YouTube: Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu
Here's a video clip of Moriteru Ueshiba (Doshu) demonstrating at Kamakura Hachimangu in Japan.
What are your thoughts on this video? -- Jun |
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Liked it.
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There were positives and negatives about the technique, although it was obviously very smooth and polished. The thing that really struck me, though, is that the ukemi was superb.
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question, has he hips problem and/or knees? just curious.
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A nice demonstration of modern aikido, albeit very by the numbers and typical.
Not to be the poo-poo-er here, but it's something that anyone who has been practicing regularly for a few years should be able to do with such measured and predictable attacks. Still, very nice flow and all that. |
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What i like most about the Hombu-style Aikido embu is the spontaneous flow. Doshu and a lot of shihan seem to always perform the exactly appropriate technique for the attack. This is something unique to Aikido that makes it stand out among other martial arts IMO.
(Note: if I ever find out these things are rehearsed, I am out of here.) |
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And this is hardly the same thing as a rehearsed sequence of moves. IF it was rehearsed they could pull off some really dramatic looking things, or brutal looking things such as in a koryu embu. So no, I do not think this is rehearsed. I will grant that uke may be being queued as to what attack to offer. And I will grant that the ukes and Doshu probably have experience training together and the ukes have been generally whipped into shape over time. But I do not believe Doshu is putting a significant amount of contrivance into what he does with the attack. He just lets it flow. And he doesn't put any fancy flourishes or anything in, it is just basic, pure Aiki. Does anybody who has taken ukemi at one of these things have anything they add here? Does your teacher spend a couple of nights or weeks before the embu working out what techniques they are going to do and in what order? |
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Doshu's demonstrations are almost always virtually identical, and that's done purposely.
Generally speaking, the uke's have worked with him extensively and no resistance is ever given. Is it any wonder they look smooth? I'm not sure whether that counts as rehearsed or not, but it's pretty close, in my book. Best, Chris |
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Best, Chris |
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Best, Chris |
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edit: Looked up the name of hte place and it's a shrine, but still, is that how these are presented? Honno embu? for the gods? |
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Best, Chris |
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Not the choice that I would have made, though. :) Best, Chris |
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Best, Chris |
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In general, though, he seems to make everything look as neutral as possible. I can kind of get it. It is like he keeps himself out of the demo. He is just showing the Aiki and not his own skills or his own mind. Maybe he does things differently in more closed training environments. |
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The problem with analyzing this kind of video is that what the Ueshiba (since the nidai doshu) have been doing is not budo embu in the koryu sense, it is more akin to business presentation.
A polished delivery to a potential customer and a clean but soulless example of the basic material. The only difference is that you are not in a hotel conference room. If you think of it as an example of the heights of what Aikido can achieve, or as a peak behind the veil of a deep and esoteric system, you have it all wrong. The nidai doshu was very explicit in his plan to turn his father's connection to the gods into a profitable corporation. |
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I am not saying Aikido embu is different, I am saying the demonstrations of the Ueshiba are different.
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Here's a two-part article from Black Belt that discusses the current doshu's attitude toward seminars (and, I assume, demonstrations):
http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/tr...meaningpart-1/ http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/tr...eaning-part-2/ |
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Here's a shot with the man himself. :) The article mentions that some of the Honolulu Police train in Aikido, which is true, but it doesn't mention that the dojo where they train has been on the outskirts for years because they're unhappy with the direction that the Ueshiba family has taken in the post-war era. FWIW... Best, Chris |
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The false dichotomy between serious budo training and the fellowship of dojo training presented in that article is pretty hard to swallow. No clue why the Ueshiba continue to conduct their business as if those two are mutually exclusive.
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Ah, so we're back at that place where we think more than a handful of us would have ever heard of a martial art called Aikido if an Ueshiba had not made it user-friendly and built an organization to spread it around the world.
