Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > Spiritual

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-13-2006, 10:44 AM   #51
Alec Corper
 
Alec Corper's Avatar
Dojo: Itten Suginami Dojo, Nunspeet
Location: Wapenveld
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 350
Netherlands
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

A Samurai was a retainer of a daimyo pr provincial lord, who function was to a a soldier and to be prepared to die for his master at any moment. Thus the word can best be summed up as "servant". The code of bushido ascribed to them did not exist in any structured form until it was printed in a little book by Inobe entitled "bushido" in which many qualities were ascribed to these warriors, most of which are innaccurate historically for the majority of Samurai. Previous to that there are scattered writings such as "The Unfettered Mind" and "Hagakure: which contain elements of thought that were gradually assimilated. One of the most succinct quotes from "Hagakure" is "The business of the samurai is to die!". Does any of this sound like the Aikido we do.
As an insructor of Shinkendo and a student of Obata kaiso, I can only agree with Ron Tisdale, Steffan, I think that Obata would not be thrilled, nor with your rather trite observation that Iado practitioners, however senior know how to handle a live blade.
Alec
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2006, 01:14 PM   #52
Hagen Seibert
Dojo: Kamai
Location: Freiburg
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 124
Germany
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

I would like to rephrase the original post:
Instead of:
"How samurai is Aikido"
I would ask:
"Can you embrace samurai spirit through training of Aikido ?"
as this seems to be rather the point of interest within practical relevance to most people.

Whatever you might think "samurai spirit" might be,
I think many people like to imagine they can,
though they live in decicivly different life situation.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2006, 01:35 PM   #53
Hagen Seibert
Dojo: Kamai
Location: Freiburg
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 124
Germany
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

By the way: Nice Tsuba, Todd
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2006, 10:03 AM   #54
James Smithe
 
James Smithe's Avatar
Dojo: undisclosed location
Location: Texas
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 109
United_States
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

I don't consider myself a samurai because I'm not a tool to be used by a master.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2006, 04:05 AM   #55
rottunpunk
Dojo: koteikan aikido centre
Location: great britain
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 74
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

heyo. im new here, and i dont know that much about aiki, so i dont want to speak out of place.

i too share your enjoyment for the samurai culture.
however, have you tried kendo and iaido? they are much more closely linked to sword work than aikido.

i often get told that the moves are just like cutting with a sword, but the shape is all wrong. however, using hara etc helps alot

i agree though, in order to progress to further levels one has to follow the budo way.
in mjer there are three levels, the first being the basic phsical shape (shoden) then the grasp of metsuke and hara etc (chuden) and then the spiritual level (okuden) one cant move on to the next level unless they have grasped fully the concepts of the previous.

perhaps reading book of the five rings and hagakure?
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2006, 04:35 AM   #56
Nick Simpson
Dojo: White Rose Aikido - Durham University
Location: Gateshead
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 916
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

Fair enough, the reason I was using hakama as an example is that it is the practise of aikidoka wearing hakama that is generally one of the things that seem to make people think of aikido as a 'samurai art'. I know plenty of other japanese arts use the hakama (Iaido, Kyudo etc etc) but aikido (along with kendo) is possibly the most widespread and common of these MA outside of japan. The other more popular arts (Judo and karate) do not usually wear hakama ( I have never seen or heard of this, although I imagine some karate practitioners might do/have done so). So people make a distinction that the hakama in aikido, is what makes aikido a samurai art. Or whatever it is that they think.

They're all screaming about the rock n roll, but I would say that it's getting old. - REFUSED.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2006, 06:06 AM   #57
Peter Seth
Dojo: Zanshin. Sunderland University
Location: Sunderland
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 124
England
Offline
Smile Re: How Samurai i s aikido

Hi all.
After a cursory glance over this thread it seems that generally everyone is focussed on the 'samurai spirit' its ethics/lack of them? etc. Obviously a natural choice to use to compare aikido as an ostensibly japanese art to.
But, to think 'out of this box' a little - can not everyone where/who ever they are display this spirit in times of (for a better word) challenge in their lives. From little children, right through the age range, at times many individuals show great courage in the face of life threatening adversity. The so called samurai spirit has been shown throughout history by soldiers and civilians from all countries in times of conflict. An example would be the spartans - very warlike - very brave, stoic and fatalistic with regards to life, (also regarded as a cruel people)? (samurai/spartan spirit).

