David Orange

To put it politely....yes.

You haven't read the translations, have you? Do you know anyone who knew him? You couldn't get near him without being very strong, in the first place, and if you hung out with him, you had to get much stronger to keep up. It's a kind of dumb question, frankly, Chris. It's like saying, "You mean the Army is about fighting?" Read what he said. Look what he did. What were all those hours of solo suburi and spear thrusting about? He didn't have ribbons on his bokken or yari. Those were weapons for him. What do you think he was doing?

Will someone someday read this thread and be so obtuse as to say "What did David Orange mean when he wrote this? Was he really saying that aikido was about developing power?" Of course not. No one will care what I said. But I'm saying it as plain as day and you don't understand it? All I'm saying is what Ueshiba said. He sought and developed great power and those who followed him in aikido also developed great power--though none, apparently, as great as he did--only those who followed his teacher, Takeda Sokaku, reached his level.

And as for "today's aikido community...." well, you just don't get out much, do you? Much of my point here is that today's aikido community has lost the way.

And some believe it's a ribbon dance. And some believe it's a place where, when you get good enough, you get to wear a skirt. But you admit that it still, at base, is a way to develop "power". You're so afraid of the word itself that you have to put it in quotes. Why is it so difficult to deal with natural facts? It's like saying, "Today's tigers don't eat meat anymore." But you only pretend to go into the cage with them....that should tell you something.