Kata Dōri – Nikyō Ura – Pre-Grab Retreat / Uke Overextension Direct Variation
⛩️ Source
This excerpt comes from the first part of a series of privately made 16 mm short films of Kōichi Tōhei Sensei demonstrating at Los Angeles Aiki Kai in the early 1960s, possibly filmed during his year-long tour of the United States in 1964. The film is part of a collection that belonged to Chicago Aikikai, then known as the Illinois Aikido Club, which was rediscovered and returned in 2025. The films were digitized by the Chicago Film Archives and uploaded to YouTube in 2026 by Chicago Aikikai.
🔖 Technique Notes
As Uke steps forward to seize Kata Dōri, Tori withdraws before the grab is completed, hopping back rather than simply stepping, and doing so slightly to the inside rather than straight back. This causes Uke to overextend, unbalancing him forward and slightly downward. In the same movement, Tori captures Uke’s hand with his free hand.
Tori then brings the hand in toward his torso and secures it with his other hand, applying the Nikkyō Ura wristlock. As Uke drops down to protect his wrist, Tori simply extends Uke’s arm, allowing Uke to fall face down.
As shown the second time, even if Uke has time to seize Tori’s shoulder, the sequence remains unchanged.
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