“Yamaguchi Sensei’s movements were often so fast that even the high- ranking teachers sometimes had trouble taking his ukemi!”

Let me begin with the events that led up to my discovery of aikido and eventually to the meeting with my first teacher, Yamaguchi Seigo Sensei. By late 1960, after a competitive career as a champion gymnast, I had finished with high school or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that high school had finished with me. In any event, I left behind that entire minute society which claimed to be an accurate representation of the greater world outside. Fortunately I had friends from the university who were part of the greater bohemian society of “Dinkytown” in Minneapolis and I begin to spend time on the music scene of the university campus at a place called the Ten O’Clock Scholar. I would go in the evenings to listen to Bob Zimmerman (Dylan), Dave Ray, and Johnny Koerner and was so inspired by the music that I became a guitarist myself.

It was the time of the folk/blues revival, when black people like Big Joe Williams were first being allowed to play on campus. It was party time. The music, as well as the drinking, often went on until daylight. After the coffee houses and bars closed the musicians would gather at house parties, set up their instruments in different rooms, and provide free entertainment until the early hours of the morning. I identified with and even felt a spiritual connection to those wandering musicians who lived lives of freewheeling non-attachment and made enchanting music out of their difficulties and hardships.

One Sunday afternoon I was celebrating with friends at the Eloise Butler flower gardens in Minneapolis. We were relaxing, just hanging out in the grass when I suddenly felt a great sense of clarity. Somehow I knew that something in my consciousness had changed. I saw that there was a great perfection in everything and that everyone was a part of that perfection, even if we were unaware of it. I interpreted this great shift in my way of thinking as a genuine spiritual experience.

I “came down from the mountain” and proceeded to the nearest A & W root beer stand for a pronto pup, a hot dog deep fried in batter. After one bite, I threw it away in disgust. It didn’t suit my new feeling. From that time on, although I continued to play and be a part of the music scene, I ate only vegetarian food, ran ten miles a day, and meditated every morning and evening. I was searching for a way to discover a deeper understanding of the world of spirit or ki, a word I hadn’t yet heard.

The place to “make it” in music at that time was Boston and so in the fall of 1961, I packed up my few belongings and left for the East coast to audition at the Club 47 on the campus of Harvard University. I was actually lucky enough at one point to play the beginning set leading up to a performance by John Lee Hooker.

Sensing that I was searching for something more than music, a fellow musician gave me a bag of brown rice and told me about a spiritual discipline called Macrobiotics. He said I should get myself down to the Arlington Street church and listen to the lectures of a Japanese man named Michio Kushi. Mr. Kushi was a student of the late George Ohsawa (Sakurazawa Nyoichi), who was a close friend of Morihei Ueshiba. His talk inspired me and I plunged headlong into the path of Macrobiotics, studying diet, oriental philosophy/medicine, and the “order of the universe,” according to Kushi. At that time I gave up music forever (which actually lasted for 2-3 years) and eventually begin to teach Macrobiotics myself. At one point I even managed a macrobiotic study house commune in Brookline, Massachusetts.

However, I still felt something was wrong or incomplete. Neither the physical well being resulting from the diet, nor the knowledge of oriental philosophy really dealt with the matter of self-development or self-realization. Then one day in Cambridge, Mass., I saw a short and stocky Japanese man named Mitsunari Kanai perform a martial art called aikido. I was completely floored. It was like the answer to a question that I hadn’t known how to ask; it was both poetry and philosophy in motion. Although I continued my study of Macrobiotics, I found myself more and more drawn towards aikido. Then the breakthrough finally happened.

A tiny little man came from Kyoto, Japan and gave a lecture on Macrobiotics. His name was Takezo (Alcan) Yamaguchi. He told me about his brother who was a famous aikido teacher in Tokyo. Alcan Yamaguchi gave me a letter of recommendation and within six months I found myself in San Francisco waiting for my visa to Japan. I felt that at last I had found the entire package. I would go to Japan for three years, master this incredible art, and then bring it back to all those who were trying to grasp the wisdom of the East. Little did I know that this grandiose fantasy would present me with equally formidable difficulties.

When I arrived in Japan, I was sure I had found spiritual paradise, the origin itself. I went to a small park and sat there to contemplate this incredible place. The silence of this country was deafening; like an overwhelming current of energy that could not be perceived by the ear nor escaped from. When I finally arrived in Tokyo, I begin walking the streets looking for work teaching English. I was lucky enough to get a job at Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuen (now the International Education Center). Through Gary Peacock, a well-known jazz musician who I knew from macrobiotic circles, I found lodging with a woman named Hoashi who also spoke English. Soon I was settled and ready to begin my wondrous adventure.

Meeting with Yamaguchi Sensei

Yamaguchi Sensei taught at Honbu dojo, the world headquarters of aikido at Wakamatsu-cho in Shinjuku, and also had a small dojo at Ikenoue, about a half-hours ride from Honbu on the train. The latter was a large room (24 tatami mats) in a small house that belonged to a partially blind woman who made a living doing shiatsu massage. You could not do breakfalls or rough practice there because it was in a house, and because the mats were a good deal harder than usual dojo mats. One evening, I presented myself at the front door of the Ikenoue dojo with my letter of recommendation. Sensei was not at all pleased. He had never had a foreign student and it seemed he didn’t particularly want one. This dojo was for his chosen few. It had an atmosphere of secrecy, as though the essence of the art was to be found here alone. In addition, although Sensei could speak English, he refused to do so. He would talk to me using one of his students as an interpreter. To add to his chagrin, my own arrogance was completely obvious. I felt that my past studies gave me an insight into aikido that few others had. I was truly a sword in his side. On the other hand, he could hardly refuse me as I came with a letter of recommendation from his older brother.

I had the ominous feeling that my time at this dojo was very limited. Sensei would show a technique, and when I couldn’t understand what he was saying in Japanese, he would become frustrated. He’d rise from the corner where he usually sat in his street clothes smoking a cigarette and giving instruction, enter the mat and wham, level me with irimi nage. I would hit the mat like a stone falling from a two-story roof. It was as if to say, “I guess you can understand that!” He did seem to get enjoyment from my presence though when a small girl who was five dans (I was sixth kyu at the time) trashed me in the same way. My difficult awakening to the reality of training and living in Japan was dawning.

A few months later, a few of his students approached me after class and asked that I tutor them privately in English. Of course I could not refuse and offered to do so for half the price of the going hourly rate. The next evening when I came to class, Sensei was furious. He shouted at me saying that I was allowed to study there only by special circumstances and that for me to ask for money from his students was intolerable. The only Japanese words I was able to make out clearly were, dete ike (get out, and don’t bother to return). My protests were of little use and so my Ikenoue dojo experience came to an abrupt end.

I felt that my chances of learning aikido were truly gone but I had to continue trying just the same. I enrolled at Honbu dojo and studied with Yamaguchi Sensei on Monday evenings and Tuesday mornings. On the other days, however, I was fortunate enough to have the instruction of many great teachers including Doshu, Osawa Sensei, Saotome Sensei, and many others. These experiences were invaluable and deserve to be told as well, but I will leave that for another later time.

Through my friends at Ikenoue dojo I found out about Yamaguchi Sensei’s top student, Takeda Sensei. He had his own dojo in Kamakura, about an hour south of Tokyo, and I began to travel there to study with him on the weekends. It wasn’t until years later that I learned Yamaguchi Sensei had actually requested that Takeda Sensei take me in and look after me. It seems that there was sincere concern underneath his harsh exterior.

Yamaguchi Sensei was very strict and believed that proper etiquette was always necessary. For him, however, this also meant that undue or misplaced formality was unacceptable. Once he arrived at a gasshuku in the mountains south of Tokyo for a rest rather than to teach. Takeda Sensei, who sponsored the retreat, also declined because Yamaguchi Sensei was present. So for three days we played baseball. On the fourth day Yamaguchi Sensei finally begin to teach classes.

On another occasion Michio Kushi came to Japan and stopped by the Ikenoue dojo for a visit. He slid open the shojo screen door and, sitting in seiza, gave a low and formal bow. Yamaguchi Sensei shouted at him saying, “What are you doing bowing to me? You are a great teacher. Come over and sit down so we can talk!” With Sensei your etiquette had to be not only proper but also appropriate to all aspects of the time, place, and situation.

On still another occasion I attended a university gasshuku. We begin our practice at 5 in the morning by running up and down the mountain and then doing calisthenics before morning class. By breakfast time I was completely famished, yet I put the meat portion of my meal to the side. Yamaguchi Sensei asked me, “Why don’t you eat your meat?” I replied that it made me sluggish and reduced my stamina. He then said,” Oh, if you understand that you shouldn’t eat it!” He disliked people doing things as a matter of habit or to follow rules rather than being based on personal experience or conviction.

For the next two years I studied with Yamaguchi Sensei only at Honbu Dojo. He taught three one-hour classes on Monday night, and another hour on Tuesday mornings following Doshu’s 6:30 AM class. I attended Doshu’s morning class about three times a week and took classes with other teachers in the morning and evening. On the weekends, I caught the slow train (Donkan) from Noborito, near my 4 1/2 mat room in Komai, and made connections to Kamakura. It took over two hours to get there, but I’d make it in time for the Sunday morning class, which was from 9:00 to noon. In later years, when I was again attending Yamaguchi Sensei’s dojo, I continued this Sunday training. I would eat lunch in Kamakura and then take the train back to Tokyo for evening training in Shibuya with Yamaguchi Sensei.

