Mitori-geiko: Observation-training - eyes, videos, books

I'm inspired today by the common thought that "you can't learn martial arts from books" ... or even videos, according to some. Yet, most of us know well enough that there are vast numbers of martial arts books and video materials in the market, and they are usually written or made by, or else feature, highly-credentialed and often well-known expert teachers. Would they do this if it were useless?

That would be at best dishonorable to do, flying in the face of professional and martial integrity.So, let us presume that our respected teachers, seniors, comrades, etc. who have made books and videos do in fact believe that they are benefiting fellow martial artists with their works, and further, that they are correct, as is expected of experts.  At the same time, the "can't learn" dictum also comes from experienced people at times, and there is some truth there as well. So, let's try to understand and reconcile them, and then consider how these materials can be used effectively.

For me, the truth of this matter is apparent by looking at it from two sides. First, there is the truth that in order to learn to do something, we must practice doing it. And this is best done under the guidance of a teacher who can observe us and tell us how to avoid mistakes and do it better. Second, careful observation is also a valid way of training, under the right circumstances. We'll look a little more deeply at each one in turn.

Again, the way to learn to do something, or at least to do it well, is to practice doing it. The best way is with the help of a good teacher. Some would have us think that this is the only way. That is not true, since if it was, there would never been any innovation nor progress, and all martial arts would be identical - and far inferior to what we have today. Nevertheless, to learn it is far better - quicker and easier - with a good teacher helping us. With or without a teacher, though, we have to DO it in order to get better at it over time.

Next, we look deeper at mitori geiko, the Japanese term for training by intent observation. In short, this means learning by watching carefully what another does. It may be a teacher, or classmates, or especially in the case of duels and sporting competitions, observing the other party. If someone is injured and cannot physically practice, they can still benefit greatly by attending the dojo and doing mitori geiko.

In fact, one of the modes of traditional training, in which teachers don't explain, but simply demonstrate, and then have students try to emulate what they saw - often called "stealing the technique" uses mitori geiko followed by physical practice.

As I see it, using videos and books is really another form of this same mode of practice! In all cases, you pay attention to what you see, and then try to practice it, to duplicate the technique or exercise.

Still, the best way is to learn under a teacher who does explain and actively helps us to improve, rather than just hoping we'll manage to successfully "steal" the technique. The problem is that without active guidance, whether we are trying to copy an uncommunicative teacher, or a video, or a book, we can very easily miss crucial, but subtle points, or get into bad habits when we don't realize we are doing something wrong.

Now, bringing all these things together, mitori geiko of any sort, including using books, is far more useful and effective if you already have a foundation in actual practice. As such, I would say that, while it is not impossible to learn - as a beginner - from a book, it would be very hard, and the process would have many potential pitfalls. If, however, we have relevant experience and practice, then we can use the information to adjust what we have already learned and practiced.

For example, in my youth, I studied Tae Kwon Do for... perhaps a little under a year, earning several promotions. I have continued, over the years, to occasionally practice the poomse (Korean for 'kata' or forms) that I was taught in that time. Recently, I acquired a book giving one of the newer official sets of forms (the Tae Geuk), which my school did not use, at least not at that time - just before I had to stop going (due to an injury sustained elsewhere) there was talk of the school switching to a new system of poomse. In any case, although they are not the same, there is a strong overlap between the forms in this book, and those I learned years ago. As such, it is not a major leap for me to practice these "new' forms by carefully following the directions and paying close attention to the pictures. Even so, it would be far easier if I were to enroll in a dojang that uses the Tae Geuk forms and get proper instruction. However, if I were a beginner with no experience, it would be far harder to learn these forms from the book, and I would surely make far more mistakes.

In the end, it is again best to learn from a good teacher. If you can do that, do it! If you can't get a teacher, sometimes it is possible to observe classes. This depends on the art and the particular school. Aikido dojos tend to be very open to visitors; some other martial arts, especially certain very traditional ones, tend to be very closed and secretive, not allowing non-students to watch. If you can't watch instruction in person, then video materials are next in usefulness. Finally print materials, books, ebooks and magazines. Again all of these are much more effective if you have experience to build upon, if you already have some knowledge and practice.

