"ASU aikdio"

Maybe this very scene was the basis of Saotome-sensei's kata then! Wouldn't surprise me in the least. After all it was staged by one of Katori Shinto ryu's most distinguished proponents.

Saotome-sensei's bokken and jo are very different though from Saito-sensei's, who was taught the most by Osensei in bukiwaza matters. Osensei based most of his swordplay (he didn't teach any sword kata per se) on Kashima Shinto, in which style he briefly enrolled. The Kashima shrine is directly on the opposite side of the river from Katori shrine, so maybe Saotome-sensei saw fit to bring something from Katori in aikido too? But Saotome-sensei seemed at one time to follow Kashima Shinto (viz. the bokken shape)... Anyways, Katori and Kashima are like cousin-ryu so the basics remain the same.

"You should relax your wrists."

Well, it's not because is wrist is bent that it's tense. Apply nikyo ura to your own wrist (like we do in warming-up) or have it applied to you by someone else. Your wrist is bent but still your keep your wrist relaxed, or at least you should to avoid injury. But here again, in waki kamae the point is moot since you will need to change your grip before striking, even if you strike from below.

"And every kumitachi can be done differently from Dojo to Dojo depending on the teachers."

Yes I know full well, hence the question. It's simply that I do not practice ASU kata, only Iwama (I practiced ASU nito at two seminars but that's it).

>> ^Kagenin:
As a side note, the Jo was developed to defeat Musashi's two-sword technique, or so the legend goes. The Bo staff was too long to get close enough to Musashi in a duel (this was when Musashi was using wooden swords to duel). The Jo, on the other hand, was shorter, and quicker to setup a defense and counter-attack in the rematch.

This is true, at least as passed down in legends since there are no documents from the time. However it is false to think that there is a connection between Shinto Muso Ryu, developed by Musō Gonnosuke Katsuyoshi after his defeat against Musashi, and the Jo developed by O-sensei. O-sensei's Jo is an amalgam of yari (spear), bo and bayonet techniques. It is said O-sensei was so good with the bayonet he became chief instructor not six months after entering the army. For an example of Shinto Muso Ryu: http://youtube.com/watch?v=H_wv6JdY2lI. Notice the starting position, the overhead strikes and the thrust at the end which is made without sliding the hands on the jo at all.

What is called Jodo by the way is a dumbed-down version of Shinto Muso Ryu for Kendo practitioners.

Man... I remember learning the 31-Jo Kata. This brings back many memories of my Aikido training.

Saito-Sensei is awesome.

As a side note, the Jo was developed to defeat Musashi's two-sword technique, or so the legend goes. The Bo staff was too long to get close enough to Musashi in a duel (this was when Musashi was using wooden swords to duel). The Jo, on the other hand, was shorter, and quicker to setup a defense and counter-attack in the rematch.

Wish I could upvote, but we're both probationary members...

^ did not know that, Dai Saito is an awesome writer then.