• First we should define the "HA" concept meaning a derivation from a main school, a manner to teach and hand down the same concepts, which can be specific to each master teacher - Shihan. Even if the basics of the school are the same, and everybody is practising them the same way, the advanced forms, applications are not fixed, they can embrace each persoanlity of the practitioners. Here is the richness of a traditional school.The Takeda Ryu School headed by Soke Ichio Oba remains without inheritor because Soke Oba didn'y appoint anybody to continue that tradition. At that time, Sensei Nakamura, at that time Chuden Kyohan, decided to take charge of the school and to continue to teach the school, even if he was not the most advanced student of the school. So he became the first Soke (Ichi gen) of the new manner of teaching the school called now Takeda Ryu Nakamura Ha. later, with the help of the most advanced student of Soke Ichioo Oba, Sofue Sensei, Soke Nakamura was recognised as the 43-rd succesor of the Takeda Ryu SoBudo main line. For the sake of a more intense public exposure, Soke Nakamura replaced takeda ERyu Aikijutsu with the more popular Takeda Ryu Aikido introducing also forms of contests in all schools disciplines, mandatory for yudansha tests.
• Roland J. Maroteaux, was back in the 70's the first european Shihan of a traditional jujutsu school (Hakko Ryu - derived also from Takeda traditions). He went back to Japan looking for a more traditional system as close as possible from an Aiki original source considered disapeared by the most practitioners. So he discivers takeda Ryu and Soke Nakamura, folowing a book from am library. He follows Nakamura Sensei in training for more then 10 years with no rank and in 1990 he is certified as Joden Shihan Takeda Ryu (6 Dan Aikijutsu, 5 Dan Iaido, 5 Dan Jodo). So he bacame the first outsider of the school and he is allowed to teach the school, in his own manner Maroto Ha - outside borders of Japan. Starting with 1998-99, Soke Nakamura grants the right of unique representative of Takeda Ryu in Europe to a 3rd dan Judo Imaf - Kobilza, with no rank in Takeda Ryu. The Kobilza is sueing Sensei Maroteaux for illegal use of the Takeda Ryu Logo in Europe. Contactated by Sensei Maroteaux, Soke Nakamura offers evasive explanations. Because Sensei Maroteaux also was against the high prices politics of Soke Nakamura, and specialy because he asked some discounts for East Europeans countries, Mr, kobilza speculated this information and made to Soke Nakamura an offer of mantaining high prices in exchange of his nominations as Chief Instructor for Europe. He even send many letters and faxes to all Takeda Ryu Dojo leaders (including me) promising favours too all who will quit the "fake" Sensei Maroteaux and join his new organisation. So mr Kobilza gets a quick jump from 3 Dan Judo IMAF, to Okuden Shihan, 7 Dan Aikijutsu Takeda Ryu, etc ...Sensei Maroteaux chose to quit Takeda Ryu nakamrua Ha and burns in public his official apointement from Soke Nakamura as leader of European Sobukai Takeda Ryu. Then he is practical forced to continue his own way of teaching the same school under the name of Takeda Ryu Maroto Ha. he is teaching the same suystem as the japanese one, but without the competitons large popularized in Japan. he just kept the Batto Shiai of Iaido - more a system of training instead of a competition, unique to Takeda Ryu Iaido school. In 2005 Sensei Maroteaux and kost of his seniors instructors joins as general members in the prestigious Japanese Martial Arts Society Dai Nippon Butokukai - International Division, under Hanshi Hamada. This is the oldest and the most elitist japanese martial arts society (not federation) promoting traditional martial arts and true warriors virtues - Butoku. In 2006 , Hanshi Hamada is testing Sensei Maroteaux and some of his most senior instructors from Takeda Ryu Maroto Ha. They all passed the test and now their ranks are internationally certified from DNBK as belonging to an authentic japanese tradition. We can conclude saying that a small private school like Takeda Ryu became famous all over the world thanks to decades of efforts of Sensei Maroteaux and also became official certified also in Japan as Maroto Ha TakedaRyu under the Dai Nippon Butokukai
• For those who have doubts about the 2 branches of the school please contact both of them and join them for training, then please just make your self the difference

05 Can I study any disicpline of Takeda Ryu (Iaido, Aikijutsu, Jukenpo, Shugi Jutsu, etc ) ?

• Yes and No ! The main disciplines of the school were in the past Iaido and Aikijutsu. Now they are the same , just the order is changed due to our modern priorities of empty hand combat. Also Iaido has a reamarcable application because of many of its benefits : attention to fine details, sharpening of combat spirit, the ability of focus and inner attention.So the Takeda Ryu study can start with one of this 2 main disciplines or even with both of them. The other are just auxiliary disciplines, which are developed on the same basic forms and principles of the school. We can consider Ju Kenpo just the first stept from the practice which will lead to Aiki, movements are not so continous, rather broken and using physical force. Here strikes (Atemi) are used to have the opponent unbalanced (Kuzushi). Jujutsu is a more advanced step, an intermediary one on the way to true Aiki. The staff was never a weapon of a samurai, it was just used if a spear gets broken in a battle, so techniques of Jo and Shugi jutsu (shart stick) appeared and have been developed in Takeda samurai's clan. Kenjutsu is using the blade in a already started fight, after drawing the sword. So a good Iai will make the Kenjutsu useless. Shuriken Jutsu is a aditional practice of Iaido in Takeda Ryu and has very few techniques combined with iaido techniques.

06 Is Takeda Ryu good for street fighting  ?

• Again Yes and No in the same time ! - everything is up to you ! If you don't know how to drive a plane that does not mean that the plane is bad or broken. Here is a motto from old western movies : "Guns doesn't kill, people do kill". Techniques (waza) without a person to apply them, to put them into work, have no meaning and no value. because they have been perfected for about 43 generations, on the battlefields, on life and death situations, facing also other samurais (profesional military) , it is very claer that the techniques should be very effective. It is up to us, to understand them correctly and to apply them in their original strategy, not necessary just to copy the appearance. We must not mix a sportive kind of effectiveness (K1 or MMA for example) with a real street fight encounter where we have indeed no rules, no judge, no time limit, no forbidden arreas and of course, sometime, more enemies attacking a single person. Takeda Ryu is a ancient  school emphasising the ideea of being prepared for any kind of attack and to control it, anytime, in a spontaneus, instinctive manner. techniques are just a way for US to become effective, they do not have any hidden efectiveness inside.

07 How are ranks granted in Takeda Ryu  Aikijutsu ?

12 Where can I study TAKEDA RYU So Budo ?

• The romanian cities where we have authorized Takeda Ryu dojos are here. Dhere we have a seminars list open to beginners and advanced students, depending of the specific seminar topic.
• For other countries dojo's please check our international links.
• Also we will be happy to help you developing a Takeda Ryu Dojo in your arrea according to your previous experience in martial arts. For more details please contact us. We are not interested in many dojos but in a quality practice of this traditional japanese martial arts.