Quote:
Mark Murray wrote:
Hi Ron,
I'll ask you some questions to get you thinking -- and because I'm a bit lazy in that I don't want to dig for all the stuff right now. What was said by other people of Ueshiba's sword work? Why? Just where did he learn sword? Wasn't there some mention that Ueshiba was good with a sword in either hand? Does that relate to what was said about someone else?
The short answer -- Ueshiba was good with a sword because of what Takeda taught him. Now, who under Ueshiba was good with a sword because of what Ueshiba taught him/her?
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And Sagawa with a jo or sword or spear and Kodo and Ueshiba too. Interesting was the mention of both Takeda and Ueshiba using a sword single handed and the suggestion both might have been left handed in a coutry with no left handed people
Anyway, my argument is a bit narrow by choice. No one taught everyone everything. I meant it in a somewhat looser vien. I think it is fair to say Takeda and his methods made Budo greats who were acknowledged as giants in the arts. Ueshiba made no giants who are equal to the stunning power of those men. Shioda was a later anomaly, a product of DR, out and about performing known kodokai body tricks he became famous for-straight out of the box.
And as for teaching what they knew. Here is another quandry. I recently talked with a someone in Japan in a branch of DR who stated that his teacher went to Tokimune to learn. Tokimune showed him- solo exercises, telling him they were the source of his aiki. When the teacher brought them back to his dojo- no one wanted to do them, they wanted to do techniques. When he later asked Tokimune about that, Tokimune said "No one here wants to do them either. I've shown some people, but they would rather do techniques too."
Then we have another well known teacher out and about who "had these things in his art" Who clearly knows about them, and can talk about them, but who clearly has never spent time really training them. His body and lack of internal skill make it obvious that he never spent enough time on them. Fortunately, he is meeting a new class of educated seminar attendees, who are making it known to him that "He needs work."
So where can we fairly say "Bad teacher," when the teacher tried. In some cased maybe we should be quoting a "Georgia Rule"
For a smart person (student), you're really good at stupid.
What can be said; some show, some don't show, some don't even know. Some are then shown, and they go right back to doing what they know and feel comfortable with. Best to focus on our own work and people who are interested in learning this work.
Cheers
Dan