Feb
21

“A Biography of Rinjiro Shirata – Part 3,” by Kozo Kaku

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“When I faced O-Sensei, his eyes appeared large and his “ki” came towards me with great energy.”

“The Kobukan Prodigy” goes to the Continent
and makes great efforts in Postwar Japan

Dreamlike Days

A scroll hung smooth and quiet in the altar of the Kobukan Dojo. There were kamisama there and a bamboo blind neatly screened it off. Every morning the uchideshi, Rinjiro Shirata, thought, “Ueshiba Sensei’s being is exactly the same!” But when facing his teacher in the dojo, it wasn’t like that at all.

Morihei Ueshiba started advancing slowly from a long distance, yet there was still a separation of two mats. While Morihei moved another step forward, he slowly raised the arms that had been hanging down naturally to in front of his chest.

Thinking, “He’s driving into me,” Rinjiro let out a shout, “Ii eh ii!”, from the bottom of his core, readied his hand blade and shortening the distance himself, moved to strike preemptively. Mind, spirit and body were unified. Certain victory with a single stroke… He expected his hand to strike the top of Morihei’s head, but instantly Morihei moved his body and slipped behind him. He earnestly launched another cut and a fist, but all of them cut the air as if it had been prearranged. Morihei, who was weaving his way around, wasn’t hit at all; Rinjiro couldn’t even lay a hand on him.

“It’s… it’s no good!”

Even though he was the “Kobukan Prodigy,” this teacher was the only one with whom he could do nothing.

In later years, Rinjiro recalled what it was like to face Morihei, in the following way.

“When I faced O-Sensei, his eyes appeared large and his “ki” came towards me with great energy. When facing him, all my “ki” would be absorbed and my power ended up amounting to nothing. The more earnestly you faced him, the greater the effect of the “ki” from Ueshiba Sensei. It isn’t comprehensible, if one hasn’t experienced this kind of confrontation.”

Morihei was reading Rinjiro’s intentions as if they were an open book. As soon as Morihei felt the faint signals, he immediately stopped those movements, and in the next moment, he bent Rinjiro’s body like a large bow, immobilizing him. Afterwards, the finish was said to be like yonkyo, but Rinjiro didn’t even have a chance to confirm that; all he could do was endure the intense pain and struggle to somehow slip out of the technique even though he knew it was useless. Contrary to the struggle in his mind, his body didn’t even twitch.

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Feb
20

“Morihei in Tanabe,” by Stanley Pranin

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Introduction

“It would not be an exaggeration to say that the major steps in Morihei’s life… can be traced back to the influence of his immediate and extended families.”

Historians, like scientists, are fond of coming up with theories. The scientist forms a hypothesis based on previous studies and his own observations and then proceeds to see how well his theory stands up to testing and experimentation. The historian, for his part, seeks to catalog facts and events and from them to glean an understanding of the actions and motives of the subjects of his research.

The minutiae recorded and cataloged by the historian serve as signposts that guide him through the maze of historical events and provide a means of testing out his hypotheses. An offhand comment by a relative, an old newspaper article or program, an object on display on the wall in the background of a photo, any of these seemingly insignificant details can hold the key to a new and important revelation.

Unlike other periods in the life of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba, his early years in Tanabe and family circumstances are not well documented. Our principal sources of information on this period of Morihei’s life are the biography of Morihei Ueshiba published by his son Kisshomaru in 1977, later interviews and conversations with the author, and a few pages from the first biography of the Founder written by Kanemoto Sunadomari in 1969. To this can be added the recollections of members and relatives of the Ueshiba and Inoue families.

Undated photo of Tanabe rice fields

The information gleaned from the latter sources does not represent the aikido viewpoint, but has nonetheless proved valuable by shedding new light on Morihei’s early years and suggesting areas of discrepancy in the primary sources.

Given the limited data available on the Tanabe period, our main task here will be to recall the key events and influences on Morihei’s early years. We will also endeavor to identify those character traits and patterns of behavior that led to the formation of the man who would go on to create aikido.

Ueshiba Family Background

In Japan of the Meiji Era, the family unit had a more decisive role in the life and career of an individual than it does today. With this in mind, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the major steps in Morihei’s life that prepared him for a career as a martial artist can be traced back to the influence of his immediate and extended families. This is the case early in his life when he tried his fortune as a merchant in Tokyo, on the occasion of his move to Hokkaido, and when he finally settled on a career as a martial arts instructor.

