Thread: Onegaishimasu
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Old 03-15-2007, 02:00 AM   #39
Ethan Weisgard
Dojo: Copenhagen Aiki Shuren Dojo
Location: Copenhagen
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 178
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Re: Onegaishimasu

Quote:
Don J. Modesto wrote: View Post
Hey, Ron. I haven't paid enough attention to details while training to answer your question precisely, but fwiw...

I say it to whomever I'm training with as we begin; finishing, I say "Arigato Gozaimashita".

I've noticed a trend for saying "Onegai Shimasu" both before and after training. I have a couple of students from an Iwama dojo who do that and also say it to me after I've offered a suggestion on their technique. (I'd be interested in comments from people who do this.) I always say thank you in that situation myself.

In Japan, it's used whenever a request is being made and then having been made and granted, used again, i.e., they don't say thank you at that point as we do in English, they repeat "Onegai Shimasu" (in the logic of Jpn protocol, thanking someone at this point is presumptuous somehow).

...not directly pertinent to your question, but I hope it's interesting anyway. Take care.
Quote:
Don J. Modesto wrote: View Post
Hey, Ron. I haven't paid enough attention to details while training to answer your question precisely, but fwiw...

I say it to whomever I'm training with as we begin; finishing, I say "Arigato Gozaimashita".

I've noticed a trend for saying "Onegai Shimasu" both before and after training. I have a couple of students from an Iwama dojo who do that and also say it to me after I've offered a suggestion on their technique. (I'd be interested in comments from people who do this.) I always say thank you in that situation myself.

In Japan, it's used whenever a request is being made and then having been made and granted, used again, i.e., they don't say thank you at that point as we do in English, they repeat "Onegai Shimasu" (in the logic of Jpn protocol, thanking someone at this point is presumptuous somehow).

...not directly pertinent to your question, but I hope it's interesting anyway. Take care.
Hi Don,

In reply to your question regarding Iwama dojo reigi: when we were in the dojo under the tutelage of Saito Morihiro Sensei, the person who received instructions or corrections from Sensei during the class would bow (zarei) and say "arigatou gozaimshita." The person's partner would bow as well (zarei) and say "onegaishimasu."

If the person who was the partner to the person who was being corrected wanted to, this person could also say "arigatou gozaimashita" instead of "onegaishimasu."

Other trainees who were in the vicinity of the people who were receiving the corrections would sit down while Sensei was demonstrating, to make room for him, and show respect. These people would also say "onegaishimsu" when he was done with his corrections. This is the equivalent of when Sensei would show a technique for the entire class, and then say "Hai, dozo" as a sign for us to begin training. All the practitioners would bow and say "onegaishimasu," before beginning practice.

I believe that the tendency for some Iwama practitioners to say "onegaishimasu" when they are finished training with their partner, and are bowing "out", may come from the abovementioned situation, and a misunderstanding of what to say and when. In this kind of situation you had one person (the one who received the correction) saying “arigatou gozaimashita” and a whole bunch of people saying “onegaishimasu.” It is possible that foreign students thought that they should use what most people were saying, namely “onegaishimasu” in situations like these.
The Japanese practitioners in the dojo would not finish a training session by saying say "onegaishimasu." I try to explain to students here in Europe who finish their training and say "onegaishimasu" that this is a phrase for beginning your practice with someone, and not a means to thank them. It actually indicates that you want to continue to practice!

Another possible reason for using "onegaishimasu" in other settings could be that people equate it with the ubiquitous term "osu." There could be a cross-over influence from “osu” since this is used for just about anything. I remember that Inagaki Sensei’s students would always say “osu” in the Iwama dojo, and Sensei finally told them that you don’t use “osu” in the dojo here-to which they all replied with a loud “OSU!” A great dojo moment!

In Aiki,

Ethan Weisgard
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