Thread: Why Tohei?
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Old 04-30-2021, 02:28 AM   #1
mushinaiki
Dojo: Yuishinkai Aus
Location: Australia
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 22
Australia
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Why Tohei?

What was it about Tohei Sensei and his ability that made the founder grant him high Dan grades and give him the position of chief instructor? Did Tohei have great ability in "aiki" the internal power aspect of Daito Ryu?
Did he have something else the founder was more interested in when going forward with his organisation than what he had learnt in the past?

Tohei Started aikido in 1940, awarded 5th Dan in 1944, awarded 8th Dan in 1953, these were awarded post war or during the war, before there was any thought of dissemination to the outside world, the founder obviously thought he was worthy of these grades?

What so attracted the founder to this man, if it wasn't "aiki" why choose such a man to represent your organisation as its head? If it was, why didn't Tohei make this as the foundation of his curriculum?

After the war, in 1956 after just 16 years of training, and after returning from war he was promoted to 9th Dan and chief instructor.

Why did Hitohiro Saito sensei say his father wished that he could have gone and studied under this man, what did he have that the great technician didn't have to give his son?

Does anyone care that no one tries to answer these questions as they may challenge personal agenda and perceptions about the direction the founder actually wanted for his organisation?

Surely there was something the founder saw in Tohei that the future organisation he was creating would benefit from.

Surely you would make the head of your organisation the man that best represented your ideals of an aikido future - doesn't that make sense?

Does it matter anymore, to anyone that there doesn't seem to be an answer for this question?

What do we think about these questions, does anyone have a good answer that doesn't involve BS?
Would love to hear opinions....

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have virtue or excellence because we have acted rightly.
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