Actually it was on a ride back from a big seminar in Kamakura when, after my repeated requests, Yamaguchi Sensei finally relented and allowed me to begin studying at his dojo again. By that time he knew me well enough to know that I was not easily put off. I spoke Japanese reasonably well and had received my shodan from Honbu.

Shortly thereafter, for reasons I never was told, it became necessary to find a new dojo for Yamaguchi Sensei. After some searching by the senior students, we ended up moving to a shrine dojo in Shibuya, Tokyo. It was made for kendo practice and the hardwood floors were about as forgiving as a basketball court. Of course no one enjoyed falling on the hardwoods so practice was slow and quite honest. If the technique didn’t work, you didn’t move.

So after two years of turmoil, I settled into my routine of daily practice at Honbu, three times a week at Yamaguchi Sensei’s dojo, and weekends in Kamakura with Takeda Sensei. Yamaguchi Sensei’s dojo was the place of meticulous research. At Honbu there was the space (and mats) to actually practice the principles taught by Yamaguchi Sensei at his private dojo. Practice in Kamakura centered on learning through taking a great deal of ukemi, and it was perhaps there that I began to realize the reality of hara for the first time. In later years, I learned that repetition isn’t always necessary in order to strengthen ki power.

Takeda Sensei would throw each of his students after class until they could no longer rise to their feet. I remember the feeling quite well. Regardless of how much stamina you build up, there comes a point where the physical muscles of your legs will no longer lift you up, support you, or move at all. I became able to take ukemi almost inexhaustibly, but there were times when I fell and simply couldn’t get up.

I usually taught English for about five hours a day. After that, I would have to run about two miles in order to get to Honbu dojo in time for the 3:00 PM class. I was always sweating by the time I arrived and needed no warm-up. After that class, we would go to a coffee shop and kill time until the 5:30 class. From 6:30 until 7:00, there was free practice, and then class again from 7:00 until 8:00. This was then usually followed by up to an hour of free practice before going home.

Most people, like myself, had long train rides home and had to leave before the trains stopped running. Every night a different teacher taught, and most were seven or eight dans. They included the late Osawa Sensei, Watanabe Sensei, Koichi Tohei Sensei, Saotome Sensei, Sasaki Sensei, the young and upcoming Endo Sensei, Doshu, and many others. Between the three dojos I attended, I averaged about twenty hours of training a week during the ten years that I lived in Japan.

At Honbu dojo, Yamaguchi Sensei’s classes were the most highly attended. It was common for eighty people or more to be at his evening class. It was not only the Japanese students who attended his classes‹ Yamaguchi Sensei had a very large following of foreign students at Honbu as well. The French constituted the majority of the foreign students and, like myself, they seemed to stay forever, only going back to their own country a few weeks a year.

There were also people from Bolivia and other South American countries, Russia, Spain, Germany, and America. Most of the Americans didn’t last for more than six months. Training at Honbu at that time required a lot of dedication and a certain amount of selflessness, and those people who weren’t somewhat eccentric and driven seldom stayed.

The teachers at Honbu were not in the habit of taking each other’s classes, yet there were some who attended Yamaguchi Sensei’s class with some regularity. First and foremost was Saotome Sensei, who was already recognized as a major teacher even though he was younger than most of the second-generation students of the founder. Chiba Sensei and his student, Shibata, also attended Yamaguchi’s classes. Shibata didn’t seem to like the way Yamaguchi Sensei threw him yet was drawn to it by the mystery of how it was done.

Yamaguchi Sensei’s movements were often so fast that even the high- ranking teachers sometimes had trouble taking his ukemi. I personally witnessed Yamada Sensei, Chiba Sensei, Takeda Sensei, Endo Sensei, Shibata Sensei, Sasaki Sensei, and of course Saotome Sensei taking ukemi for Yamaguchi Sensei. Even to watch was awesome and I learned something about a degree of intensity which we don’t have in our practice today.

Although I had the opportunity to take a lot of ukemi from Yamaguchi Sensei at his own dojo, I had fewer chances at Honbu because of the number of students there. Sensei had two or three students at Honbu who took ninety percent of the ukemi. Foremost was Yasuno san who was my senpai even before he entered Honbu. He had studied with Yamaguchi since high school and was very strong and flexible.

As for me, I wanted to take the fast moving ukemi of Yamaguchi Sensei at Honbu so I tried to be as attentive as possible. I’m sure Sensei was aware of this as he walked around teaching by example. At the moment my attention would wander, he would point to me. I would jump up and attack him as if my life depended upon it, but having been taken by surprise, I never managed to do anything except make a fool of myself. I guess this was part of Sensei’s teaching: You had to always be alert and ready.

My dan ranks all came through Honbu dojo. I wanted to receive rank from Yamaguchi Sensei directly but he insisted that it be formally through the aikikai. He may have been thinking about my possible future, yet it seems he always wanted to uphold the memory and legacy of O-Sensei first and foremost. Due to his popularity and ability, with both foreign and Japanese students, people often thought that Yamaguchi Sensei might start his own branch of aikido, yet he never had any such intention. He very much disliked the idea of individual power and felt that everyone should work together even if they held differences of opinion.

He didn’t allow me to be rough with my juniors or soft with those who were stronger than myself. Being a foreigner, there were some Japanese uchi deshi who felt it was their place to put me in mine. On more than one occasion, a self-appointed individual would take it upon himself to give me a severe trouncing. Sometimes they would use tricks like bringing you gently to the mat and smashing you down at the last moment. I didn’t particularly like working with these people, yet Yamaguchi Sensei insisted that I make no such preferences. “He is the very one you need to practice with,” he would say. Once, I was working with a young girl and it seems I brought her down too strongly with an irimi nage. Yamaguchi shouted and a hundred people stopped and slowly sat down in seiza. He pointed out to everyone my mistake. I felt very small.

At the Shibuya dojo when the evening keiko was over, everyone would change into their street clothes and sit around while Yamaguchi Sensei spoke. Sometimes, if sufficiently prompted, some of the students would join in conversation with him, yet mostly we just listened. If you entered into the conversation, it was with caution. If you spoke foolishly, Sensei would have a good chuckle at your expense. He was a man of wide experience and study and had a good deal to say concerning almost any topic whatsoever. Sometimes he would talk for over an hour and some of the students would be forced to politely excuse themselves. At that point Yamaguchi Sensei would rise and we would all slowly saunter out of the dojo, taking care that, after Sensei, the senior students were the first to exit.

Yamaguchi Sensei did not allow rough (ranbo na) keiko. He insisted that students drop the tightness in their entire body and work for grace and effectiveness through principle and technique alone. He taught that power was a must, yet it must be total power that included muscle, mind, and ki working in unison.

During class he didn’t explain much about technique but would work a lot with each student personally. After class however, he loved to go out to the coffee shops and drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, and talk. Once he spent an entire day after morning class, going from coffee shop to coffee shop and talking. He would become so interested in the conversation that he wouldn’t want to stop at all. It was during these times when it was clear how much he really loved to be with others.

I remember one occasion shortly before I left Japan. We were at a coffee shop and one of the students asked me what I would do when I returned to America. I said that I would like to teach Aikido. Yamaguchi Sensei interjected, ” You would like to teach aikido? You are going to teach aikido!” It seems that in spite of the many scoldings that I had received from him over the years, he really did support my dream from the beginning. Sensei was like that. He went out of his way to be hard on the most talented or gung-ho students yet would be very chummy with those who were less serious. Sometimes he would throw Takeda Sensei very hard and then walk away as if to say, ” No big deal after all.” This was difficult to accept for someone who was already known as a high level teacher, yet later Takeda Sensei would say, “Yamaguchi Sensei is a man of great spiritual fortitude.”

From time to time, students of Yamaguchi Sensei went to America and tried to teach Yamaguchi Sensei’s way of practice. In the evening after keiko he would laughingly read their letters in which they inevitably said how impossible it was to teach his aikido. No one could understand or agree with his techniques, which seemed to flow so effortlessly. This is really no surprise. Even the high-ranking teachers of Honbu dojo couldn’t usually understand how Yamaguchi Sensei was able to so effortlessly do what he did. Taking his ukemi was an indescribable experience. He touch was like a feather, yet you would fly off your feet as if you had been hit by a tornado and hit the mat like a sack of stones.

It’s really a shame that there is so little documentation of Sensei’s aikido. He was, in the eyes of most of the second-generation shihan, a genius of Budo. He was an artist but also a man of deep philosophy and conviction. He followed no strict religious beliefs, yet was quite a student of Lao Tsu and the philosophy of yin and yang. His love for the sword, along with his worldview and philosophy seemed to be what formed his unique understanding and precise technique. Watching his aikido you could clearly see the precision and beauty of sword. He never gave much emphasis to repetition but rather said one should be in the moment and focus on each singular movement as if it was the only thing in existence.

In the dojo Yamaguchi Sensei always looked like a giant. His ki seemed to extend everywhere. When he walked onto the mat he carried an undeniable authority which had nothing to do with rank or position. His authority came from his own self-knowledge and lack of presumption. On the street in his regular clothes however, he was quite an average man. He dressed in loose fitting comfortable clothes and seemed no different than anyone else. He was about 5′ 6” tall, and he weighed only 135 pounds. This seems quite amazing as I once saw him throw a sumo student to the mat.

