60 Canteloupes

One day you walk into Algebra class and the teacher hands you a list of 118 word problems. They inform you, with great solemnity, that these word problems have been handed down in their exact form from the Founder, and that if one wishes to do Algebra than they must do these word problems, as they define Algebra.

"Couldn't we use 20 apples Instead of 60 canteloupes?", you say, but sadly - that would be a departure from the principles of the Founder, and would no longer be Algebra.

Here's the question - would you think that defining Algebra this way would be...irrational?

Oddly, this is pretty much the way that many people define "Aikido" - as a list of certain techniques practiced in a certain way. Do them in a different way, or do techniques not on the list, or (heaven forbid) don't do them at all, and it's no longer Aikido.

Ironically, Morihei Ueshiba himself gave a number of detailed descriptions of Aikido - but never once mentioned technique.

"Sensei never taught techniques in a step-by-step way. He just told us to practice hard and also often told us to “learn techniques and forget them”."

Gozo Shioda

How about this, then? Wouldn't it make more sense if the techniques, like the word problems, are for training and learning the art, rather than a definition of the art itself? And that, just as you would never define algebra as a specific list of word problems, neither does it make sense to define an art with a specific list of techniques. That would just be...a list of techniques.

Between seminars and having practiced in a few different dojos, I've noticed that warmups, or the first 5-10 minutes of class, vary widely and reflect differences between individual instructors more than almost any other part of practice.

I'm working on this for when I lead class, and I'm looking for video recommendations that show how different instructors begin their classes.

Post me some links!

Thanks!

Morihei Ueshiba in kimono and hakama at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko (Toyama Army Academy) in 1931 where he was an instructor.

Morihei Ueshiba at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko in 1931

Here's a 1924 film of a Kendo demonstration at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko for the Imperial family which features Morihei Ueshiba's close friend Nakayama Hakudo:

https://filmisadocument.jp/films/view/110

Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, purported to have founded Daito-ryu almost 1,200 years ago, which we know now to almost certainly be a myth.

Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu

Interestingly, in 1957 Morihei Ueshiba claimed to be, not the founder of Aikido, a new and original martial art, but the successor to an art founded by...Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, Daito-ryu, in other words. When asked directly in an interview when he started Aikido he replied "50 years ago" - in other words, when he began training under Sokaku Takeda in Daito-ryu. As an aside, during this time in the 1950's it was common to use the terms Aikido and Daito-ryu more or less interchangeably. The myth of Aikido as a new and original martial art had yet to be established by Morihei Ueshiba's students.

More in "Ueshiba-ha Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu":

https://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/ueshiba-ha-daito-ryu-aiki-jujutsu/

Hello everyone!

I have started doing aikido after finding a dojo that I like, and I have really resonated with the core principles and practices of aikido. I want to continue on. (the dojo practices shinshin toitsu aikido, for reference).

How often should one practice aikido to make steady progress? Currently, I’m only able to make it to aikido once a week for 90ish minutes based on my schedule, but I’d like to do more. Are there techniques that I can practice at home by myself?

Are there books, YouTube channels, websites etc, that you can recommend for learning?

Thanks!

Masaru Takahashi, a direct student of Yukiyoshi Sagawa and a martial arts researcher, examines the historical roots of Daito-ryu in his latest book on Daito-ryu Aiki Kenjutsu and concludes that there was no organized martial tradition pre-dating Sokaku Takeda, that Sokaku Takeda himself was the founder of Daito-ryu.

Daito-ryu Aiki Kenjutsu

He is one of only three students to have reached 10th Gen (the highest level certification) under Yukiyoshi Sagawa, and has published a number of books in Japanese researching Daito-ryu, as well as being a regular contributor to Hiden Magazine. More from Masaru Takahashi:

"Sagawa Yukiyoshi, Masaru Takahashi and Breath Training in Daito-ryu"

https://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/sagawa-yukiyoshi-masaru-takahashi-breath-training-daito-ryu/

"Strange, Odd and False Theories of "Aiki""

https://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/strange-odd-false-theories-aiki/

Any fun seminars going on? Feel free to share them here! At a minimum, please indicate date and location and how to sign up!

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

"In Taisho 14 (1925) Nishimura Hidetaro, from the Waseda University Judo Club (later called "Kubota", who would become Vice-President of the Manchuria Railroad Company), came dojo-busting. He came at the Founder holding a folded paper in his hand and said "try to take it!" - he went flying without being touched by even a finger. Saying "How could this happen with such ease?", Nishimura went down to his knees and asked to become a student."

