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Thread: Aikijujutsu in New Jersey?

  1. #1
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    Question Aikijujutsu in New Jersey?

    Does anyone know of any directories of daito-ryu (or other AJJ) schools that are available on the web? I live in central NJ (Edison), and am having some difficulty finding out whether any legitimate instructors are near me.

    There is one school, in Dunellen, run by a J. Conti, who teaches Shorin-ryu karate-do and kobudo, Daito-ryu, and Itto Tenshin Katori Shinto Ryu Kenjutsu. While the prospect of having a chance to not only study Daito-ryu but also swordwork is very tempting, what concerns me is that Sensei Conti claims affiliation with Fred Lovret. A simple search here on e-budo reveals numerous postings questioning the authenticity of Mr. Lovret's teachings, so I am a bit concerned. Mr. Conti also claims a former connection to Katsumi Yonezawa Sensei, and also fully admits the fact that he left his tutelage, but states that it was in a dispute over "reasons of politics, not merit". All of the lineage info is from Sensei Conti's website -- www.njaikikai.com .

    My deep concern is that I do not want to spend time and effort, as well as money, learning something that is at best of questionable authenticity, and at worst could get me injured or killed in an actual confrontation. If anyone could offer their opinions and/or point me in the right direction - such as whether my concerns are or are not valid ones, or where I may find a directory, it would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I am not greatly concerned whether the school is Daito-ryu, but I would like it to be some style of Aikijujitsu, and not Aikido. I also readily admit that I am a newbie in regards to AJJ, and do not understand the subtleties between Daito-ryu, Danzan-ryu, and other forms of AJJ, so my lack of concern may in fact be something that should be corrected. If this is the case, by all means, feel free to do so. The reason I do not want to study Aikido is not that I have anything against it, but rather that the schools in this area seem to have a very "soft" focus, and also seem not to give me the basic workout I would like to have. A school that does any swordwork would be a bonus.
    Pete Knox

  2. #2
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    A number of individuals once associated with the late Mr. Yonezawa have maintained direct connections with Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu Kodokai, the school he represented at the time Mr. Lovret sponsored one or more of his early visits to this country. The subsequent relationship between Mr. Yonezawa's own organization, the Bukuyokan and the Kodokai is somewhat unclear.

    There is a dojo in Kearny, NJ that claims association with the Bukuyokan, as well as a seemingly reputable instructor of SMR Iaido, a generally well-recognized school -- I say seemingly not to place a question mark but only because the gentleman in question is not known to me personally.

    Others could address these particular questions better.

    You might also want to take a look at Kokushi Dojo in Westwood, NJ. The primary art studied there is judo, but karate and jujutsu are also taught. Ogasewara Sensei has a reputation as a fine practitioner, a good coach, a decent individual, and an active interest in cross-training, which is not a bad combination. I have been fortunate enough to work with several of his yudansha who have moved on to other arts and found that they had a solid technical foundation for their subsequent studies; all spoke well of him and seemed refreshingly free of stylism. Again, that seems like a good clue.

    Most AJJ requires a solid foundation in aikido/judo/jujutsu in any case. Given your clear wish not to pursue aikido training, I think you might do well to look for a good judo or jujutsu dojo, which are a bit less difficult to find than AJJ dojo with uncontested lineage. In particular, lacking the glow of badass mystery associated with jujutsu and aikijujutsu, you'll find a fair number of guys who are quite serious about training without much nonsense if you look for a good judo school that isn't solely focussed on sport.

    Good luck.

    Fred Little

  3. #3
    ClaudeK Guest

    Default New to forum.

    Greetings.
    I am new to this forum. I moved to northern New Jersey within the past year and am looking to train at a legitimate and traditional japanese jujitsu or aikijitsu school. Does such a place exist in northern New Jersey.
    Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. There are many martial arts schools out there, but I'm looking for "the real thing".

  4. #4
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    Default Aikijujutsu in New Jersey

    out of curiosity, does anyone know of either a study-group, or a dojo that teaches daito-ryu aikijujutsu in new jersey?

    thanks,
    -B

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    Quote Originally Posted by macbaine
    out of curiosity, does anyone know of either a study-group, or a dojo that teaches daito-ryu aikijujutsu in new jersey?
    You might try Jose Garrido. I've trained with one of his students, and it was terrific.

    He posts here. Do a search on his name to find his dojo or PM him.

    Good luck.
    Don J. Modesto
    Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
    ------------------------
    http://theaikidodojo.com/

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    Default NJ Aikikai and Budokan

    You would not do yourself an injustice to visit Mr. Joe Conti in Dunellen, NJ. He studied Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Kodokai for 9 years with Katsumi Yonezawa and Shimpo Sensei. (Hosting them in his home in NJ, (Yonezawa regularly, Shimpo sporadically)). When the scrolls started flying (as they say around these here forums ), he graciously resigned from his position as the East Coast US Director of the Kodokai (Hideyo Kiyama was the West Coast director, and I believe now the North American Director). Mr. Conti has no current direct affiliation with either organization.

    The art taught is a self defense based system utilizing the traditional techniques of Daito-Ryu (Kodokai), Nihon Goshin Aikido, Shorin Ryu Karate, and Okinawan Kobujutsu (he also is extremely proficient in kenjutsu and iajutsu). It is a curriculum develped from over 40 years in the Martial arts.
    Rick Jones
    _____________
    Nichi nichi kore kojitsu
    Every Day is a Good Day!

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    Quote Originally Posted by don
    You might try Jose Garrido. I've trained with one of his students, and it was terrific.
    macbaine,

    I agree with what Don said. I live in Northern NJ and train with Jose's study group whenever I can make it on Saturday afternoons. He is affiliated with Kondo sensei, and is hosting him here in October for a weekend seminar. It's a very comfortable training atmospshere, and his students are a great bunch of guys.

    You can google the Spartan School of Self Defense (Cliffside Park, NJ) for more info.

    Regards, Howard Spivey

  8. #8
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    If anyone is looking for Aikijujitsu, I train at Yonezawa dojo in east rutherford under shihan tim tung. Look forward to seeing you there.
    Regards,
    Dr. kevin Giunta

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