Shirakawa Ryuji is one of the representatives of Japan in the aikido division of the 2013 World Martial Arts Festival.

Aikido Shinburenseijuku, where Shirakawa serves as dojo director, has been attracting attention both in Japan and abroad for its many spectacular techniques shown on YouTube.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, Aikido is a martial art born in Japan that trains the body and mind through techniques that use body movements and breathing to channel an opponent's energy and redirect it.

Since it doesn't use brute force to defeat an opponent, Aikido can be utilized as a self-defense method that can easily be implemented no matter your size or stature.

For example, here is Abe Momoko, whom Aikido Shinburenseijuku introduces as an "Aikido high school girl," showing off some amazing Aikido moves with her partner that border on art in their flowing and dynamic nature:

In this video, she introduces Aikido self-defense techniques in various situations:

All of these moves would be very cool if you could pull them off on the spur of the moment!

However, as Shirakawa discusses at the end of the video, it is important to detect danger before it happens. Make escaping and avoiding confrontation rather than fighting your first priority.

Many people left comments on the video from around the world, saying things like: "Even though this is a martial art, it feels artistic," and "Great video."

In addition to these and other excellent videos on Aikido Shinburenseijuku's YouTube channel, you can also buy Shirakawa's instructional DVDs. For example, here is Abe promoting his DVD 「究める合気道〜柔らかな動きと崩し」(How to develop your Aikido by Shirakawa Ryuji).

Aikido Shinburenseijuku's YouTube channel also has collaboration videos with other martial arts and combat sports, so be sure to check them out!