The Ueshibas

Morihei’s father, Yoroku, was born in 1843 and was a prosperous landowner who was engaged primarily in farming. He is reputed to have been a hot-tempered man of great physical strength with an interest in martial arts. Yoroku was also a prominent citizen of Tanabe and served on the Tanabe and Nishinotani village councils from 1892 to1910. Morihei’s mother, Yuki, was from the Itogawa family of Tanabe and was born in 1850. Interestingly enough, Morihei’s later bride, Hatsu, belonged to the same Itogawa family.

Yoroku and Yuki probably married in the late 1860s and their union produced a total of five children. Morihei was the only son and was born on December 14, 1883. His three older sisters were Tame, Hisano, and Chiyo. The last of the Ueshiba children was a daughter named Kiku…

Access: Free through Thursday, February 23

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Feb
18

FREE DOWNLOAD: “This old man reached this stage, you should surpass me…!” — Aiki News Number 60, March 1984

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Aiki News Number 60, March 1984

Contents

     ● Editorial – Blueprint for the standardization of aikido testing, by Stanley Pranin
     ● Shoji Nishio Interview, by Stanley Pranin
     ● Morihiro Saito Technical Notebook — Tsuki iriminage, by Morihiro Saito
     ● Heard in the Dojo
     ● O-Sensei Biography — “The Kobukan Hell Dojo Period”, by Kisshomaru Ueshiba
     ● Letters to the Editor

Morihei Ueshiba with Shoji Nishio and students in front of Aikikai, February 1969

Access: free through Tuesday, February 21

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Feb
18

Spiritual Maintenance

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Over the years, I’ve witnessed some great individuals, great to the point of having lived heroic lives to the point of being mythical, let themselves go and become ordinary, weak, ill, and some even vice riddled.

Others, perhaps some not even of such great stature, continued to practice, eat well, maintain good habits in every way they knew and to give good things to the world.

These sustained and continued to improve to the very end. So did their immediate and often also far reaching associations.

Spiritual Maintenance involves the body-mind connection, therefore if you are not moving, you are merely fantasizing.

Aikido is not only one such valid method, but a paramount method, as it also addresses the key critical component of life, that of consciously addressing adversity and the harmonising of it. What could strengthen your caliber more?

Serving others and improving yourself, no matter how modest you think your efforts may be, does in fact make immense differences in the world, and is the basis for spiritual maintenance, both personal, and that of the world.

Nev Sagiba

aikiblue.com

“Now an e-book:
“FOUR DIAMONDS 1024 – Basic Transitions and Counters of Aikido”

by Nev Sagiba

Feb
17

Superlative Aikido with Morihei Ueshiba, Koichi Tohei, Morihiro Saito and Seigo Yamaguchi

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“Get a glimpse of the terrifc content in store for you!”







Get 4-DVD Set at Special Price of $49.95… Look what’s included!

This Special Offer is an excellent opportunity for you to become well acquainted with four of the Aikido’s major figures, gifted teachers who are largely responsible for the way the art is practiced in modern times. This package includes: Aikido’s Founder Morihei Ueshiba, a man with no peer; Koichi Tohei, the person who introduced Aikido to the USA; Morihiro Saito, whose curriculum including both body and weapons techniques, has a worldwide following; and Seigo Yamaguchi, known for his martial, yet elegant style, who is highly regarded everywhere.

Deadline is tomorrow, February 18th!

Click here for your last chance to get the 4-DVD Set with the 4 Geniuses of Aikido: Morihei, Koichi Tohei, Morihiro Saito, Seigo Yamaguchi!

Feb
17

“I propose a compact for our mutual benefit… Onegaishimasu!

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In the last six months since we opened the Aikido Journal Members Site, we have been testing different approaches to make this important part of Aikido Journal an indispensable tool for aikidoka. You may have noticed a flurry of activity, and an unending stream of new materials including videos, screencasts, historical photos, articles, PDFs, charts, and even Morihei Ueshiba’s name card!

What’s going on? Basically, I want to create a storehouse for my research legacy and an additional income stream based on digital delivery of our content. Fewer and fewer customers are opting for delivery of physical products. This is the trend all over the world. I, for one, would not shed a tear if we could minimize our trips to the post office, in favor of immediate, on-demand delivery of content over the Internet. This will allow us to reduce prices on our products, and allow you to receive your product within a few short minutes.

