Glossary

Uke grabs tori's wrist with one hand across (ai-hanmi = handshake stance)

Combined attack by grabbing the shoulder with one hand and striking to the face with the other hand

Diagonal downward cut with the sword, following the line of the kesa (= the front hemline of the jacket).

Counter-attacking movement in Aikiken, in which the attacker's cut is first deflected with a circular movement that leads directly to a counter-attack with Shomen-Uchi (literal translation: ‘returning the cut’)

Strike or stab to the face or throat

Shomen-uchi is a vertical strike or cut to the head or forehead of tori.

Yokomen-uchi is a diagonal strike aiming at tori's temple