Quote:
Hugh Beyer wrote:
Not sure what the "ha, ha" signifies here, but it's a very good point. The senior instructor at Hombu, the guy who opened up the Americas to Aikido, the guy with major high-level certification from O-Sensei himself walks away from the name and the history and gives his new organization a different formal name.
I think there's a level of humility and, I don't know, recognition of the facts on the ground about this that I find admirable.
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Mochizuki Sensei promoted me to nidan in 1990, when I had 15 years of aikido, having opened the first yoseikan budo dojo in North America, etc.
About that time, I became his uchi deshi. I lived with him twenty-one months and continued to practice at his dojo until 1995. I declined the opportunity to test for higher rank, but when I came back to the US, I "promoted" myself to a rank of my own making: "zero degree". It's a reference to Zen, tao, etc. It also means to "zero in" on oneself.
Not much money in promoting your students to "zero degree!" Let me tell you!
David