When he walked down the street he seemed very alert, yet completely relaxed. His arms hung loosely at his sides when he walked and looked as though they weighed a ton each. His eyes, one of which was always more closed than the other, looked at you with great intensity. When he smiled it was with an ear-to-ear grin which seemed to portray the same expansive ki so obvious in his aikido technique. When such an expression came forth it was clear that he had a great warmth of feeling and compassion, in spite of his usual strictness.

Sensei was often surrounded by his closest devotees and he seemed to like that a great deal. Those who were close to him truly loved him. For example, even a great aikido teacher in Japan makes very little money and has a hard time making ends meet. At the end of the year it was a custom among his closest students to take up a collection and bring him a “sackfull” of money to help with his expenses for the upcoming year. It was as if to say, “Please be well and continue to teach us in this new year.”

During my last three years in Japan, I moved to Kamakura because I wanted to enjoy the beauty there. During that time my commute for work and keiko was reversed from Kamakura to Tokyo. Each year, I threatened to return to America and each year the students of Kamakura dojo rose to the occasion to send me off with a going away party. It became a standing joke because time after time I changed my mind and stayed yet another year. All in all, I stayed in Japan for ten years without leaving even once. This was probably not a good idea, as I became somewhat crazy and have never been completely cured even to this day. In any case, I finally came up against the question of whether or not I should live in Japan for the rest of my life. I had become quite comfortable there, studying Aikido with the best teachers in the world, making a good living teaching English, and living within the elegant and charming background of Kamakura. If I didn’t leave soon I would stay forever and my dream of passing down the teachings that had been given to me would be lost. So finally after ten years I returned.

I opened my dojo in Brookline, Massachusetts and have been teaching there ever since. On several occasions between 1980 and 1990 I visited Japan and Yamaguchi Sensei but after that it became too difficult to get back. The years passed and in late January 1996, we learned that Yamaguchi Sensei had suddenly passed away in his sleep. It was a great shock to all who knew him. He was, at nearly seventy years old, still incredibly young. His hair was still jet black and he moved like a man in his thirties. Sensei had never been a man who ate much although he was quite strict about what he did eat. He would only have a single beer on rare occasions in order to be sociable. He liked to drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, and talk so much that I think he often went all day actually forgetting to eat anything at all. It seems that over the years these habits created a slight ulceration in his intestine. His doctor advised him to have it fixed and said that if he did so he could live an active life for another twenty years.

Yamaguchi Sensei however was a man who believed very strongly in the natural order of things. He opted to take the chance that perhaps he could cure the situation himself. I was told that on the evening before his death he took part in an aikido demonstration and ended it with a three-man attack. This was nothing unusual for Sensei, yet afterwards he seemed to have a hard time getting his breath and seemed quite uncomfortable. Refusing a ride, Yamaguchi Sensei said that he would make his own way home and disappeared into the night. That evening, January 24, he died in his sleep from internal bleeding.

William Gleason

When I heard that Yamaguchi Sensei had passed away I felt a deep hollowness inside. I received so much from him. Not only did he teach me aikido but even more he taught me a certain honesty, integrity and respect for life. In many ways he was more like a father to me than just a teacher. He left me with a vision and a dream, which I am still pursuing today; the further research of aikido and all of its many applications to our daily life.

This article is reproduced here with the kind permission of the author and the Bujin Design website where it is hosted. -Ed.

For more information on Shobu Aikido of Boston, please click here.

Click here for information on Seigo Yamaguchi’s 1987 Seminar in Paris video

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This is Part 1 of the first publicly available video featuring famous Aikikai Hombu Dojo instructor, Seigo Yamaguchi. The video was taken at a large seminar in Paris, France hosted by Christian Tissier in 1987. Yamaguchi Sensei, 8th dan, was one of the most important of the first generation of aikido instructors of the postwar era. He taught at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo for several decades until his passing in 1996. Having now become nearly a legend, Yamaguchi Sensei influenced several generations of practitioners within the Aikikai system during his career including many of today’s senior instructors of the Headquarters school.

Yamaguchi Sensei’s aikido had a unique flavor that was appealing to thousands of aikidoka who came into contact with him during his long teaching career. His style was characterized by a powerful, spontaneous technique adapted freely to rapidly changing circumstances. His movements ranging from soft to explosive must be seen to be appreciated. The present video represents a rare look at Yamaguchi Sensei in his prime during a seminar held in Paris, France in 1987. Now aikido practitioners everywhere will have an opportunity to experience his instruction and superlative technique for the first time ever!

This invaluable program is available with complete subtitles in English for greater accessibility to an international audience.

Yamaguchi Sensei was, in the eyes of most of the second-generation shihan, a genius of Budo. He was an artist but also a man of deep philosophy and conviction. He followed no strict religious beliefs, yet was quite a student of Lao Tsu and the philosophy of yin and yang. His love for the sword, along with his worldview and philosophy seemed to be what formed his unique understanding and precise technique. Watching his aikido you could clearly see the precision and beauty of sword. He never gave much emphasis to repetition but rather said one should be in the moment and focus on each singular movement as if it was the only thing in existence.

In the dojo Yamaguchi Sensei always looked like a giant. His ki seemed to extend everywhere. When he walked onto the mat he carried an undeniable authority which had nothing to do with rank or position. His authority came from his own self-knowledge and lack of presumption. — William Gleason, from My Experience with Seigo Yamaguchi Sensei

Price: $5.99
Duration: 36:16
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Frame size: 720 x 480

“If you stand naturally you can enter immediately when it appears that your
opponent is about to move. When your opponent moves you have already won.”

The young are often moved to action by heroic images. Like their heroes, they long to become strong and just. As they are young and inexperienced, the path most immediately obvious to them is that followed by their heroes before them. Uncritical imitation is the first step in the quest of the young to become like their heroes.

From time in memoriam, the warrior-soldier is the most likely candidate for a culture’s heroes in that most nations have armies and engage in warfare. In our modern world, where the actual battles now take place in third-world proxy nations, the martial artist has risen to the warrior-soldier level in the eyes of our young due mainly to the impact of the mass media.

A group photo with Nishio and Morihei Ueshiba standing in front of Aikikai Hombu Dojo in February 1969

Turning back the clock to war-ravaged Japan of 1945, the image of the martial artist would overnight supplant the soldier/hero who had gone down to defeat in the devastating conflict just ended. The choice for the 18-year-old Shoji Nishio would be to continue his training in judo in order to develop his body and become strong like his martial heroes.

Born in 1927 in Aomori Prefecture, Nishio made his way to Tokyo as a teenager to work just prior to the outbreak of the war. He soon took up judo at a local dojo in order to improve his frail physical condition. When the war ended, training in martial arts was severely limited by the occupation forces and the famous Kodokan Judo headquarters had all but ceased operations.

Gradually, as troops repatriated to Japan after the war, activity at the Kodokan picked up and Nishio was able to resume his judo training. An enthusiastic, hard trainer, he steadily rose through the ranks eventually receiving a 4th dan. However, Nishio found himself dissatisfied with judo because of the compromises made to the art’s techniques to accomodate competition.

As a supplement to his judo training, Nishio took up karate in the late 1940s under the famous Yasuhiro Konishi (1893-1983), founder of Shindo Jinen Ryu. Nishio practiced karate for several years through 1952, but also found this art limited for similar reasons. There was a strong initiative afoot to modify the traditional techniques of Okinawan karate to bring this art into conformity with modern budo forms—primarily judo and kendo—which had been converted into sports.

Yasuhiro Konishi (1893-1983)

As fate would have it, there was a close connection between Konishi Sensei and aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba that extended back to the early 1930s when Ueshiba was active teaching at his newly-built Kobukan Dojo. Konishi was already an accomplished karateka who had trained under many leading karate masters of the day such as Gichin Funakoshi, Chojun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, and Choki Motobu. Konishi also practiced seriously for several years with Ueshiba whom he considered “the greatest martial artist he had met so far.”

In 1952, one of the senior instructors at Konishi Sensei’s dojo, a certain Toyosaku Sodeyama Sensei, mentioned to the young Nishio that he had met a martial artist who was like a “phantom!” Nishio recalls: “I was amazed that there was someone that even Sodeyama Sensei couldn’t strike. It was O-Sensei [Morihei Ueshiba]… Anyway, I went to see aikido and immediately joined the dojo. I was told to go and take a look at aikido, but I never went back to karate!”

Young Nishio joined the barely active Aikikai Hombu Dojo sparked by Sodeyama Sensei’s enthusiasm. However, there were few students in the dojo at that time and a couple of families displaced by the war were still living there. Classes were taught mainly by Morihei Ueshiba’s son, Kisshomaru, and Koichi Tohei. Training consisted of a relatively small number of techniques and about half of practice time was devoted to suwariwaza techniques done in the dojo, only part of which had tatami mats. Nishio describes the spartan conditions of those early days of Aikikai this way:

No one was there and sometimes I would swing a sword and then go home. We were lucky to have five people. It was a time when all Japanese were hungry and only people who could be called martial arts fanatics would come! The people who did come to train were those that had practiced arts like judo and karate, but thought that there had to be something more, something deeper than these arts. So everyone came after having tried something else. There was no one whose experience was limited to aikido. That was not a cause for concern. Today, when people know only aikido, many are filled with doubts.

