Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote:
You've spent a lot of time focused on the idea that Ueshiba learned his stuff from Takeda and that Ueshiba's claims to greatness need to be looked at closer because everything he got was from Takeda. You seem concerned about setting the record straight, when it comes to Ueshiba, so how about playing by the same standards yourself?
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"People in those days wanted to observe how I took ukemi for Takeda Sensei rather than his techniques themselves. His techniques were really rough. He would throw me to the mat by reversing my hand. Since I immediately stood up after being thrown with a smile on my face, he would grow increasingly more irritated. (Laughter) He again came to me. I entered before he reached me. In other words, I was in an irimi position. So he was unable to throw me. On the contrary, I was in a position to throw him but I couldn't since he was an old man. What Takeda Sensei did then was to take a "gyaku" or reverse position when he entered. But I had studied gyaku techniques since I was a boy. If I strike you like this you will fall. I learned this from my grandfather when I was small."
-Noriaki Inoue
http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleID=373