Riai: the Meaning of the Meaning

Have you heard the term “riai” in your practice?

When you practice your art, do you truly know the meaning of the form?

My trusty Nelson kanji dictionary defines the two kanji that make up the word as meaning “reason,” or ri- (“principle”, “truth”) with “coming together, meeting, or harmonizing” (-ai). In other words, in budo, riai are the underlying principles behind a technique. That’s as simple an explanation as I can give, and in most cases, that’s enough. Riai, in a way, is similar to the word bandied about frequently in karate-do schools: bunkai (“analysis,” “reduction,” “parsing”). However, as the Nelson translated meanings make clear, they are somewhat different.

In any case, on a superficial level, riai is simply an explanation of the “meaning” of a technique, or waza.

Okay, Grasshopper, you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop right now, right? It can’t be as simple as all that.

So here it is: that definition of riai is good enough for most students. Certainly, for the average middle-class, suburban kid taking a “kurrottee” class in a shopping mall dojo, it’s plenty sufficient. We’re talking about students whose willingness to alter his/her mental, emotional, and spiritual attitudes to delve further into the culture and ethos of combative arts as precariously limited, after all. There’s nothing wrong with stopping there and letting them enjoy the experience, if that’s what the dojo is aiming for.

But let’s take apart the notion that riai is an understanding of very, very core principles. In fact, if you were to drill down into that one technique, you would come up with some pretty heavy-duty core principles that underly all of aikido.

If you don’t understand the core principles behind the art, your techniques won’t look coherent. You’ll be doing something, but there won’t be a unity or cohesiveness. The techniques will look like disparate, unrelated actions. It will look choppity-chop.

So, if you were going to attack someone, what was the biggest worry? His sword hand, his right hand, would grab his sword and cut you in retaliation. Hence, you’d grab his right hand first, nullify it, and then punch him, kick him, slap him or dance with him. Whatever. Maybe, if you grabbed him with your left, you could draw out your own sword with your right hand. Just don’t give the guy a chance to draw his sword out.

The fear of the opponent drawing his sword out was why a lot of attacks in jujutsu begin with a wrist grab, and why it carried over into aikido. That’s what an attacker might do, way back in the old days.

Seen in that light, the reason why so many attacks by uke in aikido are those large, somewhat “unrealistic” swings with a knife-hand is that they replicate a sword attack.

The riai, therefore, can be superficial: it can mean, well, here’s the guy grabbing your hand. So you turn, twist his wrist and throw him. That’s what it means. Period. End of story.

Or you would have to dig deeper and deeper. WHY is uke going for your hand instead of trying to wrestle you down? Because in principle, in the old days, if his right hand was free, he’ll just take out his dagger or sword and stab you.

Just as kote gaeshi is a foundational technique in aikido, there are foundational techniques in other martial arts that, if properly understood, will enable an understanding in the riai not just of that technique, but of the entire curriculum. And the wonderful thing about understanding riai is the discovery that it can go from a simple notion to great complexity, but in the complexity, there is a beautiful simplicity, if understood correctly.

Understand Riai, Get Certified in Martial Arts

If you’re committed to understanding the riai of your art, you can earn a martial arts certification at SMAA! To get started or ask questions, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.