And if you are an absolute beginner? It is truly best recommended to join a school or otherwise find a teacher, but if you must try to learn in one of these other ways, involving mitori geiko, I would offer these thoughts:  Observe not only the teacher (even if that be a book, etc.), but also, very intently, yourself, your body. Try to feel what you are doing, and to do it with care, attention and precision. No matter what the art, I would strongly recommend first of all carefully learning breakfalls and rolls; that way, you are less likely to be injured if you lose your balance or otherwise fall while practicing other techniques later, and certainly if you have or get a training partner. I've seen some good videos online on how to safely ease into rolls and breakfalls particularly made by practitioners of Aikido and the Russian art Systema. Go slowly, try to pay attention to any subtle differences due to variations in your stance, position and movements. Pay attention to balance and to your center, so that you can maintain balance. Along with this, pay close attention to footwork. And when your situation allows you to get a teacher, do it. ;)

As a proof that it can work, I've read of a number of Aikido dojos and clubs in the US that started with groups of friends training together from the few early books. This was particularly before there were more than a handful of teachers.

As a final note, current technology now allows for even personal instruction at a distance, to some degree, with the availability of video calling. A number of prominent martial artists, such as Stephen Hayes and Jet Li, have started online schools that allow for teachers to periodically evaluate students via video, and doubtless others will do likewise. This new option in training, in effect, combines training-by-teacher and training-by-observation. It will be most instructive to see if it is indeed viable and effective after some time has passed.

Online Martial Arts Shopping

This is a little outside my usual range of topics, but since it might help others...

I've spent a considerable amount of time over the past few days doing a lot of comparison pricing on a list of martial arts goods, and from this experience I've reached some general conclusions.

First, by and large, with the exceptions of either rare and scattered deep discounts, or high-end products, and taking into account shipping and handling fees, it seems that prices tend to be close, and to even out if you're in the market for a list of things. As such, this kind of intense shopping around is probably not really worthwhile most of the time.

It seems that many dojo websites are now affiliating with martial arts vendors, too, so that the dojo can sell what is needed to their students without managing their own store and stock. (Several suppliers seem to have affiliate programs of this sort - Century seems to be everywhere, while high-end supplier Tozando also has a similar program.  If you belong to a dojo that participates in such a program, it would be worthy to use its site unless there is a compelling reason not to.

Also important, if you belong to a dojo (or otherwise have an instructor) and you are shopping for things to wear or use in that dojo, it is very wise to consult with the instructor on any preferences, or even just for advice.

If your dojo has no such program, on a similar principle, unless there is a significant reason not to (huge difference in price, for example) it's a good idea to buy local. Interestingly enough one item I am interested in is cheapest (aside from a sold out clearance sale by one supplier who was discontinuing the item) at one of the stores here in New York City, where as a general rule prices are higher than in most other parts of the USA. So, even here, buying local can be a savings.

On the other hand, if you do want or need to do comparison shopping online, it's important to make the effort of adding everything together, AND any shipping and any other fees. Also, in many cases, you'll see a basic price in a listing for an item, but the actual price for an item may be higher for different details, such as size or color, so make sure you check the options you want and get the full price for the exact version you want. Some sites have flat rate prices, but others will have those variations I just described. Some sites will automatically calculate the correct price from your chosen options and show it on the page, others will have a note in the drop-down menus for choosing the options telling you what the additional cost is, which you have to add to the base price yourself.

Always check the size charts, since there is some variation between different manufacturers ... aside from there being some different size systems from different countries that you may encounter. Also check any customer reviews, as I found several sites where customers consistently recommending ordering a size higher than indicated by the chart, either because the fit was tighter than expected, or because (in the case of cotton garments) they might shrink in the wash when first laundered.

Finally, to repeat my main bit of advice from this week of price-shopping - I have my doubts if doing this will be worthwhile most of the time. If you don't have a source through your dojo, then find either a local business if possible (if they carry what you're specifically looking for) or a trustworthy online business that has the items you need... it is not likely that price differences will add up to any greatly substantial difference. However, if your budget is very tight, you may luck out if you browse around for closeouts and clearances.

Readers are welcome to comment with any additional tips, or questions.

