it is reserved for black belts, and in still others, there are different rules for men and women (which are derived from some interpretation of Japanese ideas of modesty). It has no real practical purpose, but serves as a sort of historical link to samurai tradition. Generally it is ritually folded after class.
Hanmi: “Half body.” We use it to mean an aikido stance which is sort of triangular. Front foot faces the partner, back foot points out at about a 45 degree angle. It provides a great balance of agility and stability, while offering only half the body as a target for attack.
Jo: The short staff, which normally comes up to the user's armpit. Pretty much a dowel about 1” in diameter.
Kohai: Junior student. Kohai defer to the seniority and expertise of their seniors, and traditionally would take on menial tasks on their behalf. In the dojo, kohai should try to take on the majority of the cleaning and other chores so that sempai don't have to.
Musubi: “Connection” or “joining”, although the word is also used to mean “knot”. A key principle of aikido because it helps avoid confrontation and collision, which lead to destruction.
Nage: The person “doing” the technique, generally the person being attacked in some way.
O Sensei: Literally “Great Teacher”, in aikido this refers to the founder of the art, Ueshiba Morihei, who synthesized many martial arts into aikido during the 20th century. Though he died in 1969, a number of his original students are still teaching.
Seiza: Formal sitting posture, kneeling with a straight back. Tough on the knees if you are not used to it.
Sempai: Sometimes senpai, a senior student. Senior students have a responsibility to look out for the safety and development of their juniors.
Sensei: In Japanese martial arts, we use it to refer to our teacher, though in Japanese culture it refers to people who have mastered something by long study, which would include people like doctors.
Shihan: There is some debate about what it actually means, but loosely speaking, “Master instructor”. Usually for those ranked 6th or 7th degree black belt. This level would require something like 30+ years of training.
Shomen: The focal point of the dojo, the proper direction to face. Most aikido dojo have some sort of shrine to the founder on the shomen. Shomen is also shorthand for Shomen uchi, which is an overhead strike to the forehead with an open hand, like a classic karate chop. It's a stylized attack when performed with an empty hand, but would be devastatingly effective with a weapon.
Uchi deshi: “Inside student.” A student who lives at the dojo. This is an old practice in martial arts. It involves a lot of training and a lot of chores. When Daniel-san went to live in Mr. Miyagi's house in the Karate Kid movies, he was an uchi deshi. Only a few American dojo have uchi deshi programs. In general usage, references to uchi deshi mostly refer to students who were live-in students of O Sensei.
Uke: The person taking ukemi. A good uke is more precious than gold, because he or she will help you learn better aikido not by teaching, but by creating the conditions that allow you to discover how to make sense of Sensei's teaching.
Ukemi: “Receiving” is the closest translation from Japanese. When someone performs an aikido
technique on you, your are taking ukemi. It encompasses a lot of stuff, including the punches, grabs,and kicks that we use to simulate attack, as well as the falling and rolling we use to keep ourselves safe. On a deeper level, it refers to the act of connecting with and following your partner. Great ukemi keeps you safe, allows you to be alert for opportunities to reverse a technique, and helps your partner learn better. We talk a lot about ukemi in our family, and it's Evie's favorite aikido subject, so there will probably be a lot of exploration of it in the blog.
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