Iwama style

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Iwama Style Aikido (岩間スタイル合気道, Iwama Sutairu Aikidō^?) is a name for the style of aikido that was taught by the Founder at the Iwama dojo, the birthplace of aikido. It is often used to describe the aikido in the lineage of Morihiro Saito, a close disciple of the founder of aikido Morihei Ueshiba for 23 years. The name comes from the Japanese village of Iwama where Ueshiba lived, and there taught Morihiro Saito and others.^[1]

Iwama style can be found both within and outside of the biggest aikido organisation Aikikai. A major non-Aikikai branch is Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shurenkai, headed by Saito's son Hitohiro Saito. A now defunct Iwama style organisation was the Iwama Ryu. The Japanese concept takemusu is sometimes used in names of dojos and organisations in this line of aikido.

Iwama style includes the combined study (riai) of traditional Japanese weapons (bukiwaza) and empty-handed aikido (taijutsu). Iwama practitioners often claim that their aikido is closest to that of the founder, as preserved by Morihiro Saito. Among non-Iwama practitioners, a common opinion is that Iwama style mainly is Morihei Ueshiba's aikido of the 1940s and 1950s not taking into consideration his later years, which definition is considered to be too simplistic by Iwama style practitioners.