The Japanese term kansetsu-waza (関節技) means “joint techniques.” It refers to all those locks and twists used to interact with a training partner by acting on elbows, wrists, shoulders, or knees.
Behind this word lies a story spanning centuries: from the samurai of Ju Jutsu, through the codification of Judo, to the synthesis that gave birth to aikido.
From the battlefield to the tatami
In classical Ju Jutsu schools, kansetsu (関節) were real weapons. Controlling or breaking a joint could stop an opponent, often wearing armor. Each school had its kata, with techniques such as kote-gaeshi (wrist twist), waki-gatame (elbow lock), or ashi-garami (leg entrapment). This explains why kansetsu has often been mistranslated as “breaking techniques.”
With the birth of judo, Jigoro Kano took such techniques and placed them in a modern pedagogical framework. Here, the term kansetsu-waza became an official category of techniques. For safety reasons, competitions retained only elbow locks, such as the famous juji-gatame. Today, elbow locks are also forbidden for competitors under 15 years old.
Interestingly, Aikido -an art apprently without competitions- is based largely on techniques that Judo has banned, although even in Aikido techniques targeting hips, knees, ankles, and of course the neck have been removed.
The art of the hybrid
Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, inherited the classical Ju Jutsu tradition, but he was also strongly influenced by the modern and visionary approach of Judo. From classical schools, he refined kansetsu-waza, emphasizing balance disruption and using locks on wrists and elbows, transforming them into movements we recognize as ikkyo, nikyo, sankyo, yonkyo, gokyo, rokkyo. The emphasis gradually shifted from joint breaking to immobilization. Katame-waza became the natural endpoint of kansetsu.
From Judo, Ueshiba adopted the idea of an art accessible to everyone, not secret or limited to warriors. The result is an art that places kansetsu at the center but uses them to guide and control, not to destroy. A lock is no longer a fracture, but an invitation to follow the movement and co-create something unique in the practice pair.
This is also why it is completely mistaken to practice Aikido with a focus on breaking, forcing the partner under constant threat of pain. Discovering how integrated body use can replace harming the uke is the true aim of Aikido -a purpose present in every practitioner’s mind but often absent on the tatami.
The secret of kansetsu
Understanding kansetsu-waza helps understanding the nature of Aikido. They draw on the roots of Ju Jutsu while reflecting the same educational spirit as judo. Kansetsu are the red thread connecting past and modernity, showing that aikido is not a “hodgepodge” of techniques, but a true bridge between different martial worlds.
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