Maybe we should look at what the Doshu does as a baseline that anybody can achieve? Even if they are like 60 and busted up when they start. It is fun being able to train with all kinds of different people. I like it. Doesn't work that way in other martial arts. |
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There are quite a few martial arts that are easier for folks who are 60 and busted up when they start, so I'm not sure that I follow you here. Injury rates in Aikido are actually somewhat higher than average for martial arts in all of the studies that I've seen. Best, Chris |
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Chris, are you advocating for an aikido organization that is more focussed on martial effectiveness and not as interested in the less tangible benefits that Doshu is trying to promote? Conrad |
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I didn't bring up martial effectiveness at all. It's one way to go - I don't know that it would a basis for keeping the current organization alive. I appreciate the "big tent" stuff - but I don't think that it's going to be enough of a benefit to keep people paying the "big fees" in the future. And that's really the way it should be, IMO, the Aikikai will have to figure out a way to deliver real benefits or die trying. Hereditary privilege went out with Kings and Emperors - I don't see much reason to bring it back. Best, Chris |
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Is it the size of the fees that's the problem? If the fees were lower, would it be worth paying them to keep the tent up? I can't quite tell if you're criticizing the actual institution or just the cost. As far as the hereditary privilege goes, it does have the advantage of being a simple way to decide a leader. I don't think it would be an improvement if we were to have to vote on the new Doshu and have campaigning and whatnot. I can imagine a lot of competition and division. As you have pointed out before, Aikikai membership is really a voluntary thing at this point. Why don't we turn it around and ask why people are paying the "big fees" now, even though they don't receive much in the way of direct tangible benefits? Is it just blind loyalty, or do you think those people believe that they are supporting something worthwhile? Finally, where do you think all of that money is going? I always assumed it mostly went toward running things (i.e. keeping the tent up), but I've never really asked anyone about it. Do you have any insights? On another note, in case you haven't noticed, hereditary privilege never "went out". It just changed its name to "capitalism". The rich still stay rich and the poor still clean the stables. ;) Conrad |
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I believe that Kisshomaru Ueshiba’s role is somewhat different from that of his son and even his grandson. Kisshomaru decided to make aikido a martial art that was available for everyone to practice and he was the one who resurrected the remnants of the organization in Japan that was originally part of Omoto and it was he who encouraged students like Tamura and Yamada to go overseas and spread aikido in the countries that defeated Japan in World War II. His autobiography repays careful, but critical, reading. It was Kisshomaru who assiduously created aikido organizations in Japan’s universities, armed forces, the central government and local governments, large companies like Mitsubishi -– basically in Japan’s political and military establishment. I believe the technical aspects were secondary: what mattered was to create a thriving organization in Japan. In any case, the Founder was still alive and was active as a living kami. His disciples, too, were active and it did not really behove Kisshomaru, who was something of a kohai compared with these disciples, to have them toe any party line other than allegiance to the Aikikai. Ever the diplomat, his only major mistakes were how he handled K Tomiki and K Tohei. So what was allegiance to the Aikikai? Well, its creator was there and after he died, there remained a vivid collective memory. After he became Doshu, Kisshomaru increasingly took on the role of guru and became part of the collective memory, so much so that on the two occasions each year when the passing of the Founder is commemorated, Kisshomaru, also, is included. With the passing of the years Kisshomaru’s role also became more technical and his demonstrations became quite different from the Founder’s. They always including a general explanation of what aikido was about, with the important addition that what was being demonstrated was the ‘essence’ of the art as taught by the Founder. However, the memory is fading and allegiance based purely on memories inevitably becomes increasingly fragile. This is also a problem here in Hiroshima, where awareness of the atomic bombing is based on dwindling group of living A-bomb victims who still recount these immediate experiences to those who listen. Soon there will be none left and DVDs of people talking, however animatedly, do not quite have the sharp immediacy of the original. So Moriteru has inherited an organization that appears to be thriving, certainly in Japan. There is still the collective memory, there are the links with Japan’s establishment, there is still the emphasis on aikido as a means of personal betterment and, very important these days, as a means to world peace. However, for me the impression is of something like a Japanese driving school, or a factory turning out modestly appointed Japanese automobiles, like the Honda Fit, which will coast along on cruise control, with the driver making full use of the navigation system, avoiding accidents, and giving earnest attention to other road users. It is a good example of Japanese technology, quietly effective in its own way -- and also very popular overseas. I once asked the present Doshu what was the point of having overseas training seminars with hundreds or even thousands of participants, very few of whom could even see what he was doing. The answer was almost a matter of doctrine: it was important for people to be present, to participate in their own way, and for him to show the basics of the tradition inherited from the Founder: a bit like a Pope (definitely not the present one) celebrating Mass in St Peter’s square, surrounded by thousands of pilgrims. It does not matter that they cannot see what he is doing: it is enough for them to be present -- and the Pope never changes the ritual he performs. One final point: For me there is a marked reluctance of the present leaders of the Aikikai to engage intellectually, on virtually any point connected with aikido and its history and training methodology. The 文 has to illuminate the 武 and vice versa -– and this is not happening. |
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That may not be much of a problem for the people who leave the group, but it's a potential death knell for an organization. Contrary to what some people may think, I'm basically in favor of the Aikikai as an umbrella organization - but I think that the basis for that organization has to change, or it won't survive into the future. Even now, the Aikikai has very little relevance to most Aikido practitioners, whose primary contact is through mail order promotion certificates. Most large professional groups have some kind of selection process for the leadership - that doesn't mean that there are no politics, of course, but there are plenty of politics now, anyway (that doesn't necessarily mean an elected Doshu - the Emperor still remains in Japan, although Japan is now a democracy). Of course, history has shown the great advantage of the democratic process. It doesn't have to be a democratic organization, of course. Toyota is not a democratic organization (in the sense that we're talking about, yes, I know that it's a publicly traded company), but people purchase Toyotas because they like the product, or they don't, but that tends to provide an impetus for Toyota to provide a valuable product. On the whole, though, I think that democratically run organizations generally provide more incentives for their members to remain members. Between Monarchy and Capitalism - I think that most of the world has shown that they choose Capitalism, for all of its warts. Will the Aikikai change? Probably not, but I think that we'll see a gradual increase in independent organizations. Best, Chris |
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For me, these types of demos are an odd combination of form, nostalgia and presentation. While not a koryu, aikido often embellishes its connection to a specific historical period of training. It's a demo designed to preach to the choir. In other words, if you are familiar with aikido, the demo is fine. If you are new to aikido, aikido is not a koryu so the pseudo-historical style is off-putting and the lack of a contemporary adversarial relationship is seen as ineffective.
I have said this before, I think takemusu aiki is something that is not easy to communicate in demonstration. It either looks fake or it has to presented to not look fake. Practiced spontaneity. |
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