Allen Beebe

It is interesting to note that many direct students of Ueshiba continued the Chikonkishin practices or Chikonkishin–LIKE practices. Also, many of them continued these practices devoid of Omoto Kyo religious influence. Even Tohei who criticized Ueshiba’s often baffling means of communication kept, and transmitted, practices contained within Chikonkishin ritual. Ueshiba didn’t push his religious views on his students and still these folks obviously thought that there was something there, in the ritual at least, to be had.

What is equally obvious is, that without some sort of toehold, the ritual is very reluctant to reveal the totality of its contents. If this weren’t the case things would be a lot different today (assuming that "Aiki" can be taught via Shinto Ritual.) The outer form is still here (although I don’t think that this is the ONLY outer form that Ueshiba left us. Tomiki, Shirata and Shioda also taught very similar “outer forms” that I think prepare one for practices such as Chikonkishin but also serve to interface between Chikonkishin practice and waza.), the question to my mind in relation to transmission and inheritance is “what happened to the toe hold?”

BTW, I suspect that the in and down vs up and out dichotomy isn't necessarily solely a result of Ueshiba's choice of emphasis. Rather, based on personal experience, I suspect it may be more of a symptomatic result of transmission, inheritance issues.