Edward - there is no doubt that Ueshiba M. (Kaiso) was not happy with the idea shiai and its potential to develope into kousou but the break was seriously exagerated. Kenji Tomiki was teaching at Aikikai Honbu well after he introduced his system although increasingly he went his own way. You see mention of him popping up at various Aikikai events for example Tohei's ninth dan promotion party and he continued to visit his old teacher. It is debateable when if ever he stopped being a member of the Aikikai.
No doubt some of the later deshi took him to task although some, like Kobayashi H. ended up supporting him. The latter helped Kenji Tomiki introduce the randori method to the Kansai Universities and took Tetsuro Nariyama (Tomiki's chosen successor) as uchideshi for six years (the real meaning - he lived with Kobayashi Shihan). The last embu I was at had judges that were not from our Aikido organization.
While the founder was alive Kenji Tomiki was left pretty much to his own devices. It did get very ugly a few years after Ueshiba M. died and I think the concept of shiai was used more as a weapon than the reason.
Now I got to back off a bit because it is beginning to feel I am doing the same to Ueshiba's son that I feel is being done to Tomiki. He was put into a difficult position in that although he had effectively built up the Aikikai his postion relied on his connection to his father. The old uchideshi were a threat if not directly, indirectly to his prestige. His response, not atypical of Japanese organizations was to clear house culminating in the leaving of Tohei. There are a number of people who believe that methods that he employed went beyond the pale but that is only a matter of opinion.
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