The Art of Aiki

The purpose of this art is not to be killed, not to be struck, not to be kicked, and we will not strike, will not kick, and will not kill. It is completely for self-defense. We can handle opponents expediently, utilizing their own power, through their own aggressión. So even women and children can use it. However, it is taught only to respectable people. It's misuse would be frightening...

Miyamoto Musashi. He is the famous swordman of the XVII century that created the Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu school of swordmanship.

His most important writting is the Gorin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings, or more accurately translated as The Book of the Tombstone).

Anyone interested in using the two swords (daisho) should take a look at Musashi's school. Of course there is also the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, certain branches of Daito Ryu and Saotome's Two Swords of Aikido for example.

Some techniques can be found in Anji-san web site (Kampai Budokai).

Now I find in Aikiforum a topic about the new Aikido Doshu. For those of you who don't know, Doshu is the person that "leads the path" of the Aikido. This is an hereditary title and, in my humble opinion, silly. How can knowledge or hability be hereditary? For me, Doshu should be the most talented akidoka of the moment.

Now three examples come to my mind:

1. Ueshiba Kishomaru (Second Doshu - Aikikai Aikido): He changed all the techniques O'Sensei developed. Of course he had his motives; he wanted all people to be able to train in aikido. So he made strong simplifications and the art lost a lot of its martial effectiveness. He doesn't seem to me a good "guardian of the path." In fact, Aikikai was created by him and for him, not by or for Ueshiba Morihei!


2. Saito Hitohiro (Son of Saito Morihiro - Iwama Aikido): He faithfully follows the path of his father, who followed tha path of O'Sensei. Neither Saito Morihiro or Saito Hitohiro changed any of the techniques of The Founder. His family has always been the guardians of the aiki-shrine, in Iwama until the death of Saito Sensei. Humble in nature this is a good example of pure lineage. The Saitos would have been a better choice for Doshu. The best, indeed.


3. Mochizuki Hiroo (Son of Mochizuki Minoru - Yoseikan Aikido): This is another example of a son making radical modifications on his father's work. He changed the Yoseikan Aikido of his father into something completely different. Created a sport version and a fitness one. Incorporated a lot of karate movements as well as french boxing in Yoseikan. This is no longer pure or true Yoseikan Aikido, and a lot of students of his father separated from his organization to continue the true Yoseikan path.

For me, Saito Morihiro or Michio Hikitsuchi would have been a much better Doshu choice. And now Saito Hitohiro would be third Doshu, instead of Ueshiba Moriteru. They have devoted all their lives to Aikido and the care of the Aiki-Shrine and the Ueshiba family. Their generosity has never been repayed by actual or second Doshu.

This is sad!

This weekend I attended a stage on katsu, the ancient japanese art of resucitation. Of course people won't stand from their deathbed with these techniques! While "katsu" means "resucitation", it is intended for preventing people for dying after a shock, fainting, blackout, syncope, tachycardia, traumatism, hemorrhage...

This is a traditional art that was transmitted with strong secrecy in the feudal Japan inside the old martial arts schools (koryu) from sensei to those selected pupils that deserved it. It was Kano Jigoro, the founder of the well know jujutsu school, kodokan judo, who made this knowledge available for the general public. His motto was: "Because we are teaching arts that can kill or maim an oponent, we have the moral responsability of teaching arts capable of bringing our oponent back to life." Not a bad moral principle, is it?

The stage was eight hour long, so we went through all this knowledge in a fast pace, but we had time for practicing with partners, hands on. This is a very valuable knowledge that all martial artists should adquire and transmit to their pupils, because it can prevent some fatal consequences from happening after a dojo accident.

Yesterday I went back to Aikijujutsu training after three weeks of "dojo holidays". People was training hard, so I ended up exhausted. Sensei divided the class in two groups, so we trained the nage waza (throws), the shime waza (chokes) and the katame waza (pins) of the kihon or fundamental technique.

How hard is it to stand up every time someone crash you into the mat!!

Great to be back again in dojo!

Recently I received the videos I ordered from budovideos.com, "Saigo Ha Daito Ryu Aikibujutsu - A to Z". Immediately I opened the package and began eating them. These videos feature Sogawa Kazuoki Soke performing the fundamental technique (kihon waza), variations (henka waza) and counters (kaeshi waza) in a easy to understand format, making it clear how to perform correct technique with slow motion and close-ups that leads to normal pace motion - this is fast.-

Projections (nage waza), drops (otoshi waza), pins (katame waza) and strangulations (shime waza) are shown. At the end, techniques against several oponents (taninzudori) and striking techniques (aikikempo) are also shown in the series.

Valoration: This is a great instructional video series to complement Sogawa's books on the art.