Defining Aikido
Hello,
This is a spin-off from the "Equitable?" thread in the General category. For those of you who haven't been following it, it started out as an exasperated posting on how few women (2 out of 35, as I recall) will be instructors at the upcoming Aiki Expo, and quickly turned into a debate on whether or not gender diparity has anything to do with Aikido. Or at least that's how I saw it; if you want to form your own opinion, set aside an hour or two to read it all. Meanwhile, as the thread evolved, I began to wonder just what does have to do with Aikido. It is pretty clearly more than just a series of techniques, but what else is there to it? The Founder seems to have been difficult to follow, both in terms of philosophy and martial ability, and we in the West are at a remove, due both to the vagaries of translation and to a significantly different set of cultural assumptions. On top of all this — because of all this? — the deshi diaspora that was taking place when I entered the art presented us with a wide variety of takes on the nature of the art. On the other hand, in many years of visiting many dojo's, some things have remained fairly constant: compassion for the attacker; finding, and then moving from center; practicing being aware; and, with only a few notable exceptions, not just falling down for each other. But I know there's much more to it than that. And yes, I know that there are a lot of descriptions of what constitutes Aikido, but at the moment they don't seem sufficient. Some would urge us just to 'practice the art that Ueshiba gave us." Right. If I'd been born in late 19th-century Japan, farmed remote outposts for years, fallen in with both a paranoid, highly-skilled fighter and a somewhere-to-the-left-of-Shirley-MacLaine cult leader, and lived through the buildup to, experience of, and aftermath of World War II, maybe I could practice that art. Since I can't, I have to wonder if what I've been consumed with for 30-some years has anything in common with Ueshiba's Aikido. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it does, but also pretty sure that there've been some changes made. Here's an analogy: I work in a large old wooden building. It was built in the 1930's, and in its life it has housed a bowling alley, movie theater, truck repair facility, fire hall, guitar maker, cabinetmaker, and currently is host to a sail loft, rigging loft, and a shop that builds and repairs wooden boats. In the course of accommodating all of these pursuits, the building has had to adapt, with walls being moved, floors put in and taken out, wiring rerouted, etc. But it has always been recognizably the same building, not just from how it looks from the outside, but how it feels inside (this from people who were here when it was new). There is something about its character that persists, no matter how much people mess with it. It could have been otherwise; the place could never be, for instance, a welding shop, shooting range, balloon hangar, bank, or foundry, partly because some of those activities would probably destroy it in short order, but largely because it naturally tended to attract enterprises that didn't require too much fussing to fit in. The building has remained itself because it had a real, if difficult-to-define nature to begin with, and because it would be too much bother to make it into something entirely different. That's how I've come to see Aikido, as a large, accommodating structure that is somewhat plastic, but you know when you've tried to make it into something that it isn't. This might sound like the famous definition of pornography: "I know it when I see it." The difference is that we have a formal technical structure to draw on, plus a somewhat less formal spiritual structure. We can only recognize the real thing after significant amounts of study, and then we can point to the details that exemplify it. It's the spiritual side that makes things difficult, the philosophy that tangles me up. Just how does it relate to the techniques? How much, if any, philosophy belongs on the mat? If some does, how much, and how many related issues also belong there? Is it possible to let such issues in without detracting from the art? Is it possible to keep them out with detracting from the art? Yours, Brion Toss |
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PS,
Oops. I have been so enthralled with the 'Equable' thread that I didn't see the 'Without this, no Aikido' thread. It seems likely that the above is a parallel piece; if you think there's a useful distinction, I look forward to your response here. Otherwise, please consider this just as a misplaced post. Thanks, Brion Toss |
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For me Aikido is my spiritual practice. I don't understand why and am open to the mystery. I have a dojo at my house and I train 4 times a week with others. Everyday I meditate, do ki excercises and weapons work. If other people view the Aikido we practice as a strange form of Aikido it is none of my business. Aikido has changed my life and helped me heal. Since I have been training I have not been attacked in my home or in the world. All the talk about philosophy and books really means little to me. I have seen and felt the transformation that dedicated, long term training brings to me and others in our dojo. I believe Aikido is a spirit rising to help heal the world.
Mary |
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Your analogy coincides with my belief that Aikido moves outwardly from the student rather than being fed into the student. Each student, therefore leaves his or her indelible imprint on the art and through it all the art remains recognizable as Aikido. Since I believe that the study of Aikido is a student's process of self discovery and that the process is different for each practitioner, my conclusion is that there is no 'right' or 'wrong' Aikido; there's simply Aikido. The instructor provides the scaffold of basic principles and each student, through dedicated training, then adds to the edifice. As O-Sensei stated, Aikido is an art that encompasses all and embraces everything. |
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[quote=Mary Eastland I have seen and felt the transformation that dedicated, long term training brings to me and others in our dojo. I believe Aikido is a spirit rising to help heal the world.
