Judo vs. Aikido
Quick answer
Judo and aikido are linked by founders who knew each other: Kano Jigoro sent Kodokan students to Morihei Ueshiba, and the judoka Kenji Tomiki founded Shodokan aikido. Judo trains throws and ground fighting in randori against full resistance, aikido joint locks and throws mainly in paired kata with a cooperating partner. Judo has been Olympic since 1964, while aikido competes only in some schools and is not Olympic.
At a glance
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Japan |
| Origin | 1882 | 20th century (present form) |
| Founder | Kano Jigoro | Morihei Ueshiba |
| Contact | Full contact | Light contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Partner drills only · Light contact (depending on style) |
| Competition format | Point fighting | Mixed |
| Olympic status | Current Olympic sport | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | Yes (belts) |
| Rank recognition | by federation | fragmented |
| Attire | Gi required | Gi required |
| Weapons | No weapons | Weapons optional |
| Forms | Forms optional | Forms optional |
| Relative cost | low | low |
| Katas and forms in the encyclopedia | 5 | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 104 | 14 |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Judo and aikido both build on older Japanese schools of combat. Kano Jigoro drew on Tenjin Shin’yo-ryu and Kito-ryu, Morihei Ueshiba mainly on Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. Judo entered aikido through students of the Kodokan and through the judoka Kenji Tomiki.
- 1882: Kano founds the Kodokan in Tokyo.
- 1911: Ueshiba studies judo in Tanabe, and from 1915 Daito-ryu under Sokaku Takeda.
- 1926: the judoka Kenji Tomiki meets Ueshiba, and in 1940 receives from him the first 8th dan in aikido.
- 1930: Kano watches Ueshiba’s demonstration and sends Kodokan students to him, among them Minoru Mochizuki.
- 1942: Ueshiba adopts the name aikido.
- 1967: Tomiki founds Shodokan with techniques chosen by what worked in judo.
Technique
- Throws (nage-waza) and ground fighting (katame-waza): holds, chokes, joint locks.
- In competition joint locks only on the elbow, grabbing a leg is penalized by shido.
- Strikes (atemi-waza) only in kata.
- Joint locks and throws: ikkyo to gokyo, shiho nage, kote gaeshi.
- The principles of irimi (entering) and tenkan (turning).
- Atemi as a strike or a distraction before a throw.
- Techniques standing, seated and in the hanmi handachi position.
In judo the opponent is held by the judogi and the throw is scored, while in aikido tori responds to the attack of uke and often finishes with a joint lock or a pin. Shodokan toshu randori derives from judo randori, but forbids grabbing the opponent’s keikogi.
Training
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Main form of teaching | randori at various intensities | paired kata: uke attacks, tori responds |
| Practicing a technique | uchi-komi: fitting in a throw without completing it | repetition in pairs with alternating roles |
| Free sparring | randori against full resistance | Shodokan randori, Yoshinkan does not usually practice free randori |
| Weapons | none | bokken, jo, tanto |
| Measured load | randori 4 × 5 minutes: heart rate 174–183 per minute | we have not found a measurement |
In aikido most schools train with a cooperating partner and add resistance as skill grows. We have not been able to document the training frequency for either of the two arts.
Progression and ranks
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Student grades | 6 kyu: white to brown belt | kyu with a white belt, the number depends on the organization |
| Master grades | 10 dan, from 6th dan a red-and-white belt | dan with a black belt |
| Who awards | Kodokan and national federations | the school, in Aikikai a certificate signed by the doshu |
| Sign of advancement | belt color | in many schools hakama from dan |
| Age and times | shodan from 15 years (United Kingdom), in the USA usually from 16 | we have not found minimum times |
A judoka shows level in competition as well, an aikidoka mostly only by examination. Yoshinkan runs the eleven-month Senshusei course, with the Tokyo police since 1957.
Physical load and risks
- Olympics 2008–2016: 9.6 injuries per 1,000 minutes of fighting (BJSM 2021).
- Pocecco et al. (2013): most often the knee, shoulder and fingers, about 70% of injuries when thrown by the opponent.
- Blach et al. (PeerJ 2022): 78% of injuries standing.
- Zetaruk et al. (BJSM 2005, 47 aikidoka): 51% had an injury with lost training time within a year.
- Compared with karate a higher risk of head and neck injuries, upper limbs and soft tissues.
- Typically soft tissues, joints and fingers, often when tori misjudges how uke will cope with the technique.
Who it suits
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition age | IJF events from 15 years | we have not found age categories |
| Women | Olympic medals since 1992 | women’s class at the Hombu dojo |
| Older age | IJF veterans up to over 70 years, from 60 years without chokes | Ki Society teaches all age groups |
Children
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s competitions | for example Judo Victoria (Australia) from 6 years | we have not found children’s competitions |
| Protection of children | Judo Victoria: up to 15 years no joint locks and chokes, up to 9 years also no sutemi-waza, bout 2–3 minutes | we have not found rules for children |
| Programs | minimum age for kyu 3–15 years depending on the federation | children’s class at the Hombu dojo, we have not found age and content |
| Studies | Polish study (1977–1980): injuries in 5.7% of youth, 22.5% of adults | we have not found a study of children |
Self-defence
- Randori against full resistance standing and on the ground.
- Strikes and weapons forbidden even in free training.