• Kisshomaru Ueshiba

It's often mistakenly asserted that Kenji Tomiki was sent to train with Morihei Ueshiba by Jigoro Kano, but he was actually introduced by the above Nishimura (interestingly, also a follower of Omoto-kyo), who was friends with Kenji Tomiki and a fellow member of the Waseda University Judo Club.

Jigoro Kano would not meet Morihei Ueshiba until 1930, at the invitation of Isamu Takeshita (likely with some back channel communication by Kenji Tomiki), who would later send Minoru Mochizuki and another student named Takeda to train with Morihei Ueshiba, since Ueshiba himself did not want to come under the umbrella of the Kodokan.

Kenji Tomiki

Prince Kaya Tsunenori in Honolulu, from Jitsugyō no Hawai’i, September 1st 1934.

Prince Kaya Tsunenori in Honolulu

The Prince was a student and patron of Morihei Ueshiba, and the motivating force behind Morihei Ueshiba's 1938 technical manual "Budo", which was essentially a simplified version of the earlier "Aikijujutsu Densho" produced as a military manual.

Like the early manual, it was often given to Morihei Ueshiba's students as a kind of transmission document.

More about this in "Budo – Moritaka Ueshiba’s 1938 Technical Manual":

https://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/budo-moritaka-ueshiba-1938-technical-manual/

Is anyone here (from the Aikido World) concerned about CTE in Aikido?

From what I understand, we have limited knowledge of CTE. It's shown itself in Soccer/ football players, I wonder if the falling in Aikido could contribute to CTE.

From what I understand, it sounds like CTE can sneak up on you even without noticing clear hits to the head. I could be wrong on this last part though.

Morihei Ueshiba passed away on this day, April 26th 1969 - his gravesites at the Omoto compound in Ayabe, at the Shingon temple Kozan-ji in Tanabe, Wakayama, and a page from the "Ueshiba Morihei Monogatari" Manga.

The graves of Morihei Ueshiba

"Ueshiba did not, apparently, see himself as betraying Deguchi by striking out on his own path (nor did Deguchi, from all statements we have), nor was Ueshiba, apparently, overly concerned with his students who went theirs. Shioda Gozo described visiting Ueshiba four days before his death. Ueshiba awoke and said, “It’s you, thanks for coming. I’m riding on a winged horse around the heavens. I can see the earth. Shioda, what is [Kenji] Tomiki doing now? I’m watching.” Of all the people to ask for on his deathbed! Many, including Ueshiba Kisshomaru, considered Tomiki to be the ultimate apostate— aikidō’s first 8th dan, a modern, practical, and educated man, who tried to meld aikidō and jūdō, and even ‘worse,’ established a competitive form of aikidō. In many people’s fantasy, Tomiki would be the last person that Ueshiba would want to see. But as far as Ueshiba was concerned, Tomiki, as much as anyone he taught, lived out his mission in this world—and that is all he was required to do. Tomiki’s students, too, despite their separation from Kisshomaru’s organization, were still practicing aikidō, still contributing their energy to Ueshiba. All, therefore, was well."

• Ellis Amdur, "Hidden in Plain Sight"

Izanagi and the Heavenly Jeweled Spear, by Onisaburo Deguchi. Izanagi and Izanami, the gods of Yin and Yang, were one of the ways that Morihei Ueshiba discussed his martial methodology of Aiki.

Izanagi and the Heavenly Jeweled Spear

More in "Aikido and the Floating Bridge of Heaven":

https://www.aikidosangenkai.org/blog/aikido-floating-bridge-heaven/

陰陽で動くことは、どんな形で技をかける場合でも必要不可欠なので、すべての形で注意して稽古すればいいのだが、陰陽で動くことが大切であることが分かり易い形（かた）を稽古するのがいいだろう。つまり陰陽で動かないと上手く技が決まり難い形である。これらの形を通して陰陽で動く体をつくるのがいいだろう。

"In whatever form one applies techniques, moving with Yin and Yang is essential, this is something that one must be careful about during all training, so it's better to practice basic forms while understanding moving with Yin and Yang. In other words, unless one moves with Yin and Yang the techniques will be in forms that are difficult to apply well. Creating a body that moves with Yin and Yang through these forms is better."

• One direct student of Morihei Ueshiba

Here's an interesting general overview of Yin and Yang theory in its move from China to Japan:

https://elementaljapan.com/2020/04/27/yinyang-in-japan-harmonising-vital-energies/

Have a burning question? Need a quick answer?

