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Old 07-17-2002, 02:02 AM   #2
Chris Li
 
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Dojo: Aikido Sangenkai
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
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Quote:
It required the great spiritual vision of O-sensei to see barehanded training not as grappling but rather as sword without a sword. Even the great Kano sensei, the founder of Judo, declared aikido to be the art he had been searching for all his life.
To be honest, I don't think that's really an innovation of M. Ueshiba - they connect sword and empty hand pretty much the same way in Daito-ryu - as in this quote from an interview with Tokimune Takeda:
Quote:
Would it be correct, then, to say that Daito-ryu is based on sword movements?

Yes. Sokaku's techniques are based on the sword. In learning Daito-ryu, it is absolutely essential to study the sword. The first short sword technique in the Ono-ha Itto-ryu is the same as the first technique in Daito-ryu, where you pin your opponent, then thrust at and cut him. This technique was only used during the Sengoku Jidai [Age of the Warring States, 1467-1568], but Sokaku taught it as an important technique.
Further Kano didn't say that Aikido was the art that he had been searching for all of his life. In "Aikido Kaiso Ueshiba Morihei Den", page 201 K. Ueshiba gives the quote (in Japanese) as "This is my ideal conception of budo, in other words, genuine Judo.", which is a little different. Kano later elaborated (when asked) that he had meant the comment in a general sense.

Best,

Chris

Last edited by Chris Li : 07-17-2002 at 06:48 AM.

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