Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > AikiWeb AikiBlogs > Diana Frese's Blog

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Diana Frese's Blog Blog Tools Rate This Blog
Creation Date: 12-30-2010 03:23 PM
Diana Frese
Offline
rss2
You are subscribed to this blog
Blog Info
Status: Public
Entries: 43
Comments: 170
Views: 239,093

In General Art and O Moto Kyo Entry Tools Rate This Entry
  #24 New 11-02-2011 03:59 PM
(Note to Carina and Francis, I'm still working on that tribute to Father Joe for the Aikido Academy website, thanks for your encouragement. But the eighties brought so many changes in my life and as I hinted before, Father Joe's influence may have been part of those changes, so that is why so many pages started and not finished.... hope you can wait...)


This is a huge topic. O Sensei. O Moto Kyo. Who was O Sensei, and what was his message? What were his training methods?

And another question, Whose O Sensei? Not really trying to ask rhetorical questions here, but it seems that so many of us have our own personal feelings about what O Sensei means to us.
Evidently he, and Aikido made some impression or we wouldn't have started training, or even for those who haven't trained yet, wouldn't be reading about it here.

I have known two Aikido artists personally, years ago, Harvey Konigsberg from New York Aikikai, whom I met again at Aikido of Fairfield County, Ray Farinato's dojo, several years ago, and John Hrabushi, whom I first met many years ago at New Haven Aikikai, when it was in East Haven.

So it was kind of interesting, checking out the Omoto website and finding out the great importance they accord to Art. Many who have read about Aikido know about the Founder's writings hoping for world peace, and harmony with the natural environment, but if you haven't checked out the Omoto website, I recommend it. I haven't in a while, but I intend to.

Some of you like my little stories. Here's one from my town. One of the art teachers from my old elementary school stopped me on the street near the post office many years ago, gave me a scrutinizing look to see who I was and asked "Are you still doing Art?" I must have mumbled something, and she proceeded on her way, leaving a quite definite prescription and direction to never stop with the art, whatever words she used to convey this, the message was clear.

Before we got married, my husband started doing art, and then I did. We were in a house share with another artist, then a loft. My husband did mostly abstract, with bright colors, acrylics. I did mostly nature stuff, animals, sometimes a giraffe appears, or for black and while among the greenery, a dalmatian dog, I think. But then I started with the princesses: the four mitama I mentioned in another blog entry. These were characters I was going to write stories about but haven't so far.
The Mongolian Empress was the Ara Mitama, I had started to do a kind of comic book drawing series on large art paper with pastels, she was capturing students to build up her dojo. It was kind of funny, kind of serious, because at the time I was trying to build up the Y dojo again after people moved. Or something like that. We actually did get another dojo, for a few months, at the art loft, but that's another story. Anyway, I thought Ara Mitama would be the kind of spirit necessary to build up a dojo, or a business, so I always kept this "mythological" character at the back of my mind.

What's strange, is the Ara Mitama originally was said to defend Japan from Genghis Khan's navy or his grandson's, I forget which. But in this story, the Princess, or Empress, is Mongolian. The painting even has a white Mongolian horse peering from behind the face in the portrait. There are three more paintings in the series, Princess Northern Bear, possibly a Kami from Hokkaido, where the name Kuma appears a lot, if I remember correctly, though I have never been there. Naturally, she is wearing a long robe that looks sort of Japanese, and there is a rather abstract snow scene going on in the painting. I think of her as the Nigi Mitama, the "nurturing" Den Mother type, though she is standing very straight and proud. Well, they often speak of mother bear defending cubs, and raising a dojo requires strength and determination ....

Well, that's enough for today, more later. Enjoy the season, do some artwork if you feel like it.
If you're not sure you want to do art work, just check out the O Moto website or read some of O Sensei's poetry. A little inspiration in life is always a good thing.
Views: 3171 | Comments: 5


RSS Feed 5 Responses to "Art and O Moto Kyo"
#5 11-03-2011 11:34 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Hi Daian, yes it is right, you are doing great in spanish Feliz cumpleaņos, but you don't have the ņ,
#4 11-03-2011 07:13 AM
Diana Frese Says:
Here is a pun from one of my assistants at the little YMCA dojo years ago., I taught them a few words in Japanese. He said if you practice on your birthday, it's called a Birthday Keiko. Feliz cumpleanos! (Did I get that right?)
#3 11-03-2011 01:36 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Thank you, yesterday I had no training, but a colleague of the office is born on the same day, so we bought a great breakfast together for all people of the office, about 30. And today I will take a cake, I think a chocolate cake and some soft drinks to the dojo, that is what we are used to do, In August there were so many birthdays, that almost after every class we had cake
#2 11-03-2011 12:07 AM
Diana Frese Says:
Thanks, Carina, and Happy Birthday! I wonder what you will do to celebrate. Your dojo likes to have fun, according to the pictures you post. The paintings I have here are of two other "mitama", The Saki Mitama picture is entitled "The Shinto Princess" I found a description of the four mitama, I think it was by the original poster of the thread Omoto Theology, so I will let you know. Chuck says he can probably photograph the painting
#1 11-02-2011 05:19 PM
guest1234567 Says:
Thanks Daian, please take your time, I'm sure the article about Father Joe will be great, maybe a good post for Christmas, what do you think? But Daian one favour, I really would like to see some of your art, maybe you could send me one per e-mail and if you like to share it in aikiweb, I'll help you,
 




All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:10 PM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate