The frenzy of some real attacks cannot be understood unless experienced. Looking for such an experience is not recommended.
Maai, is an innate instinct of all creatures. Predators and prey both know it well. If they don’t they soon die. The unconscious genetic predisposition is a dead or dying one fated for extinction. Life seeks increase awareness.
Without doubt, one of the finest reference sources on Aikido technique is the six-volume series titled Takemusu Aikido authored by Morihiro Saito, 9th dan, in the last decade of his life.
The Takemusu Aikido series contain hundreds of techniques that encapsulize the teachings of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba in Iwama in the years following World War II. These wonderful reference manuals feature thousands of technical photos including historical shots of O-Sensei and Saito Sensei.
Every once-in-a-while, the editor asks, “Do you have a blog in you?” Being a “geezer-class” Aikidoist, having taken it up seriously at age 62 and reaching the Nidan level at age 66, I must have a lot to share. I try to stay away from the “Aikibabble”, preferring to believe that it is a physical/spiritual/martial art, and not a verbal one. I prefer dojos, mats, and Aikidoists. On the other hand, I do read Aikido blogs from several sources. Seems like the Internet can do wonders in opening up communications amongst the many tribes of Aikido…
I enjoy physically visiting other dojos. In the 4+ years I’ve been studying Aikido, I have visited and trained at Aikido dojos in Ashland OR, Missoula MT, Yellow Springs OH, Maui HI, Medford OR (2), Oklahoma City OK, and New Orleans LA (2). Most of them were small, similar to ours. It is always a rewarding experience, training at another dojo. Most of them I’ve only visited once, but would love to go back to any/all of them! We practice a modified-Tomiki style (our Sensei was trained by Karl Geis, Hanshi); therefore there is usually some adjustment for both parties when visiting the more traditional dojos. “We’re the ones that usually “step off line.”
The article below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
When it comes to showing aikido to the general public in a way both attractive and easy to understand, Gozo Shioda stands alone. He combines a lucid analysis of aikido theory with crisp technique and a liberal dash of humor. The observer of a Shioda aikido demonstration is almost invariably caught up in the mood of the experience and is ready to join an aikido dojo without the least bit of coaxing. Moreover, Shioda never fails to acknowl-edge his teacher Morihei Ueshiba and the fact that aikido evolved from the techniques of Daito-ryu aikijujutsu. In pan seven of this series, Aikido Journal’s own editor-in-chief, Stanley Pranin, relates some of the highlights of Shioda’s fascinating career.
The only book authored by Shoji Nishio Sensei, one of the most important instructors of the postwar era, Yurusu Budo, is one of the best-selling titles in our Aiki Store. In fact, we have had trouble keeping it in stock because each shipment seems to be gobbled up by customers faster than anticipated.
We would also like to bring to your attention that you may purchase all three of Nishio Sensei’s DVDs together with the Yurusu Aikido book as a set at a 25% discount. We have posted a series of 10 screen shots from this set to give you an idea of the outstanding quality and contents of these DVDs.
The article below has been selected from the extensive archives of the Online Aikido Journal. We believe that an informed readership with knowledge of the history, techniques and philosophy of aikido is essential to the growth of the art and its adherence to the principles espoused by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
The reasons no other high-ranking teacher had attempted to broach the subject of Aiki weapons were little understood at the time. Still today a great deal of confusion persists over what emphasis the Founder Morihei Ueshiba actually placed on weapons and when and whom he taught. In fact, many instructors and advanced students the world over practice iaido (live-sword drawing) thinking that there exists a historical relationship between Aikido and Iaido or that the use of the sword in the two arts is similar or complementary. In some dojos, proficiency in the use of the live blade is required on examinations for dan rankings.
From Aikiweb.com:
“I am currently finishing the next column for my Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation series and I had occasion to translate a substantial section of Hideo Takahashi’s Takemusu Aiki. Up to now, the only available parts in English have been the few sections that have appeared in Stanley Pranin’s AJ magazine & columns, which formed the basis of Ellis Amdur’s Three Peaches and Hidden in Plain Sight essays.
We are now offering complimentary copies of “Aikido Masters” as well as the information-filled “Back-issue DVD for customers who take out 2-year subscriptions or renewals to the Online Aikido Journal.
At Aikido Journal we have the world’s most extensive archives of aikido-related materials, all available online. Your support over the last 30-plus years has enabled us to produce and dissseminate this huge body of material, especially in this Internet age.