These days, the economy being what it is, many people are budgeting themselves very carefully, and have less discretionary income than in previous times. Even the cost of paying tuition at an aikido dojo comes under scrutiny. We know aikido training is a life-enriching activity and that we derive great benefit from it; nonetheless, it is yet another item in the budget subject to scrutiny.

So here is a short list of things I would like to propose you do that will benefit you personally and Aikido Journal as a servant of the aikido community… and doesn’t cost anything:

  • Click on the Facebook “Share” button on the upper right of this blog and any content you think worthy of being shared with your circle of friends. A trivial amount of time is required for this simple action, yet it allows us to reach many more folks with our message.
  • If you are receiving our emails, forward any interesting item to your aikido friends in case they’re unaware of our activities. Just hit the “forward” button in your email program and enter your friend’s address.
  • It is our wish to allow free subscribers to access most of our content when published. After testing out different methods, we have settled on a “free for a few days” approach to allow you to access new content. After that, the document goes into the “paid subscriber” archive for future access. So please act quickly to access new content, keeping in mind this approach and the rationale behind it.

I work seven days a week, have for years, and expect to do so for many more years, God willing. This is my life’s work, and you can expect this steady stream of content to continue until I finish the job… which will be NEVER!

In short, we’ll provide great content that is mostly free that you can’t get anywhere else. You invest a few seconds of your time to spread the word about our work. We can thus progress along the path together to our mutual benefit.

Just to give you an idea of the content we’ve been offering, have a look at the last 20 items uploaded to the Aikido Journal Members Site:

  • Video: Morihei Ueshiba, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Christian Tissier — French TV documentary, c.1983
  • Screencast: Focus on History — “Morihei and the Young Bucks of the Aikikai,” by Stanley Pranin”
  • A Biography of Rinjiro Shirata – Part 2, by Kozo Kaku
  • Do we know what Aikido truly is?, by Francis Takahashi
  • Magazine: Aiki News Number 49, 1982
  • Memoir of the Master, by Morihei Ueshiba with commentary by Stanley Pranin
  • Screencast: Focus on History — “Ueshiba Family Tree: The Line of Succession”
  • A Biography of Rinjiro Shirata – Part 1, by Kozo Kaku
  • Magazine: Aiki News Number 79, 1988
  • Video: Rinjiro Shirata — “1978 Yamagata TV Documentary — Part 1″ (member video)
  • Video: Koichi Tohei teaches Ki Society Seminar in Osaka, 1983 — Part 3 (member-video)
  • Screencast: Focus on History — “The Old Aikikai Hombu Dojo: Inside and Out,” by Stanley Pranin
  • Screencast: Focus on History — “Morihei demonstrates jodori with his son, Kisshomaru”
  • Video: Koichi Tohei teaches Ki Society Seminar in Osaka, 1983 — Part 2
  • Screencast: Focus on History — “Morihei Ueshiba’s Ill-starred Mongolian Expedition,” by Stanley Pranin
  • Video: Koichi Tohei teaches Ki Society Seminar in Osaka, 1983 — Part 1
  • Screencast: Focus on History — “Morihei Ueshiba’s Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu Teaching Certification,” by Stanley Pranin
  • Historical photos: “The first person to introduce Aikido to the US revisited,” by Stanley Pranin
  • Magazine: Aikido Journal Number 108, 1996
  • Video: Tetsuzan Kuroda, Headmaster of Kuroda Family Bujutsu, at Aiki Expo 2003

I’ll be watching the counter on the Facebook “Share” button! :)

Thanks Folks… Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Stan

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Feb
16

Free video through February 19: Classic film with Morihei Ueshiba, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Christian Tissier

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“The Founder, his son, and Europe’s top teacher!”

This is a marvelous video consisting of a segment of a French TV documentary made about 1983 dealing with Japanese martial arts. Featured in this section on aikido are the Founder Morihei Ueshiba, Second Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, and well-known French instructor, Christian Tissier, then a 6th dan. There are scenes shot both at the old Aikikai Hombu Dojo, in Iwama, and in France. You will see Morihei performing warmup exercises and several techniques. Kisshomaru executes randoris against multiple attackers. There is a very well-done interview with Christian Tissier, a randori, and partnered jo sequences. Also appearing is Micheline Tissier who gives an excellent demonstration. This documentary was based on the research of French author Michel Random.

