taijutsu) is a hallmark of this style. Some of the practices were developed by Morihei Ueshiba while others are Saito's distillations of his teachings and practices. Weapons practice includes suburi, (1-step paired exercises), solo and paired kata, and tanren-uchi (striking a log or tire) with the jo and wooden sword. Though not formally part of the curriculum, Saito practiced Negishi-ryu and shuriken (throwing stars) is also sometimes practiced. The sword forms of Iwama style are generally recognized as being descended from Kashima Shinto-ryu sword techniques. In particular the first two are nearly identical in the sequence of cuts to forms from Kashima Shinto-ryu. It is also believed that Yagyu style had influence through Masakatsu Nakai's instruction of Ueshiba. It has been widely observed that the are remarkably similar to spear techniques of Kukishin-ryu. Ueshiba was close friends with the Kuki family; this, along with the spear-like handling of the in Iwama style, has led to speculation that the Kukishin-ryu spear is partially the basis of Aiki-jo, though there is not enough evidence that Ueshiba formally studied the art in any depth. and , literally coarse techniques, are occasionally practiced by Iwama-style aikido practitioners. These techniques are intended to explicitly show the injurious applications latent in aikido techniques and include simple kicks targeting the knees and entangling or twisting joints during throws with the option to break them. Some (modified basic techniques) in Iwama-style aikido also include entangling joints, locking large joints, strikes to vital points, and occasionally chokes using the arm or the partner's uniform (dogi). For safety reasons these are never performed fully. References External links Iwama Takemusu Aikido Renmei France Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shurenkai Takemusu Aikido Kyokai Takemusu Aikido Association (TAA) International Takemusu Aikido Federation (ITAF) Aikido organizations