Irimi
入身
A forward movement into the attacker's space, off the line of his attack. Together with tenkan it forms the basis of movement in aikido.
Quick Facts
Term typePhysical and biomechanical principle
LanguageJapanese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[ee-ree-mee]
Alternative Namesentry
Readings and romanizations
Reading (kana)いりみ
Hepburn romanizationirimi
Word breakdown
入irienter
身mibody
Definition
Irimi (入身) consists of the characters iri (to enter) and mi (body). The defender does not retreat or evade backward but enters forward, off the line of attack, to the side of or behind the attacker. From there he can unbalance the attacker and perform a throw or a joint lock. In aikido, irimi and tenkan form a pair of basic movements. Irimi nage, “entering throw”, is a technique named after it. Beginners find irimi difficult because they must step toward the attack, not away from it.