Draft:Aunkai

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Aunkai (阿吽会) is a Japanese martial art founded by Akuzawa Minoru in the early 2000s. The system emphasizes body conditioning (tanren), structural alignment, and internal connection, rather than formal kata or a fixed curriculum of techniques. Training is designed to cultivate efficient whole-body movement that can be applied in striking, grappling, and weapons practice.

History

Akuzawa Minoru developed Aunkai after training in various Chinese martial arts, including Xingyiquan and Taijiquan, as well as through exposure to combat sports (Jieitaikakutōjutsu, Sanda (sport)), and traditional jūjutsu (Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, Yagyū Shingan-ryū). Seeking to distill martial efficiency into fundamental body skills, he devised a set of exercises focused on posture, breathing, and whole-body linkage.

Aunkai first became known outside Japan in the mid-2000s through online martial arts forums. On AikiWeb, early posts by practitioner Robert John (posting under the name “Upyu”) described Akuzawa’s demonstrations, including the claim that a 65 kg man could throw a 100 kg opponent “with a pinky thread.” These accounts, along with related discussions on Bullshido and Emptyflower (later Rum Soaked Fist), generated debate and international curiosity about Akuzawa’s methods.^[1]

Independent recognition came with an article by Ellis Amdur, “Akuzawa Minoru: The Body is a Sword”, published on Kogen Budo in 2017, which analyzed Aunkai’s training in the context of Japanese martial traditions and credited Robert John for clarifying aspects of its body mechanics.^[2]

Further exposure occurred when French aikidoka Leo Tamaki invited Akuzawa to demonstrate at La Nuit des Arts Martiaux Traditionnels in Paris, leading to a series of seminars in Europe.^[3] By the 2010s, Aunkai had established affiliated groups in France, Belgium, Russia, North America, and Asia.

Training methodology

Aunkai training emphasizes cultivating what practitioners describe as a “bujutsu body” through exercises that develop posture, alignment, and structural stability rather than memorized techniques. The approach is based on simplifying movement and removing unnecessary tension in order to produce efficient whole-body coordination.

Key elements of training include:

Natural body and frames (katachi) – Students use fixed postural frames to align the body, correct imbalances, and reduce excess muscular effort. These frames serve as guides for building structural stability in multiple directions.
Body connection (Ten Chi Jin) – Exercises to integrate upper and lower, left and right sides of the body. Training emphasizes awareness of vertical and horizontal axes, the role of joints, and how force is received, transmitted, and expressed.
Stillness training – Placing the body in positions that develop the ability to remain stable under opposing forces, teaching how the body “settles” naturally while in motion.
Shiko – A foundational lower-body drill, adapted from traditional sumo practice, used to build leg strength, rooting, and postural integrity.
Body cross training – Methods for strengthening the body’s core connection and maintaining a unified frame while moving through different planes. This work highlights the distinction between necessary and unnecessary tension.
Body axis training (“Body Axis Walking”) – A structured body connection exercise linking upper and lower body mechanics, emphasizing correct foot placement, posture, and spatial awareness (ma-ai).

Through these conditioning methods, Aunkai seeks to create a body capable of adapting across striking, grappling, and weapon contexts without reliance on a large technical syllabus.^[4]

Founder: Akuzawa Minoru

Akuzawa Minoru was born in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He began practicing Tai Chi at the age of 16, and later studied Xingyi Quan (Hsing-Yi) from the age of 19.^[5]

In 1989, he placed first in his weight class at the Liang Gang Cup International Sanda Tournament. ^[5] Shortly afterward, he came into contact with practitioners in the Japanese koryū tradition who emphasized core conditioning methods over fixed technical forms and who avoided public attention.

Training intensively with these teachers led him to re-examine his earlier martial arts experience and shift his focus toward the foundational conditioning practices of bujutsu. Drawing on both his Chinese martial arts background and his exposure to the traditional arts of Japanese koryū, he developed his own interpretation of martial training principles, which eventually formed the basis of Aunkai. ^[5]

Spread and influence

Early English-language visibility through AikiWeb forum posts by Robert John (Upyu).^[1]
Coverage in Ellis Amdur’s Article “Akuzawa Minoru: The Body is a Sword”, published on Kogen Budo in 2017.^[2]
Invitations by Leo Tamaki leading to high-profile demonstrations in France (e.g., La Nuit Budo).^[3]
Establishment of Aunkai International and affiliated groups in Europe, Russia, North America, and Asia.

Recent organizational changes

In August 2024, Aunkai headquarters announced the excommunication of two senior members, including former Hanshi Robert John, citing violations such as “leaking information,” and noted a separate voluntary dismissal.^[6]

As of 2025, Aunkai’s official dojo list includes groups in Japan and select regions in Europe and Oceania.^[7]

Media presence

Aunkai has been featured in a number of martial arts publications, including Hiden Budo & Bujutsu (Japan, 2005), Combat Magazine (UK, 2007), Samurai Magazine (Japan, 2009), Dragon Times (2010), Budo International (Spain, 2011), and Masters Magazine (Japan, 2012)."Media Coverage". Aunkai Tokyo. Aunkai. Retrieved 2 September 2025.

In 2017, martial arts journalist Guillaume Erard produced the mini-documentary “Minoru Akuzawa – Aunkai Bujutsu Documentary”, featuring Akuzawa and published on YouTube.Guillaume Erard – ‘‘Minoru Akuzawa: Aunkai Bujutsu Documentary’’ (YouTube, 2017)

In 2022, Euronews published an article titled “Aunkai Bujutsu: the martial art based on posture and body structure,” profiling Akuzawa Minoru and describing Aunkai’s emphasis on posture, structural conditioning, and its international spread.Euronews – “Aunkai Bujutsu: the martial art based on posture and body structure” (June 2022).

In 2024, Akuzawa appeared on the NHK program “Meikyo Josui: What’s in a Punch,” where he demonstrated his Aunkai principles of engagement and power generation.Aunkai Tokyo – 2024 Events: NHK Appearance

Akuzawa Minoru has also appeared in several video demonstrations on the **Shioda Channel**, a YouTube series focused on Japanese martial arts. These segments highlight posture, structure, and body mechanics emphasized in Aunkai training, including:

The strong posture of the master Akuzawa^[8]

How to use a cane for physical strength^[9]

Just an explosion^[10]

What’s the Japanese Bujutsu^[11]

この差が達人の分かれ道 (The difference that separates masters)^[12]

棒一本で！ (With just one staff!)^[13]

Reception

Practitioners and commentators describe Aunkai as a unique training system bridging Japanese budō and concepts associated with Chinese internal martial arts. Supporters emphasize its focus on transferable body skills, while critics point to the lack of competitive application compared to combat sports.

Citation List

(References embedded in <ref> tags above.)