Taka no Tsume | Eagle’s Talons
I’ve heard this term more than a few times while training in Daito-ryu, at first I was focused on the shape that the hand makes but later I became fascinated with the focus the grip put on locking down whatever the hand came to grab (ie: a wrist or lapel). Also, I enjoyed its cool kung-fu like name!
The grip itself is very effective because of the amount of pressure the grip can create. It bears a lot similarity to the grip used in ken-jutsu because it’s the same, using the pinky through the middle finger to create the grip with the thumb directly opposite to those three fingers. You can use the underside of the index knuckle in the base of the grip to make either the sankajo or yonkajo tsukami particularly painful by applying pressure to the nerve that runs along the forearm. When grabbing the wrist, one can use a small amount of rotation to pronate & supernate the ulna & radius which affords you a good deal of control.
Daitoryu Aiki-jujutsu Tora Dojo located at 5 West Passaic Street, Rochelle Park, NJ
For more info please email us @ info@daitoryu.org