Komban wa, Watanabe-san,
Many thanks for your post. I give a few more comments, just to clear up any misunderstanding.
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
Konichiwa Goldsberry San,
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PAG. Actually, my surmane is spelt Goldsbury.
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
I see that you are now here in Japan.
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PAG. Yes, I have been living here for nearly 30 years, as I stated in my post.
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
I dont know much about other Aikido Dojo or about the system that they use in hiroshima in general.
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PAG. Hiroshima University is a former national university and I suspect that the job categories are the same in all the former national universities. So there is not a general system here. As for aikido, I was referring to the Aikikai Hombu and affiliates.
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
I was in Hiroshima last month (Mazda Plant). My work is about plant engineering and I specialize in environmental kind of stuffs. I travel a lot
wherever there is a need for expertise that is. I was in Hiroshima for a week and I surely had difficulties understanding the local dialect.
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PAG. I can understand your difficulties with Hiroshima-ben. Do you know many members of the Philippine community here?
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
Back to kyoushi thing, Yes I was referring to that kyoushi but here in the Kanto region, Kyoushi is not limited to schools alone. They also use it in Martial arts specially Kendo and Karate Do and I've seen some
Aikido Kyoushitsu wherein the Heads title is neither Kan Cho nor Dojo Cho but kyoushi.
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PAG. Is this for dojo in the Aikikai? Given the number of titles for
teacher in Japanese, I would not be surprised if some dojo sekininsha have used the term, but I do bot think it is general within the Aikikai.
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
About the politics in Philippine Aiki Do, I am not into contesting any body's grade but I am just wondering how come the affiliated groups looks down to independent groups.
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PAG. My only direct experience of meeting Philippine aikidouka is at the IAF Congres, when we meet members of PAPA. In the aikido world, which is small, comparatively new, and rather inward-looking, independent groups tend to imply break-away groups.
Note that I am not stating that to break away is bad: it might be necessary, or even inevitable. Too often, people like to pretend that the Japanese martial arts, especially non-competitive ( = 'peaceful') arts like aikido, are a seamless web of harmony. However, this does not really square with historical accuracy.
In aikido, or aiki-budo, many of the early deshi of Morihei Ueshiba established their own organizations on the iemoto model--and the Founder maintained links with these deshi, even though they were no longer affiliated to the Aikikai. The Aikikai, on its part, in the past has demonstrated a lack of sensitivity for important cultural issues. It has had too narrow a 'mental framework' and has tried to force all overseas organization into this tight framework. This never works--and I think the present Doshu is coming to understand this. Thus, there is far more emphasis placed on Aikikai groups talking to each other and training with each other. In some countries this means creating an umbrella organization where everyone has a respected place. This is now happening: but in other countries it is still too early--the weight of past memories is too heavy.
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Ira Watanabe wrote:
About Hiroshima, very beautiful place, I've seen the Genbaku Dome and other places. I stayed in a hotel near the dome.
well any way nice to meet you, even just in this forum, Godspeed.
Ira Watanabe
CEO/President
Watanabe Systems Co.
渡辺 暖羅
代表取締役社長
ワタナベシステムズ商会
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PAG. Well, when you come again, you should look me up and we can meet and talk over dinner. My dojo is in Higashi-Hiroshima City.
Best wishes,
PAG