Editing Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu (section)

== Aiki concept ==
Takeda Sokaku defined ''[[aiki (martial arts principle)|aiki]]'' in the following way:
{{quote|"The secret of aiki is to overpower the opponent mentally at a glance and to win without fighting."<ref name="Draeger">{{cite book| last = Draeger| first = Donn F.| author-link = Donn F. Draeger| title = Modern Bujutsu & Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Volume Three| publisher = Weatherhill| date = 1 February 1996| location = Boston, Massachusetts|isbn = 978-0-8348-0351-0}}</ref>}}

Tokimune Takeda, speaking on the same subject during an interview explained in more detail about the concept of ''aiki'':

{{quote|
''Aiki'' is to pull when you are pushed, and to push when you are pulled. It is the spirit of slowness and speed, of harmonizing your movement with your opponent's [[Qi|ki]]. Its opposite, [[kiai]], is to push to the limit, while aiki never resists. The term ''aiki'' has been used since ancient times and is not unique to Daito-ryu. The ''ki'' in ''aiki'' is ''go no sen'', meaning to respond to an attack.

... Daito-ryu is all ''go no sen'' — you first evade your opponent's attack and then strike or control him. Likewise, [[Ittō-ryū]] is primarily ''go no sen''. You attack because an opponent attacks you. This implies not cutting your opponent. This is called ''katsujinken'' (life-giving sword). Its opposite is called ''setsuninken'' (death-dealing sword).

''Aiki'' is different from the victory of ''sen sen'', and is applied in situations of ''go no sen'', such as when an opponent thrusts at you. Therein lies the essence of ''katsujinken'' and ''setsuninken''. You block the attack when an opponent approaches; at his second attack you break his sword and spare his life. This is ''katsujinken''. When an opponent strikes at you and your sword pierces his stomach it is ''setsuninken''. These two concepts are the essence of the sword.<ref name="Conversations"/>}}