Historic First Shodan Demonstration at Shugyo Aikido

I would like to share with you this video of a historic ranking at the Shugyo Aikido Dojo

Shodan Embu (Demonstration)

There are several reasons this video is significant and interesting. Personally, I find dan ranking demonstrations to be among the most interesting of video materials on Aikido. While instructional videos may be of more immediate practical use, especially for the beginner, demonstrations or tests for dan ranks are chances to see the art as practiced by people with proven experience.  As my earlier article on the meanings of the belts explains: the kyu-grades (colored or white belts depending on the school) are those of novice students who are still learning the basic, standard range of techniques, while dan-ranks starting with the first  (shodan) are those of experienced and dedicated students who are able to practice the art as a whole, and who are presumably working toward and achieving mastery. In short, those who have achieved a dan ranking (black belt), know enough to be able to train at a more mature level of art.  So, out of the numerous dan-testings that we can easily find online, why is this one significant enough to be singled out?

First, it records a historic occasion: the first shodan to be earned and awarded in the new, independent style named Shugyo Aikido. It includes the presentation of Shodan certificate number 1!  In addition, there are certain aspects of the student’s performance and how he got there that are particularly commendable, and which are inspiring to me, and perhaps to others. I’ll elaborate on these points.

This video clip, again, shows the first dan-ranking within this new style or branch of Aikido. Naturally, readers will be curious as to why there should even be another new style in the first place. My opinion is that one of the strengths and glories of Aikido is its sheer versatility: it can be beneficially trained in a great variety of ways, for different reasons and with corresponding different results. Even training styles that are sometimes derided as ‘aiki-bunny’ deserve more respect: they serve their purpose well for those who choose to train that way. There is nothing wrong with it, provided those aikidoka do not expect the same results as might be found from training in other styles with other emphases. And even at that, the Founder of Aikido, and many other later teachers, insist that the true value lies in strong mastery of the basics – and the significant basics are widely shared among styles, ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ alike.

This particular new style was, as I understand it, created to incorporate within its training regimen, elements that most schools of Aikido shun. I am not a student - at this time - nor a representative of Shugyo Aikido, so these interpretations are my own, and may or may not reflect the views of the style’s founder, James Neiman. 

The main difference is that students of Shugyo Aikido learn fighting techniques drawn from other arts alongside the standard Aikido core; because of this, Neiman Sensei calls it a ‘Mixed Martial Art’, though its name accurately indicates that Aikido is the core and framework of the art he teachers.   This kind of thing is taken as very controversial at best by many Aikidoka. While I can see and understand their point, I also see and understand Neiman Sensei’s point and choices. And I believe that the versatility I mentioned earlier allows for even such sharp differences, provided that Aikido and all that It means is not lost sight of.

One important truth that I see in Neiman Sensei’s way of teaching is that it compensates for a crucial difference between early Aikido and its present general traits and practices. Namely, in the early days of Aikido, students had to be recommended to the Founder, and many of them were already accomplished martial artists in other schools, and in some cases are said to have been sent by their teacher to Founder Morihei Ueshiba for advanced training. I repeat, advanced training. In later years, the Founder’s son Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei took steps to open Aikido to a wider audience, and this meant that many students start with no background in martial arts, and mainstream Aikido teaches only the pure Aikido.

Therefore, some teachers, including Neiman Sensei, choose to supplement Aikido with techniques from other arts, giving their students a wider range of basic physical skills. On a pragmatic level, this can be very important for those who may face self-defense or other combat situations.

This should not be misunderstood!  People have saved their own lives with basics as simple as Aikido’s standard ready stance, which looks attentive and confident, but not threatening nor aggressive; or basic footwork with which one can sidestep attempted punches. The Founder himself won a duel in which he was unarmed, against a swordsman, by simply avoiding every cut until the expert swordsman admitted he was outclassed. This does not even require lengthy training; Nev Sagiba Sensei tells a story in one of his articles of someone who took a single class from him before life circumstances forced him to stop – that lone class focused on footwork, and within a few days after that class, the one-class student was attacked by a large, belligerent drunk at a party, and neatly avoided each punch with this single skill he had learned in a hour or so of practice. Respect the basics!

