"Dad, what makes the arts you train in so useful?"
   
    It is important to understand first that the history of Japan, from its political beginning in the 7th century to 1945 has been predicated largely on the premise of war, the practice of war, and the philosophy of war.  The country was embroiled in a civil war for much of the period between 1100 and 1600.  During this time, everyone needed to fight, and fight well.  As warlords battled for supremacy over different regions, a warrior culture developed.  While the primary weapon of the samurai was the sword, a high level of hand-to-hand proficiency was absolutely essential also.  Considering that I have trained in various Japanese arts for nearly 40 years, I think I am equipped to say that these arts such as aiki-jutsu and jiu-jutsu are not well understood in the United States.  

  

    I understand this sounds very savage, but it is important to know that the fighting arts that I train and instruct in developed against this complex, violent, and extremely competitive historical backdrop.  Techniques became very fast, very effective, and very fatal because they needed to be.  As many martial arts schools sprang up by different teachers, it became a source of pride to carry on both the family name and that of your ryu, or martial arts school.  Oftentimes one's ryu shared one's family name, raising the stakes even greater.  When you defended the honor, integrity, and efficacy of your school of martial arts, you were also defending your family's name.  If you couple this dynamic with the prevailing Buddhist ethic that was at work in medieval Japan at this time that emphasized filial piety, a high, almost religious admiration for one's family, you can begin to understand how serious and effective these fighting men became.  

    War was the primary profession of many Japanese, and they took this job very seriously.  Along the way, some of the most effective forms of martial arts have been passed down over the years.  However, many of the arts that fall under the "jutsu" umbrella are extremely dangerous and fatal, severely limiting the number of people willing to train in and instruct these arts.  The form of aiki-jutsu I trained in can be linked back almost a thousand years.  These techniques were proven on the battlefield and still work today.