• "Where can I find...?"
• "Is there a dojo near...?"
• "What's the name of that thing again?"

This is the post for you.

Top-level posts usually require enough text to prompt a discussion (or they will be automatically removed). This isn't always possible if all you're looking for is a quick answer, so instead please post your query in our monthly Q&A thread!

As always please remember to abide by our community rules.

A deeper look at Shinku no Ki from Allen Beebe - "Of course, this advice is useful only if one is knowledgeable of both “shinku no ki” and “ku no ki.” It is saying, those that would follow the Way of Aiki must “find the exact place where the void (shinku no ki) and emptiness (ku no ki) reside.” The true value of these “places” rests in its power to inform those who previously overlooked Ku no Ki and struggled to grasp the profound nature of Shinku no Ki, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of Aiki in all its facets."

https://trueaiki.com/shinku-no-ki-the-ki-of-true-emptiness/

New here!

At this time I am a shodan in my dojo. (I’ve practiced Kung Fu in the past, do boxing, jiujitsu, and practice various weapons and dabble in other martial arts too)

Anyone know of barehanded kata in Aikido similar to in karate or kung fu? I know there’s Jo katas, bokken katas, Kumi Jo, Kumi Tachi, etc for weapons.

A few years ago one Aikido practitioner stated, somewhat poetically, that the Aikikai was like a family, and Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu was our father, to which I replied (perhaps less poetically) that I wasn't a child and Doshu's not my daddy. Which didn't go over that well at the time.

But what about Morihei Ueshiba's "world family"? This was one of Morihei Ueshiba's common themes, but the concept actually pre-dates him, going back to Onisaburo Deguchi, and describes Deguchi's (and later, Morihei Ueshiba's) vision of a right-wing ultra-nationalist utopia in which the world "family" was subservient to their father, the Emperor, and the Japanese Imperial family (and presumably, Deguchi, at the time, as he dropped hints insinuating that he himself was the true and legitimate heir to the Imperial line).

So here we have Morihei Ueshiba's seal from the 1930's - "Aiki-jujutsu", with the kanji for "imperial" at the center - as his dojo was the "Imperial Hall of the Martial Arts", his association was the "Imperial Martial Arts Association", and as he was a follower of Kodo Omoto - the "Imperial Way" Omoto.

Morihei Ueshiba's Aiki-jujutsu seal

This was during a time in which Morihei Ueshiba actively supported the Showa Restoration - an idea promoted by his associate Kata Ikki that advocated restoring power to the Imperial line and eliminating the westernized Democratic government of Japan. One group that advocated for this through a series of terrorist events and assassinations, the Sakurikai, actually held meetings in his home, and Morihei Ueshiba was an active participant in at least one planned series of assassinations.

The common apologetic argument today is that all this changed after the war - except that there's no real evidence for that.

After the war, Morihei Ueshiba maintained his associations with the same people who had plotted those

assassinations before the war. And in the 1960's he stated:

合気道は宇宙万世一系の大いなる道なり。

"Aikido is the Great Way of the Universal Bansei Ikkei."

• Morihei Ueshiba in the "Takemusu Aiki" lectures, 1958~1961

"Bansei Ikkei" is the "unbroken Japanese Imperial line", and here Morihei Ueshiba refers to one of his primary goals for Aikido, expressed both before and after the war, as a way towards establishing a "paradise on Earth" - in other words (as he would say elsewhere in the same post-war lectures), a right-wing ultra-nationalist religious utopia in which "the nations of the world must abandon their sovereignty and follow Japan and the Japanese Imperial family".

Which is a summarization of the original "world family" concept espoused by Onisaburo Deguchi, his teacher. For example, when Deguchi established the Showa Shinseikai - a right wing para-military group established with the assistance of Morihei Ueshiba in 1934.

Morihei Ueshiba would take charge of training many of its para-military troops.

The Vice-Director was the well known ultra-nationalist and Black Dragon Society founder Uchida Ryohei.

At the founding ceremony Onisaburo Deguchi was seated next to Toyama Mitsuru, the famous ultra-nationalist, pan-Asianist and founder of the Gen'yosha secret society established to agitate for Japanese military expansion and conquest.

Onisaburo Deguchi stated the guiding principle of the Showa Shinseikai:

"The organization shall sustain and support the great way of the divine holy nation, Japan, which is based on the" kodo". We will sustain the heavenly work of the divine descendants of the throne of heaven, which is coeval with eternity. We will obey the spirit of the foundation of the nation. We wait expectantly for the fulfillment of the divine destiny of the imperial country and the destiny of the people of the nation.'"