Despite that great potential in Aikido in and of itself, some modern-day Aikidoka do practice and teach elements from other arts, and they do indeed have good reasons. This should be seen as a personal choice – there is neither cause nor right to condemn either ‘pure’ or ‘mixed’ Aikido. Consider, too, that the Founder himself studied several arts before and in the course of developing and refining his Aikido. He also taught a wide variety of people with very different needs, ranging from military, intelligence and police personnel to dancers. (Yes, actual dancers – there are photos of the Founder instructing classes of Japanese dancers in formal kimonos, so even those who do Aikido like a dance really shouldn’t be criticized – but all students should be aware of how they are training, and be sure that it is the kind of training they actually want and need.) A final point here is that many aikidoka practice cross-training, by also studying other arts at other dojos. The Shugyo Aikido method appears to simply bring, in effect, cross-training into the aikidojo.

 Now, on to the more personal side of my interest in this video – senior student Neil Remolar sets a very nice example in sheer dedication and attentiveness to his study of Shugyo Aikido, resulting in rapid progress and unusually quick attainment of the Shodan degree. As Neiman Sensei explains during the promotion ceremony after the demonstration, a student practicing at the normal rate should earn Shodan in about five years, but through his dedication and extended and intense training, Neil was able to fulfill all the requirements of in about one and a half years. This is an extraordinary achievement.  Alongside earning the shodan degree, he successfully worked towards the requirements of becoming a Senior Instructor of Shugyo Aikido.  His example should be inspirational even to the many who for whatever reason cannot do the same. He did this, as I understand it, with intensive training as often and as much as his life allowed, under the close personal guidance of Neiman Sensei. He would have been an uchi-deshi (live-in disciple, traditional-type apprentice) if their circumstances allowed, but Neiman Sensei arranged a program of instruction and other activities to keep him well-rounded that came as close as possible to the uchi-deshi experience, and having similar effect. All this came at Remolar-san’s own request – which he followed through on, successfully reaching this milestone.  

Furthermore, life threw at him a special obstacle in the form of a respiratory illness; he could no doubt have postponed his demonstration, and even in the course of it was offered the option to opt out of certain portions of the demonstration because of the illness, but he chose to press on with the entire program as planned.  This is not surprising given the force of character and will that got him there so quickly in the first place. In harsh reality, we can’t choose when we may need to engage with a hostile attack, so it is good for a martial artist to be able to act as needed even if distinctly unwell. An enemy, unless possessed of a chivalry rarely seen these days, would only take advantage of illness. Nevertheless, in practice, many choose not to practice when unhealthy, on the reasonable grounds that it can be much more dangerous. Neither choice is bad or wrong, but it is inspirational to see someone take the harder road in search of better gain.

Another aspect to this accomplishment is to the credit of Neiman Sensei and his teaching methods. In contrast to many schools that hold testings infrequently on a set schedule, and in many cases seem to even discourage students from focusing on advancement in the art, Neiman Sensei allows student to advance in rank as they meet the curriculum requirements. Thus, they aren’t held back solely because of an arbitrary schedule, and their actual advancement in knowledge and skill is acknowledged as the milestones are reached. To be complete and fair, those teachers who test rarely have their reasons, which some of them have explained in interviews, articles or books. Some have said they want to be sure the students have patience, or aren’t rushing ahead solely out of a belt-collecting ego-trip, etc., and some have pointed that many Westerners misunderstand the meaning and significance of a black belt, in particular inflating its meaning, making them over-confident upon achieving their first black belt – so that forcing a longer training time before it is achieved will result in that much less “over’’ in their confidence. Thus, there are pros and cons to each method; it seems wise for teachers and students (some of whom will be future teachers) to know about different possible teaching methods and to carefully consider those pros and cons.

Going back to Neil’s demonstration, let’s not forget that, whether we call it “mixed martial art” or “cross-training” or something else, the effect of the curriculum means that a shodan in his art of Shugyo Aikido is considered to have learned and demonstrated competence in the important basics of not one, but a whole range of martial arts with different emphases,  bringing a variety of skills, and a state of well-roundedness, to students. And is this not an ideal demonstrated by a number of the best widely known martial artists, ranging from Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei, to Bruce Lee, to Jet Li, and many others with less fame?

So, let us congratulate Neil Remolar on attaining the first shodan in the independent style of Shugyo Aikido! I look forward to seeing his future progress, as well as other students in their art who will follow in his footsteps in due course. 

