Search results for: “sagawa”

Lifting the Veil: Aikido Opens to the World
The 50th All Japan Aikido Demonstration
Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Shigeo Tokunaga and the first public Aikikai demonstration.
May 26th, 2012 marked the 50th All Japan Aikido Demonstration (第５０回全日本合気道演武大会) in Tokyo, at the Nihon Budokan.
The All Japan is the biggest event of the year for Aikikai, and groups come from around Japan and around the world to attend. It is attended by thousands of spectators and demonstrators.
But did you know that much of the motivation for these huge Aikikai events was actually provided by the Yoshinkan?
At the end of the war the Wakamatsu-cho Aikikai dojo (the Kobukan Dojo before the war) was one of the few buildings still left standing after the bombing. Even so, the roof was badly damaged, many of the tatami mats were missing, and refugees were actually living in the dojo.
Morihei Ueshiba was living in Iwama and rarely came to Tokyo. (more…)
May 28, 2012
Aiki Budo is the Way of Human Development – Part 2
Calligraphy by Minoru Harada, October 1st 1984
The philosophy of Aikido…maybe?
In the previous blog post, “Aiki Budo is the Way of Human Development“, I quoted from a scroll by Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu instructor Yukiyoshi Sagawa.
While browsing through some books that I hadn’t looked at in a while I came across the example above, which is also relevant to the discussion. (more…)
March 17, 2012
Aiki Budo is the Way of Human Development
Aiki Budo is the Way of Human Development
The philosophy of Aikido…maybe?
I was looking through Kisshomaru Ueshiba’s books “The Spirit of Aikido” and “The Art of Aikido” and I happened to notice that there is virtually no mention of Daito-ryu in either one. Of course, neither of them are historical works, but I thought it odd that there was no mention of the art that Morihei Ueshiba has studied for over 20 years, the only art that he was ever licensed to teach, the only art (outside of his own) in which he ever issued certificates of rank.
OK, moving along to “Best Aikido“, written by Kisshomaru Ueshiba and Moriteru Ueshiba. In this one there is a short mention of Daito-ryu as one of the many arts that Morihei Ueshiba studied, but no mention is made of the relative depth of study of those arts – the section entirely fails to note the fact that, with the exception of Daito-ryu, all of those arts were studied for very brief periods of time. (more…)
March 11, 2012
Aikido ™ – Can it really be trademarked?
Reg. No.2313434, June 28, 1991 – Registered Trademark “Aikikai”
Who’s doing Aikido, who isn’t, and who decides.
Here’s something that caught my eye from “Best Aikido, The Fundamentals” (Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu and Moriteru Ueshiba Hombu Dojo-cho), which was published in 1997 as 「規範合氣道基本編」 in Japanese:
Ｑ：合気道の分派はあるのですか。
Ａ：確かに巷には合気会とは別に「○○合気道」と名乗っている団体が存在します。中には、素姓の知れぬ訳の判らぬようなものもあるようです。
しかし、開祖・植芝盛平に連ならないもの、その教えを逸脱したものは、いかに外見を似せようが、深遠そうな哲理を語ろうが、合気道ではありません。例えば、競技試合を行っているようなものは明らかに合気道本来の姿を忘れたもので、合気道と呼ぶことはできません。
私どもで言う合気道には分派は存在しないと考えています。分派がいくつもあるという考えは、それ自体が合気道を貶（おとし）めるものでしょう。
Ｑ：Are there different schools of Aikido?
Ａ：To be sure, there are many systems that claim to be “such-and-such Aikido,” even without really knowing what Aikido is. And there are some splinter groups that have been established by former students of the Founder, with a few even going so far as to introduce organized competition, something that is totally contrary to the spirit of Aikido. Regardless of how similar the techniques appear, if they are divorced from the spirit of the Founder it is not Aikido.
We do not like to think that there are separate schools of Aikido. If we draw too many distinctions between different interpretations of the techniques, the universal character of Aikido will be degraded. (more…)
February 19, 2012

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