Mary[/QUOTE] Hello, Transformation brought about by training, yes. On the 'Without this, no Aikido' thread, the search seems to revolve around defining the art in terms of technical content, as perhaps modified in fact or supposition by cultural and historical considerations. David Valadez, in particular, speculates that there is nothing talismanic in the practice of Aikido waza that might result in enlightenment. But time and again I have seen the kind of transformation that you speak of, including, to some small extent, in myself, and I believe it was the result of that waza. Not easy to prove, of course. So how can this be? How can the practice of a particular series of motions transform someone? Well, when I write it down like that, it seems obvious that such is often the case. I think of people spending long hours driving to work, then sitting all day in cubicles, then spending more hours driving home; with some form of compensatory activity/philosophy it's hard not to turn into a drudge, it seems. So if instead, or in addition, you are practicing an art that requires consciousness of yourself as well as those around you, that involves ongoing dynamic physical relationship with those people, that asks you to trust and to be trustworth, just to be in the class, some good must result. This is not to say that there are any guarantees. Ken Kesey, speaking about the creative process, once said something like, "If you want to be inspired, you have to hang out in places that inspiration has been known to frequent." There are no guarantees that it will show up regularly, or at all. But you have to go there if you hope to find it. I think this accounts for all the great, though not entirely admirable teachers I have met in Aikido. They might be alchoholic, socially inept, abrasive, or worse, but that is not all they are; some aspects of Aikido's ideals is also present. And one has to wonder what they would be like if they hadn't practiced Aikido at all. So the absence of Perfect Masters in the art is not, on its own, evidence of its lack of transformative power. Rather, the evidence is available, in almost every dojo, that it has such power, enough to overcome, at least to some extent, huge psychological baggage, less than ideal training environment, and imperfect translation from the original. So what is it about Aikido that can do this? Part of it may simply be its stated intent to transform the world, and to be a means of correcting oneself. If I founded a school for diesel mechanics, and over the door I inscribed the words, "Here we learn to bring peace to the world by repairing truck engines," and really meant it, and worked to demonstrate that every step of engine repair was in fact a metaphor for achieving peace, and if I could find anyone to suspend disbelief long enough to give it a chance, we could wind up with some good mechanics who could simultaneously adjust valve clearance and draw the attention of the Nobel committee. Intention is powerful. Much more powerful, then, is coupling that intention with an art which exhibits specific, graphic, consistent concern with relating to conflict with some attempt at harmony. Yours, Brion Toss |
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This morning, we were practicing good ol' shomen uchi/ikkyo. I was uke, and my partner was having a hard time blending. As why shouldn't she? It's clearly impossible to blend with a strike coming in and down on your head. I suggested she forget about the technique for a moment, and just dance by, as close as she could, with the sole proviso that she bring her arms up towards me at the start. We did that a few times, with me also dancing, not even attempting to strike. Then without warning her, I did strike. And she just danced by again, not even attempting to do ikkyo, and I landed on my knees, utterly bewildered. It was one of those perfect moments, and informed the rest of the class for both of us, I think. The trick was, of course, to turn that perfect blend into a technique, but that was pretty clearly gravy. In other words, studying technique is how we can get to the essence. Yours, Brion Toss |
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Regards, Mike Sigman |
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Brion - excellent posts :)
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In my earlier post, just after the "you know when you've tried to make it into something that it isn't" line, I added, "This might sound like the famous definition of pornography: 'I know it when I see it.'" Are you saying, then, that in order to recognize pornography, I must first do it? Would I need to be accredited by Johnny Wadd? Of course, it's not a direct analogy, which is why I then added,"The difference is that we have a formal technical structure to draw on, plus a somewhat less formal spiritual structure. We can only recognize the real thing after significant amounts of study, and then we can point to the details that exemplify it." Perhaps I should have added that there should be an imprimatur on our practice, from someone recognized as knowing the real deal. No guarantees that Hombu's blessing only falls on those who practice "real" Aikido; it does tend to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, but is that blessing really your sole determinant of whether someone knows what real Aikido is? Yours, Brion Toss ps Mark, thanks for the kind words. |
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I am not prudish about the definition of what is Aikido or any other martial art, but there must be some beginning definition and that beginning definition is taken into account in Asia by the lineage and the acknowledged standard-bearer of a specific martial art (the "Do-shu", in the case of Aikido). It is not determined by what every wannabe decides it to be. I am also not nitpicky enough to want to break the rice-bowl of every wannabe-teacher who makes an income from teaching their take on what a particular martial art is.... but on the other hand, I think that sincere, dues-paying students who are paying for a particular "name-brand" martial art should rightfully expect that a "teacher" is honest enough to make clear the differences, how much personal take is in what they teach, etc. You may not think that it is important to be really clear with students that there may be differences in a school from the original art, but I do. I am not prudish, but I do have a bottom-line definition that starts with complete honesty. Regards, Mike Sigman |
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Aikido practitioners fall into two categories: archivists and innovators. Archivists seek to preserve the form of the art at a given point in time and hence maintain the structure and form of Aikido principles and techniques that reflect the the era of their interest. Innovators are looking to broaden the scope of Aikido beyond the boundaries of their schooling and so are willing to introduce new concepts and ideas into the body of Aikido knowledge.