International Association of Professional Martial Artists

As of October 15, 2013, I'm affiliated with the International Association of Professional Martial Artists as a Student Member. This organization was recently founded by James Neiman Sensei, Soke of Shugyo Aikido among other things as a way to build connections between martial artists, schools and private instructors who are independent of large organizations.  I would recommend that any readers who are, or want to be, serious martial artists, but find themselves hampered by not being part of an organization, should consider this organization; it is an excellent way to be part of the wider martial arts community even as an independent practitioner or instructor. Please view the website to find out more about what it is all about and the potential benefits. Note that there is no membership fee nor hidden costs.

The Meaning of the Belts

When people are new to martial arts, there are some questions and ideas that are almost typical (though not really universal), and which many instructors and other long-time martial artists consider pet peeves, mostly because they're misconceptions fostered by popular culture and media. So, just to do my little bit to help, I'm going to take a look at these points.

The central point is the momentous Black Belt. The popular conception is that being awarded a black belt in a martial art means that you're a master of the art, and sometimes practically a superhero. That being the case, to many new people it seems like a very obvious question to ask "How long does it take to get a black belt."

I have no idea whether it is true, but I've read a fitting story about when someone visited a dojo, and asked the head instructor the above question. In response, the teacher said, "Ah! You want a black belt?" He went and got a black belt from the supplies, and ceremoniously handed the man the belt. He then gestured to his other students, who were preparing for sparring practice, and cordially invited the "new black belt" to demonstrate his qualification for the belt by joining in.

It is also true that anyone can go to a martial arts supply store or website and buy a belt of any color they like. For that matter, we can make one if we have enough fabric, and a needle and thread. In short, the belt and its color is just a symbol. There's nothing to stop a teacher or an organization (wherever the authority lies in a particular art and lineage) from declaring that they will use pink belts for the purposes that black belts are currently customary.

(I would like to say to instructors that an estimate of time to reach black belt really is a reasonable question for beginners to have, even if more experienced people might see it as not really accurately answerable; and I would propose that the best way to answer is with the simple truth, such as it is for your school. In general, there is probably some definite minimum time you can mention, along with the fact that one's own dedication, skill and perseverance will determine how much time it might take beyond that minimum training time that may be required, so that it is really impossible to say how long it will take in the end... it's up to them to meet the qualifications for promotion!)

The real point, of course, is the training and education one receives. The belts used in many martial arts to signify rank are a symbol, and somewhat arbitrary, since there are different arrangements of rankings, and different belts assigned to them.

In fact, many people are surprised to learn that the system of using belts to show rank is relatively modern, and decidedly not an ancient tradition. It started in Japan in the original school of Judo, founded by Jigoro Kano Sensei in the late 1800's. Before that time, the standard way of acknowledging a student's advancement was through a series of degree certificates. The martial arts of other countries had their own systems; I haven't done much research into that aspect of their histories, unfortunately, so I cannot now shed more light. In the meantime, Kano Sensei's ranking system spread among other Japanese and Okinawan martial arts, and then to other arts.

Actually, Kano Sensei borrowed part of the system from traditional ranking system of Japanese games, such as "Go." This was in line with his creation of Judo, as a sport and path of personal development, out of the combat art of Jujutsu. This traditional system is one of "kyu" grades for those who are in the process of learning the game or art, to which Judo assigned a series of colored belts; and "dan" ranks to acknowledge the increasing skill and mastery of those who had attained proficiency, which are the black belt ranks.

There we see the probably cause of one of those misconceptions that is our main point: first there is this series of colored belts, and then a black belt for the rest of a person's career in that art. To those who aren't fully (or at all) aware of the kyu-dan system, it does naturally look like attaining a black belt is the goal of martial arts training. Some arts do show the progression of dan ranks with colored stripes on the black belts; that was the system in the Tae Kwon Do school I attended as a youth, for example.

But what's actually going on is that the kyu-grades or colored belts are, in martial arts, a structure for a curriculum of the basics of that art, and achieving a good level of competence therein. When one receives his or her first dan rank, and the black belt that goes with it, it signifies that one has shown competence and proficiency in the basics of the art, and now he or she may begin to come into their own and truly start learning what the art has to offer. In other words, attaining a black belt shows that one is perhaps an advanced student, or maybe even still intermediate, in a more strict and rigorous school than some others might be. Again, the colored belts show that one is a beginner, learning the various components of the art, all its basic exercises, techniques, stances, etc., etc. The first degree dan rank and its black belt means you're no longer a beginner. Higher dan ranks come as one moves toward mastery.

