The Art of Aiki

In the May 2006 issue of Black Belt there was an interesting article and interview about Kondo Sensei. There's a box on p.88 with the following quote:

Art of Deception

Tokimune Takeda included in his lessons Aiki Kempo, the Kendo Kata, Ono Ha Itto Ryu and other techniques that had no relationship to Daito Ryu Jujutsu in order to avoid teaching Daito Ryu techniques. With something that is as basic as the Ikkajo series, he would modify the techniques so most students would never understand them. When he taught Ono Ha Itto Ryu —which involves cutting from a middle position to a high position and cutting through the person's entire body by putting all the power into the tip of the sword— he would explain it differently from Daito Ryu techniques. I had a question about this difference, and until that point, no one had asked him, I said, "Sensei, the things you are saying about the sword and Daito Ryu techniques are different."

He was waiting for someone to question him. Tokimune would teach each person based on the level of the questions he asked. I learned at a higher level because of the questions I always asked. As a result of questioning him, he awarded me a kyoju dairi teaching certification in 1974, when I was 29.

The Daitokan Dojo in Hokkaido would hold a yearly training event for all Daito Ryu Dojo in Japan. I would teach one group, and Tokimune would teach the other. The night before, I would ask him if I could teach the correct way of doing the techniques instead of not letting them know the right way. Tokimune would say, "No, teach it so they will not know or understand the right way of the techniques."

— Katsuyuki Kondo

Un bonito vídeo mostrando el Aikibudo de Floquet Sensei, un arte heredera directa del Yoseikan de Minoru Mochizuki. Se pueden ver tanto técnicas de manos vacías (nótense los sutemi marca de la casa y su clara herencia del Daito Ryu) como técnicas de armas de la Yoseikan Shinto Ryu, la interpretación de Mochizuki de la Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu.

Un excelente vídeo que da una bastante buena idea general del arte de Mochizuki Sensei, décimo dan Meijin.

Para no olvidar quienes somos. Un video de recuerdo de los alumnos de casi una decada del que hoy es el grupo Nihon Kobudo Aragón.

El profesor Peter Goldsbury nos ofrece una serie de columnas sobre tres aspectos muy importantes del Aikido -la transmisión, la herencia y la emulación- en Aikiweb. Estos son los enlaces a los originales en inglés:

• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (I).
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (II).
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (III).
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (IV).
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (V).
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (VI).
  Interlude I: The General Impact of the Pacific War (World War II) on Aikido.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (VII).
  Interlude II: Budo and Bushido, Kami and Kokutai: Aikido, Religion & Nationalism.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (VIII).
  Interlude III: Deguchi, Ueshiba and Omoto. Part 1: The First Suppression.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (IX).
  Interlude III: Deguchi, Ueshiba and Omoto. Part 2: The Second Suppression.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (X).
  Interlude IV: Iemoto and Iwama.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XI).
  Interlude V: The Danger of Words or, The Elephant in the Dojo: Distinguishing the Jumbo from the Mumbo. Part 1: Morihei Ueshiba's Elephant.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XII).
  Interlude V: The Danger of Words or, The Elephant in the Dojo: Distinguishing the Jumbo from the Mumbo. Part 2: Ueshiba's Elephant and the Rest of the Herd.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XIII).
  Interlude VI: The Question of Kotodama. Part 1: Preliminaries. Kukai (Kobo Daishi) and the Man'yoshu.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XIV).
  Interlude VI: The Question of Kotodama. Part 2: Kotodama becomes Japanese. From Motoori Norinaga to World War II.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XV).
  Interlude VI: The Question of Kotodama. Part 3: Postwar Resurrection. Back to Morihei Ueshiba's Elephant.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XVI).
  Interlude VII: Hidden in Plain Sight. Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei's Power by Ellis Amdur. A Review Essay. Part 1: Chinese Influence and the Beginnings of Daito Ryu.
• Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XVII).
  Interlude VII: Hidden in Plain Sight. Tracing the Roots of Ueshiba Morihei's Power by Ellis Amdur. A Review Essay. Part 2: Takeda Sokaku in his Historical & Cultural Context.