It's interesting that there exists tension between the two camps. Adherents of either view fail to see the contributions of their opposites are necessary for the preservation of Aikido as a living evolving martial art. Archivists insure that the history of the art is maintained and provide a continuity to Aikido's growth and evolution. It is through the archivists careful preservation of form and function that a student is able to trace the history of Aikido back to it's beginning without having to rely on books or other media. The whole history of Aikido is present 'in the flesh' for anyone to see and/or experience. Innovators strike out on paths previously unmapped by their teachers. They seek to expand the envelope and broaden Aikido's horizons. Innovators are essential if the art is not to wither and eventually die out. The cycle is never ending; archivists spawn innovators who in turn spawn archivists of their own who in turn spawn other innovators... Archivists provide the raw material for growth, innovators process the raw material and push the art onward. From The Art Of Peace by John Stevens: 'The techniques of the Way of Peace change constantly; every encounter is unique, and the appropriate response should emerge naturally. Today's techniques will be different tomorrow. Do not get caught up in the form and appearance of a challenge. The Art of Peace has no form -- it is the study of the spirit.' |
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It depends on who's tradition imho. Did the first Doshu actually learn Ueshiba M.'s Aikido at Hombu or someone else's? There were in fact many uchideshi who were more technically proficient (and senior) than him during his coming up as Doshu. It is also noted that during a sizeable portion of that time, Ueshiba M. was absent from teaching in Tokyo and when he did, dealt with things of a more philosophical nature than technical. LC:ai::ki: |
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Mike |
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Mike Sigman |
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Tom Read Sensei, the dojo-cho where I train, was formally authorized to teach by Hikitsuchi Shihan after training with him in Shingu; Hikitsuchi Shihan trained with O'Sensei. Tom talks about how things were at Shingu, and from my perspective tries to keep his taijutsu fairly pure wrt what he learned there. We are, however, an unaffiliated dojo; furthermore, Tom's stickwork is very unorthodox. Are we doing aikido? absolutely. Are we doing O'Sensei's aikido? Probably not. Tom has never claimed to have been enveloped by a golden mist, and to my knowledge no one besides O'Sensei (even the doshu) has ever claimed that either. Are we doing Hikitsuchi's aikido? Probably not. Not being Japanese, there are aspects of his training and spirituality that we just won't get. Are we even doing Tom Read's aikido? No. We're trying our best to learn the philosophy and the laws behind what Tom does, but even those of us who, like him, are over six feet tall and built with legs like telephone poles, can't climb inside his head and be him. The idea that *anyone,* anywhere, can somehow transmit anything to future generations in its absolute pure form is bs, doshu or no. But is the current Doshu doing Aikido? Of course he is! It's tempting here to post my list of aikido foci, but really that's not very worthwhile. Trying to define aikido is like trying to define zen; the guys in japan doing sesshin with their 'compassion sticks' probably are doing some form of zen; the stuff that's sold in avon probably has noting to do with it, despite being labeled as such. Everything else either is or isn't, to varying degrees, but without examining it in person it's pretty hard to say. -LK |
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Well the first doshu was Morihei Ueshiba, so he was probably around most of the time that he was teaching :).
The second doshu (Kisshomaru) wasn't doshu until 1969, at which time Morihei wasn't around all that much... Kisshomaru took over the Kobukan in 1942 after training with nobody but his father and some Kashima Shinto-ryu instructors. There were people around after the war who were senior to him (that doesn't include Koichi Tohei), but he didn't spend much time training with them - he did spend time training with his father in Iwama (where one of his early students was Morihiro Saito) and Tokyo. Whose tradition did he represent, if not his father's? Certainly, he spent much more time training under his father than his father spent training under Sokaku Takeda, but nobody disputes the fact that Morihei was Sokaku's student. Did some things change? Sure. Even in the most archival of the archival arts I can show you places where things changed. The real question is whether or not you believe that such changes are in line with the scope of the transmission. Best, Chris |
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Regards, Mike Sigman |
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Regards, Mike Sigman |
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Ok, so you're (Mike) saying that Doshu is the only person in the world who can define what true Aikido is, and that can be no deviation from his Aikido? How about the uchi dechi who learned directly from O'Sensei?
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Mike |
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Best, Chris |
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There is good and bad everything in the world, Aikido included, and yes Doshu has the ultimate authority, but he is not the only person who does "True Aikido" Just like aikido is not linear, neither is its transmission. O'sensei is the center and aikido's knowledge radiated outward from that center. Here is a question for you, Do you think that O'sensei intended for Aikido to evolve and grow, or that it should remain identical to his own? |
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FWIW Mike Sigman |
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Regards, Mike Sigman |
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