To be clear, attaining the first degree black belt is a very significant accomplishment, regardless of misunderstandings about its precise meaning! Actually, any belt is of great significance, even the first kyu to be earned means that you have persevered in learning something new, that forces one to confront fears and discover new abilities and new strength, inner and outer, just to get that far.  For that matter, simply taking the step of entering a dojo is worthy of honor. Most people don't do that!

In many arts, each rank takes longer to earn, often with specific minimum amounts of training time before one is allowed to test for the next rank. So, this means, in particular, that in the case of dan-ranks, the amount of training between ranks does indeed allow for significantly increased mastery, so that by the middle dan ranks, one could probably be considered as having mastered the art to a significant extent. But most high-ranking martial artists will tell you frankly and earnestly that they are always still students; and surely that is the ideal mindset.

Since this blog has a particular focus on Aikido, I should mention that many Aikido schools use only white belts for the kyu-grades, and black belts for the dan-degrees. Some schools do use colored belts for the kyus, however; and still others use colored belts only for children's classes, as a special motivational tool. Also of note is that most Aikido schools, and some of the other, more traditional, arts tend to discourage the mentality of trying to rack up belts or ranks. (I would say that when it comes right down to it, practically speaking, ranks only really matter, in a substantial way, for the sake of certifying people who are qualified to teach their martial art to others.)

While keeping in mind that every art, and different organizations within an art, and to some extent sometimes the schools within organizations, have their own particular systems and standards, to give a general idea, here is a link to the rankings page of the New York Aikikai and of the Aikikai Headquarters in Japan. A quick Google search can bring up the ranking systems of many other martial arts and schools. I've personally found it very interesting to compare different arts and their ranking systems, and different schools within an art.

I hope that this post is helpful to readers who may be considering enrolling in a dojo for formal training. Please, if you find that you have unanswered questions, ask them via the comments, and I will try to answer either in updates to this post or in future posts. (If you have questions about particular schools or styles, you can contact them directly and get much better answers.)

"Martial Relaxation"

Please read the linked article by Stanley Pranin Sensei on Martial Relaxation and other issues. It is his review of his experience teaching at a particular Aikido seminar. In my remarks following, I try to give my understanding of what he says, as influenced by my own experience, such as it is, and various teachers and other sources.

For me, the point about "martial relaxation" particularly strikes home because it is among my father's central basic teachings, though he hasn't used that particular term. As he put it, holding your muscles tensely in anticipation of action will delay and slow the action itself, and as Pranin Sensei says, that tension can also telegraph your intended movement to your partner or opponent.

Now, it is called "martial" relaxation because it is not the kind of relaxation that is limp and uncontrolled, but one in which you are aware, steady and in control. My father has sometimes described it as "poised", contrasting it to both "tensed" and limply relaxed.

So, it's very important to maintain this middle state between rigid tension and limpness. Both tension and limpness slow us down and delay reactions, but in the zone of martial relaxation we can find the best reaction and movement speed.

Observe a cat, and its speed of motion when striking. Cats appear to naturally maintain this state of martial relaxation, probably due to their nature as predators who also can be vulnerable to other predators.  (People who play with cats, thus, might be able to develop and measure their martial relaxation by their ability to, for example, evade a pounce or some "batting". ;))

In his article, Pranin Sensei mentions two other issues that he encountered among students: unbalancing the partner, and use of distracting strikes ("atemi" in Japanese).

Unbalancing is one of the most central and definitive things in the theory of Aikido. It's very much understandable that people sometimes forget in the heat of practice or combat, so it's all the more important for those who practice that art to keep in mind the basics of theory as well as of practice, and of course, put theory into practice. Aikido without using the aiki techniques of unbalancing is essentially simple judo or jujutsu. Aikido is born from jujutsu, in particular the Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu tradition, which is itself a specialty school that emphasizes aiki, as the name indicates. So, if we're training Aikido, we should give firm attention to breaking the partner's balance, when we are doing the nage/tori side of the equation. That is the key to making the resulting technique an Aikido technique.