When Nishio joined the Aikikai, the founder Ueshiba O-Sensei was spending most of his time in Iwama in Ibaragi Prefecture. It was a full year and a half before Nishio saw the imposing figure of the founder in action for the first time. What particularly impressed Nishio about Ueshiba’s technique was his lightning fast handling of the sword. Dazzling as his technique was, Ueshiba offered no real explanation of what he was doing. For example, when Nishio inquired of his seniors about the use and importance of the sword in aikido, no satisfactory answer was forthcoming, so he decided to take matters in his own hands.

Nisho was convinced that aikido was the true martial path for him. At the same time, he found shortcomings in its practice methods, especially after watching Ueshiba’s incredible sword work and noting the lack of inclusion of sword techniques in the art’s curriculum. To remedy things, as he had done before, Nishio took up the study of iaido (Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu) with 10th dan Shigenori Sano in 1955, and then jodo (Shindo Muso-ryu) with the famous Takaji Shimizu (1896-1978). Each of these arts contributed to his knowledge of the use of weapons and, in turn, complemented his aikido training. Not everyone was pleased with Nishio’s forays into other arts as his aikido began to take on a unique flavor.

Nishio recalls with a smile a remark attributed to Koichi Tohei: “Nishio’s not doing aikido. I don’t know whether he’s doing judo or karate, but it’s not aikido. He doesn’t know how to extend ki!”

Nishio also felt dissatisfied by the relatively few throwing techniques of aikido that included mainly iriminage, shihonage, and kotegaeshi. Little by little, he developed his own innovative repertoire of techniques that included aikido hip-throws (koshiwaza) based on his background in judo. In a like manner, he systematically incorporated atemi modeled on sword movements to facilitate the setup and execution—“tsukuri” and “kuzushi”—of techniques. He also devised sword and staff counterparts to empty-handed techniques drawn from his extensive weapons background.

Despite being somewhat out of the aikido mainstream, Nishio nonetheless rose quickly through the ranks achieving 5th dan in 1958 after only six years of training. This was not uncommon in the early years of aikido and many of the principal figures from the 1940s and 50s such as Tohei, Saito, Yamaguchi, Hikitsuchi, and numerous others were rapidly promoted.

Teaching activities

Nishio executing a hip-throw technique for which he was noted

By the mid-1950s, aikido was undergoing steady growth as many branch dojos, and university and company clubs sprang up all over Japan. Nishio began teaching more and more on the outside and frequenting the Hombu Dojo less and less. He was employed at the Japanese Mint during the day and taught aikido at night at various locations in Tokyo and its suburbs. Nishio’s network of dojos practiced methods that were widely seen as a deviation from the standard curriculum of Hombu that was based primarily on the approaches of Kisshomaru Ueshiba and Koichi Tohei. He did, however, maintain close ties with the headquarters organization and regularly participated in large aikido demonstrations and social events. The founder Ueshiba and his son would often appear as guests at the functions of Nishio-affiliated dojos.

When Nishio retired from his job with the government mint in 1980, he was an aikido 8th dan, iaido 7th dan, judo 6th dan, and karate 5th dan. This signaled a new era as he was free to devote full time to aikido instruction. His activities were not only limited to Japan, but he also made frequent trips to Scandanavia, the USA, and various European countries, in particular, France. Nishio maintained an active teaching schedule including regular trips abroad for some 20 years. Declining health gradually caused him to curtail his activities in the last years of his life.

Nishio Aikido

Technical

Nishio’s technical legacy is totally unique. Although Morihiro Saito’s aikido also included the use of the sword and staff, what Saito did was to preserve and formalize the founder’s weapons techniques with little modification. Nishio, instead, mastered the basics of several of the modern weapons systems from which he drew many elements in addition to his prior experience in judo and karate.

What then emerged as Nishio Aikido is an amalgamation of elements drawn from judo, karate, iaido, and jojutsu built on the aikido technical framework and philosophy. To supplement his martially-oriented taijutsu or empty-handed techniques, Nishio also developed an elaborate series of sword, staff, and iaido variations.

What are the basics of his system? “In my dojo I teach how to grab, how to stand up, how to swing the sword, the tsuki and oblique stance (hanmen) and yokomen. Proper grabbing, proper swinging and striking are transformed into atemi instantly.”

The highly-principled concepts of aikido take on a physical dimension in Nishio’s aikido. For example, one should adopt a natural stance when confronted by an adversary. “If you stand naturally you can enter immediately when it appears that your opponent is about to move. When your opponent moves you have already won.”

Applied in a social context, the natural stance might be akin to maintaining silence in a verbal exchange until your conversation partner expresses what he wants to say as opposed to arguing with him. Not having defined one’s position allows one to listen to and consider another’s intent and desires before acting. “Human beings should not fight. They should instead love each other, help each other, and complement each other. By doing so, they create a humane world.”

Another important concept is the matching of breathing in unison with the opponent. “We don’t disrupt the opponent’s breathing because, in the aikido way, the opponent changes his breathing and we adjust our breathing accordingly.” Breathing is the key component of the process of unification with an opponent and corresponds to the breathing employed when using the sword which serves as the basis for Nishio’s atemi.

While atemi or “preemptive strikes” have fallen into disuse in mainstream styles of aikido, Nishio saw their employment as essential to the success of aikido techniques: “I regard atemi as the soul of Japanese martial arts. Atemi temporarily neutralize the opponent’s fighting ability and allow him to correct his attitude and return to his previous condition.”

Aikido Journal Editor Stanley Pranin interviewing Nishio Sensei in 2003

When Nishio explained the use of atemi in aikido techniques he demonstrated their application at successive points in the movement showing that they are always available. No physical contact actually takes place in order to assure safe practice conditions. The movement corresponding to the atemi does indeed neutralize the opponent’s mind and body rendering him unable to continue his attack.

In Nishio Aikido, the mechanics of achieving unification with an opponent often include taking a “half-step.” This is a critical concept expressed by the founder that allows the aikidoka to avoid discontinuity and make contact with the opponent. Looking deeper into the idea, we discover that taking a “full-step” translates to opposing the will of the opponent and applying counterforce. In a physical sense, this implies a clash. Applied to social interaction, this is tantamount to imposing one’s will in defiance of or ignoring another’s desires. In contrast, the half-step of aikido facilitates the unification of energies, or, in social terms, a meeting of minds leading to agreement.

Philosophical

Nishio Sensei, while not imitating the founder’s techniques, took the aikido philosophy as espoused by the founder very much to heart. Among these principles that echo Morihei Ueshiba’s core beliefs is the concept that, in aikido, the intent and movement of the opponent are not opposed. Rather, a process of unification of energies takes place where the breathing and movement of the opponent are mirrored, thus allowing the aikidoka to neutralize his aggression. Having controlled the attack, aikido advocates the forgiveness and rehabilitation of the attacker rather than causing injury or death.

In a broader context, one of Nishio’s primary goals was to return Japanese martial arts to their original spirit. The contrast he draws between the Japanese spirit and the western culture are enlightening:

“The fundamental principles of the Japanese martial spirit are different from the spirit of present sports or the spirit of the western knight. The spirit of the western knight gave rise to present sports. They fight for themselves or their own honor sacrificing everything. But this is not the Japanese budo spirit. Samurai fought for the country and the people, not for themselves or their honor. In the spirit of Japanese budo, one fights together with one’s family for society and the people. With that spirit in mind we eliminate conflict. If you fight by yourself, fighting will be endless. If people who say, “I can die to prevent others from being killed” get together, conflict will be eliminated. This is the spirit Aikido seeks.”

Nishio chose the sometimes controversial path of not imitating the founder’s technique, but rather absorbing aikido’s essential principles and adapting them to the current cultural context. In this regard, his technique was constantly evolving as his technical understanding and skills improved. For this reason, Nishio’s aikido bore little resemblance to orthodox aikido exemplified by the Hombu approach that tended to be conservative in nature. “Budo must always reflect its surroundings. If it isn’t newer and stronger, it isn’t valid.”

Shoji Nishio was one of the strongest advocates of understanding and adapting the profound principles of aikido into one’s personal interpretation of the art. Morihei Ueshiba’s philosophy served as a beacon for Nishio’s thinking and actions in developing his unique form of aikido.

O-Sensei’s thinking was great. He made a tremendous change from the former unforgiving, lethal martial arts to a “forgiving martial art.” In this sense, his way of thinking was an advance over Jigoro Kano Sensei’s ideas of “maximum efficiency with minimum effort” and “mutual prosperity.” I think that at the time Kano Sensei came up with the concept of mutual prosperity, it was a revolutionary way of thinking. But O-Sensei’s way of thinking was even more advanced. “Forgiving, giving, and leading” were his words. Previous martial arts, since they were concerned with the taking of life by force, valued forceful seizure rather than giving.

Nishio’s technical legacy

Fortunately for posterity, Nishio left extensive pedagocial materials in the form of a four-volume DVD series and a book published by Aiki News. The Nishio Aikido video series consists of nine volumes covering: gyakuhanmi katatedori, aihanmi katatedori, shomenuchi, yokomenuchi, ryotedori, sodedori, and katadori menuchi techniques. In these videotapes, he also demonstrates sword and staff applications of the techniques presented. The last two videotapes cover his sword forms.

For many years, Nishio resisted the idea of publishing a book on aikido because his art was constantly changing. “I’m always practicing and questioning. So I can’t arrive at an absolute opinion. If you write a book and then die dissatisfied with it, who is going to rewrite it for you?”