- Defense against attacks in the Kodokan goshinjutsu kata.
- Paired kata, the starting point is a cooperating partner.
- Critics point to conditioned reactions of tori to weak attacks by uke.
- Shodokan tanto randori: resistance against an attacker with a training knife.
- Randori against several attackers for higher grades.
Judo tests throws and control on the ground against a fully resisting opponent, without strikes. Aikido practices more kinds of attack including the knife, but most schools limit the partner’s resistance.
Practical use
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-defense forms | Kodokan goshinjutsu and Joshi-goshinho kata | Shodokan: a self-defense set from yondan |
| Professional use | we have not been able to document it | Yoshinkan: the Senshusei course with the Tokyo police |
| Older age | review of 23 studies (Sports 2023): in part less fear of falling | we have not found a study |
| Other studies | 10 advanced judoka, randori: heart rate 174–183 per minute | review of 20 articles (Archives of Budo 2017): flexibility, balance, weak methodology |
| Beginners | we have not found a study | 30 beginners, 8 weeks (Saruhan and Bavli 2023): improved static balance |
The studies concern small groups and short programs. No general conclusion about suitability can be drawn from them.
Competition
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | since 1964, except 1968 | not in the Olympic program |
| Who competes | federations under the IJF | only some schools, Aikikai does not compete |
| Format | bout of 4 minutes, 7 weight classes for men and women | Shodokan: tanto randori, toshu randori, embu, Ki Society: taigi |
| Points | ippon, two waza-ari, hold of 20 seconds, submission | Shodokan: tanto tsukiari 1, yuko 1, waza-ari 2, ippon 4 |
Shodokan has competed since 1967 and holds a world championship every two years. Some aikidoka regard its competitions as contrary to the spirit of aikido.
Gear and costs
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | judogi, in IJF competition white and blue | keikogi, usually white, in many schools hakama from dan |
| Equipment | none | bokken, jo, tanto |
| Relative costs | low | low |
Availability and organisations
| Judo | Aikido | |
|---|---|---|
| World organization | International Judo Federation since 1951 | International Aikido Federation since 1976, alongside it independent schools |
| Center | Kodokan in Tokyo | Aikikai Hombu dojo in Tokyo |
| Schools | one judo, national federations | Aikikai, Yoshinkan, Shodokan, Ki Society, Iwama, Yoseikan |
| Recognition of grades | the Kodokan awards grades to judoka from all over the world | grades are not interchangeable between organizations |
In aikido, when moving, it matters whether the new club belongs to the same school. We have not found rules of mutual recognition between schools.
Switching and combining
- Falls (ukemi) and familiarity with throws.
- Balance and distance in the grip.
- Add wrist locks, irimi and tenkan, and the response to a knife.
- Get used to the role of uke.
- Falls and movement in pairs.
- Get used to full resistance in randori.
- Learn grip fighting on the judogi and ground fighting.
- Unlearn wrist locks, judo competition allows only elbow locks.
On the left is the transition from judo to aikido, on the right from aikido to judo. Kenji Tomiki and Minoru Mochizuki moved from judo to aikido, and both founded their own school of aikido.
Philosophy
- Seiryoku zenyo: maximum efficient use of energy.
- Jita kyoei: mutual benefit.
- Softness overcomes hardness.
- Masakatsu agatsu katsuhayabi: to overcome oneself, not to cultivate violence.
- Takemusu aiki and the influence of the Omoto-kyo movement.
- Ki Society: One Point, Relax Completely, Keep Weight Underside, Extend Ki.
Judo tests the principle against an opponent in randori and competition, while aikido mostly does so without competition. Tomiki combined Kano’s principles with Ueshiba’s techniques into Shodokan.
Forms and terminology
In judo the kata are a supplement, the Kodokan recognizes ten of them, and randori remains the main form of training. In aikido the paired kata is the main form of teaching. Shodokan has the Junanahon set with 17 techniques permitted in randori.
Training culture
- The Kodokan in Tokyo: five dojo, the main one has 420 tatami.
- Belt color shows the grade.
- The Hombu dojo in Tokyo trains seven days a week.
- Some dojo offer an uchi-deshi program, living in the dojo.
- The film Above the Law (1988) with Steven Seagal, the first American film with aikido in its fight scenes.
Common misconceptions
- Aikido never competes: Shodokan has held competitions since 1967, and Ki Society holds a taigi competition.
- Judo has no strikes: atemi-waza is practiced, but only in kata.
- Steven Seagal was a student of Ueshiba: Ueshiba died in 1969, before Seagal came to Japan, and Seagal’s claims of study are disputed.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Does aikido come from judo?
Not directly. The technical basis of aikido comes mainly from Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. Judo entered it through Kodokan students whom Kano Jigoro sent to Ueshiba, and above all through the Shodokan of Kenji Tomiki.
Did Kano Jigoro and Morihei Ueshiba know each other?
Yes. In 1930 Kano watched Ueshiba’s demonstration in Tokyo and sent Kodokan students to him.
Is there sparring in aikido as in judo?
Mostly not. Aikikai practices paired kata, and Yoshinkan does not usually practice free randori. Shodokan has tanto randori and toshu randori inspired by judo.
Is aikido Olympic?
Judo is, since 1964 with the exception of 1968. Aikido is not in the Olympic Games program.