There's that "kodo" again - the "Imperial Way".

In 1935 Onisaburo Deguchi also wrote about the purpose of this group. Readers of Morihei Ueshiba's "Takemusu Aiki", written in 1960, will see that Morihei Ueshiba repeats these statements there almost identically - particularly the statements referring to the "spirit" and the "flesh", "love", "family" and the "principles of Heaven" which are often rendered in more appealing, sanitized, versions in modern Aikido:

"The Showa Shinseikai means the changing of the order from 'the spirit subordinated to the flesh' to 'the flesh subordinated to the spirit,' thereby starting everything afresh putting it on a glorious path that accords with the principles of Heaven... The family spirit of true love will expand to the level of the state so that a brilliant Japan based on the spirit of one large family will be born, and this will further spread to cover the whole of humanity and the whole of earthly creation." [From Deguchi Onisaburo Kyojin, by Kyotaro Deguchi]

Love, peace, and the world family, sounds good, right?

But the context of those concepts defines what they really meant to the people who made those statements, and context is king.

That is not to say that the current Ueshiba family continues to hold onto these ideas (apart from continuing ties to the extreme right, which is another conversation). But people often join groups that offer them a sense of purpose and camaraderie and adulate figures associated with these groups without according them the scrutiny that they properly deserve.

How is everyone’s training going this month? Anything special you are working on? What is something that is currently frustrating you? What is something that you had a breakthrough on?

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. This is a personal progress report, no matter how big or how small, so keep criticisms to a minimum. Words of support are always appreciated!
3. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

If you haven't explored Masahiro Shioda's aikido channel, he brings on a variety of different martial artists to explore Aiki. In his latest video, he and Robert John go explore BMLT machines. These are the same weight lifting machines that are credited with Ichiro's long baseball career.

https://www.stack.com/a/the-unorthodox-training-behind-ichiros-unparalleled-longevity/

Here's the video:

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2ZPB4mW_0

The idea of lifting weights with the focus on "brain training" rather than "muscle training" isn't the first thing that comes to mind for many martial artists.

Obviously you can see Shioda Sensei's increase inflexbility from 3:20 to 4:44 after doing just 15 reps of leg exercise. This is strange because you usually think of a muscle getting more tense after usage rather than relaxed. I can see alot of usage for that for ageing athlets as well as the whole idea of "being relaxed".

I also find it quite intereseting that you see not only both the trainer and Robert John Sensei's whole body really getting into the motion of the exercise (for example 12:15) and getting more "extension" into it to really get those deep muscles. In particular you see Mr. John at 6:45 getting his upper chest into a motion of the lower body.

The pushing off awall with a connected vs unconnected body at 16:00 is neat as well.

So first off, obvious disclaimer of “Every dojo will have a different standard of what solid means” and “No prizes for what my next exam is supposed to be.”

That out of the way….

When people think of Nidan exams (as in people currently shodan attempting to test for Nidan), what are the criteria (besides just basic technique knowledge and competence) that make people say “That was a solid exam.” Not looking for blowing people out of the water with amazement, but just a solid grasp of what a nidan should embody as part of their next step in training.

Not surprisingly, I’ve had a handful of people who have been taking me I should prepare to test. Without going into it too much, the build up to my shodan testing experience caused a substantial amount of mental health issues and I essentially quit caring about the exam. I knew they would pass me, I just knew it wasn’t going to be the quality I would have liked. After that I told myself I wasn’t going to test again if I could help it. Cue people telling me I should test and I’m just…. Underwhelmed by the thought? I don’t see a reason to test (aside from making me focus on a few things I haven’t historically focused heavily on, maybe some more responsibility at the dojos I practice at, etc etc), and even then I just cant get over the nebulousness of what a nidan looks like.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. I guess in general, what are the cues you look for to tell shodan they are ready to test, and what things would up think would make that test a solid demonstration of ability?

Thanks!

Hello Aikido community, as I've continued to explore Aikido and learn more about it, I've been absolutely fascinated by this art and am excited to start practicing later this year, hopefully starting over the summer.

I do, however, have one big question about practice as a beginner, what's it like to train with one? To the experienced students, instructors, and those who like to work with new students, what is it like to practice with a beginner? Especially if they don't have any previous martial arts experience, like me. I'd imagine that a higher-ranked student or the sensei themselves would be the one to help me as a beginner, so what is the experience like for you and do you enjoy it?