As for atemi, it is an important method in achieving that all-important task of unbalancing the partner. It's a strike, a hit, that is meant to distract and unbalance... to break the concentration and poise of the other partner. It's not meant (in Aikido, that is!) to injure, nor more than briefly cause pain. As Pranin Sensei says in many places, Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba uses atemi in his filmed demonstrations and teachings.

 

Essence of the Essence?

Today I'm thinking again about the wide range in opinions in the Aikido world on the religious aspect of the art, and on whether there even is one. At one extreme, I've seen a book written by an instructor who's an Evangelical Christian and emphasizes the fact in his book, while flatly asserting that the Founder (Morihei Ueshiba "O-Sensei") said that Aikido is not a religion. On the other end of the spectrum, I have heard of some instructors at seminars attempting to make people engage in Shinto worship of the Aiki no Kami ("Gods or spirits of Aiki"). Somewhat similarly, in browsing pictures of videos of many dojos, I've noticed at least one that has a scroll in the place of honor bearing the Japanese inscription Aiki O-kami (合気大神）"Great Spirit/God of Aiki".

I've read enough of the Founder's words on the subject to be confident that the proper attitude lies somewhere in between the two extremes. For example, one statement of his is, "Aikido is the religion that is not a religion." While perhaps a little cryptic, it seems clearly enough to indicate that there is a religious nature and element to Aikido, but it is not organized as nor does it operate as a religion. O-Sensei also stated directly that he did not expect his students to follow his religious path, knowing that their own religions were right and good for them. At the same time, he did not hide his own religious sense of Aikido, and his live-in students (uchi-deshi)  routinely attended his prayers and other devotional activities as part of the regular schedule. Still, they were not required to participate as he did, and perhaps most significantly in the practical sense is that, although he gave talks to his students on spiritual aikido, understanding these talks was never a condition of promotion, which means that whatever religious side there was of Aikido even in the Founder's time was not mandatory nor part of the curriculum, but was in a sense parallel to the physical training that the students were there to receive.

All this being said, some readers will want to know more about what O-Sensei did actually say on spiritual and religious matters. As has been said elsewhere, his talks (those that were recorded in some fashion, at least) have been compiled in two collections, both of which are now available in English translation. (1) Aiki Shinzui ("The Essence of Aiki") was compiled from talks he gave in the dojo, collected and edited by his son, the second Head of Aikido, Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei. This has has been translated into English and published as "The Secret Teachings of Aikido." http://www.kodanshausa.com/books/9781568364469/ (2) Takemusu Aiki  is the transcript of a series of lectures that the Founder gave to a religious group founded by one of his friends, and it has been published in an English translation as "The Heart of Aikido". http://www.kodanshausa.com/books/9784770031143/

In the original Japanese text of Aiki Shinzui, the talks are arranged into seven chapters or sections, each with a title based (as far as I can tell) on a striking phrase or concept from one of the talks in that section. Each of these titles encapsulates a major principle in spiritual Aikido. So, as a way of sharing some of the essence of the Founder's thought, I'm going to attempt a translation of each of these chapter titles. (One could do the same with the titles of the individual talks for a slightly more detailed view... perhaps I'll try some of them in future posts.)

I will give the original Japanese text along with transliteration, then my English translation, and brief comments. Since I'm only a learner of Japanese, there may be flaws in my translations, though I have tried to research any difficulties as thoroughly as I can. (I would consider advice from fluent speakers who are Aikidoka, toward improving the translations.)

I. 合気道は魂の学び　Aikidou wa tamashii no manabi   "Aikido is the study of the spirit."

For some people, this is the most important definition of "religion". In any case, it defines Aikido as a spiritual method.

II. 合気とは愛気である  Aiki to wa aiki de aru   "Aiki is the spirit/energy of love."

O-Sensei was fond of punning between "ai" as "harmony, joining, etc." and "ai" as "love" in giving his spiritual and ethical teachings. In this way, he shows that both kinds of "ai" go hand-in-hand. It's difficult to have one without the other. This spirit of love should be sought by the aikidoka in training and even in combat.