Peter Goldsbury (b. 28 April 1944). Aikido 6th dan Aikikai, Professor at Hiroshima University, teaching philosophy and comparative culture. B. in UK. Began aikido as a student and practiced at various dojo. Became a student of Mitsunari Kanai at the New England Aikikai in 1973. After moving back to the UK in 1975, trained in the Ryushinkan Dojo under Minoru Kanetsuka. Also trained with K Chiba on his frequent visits to the UK. Moved to Hiroshima, Japan, in 1980 and continued training with the resident Shihan, Mazakazu Kitahira, 7th dan Also trained regularly with Seigo Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Tada, Sadateru Arikawa and Masatake Fujita, both in Hiroshima and at the Aikikai Hombu. Was elected Chairman of the IAF in 1998. With two German colleagues, opened a small dojo in Higashi-Hiroshima City in 2001. Instructed at Aiki Expo 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

NOTA (20/02/2009): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XI)".

NOTA (20/03/2009): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XII)".

NOTA (18/06/2009): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XIII)".

NOTA (24/07/2009): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XIV)".

NOTA (20/08/2009): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XV)".

NOTA (16/12/2009): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XVI)".

NOTA (16/02/2010): Editado para añadir "Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation (XVII)".

An examination of O'Sensei's Koshi Nage reveals a number of prominent, unique characteristics.

• O'Sensei aligns his feet on a line forming a right angle with the line connecting the feet of uke.
• O'Sensei draws uke across his hips, extending uke, rather than wrapping him in and around, bringing his hips into contact with uke's abdomen, and forming the signature cross (juji) with their bodies.
• O'Sensei positions his hips below uke's center of mass by slightly widening his stance, rather than maintaining his feet approximately a shoulder's width apart and bending his knees. It is important to remember O'Sensei was relatively short in stature, compared to his peers, and his approach would not require an extreme widening of his stance.
• O'Sensei maintains the extension, rotates his body, using his hips as a fulcrum, with his arms extended at nearly right angles to his torso to transfer the rotation, throwing uke with a seesawing motion.

Morihiro Saito Sensei reinforces these points when quoting the following instruction from O'Sensei regarding Koshi Nage, "Step forward and position your right foot between your partner's feet. Extend your left arm diagonally upward with feeling of pointing at the top corner of the wall and bring your partner's stomach onto the small of your back in such a way that your two bodies form a cross."

The overall effect of O'Sensei's technique is a hip throw exploiting the action of uke and gravity, resulting in little or no energy expenditure by nage. Saito Sensei confirms the minimal expenditure of energy by nage in the following comment, "The founder once said jokingly that there were no better techniques than Koshi Nage and that he never got tired even if he practiced them from morning to night."

Among the images used to identify the characteristics of O'Sensei's Koshi Nage were photographs of O'Sensei performing Koshi Nage found in the series of photographs known as the "Noma Dojo Techniques."

Is O'Sensei's Koshi Nage his creation or did O'Sensei assimilate the Koshi Nage from one of the predecessor arts he studied?

The complete original post by John Driscoll Sensei at: Of Oak Leaves, Blind Hogs, and an Acorn.

Shindo Yoshin ryu is a school of koryu jujutsu. It was founded late in the Edo Period by Katsunosuke Matsuoka, a Kuroda Clan retainer.

Matsuoka founded Shindo Yoshin ryu because he felt the contemporary jujutsu systems of the late Edo period had lost much of their military usefulness, evolving into systems driven more by individual challenge matches than effective military engagement. Matsuoka, embroiled in the political stresses of the late Edo Period, conceived Shindo Yoshin ryu as a true sogo bujutsu or comprehensive military science.

The school combines the jujutsu teachings of the Akiyama Yoshin Ryu lineage and Nakamura Yoshin Koryu lineage. Shindo Yoshin ryu was further influenced by the Jikishinkage ryu and Hokushin Itto ryu schools of kenjutsu. The Ohbata/Takamura branch which separated from the mainline in 1895, includes further influence from Matsuzaki Shinkage ryu. The two different Yoshin ryu jujutsu lineage’s reflected in our teachings were very prominent and influenced many other jujutsu styles as well as Kodokan Judo.

Only two legitimate branches of Shindo Yoshin ryu exist, the Shindo Yoshin ryu Domonkai under the direction of Dr. Ryozo Fujiwara in Tokyo and the Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin Kai here in the US.

Read the full article at: http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleID=702.

Los restos mortales de Mochizuki Sensei fueron trasladados a Japón el pasado abril y enterrados en el panteón familiar en su ciudad natal de Shizuoka el 25 de mayo de 2008, siguiendo los deseos del Maestro.

La ceremonia, a la que atendieron familiares y estudiantes, fue seguida de la ceremonia ritual por el quinto aniversario del fallecimiento del Maestro en el Hotel Nakajimaya en Shizuoka.