Morihei Ueshiba is the creator of aikido and the footage included here was taken late in his life, around 1965. His son, Second Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, is shown in films taken in the mid-1970s. Christian Tissier is about 30 years old in this documentary, and at this point, has already firmly established himself in France and Europe as one of the art’s foremost teachers.

Since we have opened the Aikido Journal Members Site last fall, we have uploaded a multitude of historical materials consisting of videos, screencasts, books, PDF files, and various other documents. We are working hard to continue at this pace, and we have enough source materials to last for many years. One of our reasons for these efforts is to insure that the materials we have gathered over nearly four decades find a permanent home and that their survival for subsequent generations is assured.


As a practitioner of aikido or somewhat interested in the art, you now have an opportunity to access an immense volume of documentation that will challenge and educate you on this subject. Regular practice is of utmost importance, and the furthering of your knowledge about all aspects of aikido, its techniques, personalities, and history are required for those who wish to really excel.

Duration: 8:49 minutes
Access: Free through Sunday, Feb. 19th

Aikido Journal Members Site subscribers: If you are already a subscriber, click here to login and view this wonderful video with Morihei Ueshiba, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, and Christian Tissier

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Feb
15

Free Video thru Feb. 18 — “Morihei and the Young Bucks of the Aikikai,” by Stanley Pranin”

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“Learn what happened to the early uchideshi system and why”

In this screencast, Stanley Pranin analyzes a rare historical photo in which a number of the junior Aikikai instructors from the 1960s appear formally with Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba. He talks about each individual, and the uchideshi system which was replaced by the modern apprentice system.

Duration: 9:18 minutes
Access: free through Saturday, February 18th

Hi, I’m Stanley Pranin, and welcome to another episode of “Focus on History”

Today we’ll look at another historical photo that tells a fascinating story with several parallel threads. This picture was taken inside the Aikikai Hombu Dojo about 1965. First, let’s mention who appears in the photo. They are, from left to right: Minoru Kurita, Kenji Shimizu, Mitsugi Saotome, Mitsunari Kanai, Akira Tohei, then Wakasensei Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Shuji Maruyama, and Nobuyuki Watanabe. In the center seated is, of course, Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.

These young men were members of the Aikikai’s staff of junior instructors during this period. Four among them would later relocate abroad–all to the United States–and start a new phase of their careers as official representatives of the Hombu Dojo teaching in the USA..

This would be a good opportunity to mention something about the changeover at the Aikikai from the traditional uchideshi system to the modern apprentice system for developing professional instructors. This change took place around 1963. Formerly, the uchideshi or live-in students actually lived in the Hombu Dojo together with the Ueshiba family. Although it proved to be an effective system to develop skilled young aikido instructors, it was a huge burden on the Ueshiba family who bore most of the expenses and inconveniences of this communal life. The growing popularity of aikido made it impractical to continue in the traditional way, and thus the uchideshi system was abandoned.

Aikido Journal Members Site subscribers: If you are already a subscriber, click here to login and view the screencast by Stanley Pranin of “Morihei Ueshiba and the Young Bucks of the Aikikai”

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Feb
14

Video: Morihei Ueshiba — “The Way of Harmony” DVD Trailer

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MORIHEI UESHIBA — “The Way of Harmony”

“The Way of Harmony” DVD is a wonderful resource containing precious films of the Founder of Aikido from the period of 1958-1962. This is the time-frame when Morihei had come out of seclusion in Iwama and begun teaching in Tokyo and various locations in the Kansai area. His Aikido is at its epitome: the power, grace, and harmony of Morihei’s movements are remarkable! The Founder’s art was truly magical.

Even by watching the old films that preserve his movements, one is captivated by his commanding presence, joyful ebullience, and complete mastery of energy and space. Such a level of expertise could only be attained by one who has reached a state that many would hasten to call “enlightenment.” In any event, he without doubt transcended normal human consciousness and entered into a state of elevated alertness and sensitivity. This state of oneness is a goal that should stand as a shining example for aikidoka everywhere who are touched by his timeless message. Why should we settle for anything less in our own training?

Wait! Get this incredible DVD as part of this week’s
Special Offer only through Saturday, Feb. 18!