Despite his earlier reluctance, he did indeed author a book titled aptly Aikido—Yurusu Budo in 2004 less than a year before his passing. In the foreword to the book, he states the reasons for his change of mind:

“Having grown older, and having already mourned the passing of such teachers as Seigo Yamaguchi, who held my highest respect from the very beginning of my aikido career, and Morihiro Saito, who worked so tirelessly to transmit the founder’s aikido in its purest possible form, I began to consider what will happen to aikido from this point on.

Snap taken of Nishio Sensei from 2003

Aikido is a “budo,” a “martial way,” and therefore inextricably rooted in “jujutsu” or “martial technique.” Yet when I look at the aikido world today, I see very little “budo-ness” being expressed in technique, and I wonder if people haven’t begun to forget these important roots…”

Aikido—Yurusu Budo is a comprehensive look at Nishio Aikido and present the key principles of his art through the presentation of gyakuhanmi, aihanmi katatedori, sodedori, katadori menuchi, shomenuchi, and yokomenuchi techniques. Both empty-handed versions as well as techniques using the sword and staff are covered.

Conclusion

In the annals of aikido, there are perhaps ten or so teachers who have commanded universal respect for their high level of skill and major contributions to the spread of aikido. Among this elite list of exceptional figures who have left an indelible impression on today’s aikido, Shoji Nishio stands out as one of the foremost technical innovators and strongest proponents of the founder’s philosophy.

Aikido Journal has just released an ebook version of Shoji Nishio Sensei’s Aikido — Yurusu Budo in PDF format for $7.99. Click here for further information.

This 208-page technical volume is written by one of the greatest teachers of the postwar era, Shoji Nishio Sensei. This is Nishio Sensei’s first book and is presented in bilingual, Japanese-English format for an international readership. This beautiful volume contains hundreds of technical photos illustrating Nishio Sensei’s empty-handed techniques along with detailed explanations and commentary on their interrelationships with the ken and jo, and the deeper principles of aikido.

Aikido — Yurusu Budo offers a comprehensive look at Nishio Aikido and covers the key principles of his art through the presentation of gyakuhanmi, aihanmi katatedori, sodedori, katadori menuchi, shomenuchi, and yokomenuchi techniques. Both empty-handed versions as well as techniques using the sword and staff are presented.

Shoji Nishio Bio

Shoji Nishio was born December 5, 1927 in Aoyama Prefecture. He enrolled at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1951 and began to instruct around 1955. Nishio Sensei had a broad background in judo, karate, iaido, jojutsu and other arts and incorporated elements from these disciplines into his aikido. He achieved the rank of Aikikai 8th dan.

Nishio taught in northern Europe, America, France, Germany and other countries. He was also active in overseeing branch dojos in many different parts of Japan until his passing in March 2005.

Aikido is a “budo,” a “martial way,” and therefore inextricably rooted in “jujutsu” or “martial technique.” Yet when I look at the aikido world today, I see very little “budo-ness” being expressed in technique, and I wonder if people haven’t begun to forget these important roots… — Shoji Nishio

Pages: 208
File size: 95 mb
Dimensions: 7″ x 10″

This was the response from life-long martial artist Norman Carr (Shotokan and Doshinkan Aikido(1).) We were discussing the benefits of physically “hard” training, sort of reminiscently. The normative age of this Black Belt class was around sixty years old. Realistically speaking, throws and breakfalls are now a long-term disability should anything go wrong. (Plus, it seems to take quite a long time just to get back up!) As martial artists an injury directly jeopardizes our ability to protect ourselves and loved ones. We will have defeated ourselves in this primary aspect of martial art training. As advanced Black Belts we really don’t need to do the breakfalls, or the throws, whether practically speaking or symbolically.

Our martial art quest of “continually seeking” required that we maintain our effectiveness despite the natural aging process. We are still looking forward, and not back. Our path took us to what many proclaim as the correct way to go. We went to internal methods. Our dojo has gone to a more intense emphasis on internal and breath methods.

The training is no longer anywhere near as physical as in our younger days. Yet we are more effective, not less. We have proved for ourselves the adage of internal benefits: we are now faster, more balanced, and more powerful than before. (Norman still is doing no problem, full-speed Aikido against Tae Kwan Do practitioners.) The essence of what we have discovered is that “the forms are fairly easy to duplicate, the path of creativity is not.” (2)

In practice it is very rare to execute a technique at 100% speed, power, or technique. Practice training is done in a manner that permits a breakfall or a tapping out release to occur. In the dojo there isn’t the likelihood of an unexpected attack. Remaining in an alert “condition red” is easy to do for the few hours of a practice session. Plus the initial response to the fear factor of a sudden violent encounter/trauma can’t be duplicated in the safety of the training atmosphere and circle of training partners.

How can the learning, retentive, and reactive process take place?
How can we not “lose it?” (the training response)
Is there any assurance that the technique will even be there?

First, I believe it is mandatory to have prerequisite training in a very precise, fundamental oriented, biomechanical Basic Movement style that really works in a tactical martial art sense (such as the extremely forward focused Doshinkan Style.) If the techniques aren’t street effective, by definition it is not going to be there if you have to use it.

After completely learning the fundamentals, doing the technique at slow speed seems to be one of the tickets to patterning the technique into one’s instinctual response. The slowest speeds eliminate the use of the power of speed or aggression. The technique has to be the actual correct technique; and not poor technique executed with overwhelming power to create success.

Eliminating the throw and resultant breakfall seems to place more focus on patterning the technique into instinct. The throw often becomes too much of the object of the exercise. Focus on the nuances of the precision of the actual technique is easily lost. It is easy to become “incorrect result” (throw) oriented.

Getting technique up to fighting speed can be accomplished by doing the Basic Movements of the technique to rapid breath rhythm pulses. In Doshinkan Style, as well as Yoshinkan Style, there is a series of Basic Movements from which all technique originate. The speed created and breath patterned in Basic Movements translates into speed of technique. One method of placing speed and rhythm into breath rhythms can be accomplished by the basic Zensho (bokuseki) Calligraphy brushwork. Body movements (and sword movements) at the speed and freedom of a calligrapher brush’s start, stop, twists, and turns “from within rather than without” (3) are the ultimate goal. Start with brush movements, then transfer to body movement training, progress to the same movement with sword, and then translate into Aikido techniques.

Once the entire technique is patterned internally, responding from a relaxed hands down stance to a full speed attack seems to trigger a reflex to the “aggression/energy/focus” that precedes the actual attack. This develops an internal stimulus/response relationship. The internal stimulus/response imbeds the technique where memory does not have to be relied upon. This leads to a type of oneness of Ai/Harmony.

In Aikido, “Ai/Harmony” is fundamental. To maintain “Ai/Harmony” with others and with surroundings means always having a continuous “technique” engagement of “oneness” going on. There is nothing to remember as this status and connection is constant, ”24/7.” We “just do,” or perhaps we “just are.”

A critical vulnerability is that if the attack is done without aggression; the stimulus/response reaction won’t be triggered. Because we literally use the energy of the attack to create a lot of our movement; most of our speed is not going to be created for us. The worst part is that this is what will likely occur in the seriousness of a well-planned, close-up, concealed/subversive, gun/knife attack or mugging.

We have to “be there” when there is no outward aggression. In this case we have to be alert, and use our own breath energy/Ki techniques to create simultaneous evasive movement and energy dispersion techniques.

A perfect state of “oneness” will handle the situation.
Unfortunately, I am nowhere near that level of being.

Notes:
(1) Doshinkan Style Aikido is the personal Aikido of Yoshinkan Master Yukio Utada, Doshinkan Aikido International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Doshinkan Style movements, unbalancing, power, tactics, and technique are based upon Aikido as a martial art. Our dojo is an affiliate dojo of Doshinkan Aikido International.
(2) Nakashima, Mira. “Nature Form and Spirit”, Harry N. Abrams, NY. 2003.
(3) Stevens, John. “Sacred Calligraphy of the East.” Shambhala, Boston, 1995.

Takemusu Aikido: Basics Concluded is the third volume of this comprehensive series presenting the aikido of Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei. Volume 3 covers the following series of techniques: koshinage, tenchinage, kaitennage, jujinage, morotedori kokyuho and suwariwaza kokyuho. This work is profusely illustrated with more than 500 photos and includes detailed, step-by-step explanations of each technique. Bilingual, Japanese and English.

Morihiro Saito, 9th dan, is one of aikido’s most highly acclaimed teachers and was active for 56 years in the art. He was one of the founder Ueshiba’s closest students and operated Ueshiba’s country dojo in Iwama, Ibaragi Prefecture while serving as caretaker of the Aiki Shrine. Saito is well-known internationally due to his numerous technical works and frequent instructional that which took him to more than twenty countries.

From Morihiro Saito’s Introduction:

It has been twenty-seven years since the passing of the founder and today many different styles of aikido exist. The result has been that teachers have taught freely based on their individual ways of thinking.

Of course, it is a fine thing for instructors to teach based on their own ideas. However, I am compelled to feel somewhat uncomfortable that such a situation will result in confusion over the nature of the aikido that the founder laboriously formulated over a lifetime. The reason is that today in aikido there are those who do not recognize the validity of weapons techniques employing the aiki ken and aiki jo. Moreover, there are some whose aikido techniques are very different from those of the founder. There remains little trace of his genius in this kind of aikido.

As a direct student of the founder and the person in charge of his personal dojo, I constantly remind myself of my responsibility to faithfully transmit his teachings as I instruct my students. For this reason, the Takemusu Aikido technical series being published by Aiki News is very important to me. I sincerely hope that Volume 3 will be of some help to those who cannot participate in my seminars or those who are unable to come here to Iwama to learn.

