Budo and Thoughts

Today - 28th of May, is the day our beloved teacher Fujita Masatake Sensei 8th Dan passed away at the age of 77, Fexactly a year ago, at his home in Tokyo next to his caring wife Mrs. Fujita Shoko San. Fujita Sensei was a direct student of the founder of aikido for over a decade, and he served as his private secretary and later as the General Secretary of Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Fujita Sensei traveled to many countries around the world to teach aikido and especially to support of development of aikido is poor and remote regions. Israel was the 50th country in his fat passport. We were honoured to host three seminars with Fujita Sensei at our dojo in Rehovot (Israel) which was located at that time on Teler Street near our current dojo. We were saddened and worried when he got ill, and during the years of his illness, two of his close friends kept supporting our dojo - Shimamoto Sensei 8th Dan and Fukakusa Sensei 8th Dan - both his kohai since the time the founder of aikido was...

Misogi 禊 “Polish the heart, free the six senses and let them function without obstruction, and your entire body and soul will glow.” Founder of Aikido “Aikido is misogi” said the founder of aikido. One definition of the term “misogi” is purification. As a matter of fact, many aikido practitioners talk about a special feeling of mental freshness they sometimes experience after an aikido practice. Sometimes we arrive at the dojo with a tiered body, worries or stress. Sometimes when we arrive, our head is occupied with thoughts, troubles and conflicts we sometimes all have during our day. As we bow in at the entrance to the dojo, we let our daily matters drop off from our back. They wait for us outside the dojo, but at the end of class, when we "pick" them up, we often realise that their dimensions are reduced to a more reasonable size, and so, our heart gains more space for constructive and calm thoughts that help us deal with those worries. Aikido pract...

Initial Steps in Aikido Eighth Keiko 軟酥鴨卵法 nanso One of my most cherished memories from the dojo in Kyoto, is the special feeling I had just before the end of each aikido class, when we used to sit for a few minutes, and practice an ancient meditation method called nanso . Nanso helps us to relax our body and mind. It is said, that it can relieve us from pain and that it helps to overcome physical or emotional difficulties. As well as I know, nanso meditation is not part of aikido classes in most dojos in the world. Perhaps it is something unique to my old sensei's dojo in Kyoto where I began my aikido training in the year 1992 and practiced there until my return to Israel in 1999. As I found nanso significantly helpful and pleasant, it was just natural for me to continue practicing it at the end of each class also here at Masatake Dojo in Rehovot. About 300 years ago, lived in Japan a zen -buddhist monk called Hakuin . He is one of the most important and in...

Initial Steps in Aikido Seventh Keiko ma 間 - ma In Japanese, the word ma  means gap, space between things, room and interval. Even in our most basic training, we pay attention to the distance between us and our partner. 間合 - maai Making adjustments and maintaining safe distance, is called maai . The ai  in maai  is the same ai  as in aikido (合氣道), and it means to fit or to harmonize. 隙間 - sukima An opening - a moment of lack of defence or lack of attention. Maai between tori and uke is an important subject for our training. Already from our very first aikido class, we learn to recognize and to maintain correct maai. The term " maai " is originated in Japan's traditional martial arts. In the past, recognizing an opening in the opponent's defence or manipulating him in order to create such an opening was a matter of life or death. Such an opening sometimes lasts for a split of a second. It is an opportunity that is very easy to miss, ...

The monk who lives among us | By Ze'ev Erlich Here is a nice Japanese proverb I found recently. It reminded me of something nice I read in recent interview with an Aikido master called Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei who is 8th dan, and was a direct disciple of the founder of Aikido. The proverb is: 大隠は市に隠る Tai-in wa ichi ni kakru "A great sage lives in a town" Though a hermit may lead a pious life in a cave, in a forest or a lonely mountain, a trully great person, lives in crowded streets and is not affected by his surroundings. He can have a disciplined life in spite of his surroundings. from the book : Japanese Proverbs and Sayings. Yamada Sensei lives and teaches aikido in the very heart of Manhattan (NYC). Here are Yamada Sensei's words concerning the very same idea: "I am not a very spiritual man. I should have followed the lectures of Nakamura sensei, I would probably be deeper. I am not a mysterious person, I try to practice and...

http://www.trussel.com/aikido/aikido1.htm Sadao Yoshioka: Aikido's 'ki' on Nature  by Stafford Kiguchi  Martial Arts Hawaii Magazine, Jan-Feb 1975, Vol. 1, No. 3 (pp 30-34)  Unite yourself in mind and spirit to become one with nature and you are experiencing the essence of Aikido. But this is actually only the basic concept and it is not all so easy. The ultimate goal of becoming one with the universe and obtaining peace of mind is fostered through strenuous physical training and meditation which demands strict mental discipline. Sensei Sadao Yoshioka, chief instructor and 6th degree black belt at the Aikido Headquarters in Honolulu has been training in the art for 20 years. He has received instruction from a host of top instructors, including senseis Yamamoto, Takahashi, Sugimoto, Kimura, and Tohei, who is 10th degree. He also trained under Kisshomaru sensei, the son of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido, and Ueshiba himself. Y...

AIKIDO: The Wisdom and Teaching of Sadao Yoshioka  http://www.trussel.com/aikido/f_sens.htm The following is a direct transcription of Yoshioka-sensei's tapes. I have only added the headings, and formatted the text.  introduction, illness May 15, Friday (1981). I went to see Dr. Peroff concerning my recent operation on a lymph gland. The result was positive that I have cancer, malignant cancer, and I must get further treatment by a specialist. Because of this I decided to write a book on Aikido.In the past, many of my students have asked me to, and I hesitated, because time changes, and what a person thinks today will eventually change as time goes by and they mature and mellow. So my intention is to give the students as much information as I can at this time. meaning of Aikido First of all I'd like to go into the meaning of Aikido. Ai. What is Ai? Ai, I understand, is to harmonize, to become one, or to love. And ki is vapor, spirit, a force, invisible fo...