View Single Post
Old 05-29-2009, 03:30 PM   #110
Misogi-no-Gyo
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 498
Offline
Re: O sensei and 'correct ukemi'

Quote:
Mark Murray wrote: View Post
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?
Umm... WHAT????

To me, this "answer one's own question" as a way of making an authoritative statement simply smacks of "bush-era" logic, whereby, umm... no actual evidence or even logic is cited or used at all, 'cept the one that makes sense to the person making the claim in the first place. I mean, it sounds good to everyone who agrees with the premise up front, but when examined it appears to have so many holes in it that crediting its ability to hold water as compared to say, Swiss cheese, would be a challenge at best.

Perhaps before posting to a website known for its' unabashed Aikido leanings, unabashed, Takeda-thumping, Daito-Ryu members, in an effort to make themselves appear more "fair and balanced, should openly acknowledge that one of the main reasons anyone outside of Japan trains in, or even knows about Daito-Ryu is because of the world-wide popularity of Aikido. Perhaps they should be forced to take a blood-oath, just to keep that old-school feeling, acknowledging that fact when applying for membership. This way that fact could be left out of each post so that we will all know they mean aikido... the bastardized, mother-less version of their own-art. Or more simply, that "modern-day" nemesis brought about by that - no first name, no Sensei title, nor any honorary mention that he is the founder of an art form, needed, shifty-eyed "Ueshiba" guy who is well documented to have
  • had no original ideas
  • had no real sword (or other weapon) abilities
  • just limited the syllabus of the real art from which is came.
  • just changed the art's name so he didn't have to pay his "under-acknowledged" teacher
  • if he really knew anything, never shared what he knew
  • didn't really have a systematized method
  • blathered on and on and on and on... about useless, spiritual, umm... blatherings
  • ...etc, etc, etc, etc...

Like them, I could really go on and on here, but I will take a pass, instead. I do this out of hopes that someday, it will be more readily acknowledged by them that regardless of any ability, lineage, or weather they be a proponent of gendai or koryu school of budo, that simply speaking... how history comes forward has more to do with popularity than anything else. People tend to try and forget those they don't like and tend to share from the heart about those they do like.

Now I am not going to make any backhanded character references about Sokaku Takeda Shihan - see, I didn't meet him directly - but I will speak of my own impression (FWIW) of how he might have been based upon the stories I have heard/read. That is to say, he wasn't liked at all - even by his own students. Even the pictures of him seem to be off-putting at best, an image I might go as far to state he, himself cultivated and desired others to have of him. Accordingly I won't make any definitive statements about O-Sensei - having not met him either - except to say that people talk of him having created a budo of love and compassion and that and he liked to smile and laugh a lot. He did this all while he was a life-long martial artist which might attest to his ability to foster a balanced life at least from an outsider's perspective.

So who is more apt to be remembered fondly long-term and how does this apply to our own training, on a personal level, today? Well, "I" really can't say. You can do the math. However, employing a higher level of logic may speak better towards the validity of any results worthy of any public mention or comment, at least in this forum that is, than has been exemplified so far by our friends and partners of other martial arts, here visiting these forums.

Of course, my post is mostly tongue-in-cheek in nature. It most certainly does try to represent any one non-aikido person to any real depth. As I and others have noted, attitudes and practices have marched markedly forward in the last decade. So with that... old-school Shaun goes back into the dojo for further meditation. New-improved, gendai Shaun is off to the gym - its legs and core day... and to further reflect on his actions and how they may or may not be remembered, even as soon as tomorrow...

Best in training to all...

.

Last edited by Misogi-no-Gyo : 05-29-2009 at 03:44 PM.

I no longer participate in or read the discussion forums here on AikiWeb due to the unfair and uneven treatment of people by the owner/administrator.