Feb
13

A Biography of Rinjiro Shirata – Part 2, by Kozo Kaku

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“The Kobukan Prodigy” Wreaks Havoc!

“Hell Dojo” of the West

“I want to follow Sensei’s footsteps as my life path.” Shirata Rinjiro’s words delighted the Founder, Morihei Ueshiba. At that time, the Kobukan Dojo was inseparably linked to the Omoto religion, and one would often see Omoto believers training. On the other hand, there were also many highly ranked practitioners of arts like kendo and judo and among the trainees. Rinjiro, having perceived aikido [the art was actually know as "Aiki Budo" at this time] as a true martial art, was especially promising in Morihei’s eyes. In addition, you could say that Rinjiro was blessed with good timing.

The prewar golden era had just arrived for the Kobukan, which was nicknamed the “Hell Dojo.” Yoichiro Inoue, Hisao Kamada, Minoru Mochizuki, Kaoru Funahashi, Tsutomu Yukawa, Aritoshi Murashige, Kenji Tomiki, and other eminent people were the seniors. Zenzaburo Akazawa, and Tesshin Hoshi were uchideshi similar in status to Rinjiro. Among those regularly commuting to train was Gozo Shioda, who was equal to the uchideshi. Such people were always at the dojo. It could be said that Rinjiro was trained and brought up by these shining talents of aikido history.

For the five years from 1932 to 1937 when he departed for the front, literally the period of Rinjiro’s severe training, he always put into practice the saying “every day, life is training, every day, budo is life.”

The uchideshi rose in status from washing the entrance and cleaning the toilets to looking after things around the Founder to duties like serving as a travel companion. However, for a long time, Rinjiro carried out the role of attendant who offers water, tea and salt in front of the Shinto altar every morning. This was probably unrelated to Rinjiro’s father being a believer of the Omoto religion.

Every morning, Morihei went to the altar and offered Shinto prayers. There were uchideshi who disliked this, but it’s said that without realizing it, Rinjiro spontaneously learned the prayers. In any case, he did everything wholeheartedly.


Even though he started early in the morning, he continued training morning, noon and night, without stopping. And although there was time to wash the training clothes he wore continually, there wasn’t enough free time to dry them. As a result of these efforts, Rinjiro was allowed to participate in training outside the dojo after less than a year rather than the two or three years it was usually said to take…

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Feb
12

“Do we know what Aikido truly is?”, by Francis Takahashi

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It is mind boggling, and a bit disheartening for me to see the reams of questionable, and often grossly erroneous “facts” written about the Founder, his theories on Aiki, and on Aiki’s constant role in shaping his Aikido over the entire period of his lifetime. It is especially so because I can recognize very few “experts” with proven knowledge, training experience, and research credentials sufficient for the task.

Rather, I witness a boatload of suspect individuals who freely admit to having little or no respect for the history, tradition or values of the Founder’s true purpose, and of his welcoming spirit of openness to all who study his creation. It is equally appalling to me that such unwarranted and misguided drivel continues without an equally vociferous and reasoned rebuttal and counterpoint from the seemingly established and very senior group of mainstream Aikido leaders, who appear comfortable in remaining mute and aloof.

There are exceptions, of course, with stalwarts like George Ledyard, Peter Goldsbury, Nev Sagiba, David Lynch, and Stan Pranin, to mention a few, who have courageously, consistently and knowledgeably spoken out on Aikido principles, purpose and legitimacy as a genuine martial art and cultural phenomenon.
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Feb
11

FREE DOWNLOAD: “Sokaku came to visit in wooden clogs with a walking stick…” — Aiki News Number 49, 1982

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“I owe my existence to god and to Ueshiba Sensei,
and I am always thankful to them both.”

Aiki News Number 49, 1982

Contents

     ● Editorial: “Criticism of O-Sensei”, by Stanley Pranin
     ● Interview with Hisao Kamata, by Stanley Pranin
     ● Morihiro Saito’s Technical Notebook — Ryotedori shihonage omote, by Morihiro Saito
     ● The Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, “Enlightenment at the Edge of Death, Chapter IV – Part 8(a), by Kisshomaru Ueshiba
     ● The Honorable Morihei Ueshiba — Part 2, from Kishu Seiji Keizai newspaper

Access: free through Tuesday, February 14th

Aikido Journal Members Site subscribers: If you are already a subscriber, click here to login and download the PDF file of Aiki News Number 49

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