Morihiro Saito
Ibaragi Dojo, March 1996

Contents

• Preface
• Basic techniques

Kaitennage

• Shomenuchi kaitennage
• Yokomenuchi kaitennage
• Yokomenuchi kaitennage ki no nagare
• Katatedori kaitennage (uchi)
• Katatedori kaitennage (soto)
• Ryotedori kaitennage oyowaza (uchi)
• Tsuki kaitennage

Koshinage

• Shomenuchi koshinage (1)
• Shomenuchi koshinage (2): shihonage form
• Yokomenuchi koshinage (1) ki no nagare: shihonage form
• Yokomenuchi koshinage (2): sankyo form
• Yokomenuchi koshinage (3) ki no nagare
• Yokomenuchi koshinage (4): shihonage form
• Katatedori koshinage (1)
• Katatedori koshinage (2)
• Katatedori koshinage (3): shihonage form
• Katatedori koshinage (4): shihonage form
• Ryotedori koshinage (1)
• Ryotedori koshinage (2)
• Ryotedori koshinage (3)
• Ryotedori koshinage (4): shihonage form
• Morotedori koshinage (1) shita kara ue
• Morotedori koshinage (2) shita kara ue
• Morotedori koshinage (3) ue kara shita
• Morotedori koshinage (4)
• Morotedori koshinage (5): shihonage form
• Morotedori koshinage (6): shihonage form
• Munadori katate koshinage
• Munadori shomenuchi koshinage
• Katadori koshinage (1)
• Katadori koshinage (2)
• Katadori koshinage (3): shihonage form
• Ryokatadori koshinage ki no nagare
• Kosadori koshinage (1)
• Kosadori koshinage (2)
• Kosadori koshinage (3)
• Kubishime koshinage
• Tsuki koshinage (1)
• Tsuki koshinage (2)
• Tsuki koshinage (3)

Tenchinage

• Ryotedori tenchinage kihon
• Ryotedori tenchinage ki no nagare
• Katatedori tenchinage

Jujinage

• Munadori jujinage
• Ushiro ryotedori jujinage
• Ushiro katate munadori jujinage
• Ushiro katate munadori jujinage henka

Suwariwaza kokyuho

• Suwariwaza kokyuho (1)
• Suwariwaza kokyuho (2)
• Suwariwaza kokyuho (3)
• Suwariwaza kokyuho (4)
• Suwariwaza kokyuho (5)

Morotedori kokyuho

• Morotedori kokyuho (1)
• Morotedori kokyuho (2)
• Morotedori kokyuho (3)
• Morotedori kokyuho (4)

Pages: 176
File size: 338 mb
Dimensions: 7″ x 10″

The popularity of aikido both in Japan and abroad is a post-World War II phenomenon. Early students of Founder Morihei Ueshiba such as Koichi Tohei, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Gozo Shioda, Kenji Tomiki and others, followed by their students in turn, were mainly responsible for the growth of the art on an international scale.

What factors are responsible for aikido’s broad appeal? Many people observing the art for the first time comment on the beauty and gracefulness of aikido techniques. The attacker is thrown in a seemingly effortless manner yet suffers no apparent harm from the encounter. The promise of a self-defense art that protects the individual while sparing the aggressor is an attractive concept in philosophical and moral terms in a world where the specter of warfare seems ever present. Aikido’s ethical basis appeals to man’s deep-seated instinct for survival. At the same time, the art provides a unique alternative to the violent techniques of other martial arts—techniques that elicit moral repugnance in many.

On a physical level, aikido has much to offer for the health conscious. The accumulated benefits produced by warm-up, stretching, throwing and falling exercises are considerable. Many practitioners have undergone dramatic physical transformations through aikido training on their way to a fitness lifestyle.

The social milieu that develops in aikido dojos is an important part, too, of the training experience for many practitioners. Aikido tends to draw from a wide age range and students continue longer than practitioners of arts centered on competition, primarily the domain of young people. Also, I think it would be accurate to say that, as a percentage, aikido has a higher ratio of female participants than any other martial art. All of this contributes to a strong sense of community. For many students of aikido, the dojo is an extension of or even a substitute for their family.

Aikido: the non-martial art

For all of the positive benefits of aikido training, the art has not yet realized its great potential as a social force for promoting harmony among peoples. Although the relationship may not appear obvious, I think this is due in large part to the art’s distancing itself from its martial roots. It is the martial atmosphere of the dojo setting that allows students to develop real-world skills and elevates the level of training beyond that of a mere health system. The neglect of the martial side of aikido can be explained in part by historical circumstances.

Japanese society in the postwar era rejected the military mentality that led to the country’s involvement in the Second World War. Given this inhospitable climate where the practice of martial arts was forbidden for several years, the martial nature of aikido was suppressed. As a consequence, what remained of the art that was embraced by hundreds of thousands of practitioners was—with few exceptions—something quite different from the original concept of the Founder. The techniques of aikido retained only the outer form of a martial art and tended to be practiced in a setting devoid of martial intensity. Let us look at some of the factors that cause aikido to fall short as a martial art.

Weak attacks

The root of the problem as I see it lies in the weak attacks that are commonplace in aikido dojos nowadays. Students are seldom given training in how to execute an effective attack, be it in striking, grabbing or the occasional choking or kicking techniques. The situation is further exacerbated by a lack of committed intent or focus during attacks. This absence of firm intent on the part of the attacker affects his mental state and that of the person executing the technique. Both sides are aware—at least subconsciously—of the minimal risk of injury in training under these circumstances. Accordingly, the focused mind-set needed to develop realistic self-defense skills is absent from training.

Neglect of atemi and kiai

A study of the art of the Founder will reveal his emphasis on atemi (preemptive strikes) and kiai (combative shouts) as an integral part of techniques. O-Sensei can be seen executing atemi and kiai even in films from his final years when his aikido had become much less physical.

Atemi and kiai go hand in hand and are important tools for stopping or redirecting the mind of the attacker and successfully unbalancing him. Even if a physical strike is not actually employed, a mental state that preempts or disrupts the attack is a vital component of the aikido mind-set. Yet in many dojos today, the use of atemi or kiai will draw scorn from the teacher in charge who regards them as crude, violent means that have no place in an art of “harmony.” This common misconception bespeaks a lack of understanding of the martial origins of the art and the theory and practice of the Founder.

Failure to unbalance attacker

The combination of weak attacks, lack of atemi and kiai in aikido practice lead inevitably to practitioners attempting to execute techniques without first unbalancing the attacker. An uncommitted attacker having foreknowledge of the technique to be applied is not easily brought under control. This introduces an artificial element of collusion into the interaction between practitioners and results in a training atmosphere that is fundamentally different from the intensity of a real encounter.

Use of force and “make-believe” throws

The logical consequence of the above training lapses is the execution of sloppy, imprecise throws and pins. Since full control of the attacker is not achieved, it often becomes necessary for the person throwing to resort to physical strength in order to complete the technique. This leads to clashing and raises the risk of injury.

Another scenario is that neither of the two partners put any serious effort into the technique and the interplay between them is little more than choreographed collusion.

The progress of practitioners taught in a setting in which the “martial edge” is absent and where sound training principles are not observed will necessarily be retarded. What is worse, some who are products of this kind of training environment will entertain the illusion that their skills would be viable in a realistic situation.

Premature physical decline of instructors

I suspect that a certain segment of the aikido population would agree with the above observations. On the other hand, the next subject I will broach will no doubt elicit controversy in many quarters.

In my 40 years of involvement in aikido I have observed numerous teachers pass from their physical primes to a state of declining health and, in the cases of some, to an early demise. All too frequently they have accelerated the inevitable aging process through poor lifestyle choices. As their bodies age, teachers frequently adapt their techniques to compensate for their physical ailments and decreased ability to move. Moreover, they stop engaging in “give-and-take” practice where the roles of uke (the attacker) and nage (person throwing) are alternated. They become “teachers,” but cease to be “practitioners” in the way they were in their formative years of training.

The withdrawal of teachers from partnered training practice whether or not the result of a conscious decision has far-reaching effects on their aikido careers. By no longer doing warmup exercises and taking falls, they undermine their level of body conditioning and flexibility. Focusing exclusively on throwing contributes to a overall weakening of the body structure and muscular tone and invites injuries.

As teachers seldom practice with their peers beyond a certain point in their training, an artificial cap is placed on their progress because their pool of training partners is limited primarily to their own students who are almost always of a lesser skill level.

Remedies

Much of what needs to be done to restore the martial nature of aikido in accordance with the vision of O-Sensei involves correcting the poor training habits alluded to above. Here is a list of concrete steps than can be taken that would literally revolutionize aikido and restore its great potential as a force for social betterment.

Teaching attacking skills

First of all, great attention should be given to teaching aikido students how to attack effectively and with resolute intent. This may require some teachers to engage in cross-training of some sort in order to acquire the necessary skills themselves.

What kinds of attacks should be introduced in the aikido dojo? This will be a personal decision on the part of the instructor in charge. I think that basic punching skills from karate, boxing or other sophisticated systems should be considered.

Students should also become familiar with kicking at least at an elementary level. Although not as prevalent as punches, it is quite possible that one might be confronted with kicks in a real encounter.

Learning defenses against kicks also helps students overcome the common problem of “tunnel vision.” For example, beginners tend to focus their attention on the initial, overt aspect of an attack—usually a punch or grab—and fail to recognize the possibility of a secondary attack. When students realize that they must consider another attack such as a kick may be forthcoming, their state of alertness improves.