III. 合気は武産の現われ  Aiki wa takemusu no araware   "Aiki is the manifestation of spontaneous martial action."

Takemusu is difficult to translate into English as a word or phrase, although the actual concept isn't hard to understand. It refers to a state wherein one spontaneously creates the right martial technique for the need of the moment; this is in contrast to the type of expertise in which one has a large catalog of techniques to draw upon. To put it another way, one who has achieved takemusu aiki simply does automatically what is needed, not limited by a set of memorized techniques. It may be seen as a particular type of enlightenment in martial art.

IV. 合気は息の妙用なり  Aiki wa iki no myouyou nari  "Aiki is the wonderful or mysterious effect of breath."

This illustrates the close connection between aiki, spirit, and breath. In many languages and cultures, there is little if any distinction between spirit and breath, and Japanese is among them.

V. 宇宙につながる合気  Uchuu ni tsunagaru Aiki   "Aiki connects (or connecting?) to the universe."

Here reference is made to connection between man and the universe at large, which is accomplished through aiki. Thus, Aikido is, as O-Sensei says elsewhere, a means of connecting to the universe, to heaven and earth, to the Great Spirit (O-kami, and Paramatma)

VI. 合気とは禊である   Aiki to wa misogi de aru   "Aiki is purification"

Misogi is more specifically a rite and method of purification. Those familiar with Sanskrit terms will understand if I translate it as "tapasya", which means purificatory rites of austerity. The Founder of Aikido tells us that his martial art is itself a method of misogi; and as it happens, too, some of the warm-up exercises he instituted are in themselves traditional forms of misogi. In some recent research, I noticed with interest that there is some similarity in principle and effect, even when not in form, between these misogi warm-ups in Aikido, and warm-up exercises and chi-gong in Chinese martial arts, particularly as used as warm-ups for Tai Chi Chuan. This in turn reminds me of article written by a former aikidoka who pursued Chinese internal martial arts after aikido, in which he relates a belated discovery, after years of practice, that the warm-up exercises that his teacher did before the main tai chi form practice were the key to his internal power, that is, his chi or in Japanese ki. Though the exercises are not identical, it seems they fulfill the same functions, both as "misogi" and physical warmups... and stimulation and awareness of ki/chi. I hasten to add that like with the rest of Aikido, the mindset, intention, attention, concentration, etc., of the practitioner makes a huge difference in the effect of the practices. Lackadaisical practice will bring lackluster results, though there is benefit to any sort of practice, unless you're doing things truly badly. Sincere and enthusiastic practice will bring far greater results.


VII.  神人合一の修業   Shinjin go-itsu no shuugyou    "Pursuit of knowledge of unity of god and man"

This last chapter title is another that strongly highlights the specifically spiritual side of Aikido. O-Sensei speaks of the practice and study as leading to the state of unity between god (kami) and humanity; similar to the way that an earlier chapter spoke of connection with the universe. Aikido is, if we take all these things together, along with the purely physical and technical side, the way of harmonizing or coordinating every kind of "energy": the totality of your own body, mind and spirit (if you believe in the latter); the energy of yourself and partners or attackers; the energy of humanity, of heaven, of the universe as a whole, of gods and spirits.

Although none of these chapters bring it out, another major theme of the Founder's words on spiritual, religious and ethical is the goal of building "heaven on earth". In this regard, we should remember that he lived through both World Wars, fighting in one and losing many students to the next; and saw large parts of major Japanese cities flattened. In other words, he saw the desolation of hell on earth, and so he instead wanted his students to work toward a heaven on earth, a harmonious world.

In one chapter, misogi was mentioned, but another kind of practice was also greatly emphasized by O-Sensei, although it was not named in any of the seven chapter headings. This is "kotodama", which can be seen as the Japanese version of "mantra". The Founder was familiar with both Shinto kotodama and practices of Shingon ("True Word") Buddhism, which is the Japanese tradition corresponding to the Tantric Buddhism of Tibet and India. In regard to kotodama, it seems to me that one could profitably chant and meditate on these chapter titles as a kind of kotodama, alongside more traditional kotodama.

In short, then, the Aikido Founder's vision was of perfect harmony between all parts of reality... all beings, and all inanimate parts of the whole as well. Our practice, study, awareness, etc., is the way. And let us not forget "love", the other "ai".