As I've read through posts and comments throughout this sub, I've noticed that a lot of people seem to enjoy practicing with new students. I've even read some posts and comments saying things like people learn more practicing with new students than more senior students, and that some even prefer practicing with beginners. What do more experienced students learn from practicing with beginners that they might not get with an experienced student? I'm genuinely curious. The Aikido community seems to be very welcoming to new students, so I'm pretty excited about it.

Do you enjoy working with new students? What's it like for you?

Where are you training? Have you done something special? Has your dojo released a cool clip? Want to share a picture of your kamisa? This thread is where you do this.

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

Hello everyone

I’ve lurked this subreddit awhile as I recently became interested in aikido especially the internal aspects of the art. One person that is recommended a lot Is Dan Harden. I got really interested in attending a seminar especially since I saw on his websites that there are some upcoming ones in California. My only problem is I haven’t able to get in contact with him. I sent him a few emails over the course of a few weeks and even messaged him on Facebook but he never responded. I don’t wan’t to pester the guy as I understand he has been dealing with cancer, so I realize that may be why he hasn’t been responding.

My question is if anybody knows of other teachers that are knowledgeable in teaching the internal aspects to aikido. I still wan’t to attend a seminar with Dan one day but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get in contact with him. I also wanted to know if there are any solo practices I can do on my own to try and develop my body to achieve internal power? I heard good things about chris Davis martial body program and I’ve thought about working through his program while I wait to meet a teacher in person.

Any fun seminars going on? Feel free to share them here! At a minimum, please indicate date and location and how to sign up!

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

As the title says. It is the most difficult thing in aikido for me. I was never good at rolling in general, it was my biggest nightmare in PE classes during my childhood.

I just cannot let myself roll on the tatami. I am really afraid to injure myself. When I am rolling, I lose all control over my body, and I don't know what I am doing. The only thing I can do is to do it in a sitting position, or on a big soft cushion.

I cannot join advanced training because of this. It really interferes with my progress and motivation. Any tips would be really appreciated. I am on the edge of quitting.

Hi. I've been doing aikido for 3 months, and I'd like to have a more systematic understanding of the basic techniques.

What I learnt:

ikkyo omote

ikkyo ura

irimi nage

shiho nage

kote gaeshi

Each can be done in 4 different ways:

ai hanmi katate dori

gyaku hanmi katate dori

shomen uchi

yokomen uchi

Which gives us 5 x 4 = 20 different combos, for starters.

Is that correct? Am I missing something? Are these enough for 5th kyu?

I apologize in advance for my naive question!

Have a burning question? Need a quick answer?

• "Where can I find...?"
• "Is there a dojo near...?"
• "What's the name of that thing again?"

This is the post for you.

Top-level posts usually require enough text to prompt a discussion (or they will be automatically removed). This isn't always possible if all you're looking for is a quick answer, so instead please post your query in our monthly Q&A thread!

As always please remember to abide by our community rules.

I was wondering how often do you guys feel like a throw has been literally effortless. As in, you do not feel uke as a hinderance or weight at all when you do the throw. On the other hand, uke feels like there has been a strong force behind the throw, that he cannot oppose.

If I focus a lot I manage to have that effect once in about 20 throws. I'm talking mostly about variations on kokyu-nage throws.

What is your experience with this and what do you focus/do in order to achieve it?

Why is the Gi required at every dojo I’ve ever seen or heard of? Most styles teach aikido without any grabbing of the Gi, so it isn’t required as equipment for the art. The Gi was instituted by Kano for use in Judo, which has its obvious use in that art. The Gi is not inherent to the art of Aikido (neither are colored belts or Dan rankings, but that’s another discussion). Did early students of Ueshiba even wear Gis in training?

I find the Gi uncomfortable, and seriously a hassle to wash, dry, care for, remember to pack for training after work, etc. Why isn’t Aikido practiced more in a no-Gi styling with rash guards, or just simple shorts and shirts.

How is everyone’s training going this month? Anything special you are working on? What is something that is currently frustrating you? What is something that you had a breakthrough on?

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. This is a personal progress report, no matter how big or how small, so keep criticisms to a minimum. Words of support are always appreciated!
3. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

"Ukemi," as a word, is used pretty much interchangeably with words like "breakfall" or "roll" by many (if not most) practitioners, but that's not what the word translates to.

It translates to "receiving body".

Is it just a linguistics quirk of translations that so many of us are inclined to treat ukemi as a thing to "take" or "do"? Wouldn't it make more sense, with its original definition in mind, to consider ukemi as something to "have" or "be"?