Georges Rousseau passed away last week. As per his own last wishes, his funeral on May 26 was a strictly private ceremony.
Coming from a military background, Georges started aikido in 1957-1958. He considered himself a pupil of Tadashi Abe, Masahiro Nakazono, Masamichi Noro and (for several decades) Nobuyoshi Tamura. He also participated in numerous seminars given by instructors such as Kazuo Chiba, Yoshimitsu Yamada, Seiichi Sugano, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Sadateru Arikawa, Morihiro Saito and Rinjiro Shirata.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, Georges was active in ‘aikido politics' at the Belgian, European and international level; he co-founded, and/or participated in, many of the aikikai-related organizations that are still active now. In the 1980s he co-founded the Brussels Aikido and Budo Federation (http://www.aikidobabf.be/), and in the 1990s Takemusu Aiki Intercontinental (http://www.aikidotakemusu.org/) with amongst others Pierre Chassang and Philippe Voarino; he remained active in these organizations until the end. See Georges' CV at http://www.aikidotakemusu.org/fr/articles/georges-rousseau-8eme-dan.
1958
Débute la pratique de l'Aikido à l'Institut Ryon à Bruxelles (Mr. Naessens).
Apprend avec Tadashi ABE et Mutsuro NAKAZONO.
1966
1er Dan Aikikai So Hombu (Masamichi Noro).
1966-1969
Enseigne aux gardiens de la prison d'Anvers pour le Ministère de la Justice.
1968
Membre Fondateur du club Bushido à Bruxelles.
1969
Membre Fondateur de l'Association Culturelle Belge d'Aikido (A.C.B.A.).
1971
Nommé FUKUSHIDOIN premier grade.
1973
2ème Dan Aikikai So Hombu (Nobuyoshi Tamura)
1974-1975
Elève du Kendo Renmei - étude du Kendo et du Iaido
1976
3ème Dan Aikikai So Hombu (Nobuyoshi Tamura). Membre de la Commission Technique de l'A.C.B.A
Japon : représentant A.C.B.A. au 1er Congrès de la Fédération Internationale d'Aikido.
1977-1980
Membre du Conseil Supérieur de la Fédération Européenne d'Aikido (F.E.A.).
1978
Début de la collaboration à la revue Europe-Aikido - parution du n° 1 - en charge du suivi des articles à publier, de leur traduction, de la mise en page, des contacts avec l'imprimeur, correction des épreuves et diffusion internationale et cela jusqu'à la fin de la publication de la revue(n° 32) en mars 1986.
Représentant A.C.B.A. au 2ème Congrès F.I.A.
Invitation de Seiichi Sugano pour son établissement en Belgique.
1979-1981
Président de l'A.C.B.A.
1980
4ème Dan Aikikai So Hombu (Nobuyoshi Tamura)
1981
FUKUSHIDOIN - tous degrés
1982
Quitte l'A.C.B.A. Vice Président fondateur du Brussels Aikikai.
1983
5ème Dan Aikikai So Hombu (Nobuyoshi Tamura)
1984
Membre Fondateur de la BRUSSELS AIKIDO & BUDO FEDERATION. Vice-Président jusqu'en 1987.
1985-1986
Collabore à la conception et à la distribution du livre TAMURA AIKIDO édité par l'association Europe Aikido.
Membre Fondateur de l'association Alphas de l'Aikido.
1989
6ème Dan Aikido BABF.
1993
Membre fondateur de TAKEMUSU AIKI INTERCONTINENTAL (TAI).
1999
7ème Dan TAI.
2008
Membre fondateur d'ITAF - International Takemusu Aikido Federation.
Georges remained active practicing and teaching aikido on the tatami of his last dojo until autumn 2011, emphasizing basic principles (central axis rotation, kokyu, sankaku, ...) and martial validity over technical detail. In 2011-2012 he lost a large part of his left foot due to the consequences of diabetes, after which he still participated in the dojo's everyday life, but did no longer appear on the mat. In November 2014 he lost Jeanine Vanpé-Rousseau, his wife of 59 years, and active companion in all his aikido (and other) endeavors.
Before passing away, Georges made sure he had fulfilled all his obligations and left ‘a clean house'. He has shown his pupils by example how to simply and honestly practice aikido without yielding to the temptations of fake power and vain grandiosity.
See also the obituary by his friend Philippe Voarino: http://www.aikidotakemusu.org/fr/articles/le-dernier-des-elephants-est-mort
Peter Goldsbury
05-28-2015, 03:53 AM
Though I fought with Mr Rousseau a great deal during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when splits and fragmentation occurred in Europe, I was happy that our friendship was repaired and renewed with the passing of time. I have a touch of envy, that he was able to practice with some of the early giants of aikido: Abe Tadashi and Kobayashi Hirokazu and Noro Masamichi.
May he rest in peace.
P Goldsbury