Learning how to kick properly will also improve the falling skills of aikido students because falls from kicks are more difficult and dangerous. Care should be taken to proceed slowly because the risk of injury is higher.

Among the existing aikido systems, Yoseikan Aikido developed by Minoru Mochizuki takes this sort of eclectic approach that incorporates elements from several arts. Students of this system are taught basic karate, judo and weapons skills as part of their training.

Beyond this, one might want to introduce attacks involving weapons—both bladed and non-bladed. Training with weapons is a useful tool to teach the importance of maai (distancing) under different circumstances and offers many other benefits. The Iwama Aikido curriculum of Morihiro Saito is an example of a systematic approach to weapons training.

The end result of improving the quality of attacks will be a greater focus during training and the creation of an atmosphere of seriousness and respect for one’s partner. The risk element always present in martial arts training will be recognized and due care taken to avoid behavior that leads to injuries.

Bringing back atemi and kiai

The use of atemi and kiai should be reintroduced and encouraged in aikido dojos. Atemi and kiai are extremely important in that they may allow a practitioner to overcome physical or numerical superiority in a real encounter. They are invaluable aids in neutralizing an attack and unbalancing an opponent. They pave the way for aikido techniques to be applied without force and against little resistance.

It should be possible to apply atemi or use kiai at virtually any stage of an aikido technique, not just the beginning. Students should be coached on how to recognize an opponent’s openings at every opportunity. Shoji Nishio has developed atemi skills to a high level and his martial-form of aikido is a valuable reference.

At a higher level, atemi may not even have a physical manifestation. An advanced martial artist can achieve the effect of an atemi through subtle body language alone as long as a mind-set preempting the attack is present. If you watch films of O-Sensei carefully you will see this principle in operation and it is a key element of so-called “no touch” throws.

Keeping the attacker off balance

A fundamental yet often neglected principle of aikido is the importance of unbalancing an attacker and maintaining control from the beginning of a technique to the decisive point involving a throw or pin. I have often observed techniques being taught to students where the attacker’s balance is first taken only to be given back immediately before the throw!

One only has to carefully observe the center of gravity of uke to determine whether or not his balance has been taken. Students should be constantly vigilant of their partner’s center of gravity in order to determine if their techniques are being effective.

Before leaving this subject, an interesting exercise when attending an aikido demonstration is to watch the movements of uke rather than nage. If uke’s balance is being controled throughout the technique then you are observing a true master.

Posture and breath control

Other areas that are often overlooked in aikido training are correct posture and breathing. Nage should cultivate good posture and keep his balance throughout the technique.

Attention to breathing habits is seldom stressed in dojo training. By pacing your breathing it is possible to create and maintain an internal body rhythm that will reduce fatigue and make it easier to keep one’s composure under the stress of vigorous training. Learning to observe one’s own breathing will also develop the ability to “read” an opponent’s breathing. This is useful to sense the timing and intent of an attack at a stage prior to its physical manifestation.

Instructors should get back into training

The most common reasons given for aikido teachers ceasing to participate in normal dojo training are the limiting effects of aging and the accumulation of injuries. It is certainly not possible for anyone to escape the effects of time and the wear-and-tear on the body of vigorous aikido training.

This being said, there is nothing to prevent teachers from training within their individual limits and at their own pace. As I see it, the key element is to continue to do stretching, warmups and take falls to the extent possible. You either do it or you don’t!

The Founder maintained his suppleness well into his 80s and was even capable of doing the splits. Also, he can be seen taking falls for a child at about age 79 in one of the surviving films.

In many kobujutsu schools it is the custom for the teacher and seniors to assume the role of attacker and take falls for junior students where required. You will see this if you attend a demonstration of classical martial arts. Imagine for a moment how it would change things if the top aikido instructors were capable of and actually took falls for their students during demonstrations! And what better way than this would there be for teachers to accelerate the improvement of their students?

I truly believe that it is possible to add ten good years to one’s aikido career by adopting the approaches suggested here. I’ll let you know in about 20 years time how this theory works out in my personal case!

Cross-training

I think one of the most positive things that instructors and practitioners alike should consider is cross-training in other arts. Here again we can look to the example of O-Sensei who studied a number of martial arts in his lifetime. He also arranged for the marriage of his daughter to a famous kendo expert and allowed a kendo group to form and practice in the old Kobukan Dojo. At age 54, the Founder formally enrolled in the Kashima Shinto-ryu, a classical school with a several-centuries-long tradition. He drew heavily from the Kashima Shinto-ryu curriculum in developing his aiki ken. O-Sensei also invited masters of other arts to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo to visit and give demonstrations. He was always prepared to “steal techniques” from other experts through keen observation.

One of the prime purposes of the annual Aiki Expo event sponsored by Aikido Journal is to encourage and facilitate cross-training among different groups.

Conclusion

I have attempted to explain how what is accepted as “modern aikido” is really a permutation of the original concepts underlying the aikido of the Founder. Due to the considerable spread of the art in the postwar Japan and abroad and the passage of more than five decades, these changed forms of aikido have come to be considered the norm. The assumption of most is that these new approaches reflect the intent of the Founder whereas, to a large degree, this is not the case. Most of the criticisms of aikido today arise because the modern forms of aikido have strayed from the Founder’s main precepts. The suggestions offered in this article would, if adopted by a significant section of the aikido population, produce a major change in the quality of the art and how it is perceived by sceptical outsiders. It is our intention to lead the way toward this desirable end by organizing future events such as the Aiki Expo.

In May, 1974, an event occurred that shook the roots of the aikido world to its very foundations. It was then that Koichi Tohei, the chief instructor of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, resigned from his post and left the headquarters organization to form his own school. Many aikido associations, dojos, instructors, and students, particularly in Japan and the U.S.A., were compelled to make a choice of whether to stay within the Aikikai system or join Tohei’s newly-created Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido organization.

Here is the background to the story. In 1969, Morihei Ueshiba officially awarded 10th dan rank—the first ever—to Koichi Tohei. Following Ueshiba’s death, Tohei’s attempts to have the Aikikai Hombu Dojo instructors’ staff adopt his teaching methods which emphasized the principle of Ki were unsuccessful. He proceeded to set up the Ki no Kenkyukai (Ki Research Society) on his own in September 1971. On 1 May 1974, Tohei finally resigned from the Aikikai after several years of strained relations with Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba and other Aikikai teachers. At the same time, he founded the Shin Shin Toitsu Aikidokai (Society for Aikido with Mind and Body Coordinated).

On May 15, 1974, he sent a widely-distributed letter in Japanese and English versions to hundreds of dojo heads in Japan and abroad explaining the reasons for his severance of ties with the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. This letter, in which Tohei details his reasons for leaving the Aikikai, has only been seen by a few people over the years and has largely been forgotten. Anyone attempting to understand these pivotal events in aikido history will find this document to be invaluable as Tohei expresses in his own words his version of the events that transpired.

After preserving this letter for nearly four decades in our archives, we are now releasing it to the general public as a free PDF download.

Click here to signup for free download of Koichi Tohei Letter of Resignation

Today, a buddy of mine sent me a link to a video about a veteran who has gone from being obese and disabled to a healthy physical specimen. It’s one of the most inspiring videos I’ve even seen, and I wanted to share it with you!

“Juji-tsu” – “to steal at the crossing,” also has the connotation of “ju-jutsu” – “soft means.”

What crossing are we referring to? When any interaction jams there are two possibilities. We can continue to struggle, and struggle it will be. Until the heavier, stronger, larger mass prevails. Or we can try something different.

Is there another way? Yes, accommodation! Finding the way that is predisposed to flow.

Accommodation following the clash, irimi-tenkan forms the basis of “aiki-jutsu” – “the way of harmonizing intention.”

This accommodation finds that in so doing, it can “steal” the energy of the attacking force and direct it to a neutralising trajectory.

Aikido is the study of this principle at a practical as well as more esoteric level. Why did the Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, place so much consequence in this Way, so much so that he devoted a lifetime to the pursuit of this study with a zeal hitherto unmatched in time of relative peace? Why did he extend to the philosophy of practical nurturing, protecting and healing all life?

Well, why not! There is more than enough needless and avoidable suffering on the planet, most of it man made. Nature provides all the duress we need for healthy growing of wisdom without our adding to it. But like the blind people in Plato’s, “Allegory Of The Cave,” we as a species tend to bump around in the darkness of our own mentality causing far too much grievous and unnecessary harm.. by contending.

Is this necessary? No, not really. Even the blind learn how to see and navigate their way in life. At our current level of understanding, we as a species tend to devote too much time chasing the irrelevant instead of investing this brief span of consciousness in what truly matters, waking up and alleviating suffering.

From a battlefield perspective, diffusing aggression and conserving resources has immense strategic value. In daily life even more so.

Instead of spending lots of money, resources and energy to achieve little or nothing, how greater the value of the principle of efficiency when applied. To achieve a lot by doing little but correctly; by noticing key points of leverage.

Recall primary school at the first mention of the word “fulcrum” and “leverage.” Did light bulbs fire up in your mind? Did your hair stand up with excitement? Or were you sleeping with eyes open and mind closed? Did your life reflect that level of attentiveness thereafter?

Who was it that said, “My yoga (yoke) is easy.” ? And, “Consider the lilies of the field, etc”?

