Thread: Ueshiba's Aiki
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Old 10-20-2011, 02:14 AM   #16
DH
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Re: Ueshiba's Aiki

Quote:
Chris Knight wrote: View Post
this is a genuine question, before people start attacking my intent on the subject

many of the people currently teaching aiki and Aikido follow the thinking that O Sensei was a martial genius who had a mastery of "Aiki"

As most of these people training "aiki" nowadays have never met O Sensei, how do they know this? Disregarding second hand stories, and verbal accounts.

Looking at video footage, can this be seen through body movement, training methods, mechanics etc of Ueshiba Sensei or not?? What is it that can be seen? How do proponents of today's aiki know this immense skill was present??
Hi Chris
I have about as much interest in repeating, as people have in wanting me to...meaning zero.
Suffice to say that the vast overwhelming majority of people in Aikido-to include its highest ranked Japanese Shihan, haven't nary a clue what Ueshiba even thought aiki was, much less how to do it.

For starters, he himself was discussing aiki as a union of ki in opposition within oneself to produce "The mysteries of Aiki" NOT, the later union of two people. This is being made clear in the new translations of his work. Translations that his own students couldn't even comprehend. It was simply over their heads.
Through the efforts of those same students, everyone was is left to... "trying to blend."
Full speed...in the wrong direction. Unless and until they make a dramatic shift in their approach to their art, they will never understand him, his message, or his aiki.
Dan