Sangenkai Logo

Tag: tokimune

  • Tokimune Takeda – Aiki Kuden and Hiden

    Tokimune Takeda – Aiki Kuden and Hiden

    Daitokan Dojo-kun

    “Daito-ryu Aiki-Budo Shugyo-kun (“training rules”)”
    Posted in the Daitokan dojo of Tokimune Takeda

    The training rules at Tokimune Takeda’s Daitokan dojo:

    1. The Dojo is a place of the spirit, we begin with courtesy and end with courtesy.
    2. The Way becomes profound, single-mindedly condition and train yourself – never give up.
    3. Pride is the beginning of inattention, and the origin of destruction.
    4. Always be serious, sincerity is first.
    5. The ultimate level of the Way is Harmony, that is the goal of this Ryu.

    愛と和
    “The essential principles of Daito-ryu are Love and Harmony”
    “The goal of spreading Daito-ryu is ‘Harmony and Love’, keeping this spirit is what preserves and realizes social justice. This was Sokaku Sensei’s dying wish”
    Tokimune Takeda, Soke of Daito-ryu Aiki-Budo
    son of Daito-ryu Chuku-no-so Sokaku Takeda

    Tokimune Takeda was born in Shimo-yubetsu, Hokkaido in 1916. The oldest son of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba’s teacher Sokaku Takeda and Sue Takeda, he was groomed to succeed his father starting around 1925. In 1954 he established the Daitokan dojo in Abashiri, Hokkaido, changing the name of his father’s art to “Daito-Ryu Aikibudo” and assuming the title of “Soke”. He taught Daito-ryu there until his death on December 2nd 1993.

    Tokimune Takeda and mother Sue

    The young Tokimune Takeda with his mother Sue Takeda

    Yoshihisa Ishibashi (石橋義久) was born in Tokyo in 1938 and started training in Daito Ryu at the Daitokan dojo in 1964. He learned Daito-ryu Aikibudo and Ono Ha Itto Ryu Kenjutsu directly from Tokimune Takeda. In 1969, together with Yoshimi Tomabechi (苫米地芳見) and Katsuyuki Kondo (近藤勝之), he opened the Katsushika Branch Dojo in Tokyo and was its first head instructor. He received an Ono Ha Itto Ryu license from Junzo Sasamori (笹森順造) and has a breadth of experience from zen to judo, kendo, Shorinji Kempo, and Chen Tai Chi.

    The “118 techniques” in Daito-ryu cover the techniques contained in the Hiden Mokuroku (秘伝目録) certificate , from Ikajo to Gokajo, and were taught as the core curriculum of Tokimune Takeda’s Daito-ryu Aiki Budo. The book “Daito-ryu Aiki Budo 118 Techniques” (大東流合気武道百十八ヶ条) was written by Yoshihisa Ishibashi and published in Japanese in 2015 by BAB Japan publishing company (BABジャパン出版局), which also publishes the popular martial arts magazine Gekkan Hiden (月刊秘伝 / “Secret Teachings Monthly”).

    This is the English translation of a section from Ishibashi Sensei’s book in which he reveals some of the Kuden (“oral teachings”) that he received from Tokimune Sensei, and also includes some excerpts from Tokimune Sensei’s personal notes. Another section of this book appeared in the article “Solo Training for Kokyu-ryoku and Ki in Daito-ryu Aiki Budo“.

    (more…)

  • Yukiyoshi Sagawa on Bujutsu and Ki-Ryoku, Part 2

    Yukiyoshi Sagawa on Bujutsu and Ki-Ryoku, Part 2

    吉丸慶雪

    Keisetsu Yoshimaru demonstrating Aiki-age

    “Aikido no Ogi”, by Keisetsu Yoshimaru

    Keisetsu Yoshimaru (吉丸慶雪) trained under Yukiyoshi Sagawa from 1961 to 1976.

    Yukiyoshi Sagawa began training in Daito-ryu with his father, a student and Kyoju Dairi (licenced “Assistant Instructor” – the same license that Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba received) of Sokaku Takeda. Sokaku Takeda actually lived with the Sagawa family for some time, and Sagawa started training with him around 1914, about a year before Morihei Ueshiba met Takeda at the Hisada Inn in Hokkaido and became his student. He was once considered to be the successor to Sokaku Takeda.

    Interestingly, there was once an agreement for Sagawa to become an instructor at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo around 1956, but he took exception to some remarks about Sokaku Takeda made by Morihei Ueshiba in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun around that time and changed his mind.

    After Yoshimaru left Sagawa Dojo he also trained under Kinbei Sato (佐藤金兵衛), who had trained in Daito-ryu under Kakuyoshi Yamamoto (山本角義), another direct student of Sokaku Takeda.

    Although Keisetsu Yoshimaru remains a somewhat controversial figure in Daito-ryu, he has published a number of interesting books with quotes from Yukiyoshi Sagawa, most of which have never been translated into English before.

    This is the second part of a two part translation of the “Bujutsu and Ki-Ryoku” chapter of “Aikido no Ogi” (合氣道の奥義 / “The Secrets of Aikido”), which consists mainly of quotes from Yukiyoshi Sagawa, many of which recount Sagawa’s memories of Sokaku Takeda. You may wish to start with part 1 before you read this section.

    You may also wish to read another two part translation from “Aikido no Ogi” which contains quotes from Yukiyoshi Sagawa relevant to building the “Aiki no Rentai” (合気之錬体 / “The Conditioned Body of Aiki”): Part 1 | Part 2  (more…)