Aikido and samurai spirit? - Aikido - to harmonise - create harmony/natural balance with the correct use of energy??
Samurai spirit - unswerving/unquestioning loyalty, the embracing of death if required, etc? Balance?
Who knows the answer - it depends on your viewpoint. I suppose certain elements of the 'Human Spirit' /(samurai spirit) are necessary to any 'human' activity - so I would say probably 'a little' would be a reasonable answer.
What do you think??
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2006, 01:51 PM   #58
koz
 
koz's Avatar
Dojo: Kaiso Dobun Kenkyukai
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 41
New Zealand
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

To quote from the famous Hagakure "The Way of the Samurai is found in death."

Good luck with that.

True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.

Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching, Ch48
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2006, 04:23 PM   #59
deepsoup
Dojo: Sheffield Shodokan Dojo
Location: Sheffield, UK
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 524
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

How Lumberjack is Bonsai?
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2006, 06:28 AM   #60
Mark Freeman
Dojo: Dartington
Location: Devon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,220
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

Quote:
Sean Orchard wrote:
How Lumberjack is Bonsai?
Just a little?

Success is having what you want. Happiness is wanting what you have.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2006, 11:54 AM   #61
Chuck.Gordon
Location: Frederick, MD
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 509
United_States
Offline
Re: How Samurai i s aikido

I'm a budoka and I'm OK
I sleep all night and I work all day.

Chorus:
He's a budoka and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

I cut down ukes, I eat my lunch
I go to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays I go the dojo and have buttered scones for tea

Mounties:
He cuts down ukes, he eats his lunch
He goes to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays he goes to the dojo and has buttered scones for tea.

Chorus:
He's a budoka and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

I cut down ukes, I skip and jump
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on funny clothing and hang around in bars.

Mounties:
He cuts down ukes, he skips and jumps
He likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on funny clothing and hangs around in bars?!

Chorus:
He's a budoka and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

I cut down ukes, I wear hakama
Keikogi and tabi.
I wish I'd been a sensei, just like my dear papa!

Mounties:
He cuts down ukes, he wears hakama?!
Keikogi ... and tabi?!

... He's a budoka and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

  Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2006, 12:26 PM   #62
Ketsan
Dojo: Zanshin Kai
Location: Birmingham
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 865
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: How Samurai is aikido

I'd say that training in any martial art is unlikely to be able to give you samurai spirit, all it can do, perhaps is give you the same kind of skills as a samurai. That said it can help you develop your character in any way you so wish. The simple facts of training mean that you will face failure and pain and if you wish to keep on training you will have to develop ways of dealing with this and perhaps you could take this in a direction which could be called "the samurai spirit".
To me samurai spirit has always meant being tough, resourceful, compassionate (although compassion wasn't something historical samurai could always be accused of having) and pragmatic, always looking for a way to win no matter what the situation is and often winning means simply getting out of the situation in one piece rather than pulling off a glorious victory.
Certainly I have seen people come into the dojo and through learning have become mentally and physically tough, developed resourcefulness, compassion and learned to be pragmatic, although since not everyone does I can't claim that this is due to the art, but certainly the art is the vehicle. You just have to choose to get on board.
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Why do some people hate Aikido? Guilty Spark General 611 01-16-2017 09:13 AM
Aikido: Its Spirit and Technique TAnderson General 0 02-27-2007 07:50 AM
Dilution of aikido eugene_lo General 40 02-07-2006 11:22 AM
Proposta organização do Aikido Portugal kimusubi0 Portuguese 0 05-03-2004 03:26 AM
Two things. Veers General 8 04-04-2003 01:54 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:36 AM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate