Introduction
This is the 20th in a 27-part series on the Aiki Ken and Jo Suburi, and the final presentation within the Aiki Jo Suburi presented by James Neiman, Dojo Cho of Shugyo Aikido Dojo, where martial arts instruction in Union City, California is offered. All the articles are paired with YouTube video demonstrations of each of the Suburi (click here to subscribe to the channel, and click here to view all the articles in this series). These paired demonstrations and articles are offered to Aikidoka who would like to more fully understand the precise mechanics within each of the Suburi, how they can be practiced in both solo and partner settings, and how one can align the Suburi with taijutsu to develop increasing competence and precision with both basic and advanced technique.
Migi Nagare Gaeshi Tsuki
In this article we examine Migi Nagare Gaeshi Tsuki, which is the 20th and final exercise of the Aiki Jo Suburi, and 2nd in the series known as the Nagare No Bu. Click here to view a video demonstration of the components of this Suburi. In summary, Migi Nagare Gaeshi Tsuki is a combination techniques: it begins with the first movement from Gyaku Yokomen Ushiro Tsuki, followed by a right-oriented turn into an overhead block (the counterpart to Hidari Nagare Gaeshi Uchi), and ends with a basic thrust (the principal movement of the Tsuki No Bu series). Its purpose is to highlight for the student the possibility of combining multiple suburi into meaningful combinations of offensive and defensive movements with multiple ukes, in this case simply by virtue of introducing a basic grip change to transition between the basic techniques. In the two Nagare No Bu suburi, the transition is effected through a pivot in the case of Hidari Nagare Gaeshi Uchi (Morote Dori footwork) and a turn in this case (Tae No Henko). The exercise requires a fluid combination of movements that can be divided into 3 major sections:
- Gyaku Yokomen
- Turn and Block
- Thrust