Why then do we find so many ways to choose the difficult trajectory when the Way of ki-no-nagare or Kannagara is readily available as a foundation of Nature before us, in and all around us all the time ?

What is it that Aikido is teaching us at a foundational core level deeper than cardio, dancing, socializing that most make of it. Deeper even that merely surviving assault?

We can talk, write and throw words about this Universal Principle till we are blue, but that is not the Way. It cannot be apprehended and comprehended unless we exercise and experience it and refine it. The simulated aggression in training is merely the necessary fuel to trigger this principle into action when we let go of resisting. Without resistance there can be no flow. Kiai must precede Aiki in order that Aiki become possible. As Morihei would say, “Loving attack and peaceful reconciliation..”

Mitori-geiko is the commonly understood (or misunderstood) term for “stealing technique,” but did you know that this “stealing” rather noticing, is, or should be a 24/7 pursuit?

Not only is it a primary essential to become able to “steal” an attack at the crossing of energies or ki flows, but in all things creativity emerges from this skill.

“Try something different,” Sugano Sensei would often say when we found ourselves struggling with futile attempts to make a “technique” work the erroneous way using force instead of skill.

And when we didn’t quite get that, he would run us for ten miles then immediately plunge us into multiple attacks. Or take us to a beach with breakers, “to train our ki.” And other innovations such as Winter training at high altitudes.

All this designed to wear out the false ego and get us to start noticing “something different;” that there are numerous alternative options to resistance, struggle and mental obduracy.

Aikido is simultaneously “Juji-tsu” as well as “ju-jutsu,” and so much more. But this method of training opens up endless possibilities and dimensions hitherto ignored and unnoticed and containing a better measure of success potency than struggle. This in all things.

Try something different to the habituation of resisting and contending that did not work well, not even for the cave men.

If something won’t go one way, chances are it will the other. Let go, let flow and practice “stealing ki at the crossing.”

By learning to, “steal” or capture the energy at the instant that colliding intentions cross, you can discover possibilities that can open up in ways more than only physical defence, but in all areas of viable life navigation.

Aikido is a field of vast untapped research and discovery unlocking the human spirit with immense potential for endless good.

Nev Sagiba
aikiblue.com

Morihiro Saito, 9th dan, gave an outstanding Aiki Ken exhibition at the 1989 All-Japan Aikido Demonstration held at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. Some 5,000 people were on hand to witness this historic demonstration. His uke on this occasion were Hiroki Nemoto, Kenji Shibata, and Hitohiro Saito, all 5th dan at this time.

Saito Sensei’s electric performance includes the following content: Ki Musubi no Tachi Sayu Awase, 5 Kumitachi, and lastly, the Kumitachi no Henka. The Ki Musubi Tachi is a special paired sword practice that includes several fundamental blending (awase), parrying and striking movements. It is one of the most dynamic of the Aiki Ken exercises. The five kumitachi, also paired sword practices, are an elaborate set of sword exercises with a partner that teach most of the blending, striking, and parrying basics of the Aiki Ken. Finally, the Kumitachi no Henka, are variations of the basic kumitachi that can be executed at different points in the kata. These latter henka are infrequently taught, and thus the opportunity to see them demonstrated by father and son on this occasion is a rare one indeed. This film is of unusually high quality having been shot with one of the best prosumer video cameras of the day. In addition, all of the action scenes are repeated in slow motion to allow viewers to focus on detail.

Morihiro Saito Sensei needs no introduction. He began training with Morihei Ueshiba at the Founder’s country dojo in Iwama in 1946 at the age of 18. Saito Sensei was one of the closest students of the Founder during a period of time when few Japanese had the luxury of practicing martial arts. During his years as Morihei’s student, he also learned Aiki Ken and Aiki Jo techniques directly from the Founder. Saito Sensei is considered by most to be the preeminent master of aikido weapons. He left an elaborate ken and jo curriculum built upon the foundation he acquired from his training with Morihei Ueshiba.

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Aikido has been practiced in the west for more than 50 years. It is not the best known of the many oriental martial arts on the scene, but it does offer several unique advantages for learning self-defense, and can end up completely altering your world view on human interaction. In the paragraphs that follow, I offer a few suggestions about things to consider before enrolling in an aikido school.

Examine your motives for wanting to learn aikido

Before you start your search for a suitable aikido school, called a “dojo,” it’s worthwhile to carefully consider your motives for learning the art. In most cases, those who have seen a Steven Seagal movie and believe the action scenes reflect training in aikido dojos are likely to be disappointed.

Let me explain why this is so. The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), was a martial arts master and also a devoutly religious person. He lived through the prelude and horrors of World War II and this cataclysmic event strongly influenced the modern form of the art that was popularized in the postwar era. Morihei was strongly against introducing a competitive element into aikido, or converting it into a sport as had been the case with the old jujutsu schools that were the forerunners of judo.

The founder regarded his martial art as a tool for bettering oneself through the culitvation of one’s body and mind, ultimately achieving a higher spiritual plane by going beyond fighting and conflict. He regarded the world as a single family and aikido as a unifying force.

Although there are many training methods and schools of thought about what aikido is, most dojos and aikido instructors are at least aware of the founder’s vision and sympathetic to his way of thinking.

Read up on the subject

Since the philosophical underpinnings of aikido are rather different from most other martial arts accessible to the public, it would be time well spent to explore the life of Morihei Ueshiba and the history of the art to get a feel for its principles and goals. The Aikido Journal Members Site has vast resources that will help you in your search for accurate information on the subject. There are countless other websites with information on the art–many of those associated with aikido schools–that offer all sorts of introductory articles that may prove useful.

After educating yourself on the subject, you may conclude that aikido is not really suited to your purposes, and seek elsewhere for training options. On the other hand, you may find that Morihei Ueshiba’s aikido will offer a wonderful means for transforming your life, offer a new tool for cultivating your body and spirit, and continuing opportunities for forging new friendships.

Assess your physical condition

It is very important to realistically determine your physical condition before beginning aikido practice. Aikido can be very vigorous, involve heavy physical exercise and falling, and progress must be gradual and according to your individual case. If you have any doubts, consulting a physician about your state of health would be a wise decision.

Most dojos are very accomodating for people in less than optimum physical shape since this is such a common thing in our present-day culture. It might also be appropriate to undertake some pre-training exercise to improve your body condition before actually enrolling in a dojo. An improvement of your flexibility and muscle tone would be a good place to start.

Be prepared to make the rounds

Like any other major undertaking, be prepared to spend the necessary time to check out any school in your area that you think might offer a suitable training program. You can start with a web search of your area, and consult the yellow pages of your local phone book. There is no substitute for visiting schools and observing training first-hand. You should determine the amount of travel you are willing to commit to, and focus your search on dojos in your area.

When I am asked about the best way to find a school, I encourage people to visit every dojo in their vicinity before making a decision. Sometimes, the character of the school and teacher will be more important to you than the particular style of aikido practiced.

Observe students carefully, especially the seniors

When you walk into a dojo for a visit and observe training, I would recommend that you pay particular attention to the conduct of the senior students. These people have been training for lengthy periods, and their attitude, skill level, and level of conditioning will give a good indication of what you might expect to achieve after spending several years training. You will also want to take note of how new students are treated, as you may very well be joining their ranks and will receive similar treatment.

I would also be alert to the amount of attention given to warming up and body conditioning in the school. Some instructors insist on a high level of fitness, while others may just go through the motions of warming up prior to practice. A good guide will be the level of flexibility and stamina of experienced students. In order to enjoy a long career in aikido, you will need to take good care of your physical well-being to insure your ability to continue practice as you advance in age. You must stay fit, flexible, and avoid injury.

Have a chat with the instructor

By all means, make it a point to sit down for a chat with the teacher, called the “sensei,” of the dojo. If the instructor is a busy person, see if he or she will be willing to set up an appointment for a private chat with you. If you have done your homework in reading up on aikido, and are favorably impressed with the “mood” of the school and the level of training, you will make a good impression and appear knowledgeable, and a good candidate to become a student. You will be checking out the instructor and they will be checking out you! A great new student is a tremendous asset to a school, while a bad student can set a poor example and be detrimental to the success of the dojo.

Google the teacher

If everything has gone well up to this point, I would defnitely suggest googling the name of the instructor. If this is a well-knowand aikido teacher, there is sure to be sufficient information on that person to confirm your assessment about their character and teaching skills. You may find that the teacher has additional talents or mastery in other disciplines that will help you understand their values and goals.

Understand the contract

Although some instructors may be a bit hesitant to talk about money matters, you need to understand the financial obligations you are undertaking should you decide to become a dojo member. This is for your protection and also important for the future of the school and livelihood of the instructor. Their ability to continue running the dojo business depends on attracting serious, long-term students.

I would strongly recommend that you first take a trial lesson, or even several, before joining. Most schools will allow this. Also, it is quite common for schools to offer introductory courses. You might be able to sign up for a one month or three month agreement before commiting to a longer contract.

Another point worthy of mention is that whatever the dojo may be or represent, it is also a business. It is often very difficult to keep a martial arts dojo operating, especially one offering aikido, since this art is a “niche within a niche.” Long-term contracts that are enforceable have become the norm in the last several decades in martial arts schools. This should not be off-putting to you since an aikido business must be built on a solid financial base. That is why I encourage you to sign up for a short-term or trial membership first to make sure that your new dojo is a good fit.

I will write more about the beginning weeks and months of aikido training on another occasion.