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Old 08-05-2009, 09:02 AM   #76
DH
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Don Magee wrote: View Post
I find this thread funny, maybe because it's 1am.

It starts with aikidoka saying you can't learn how to sword fight without aliveness, and ends with aikidoka responding to videos saying "But nobody attacks like that!!"

The irony is overwhelming.
Don
Since mine was the ending commentary I assume you meant me? I am not an aiki weapons guy. So my comments were not coming from that particular point of view.
Dan
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Old 08-05-2009, 10:57 AM   #77
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Having been embarrassed regularly by aikiken and other sword arts, I agree with Ledyard Sensei about his comment on the simplicity of sword play. Cut your opponent first...

I would separate swordplay from aikiken using an analogy of an athelete. For example, a spectacular baseball slugger may be a poor hitting coach because while the slugger unquestionably possesses the ability to hit a baseball, he may lack the ability to effectively communicate that learned skill to another player. In the same sense, a great swordsman who cannot effectively communicate her skill to another swordsman cannot maintain an art.

I think aikiken is an instructional endeavor moreso than a killing art, which may be the key difference. I don't think either are obsolete and I regularly derive excellent training from sword work.

As a side comment - many aikido people learn aikiken because it is required for a black belt and they do not look further into it. These people should not be the source of our discussion about the effectiveness of aikiken. I have never felt like "wacking sticks" when I have worked out with people who know what the %#$^ they are doing with aikiken.
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Old 08-06-2009, 02:30 PM   #78
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
Don
Since mine was the ending commentary I assume you meant me? I am not an aiki weapons guy. So my comments were not coming from that particular point of view.
Dan
Not really, just an overall feel from reading the thread. I wouldn't say I was commenting at a individual post or person.

- Don
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein
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Old 09-09-2009, 01:02 AM   #79
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

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Chris Hein wrote: View Post
No one alive fights with live swords anymore.
Fencing is pretty close. They have the little lights that go off when they hit and everything.

Peace

dAlen

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Old 09-09-2009, 07:42 AM   #80
Mark Uttech
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Onegaishimasu. For what it's worth, someone was killed by a sword-wielding nut just a few months ago only 10 miles from my dojo.

In gassho

Mark

Last edited by Mark Uttech : 09-09-2009 at 07:45 AM. Reason: misspelled word

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Old 09-09-2009, 08:28 AM   #81
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

People get killed by a speeding car everyday too. No offence but some nut with a sword killing people is not relevant. That said, I'm sorry to hear the news.

Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat.
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Old 09-09-2009, 09:45 AM   #82
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Jon Reading wrote: View Post
I think aikiken is an instructional endeavor moreso than a killing art, which may be the key difference. I don't think either are obsolete and I regularly derive excellent training from sword work.
One of our guys with jujutsu background was very appreciative the other night when I worked through several movements beginning wholly with the sword as simple aiki-ken awase and then moved to the same tai-jutsu movement in aikido techniques. He said it helped him understand the movements better to see them in a larger framework and with the nature of the connection and control by grip eliminated, the reasons for the manner of movement and connection became clearer for him

Cordially,

Erick Mead
一隻狗可久里馬房但他也不是馬的.
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Old 09-10-2009, 12:30 PM   #83
Mark Uttech
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

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Ahmad Abas wrote: View Post
People get killed by a speeding car everyday too. No offence but some nut with a sword killing people is not relevant. That said, I'm sorry to hear the news.
Onegaishimasu. Not relevant? Ok how about Rwanda in 1994
where 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered with machetes in 100 days?

In gassho,

Mark

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Old 09-10-2009, 10:46 PM   #84
Abasan
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Mark, Rwanda is out of context. That was genocide. Sure some were using machetes, but be assured assault weapons were there to make sure the initial force pretty overwhelming. In that situation, martial arts may not give you any real advantage. Put an armed special forces guy in that situation and he'll most likely die too.

Having said that, I'm not discounting the need to train against sharp weapons. Its just that we try out of our way to fit things on why we have to train vs this weapon or that when the main benefit derived from good martial arts training is calmness, awareness and .... (fill the blank with your specific training focus).

I meant no offence.

Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat.
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Old 01-01-2010, 08:36 AM   #85
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

To reply to the TS.

That's not a real life application a technique, a mere set of katas intended for training, not self defense against an street attacker using a shinken.

I don't really quite get what's your problem with aiki-ken, why do you compare it to kenjutsu? The fact is, no one can be a "real" sword fighter anymore, nobody uses swords, you can't carry a sword for self defense, and most important of all, using sword against a gun = death.

Unless as you say, you live in a warped saturday morning cartoon reality and you think you will deflecting bullets and cutting the guns in half with your sword.

Are there many real life application in aikido for a real life, street wise, self defense situation?

What are we training? self defense or martial arts? anybody training martial arts for self defense are in for a world of danger.
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Old 01-03-2010, 04:18 AM   #86
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Hi hope we learn from this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NHrG...rec-rn-2f-2-HM

Chill
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Old 01-04-2010, 11:57 AM   #87
Toby Threadgill
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Hello,

After reading thru this thread I have little to say beyond this:

Aikiken is what it is. It is intended to improve ones aikido but it is not swordsmanship. It is not intended to be swordsmanship so it is unfair to saddle it with such a purpose.

Trying to make the case that we in koryu kenjutsu don't know what happens in sword combat, demonstrates simple ignorance of the subject. If you want to learn what happens in combat with a Japanese sword, join a koryu kenjutsu school. After about 5 years of training, trust me, you'll have changed your mind. ...The stories I could tell......

Anyone who ever met Takamura Sensei face to face, immediately noticed the scars all over his body and face from fighting with sharp swords. He died in 2000 at age 74. Back in my fencing days I knew a very scarred up group of old Hungarian and Italian swordsman that still fought with sharp rapiers and epee's. The last I heard two had been run clear thru accidently but did not receive a life threatening injury.

So, although uncommon, there are people who still really fight with sharp swords and some of us do know what flesh looks like after even a light encounter with sharp steel. Some people also understand the psychological stresses of real combat with a blade.

Let me emphasize, this is not some macho pissing contest. I'm saying that just because you don't know something directly, doesn't mean you should make the assumption that others don't. It's a far crazier world out there than many realize.

Toby Threadgill / TSYR
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Old 01-04-2010, 01:16 PM   #88
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Toby Threadgill wrote: View Post
So, although uncommon, there are people who still really fight with sharp swords and some of us do know what flesh looks like after even a light encounter with sharp steel. Some people also understand the psychological stresses of real combat with a blade.
Nurse: "So what happened to his arm?"
Student X: "We was sword-fightin!"


Chris Moses
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Old 01-04-2010, 02:45 PM   #89
Eric Winters
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Hello,

Aiki-Ken and Aiki-Jo in the Iwama tradition was never meant to be real kenjitsu. Morihiro Saito Sensei and Pat Hendricks Sensei mentioned fairly often that it was for developing better taijitsu only. I have trained in battojitsu before and it is very different. I used my aiki principles for sparing and they worked well but I would never fight a real swordsman if I had a choice.

Best,

Eric
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Old 01-04-2010, 02:55 PM   #90
Toby Threadgill
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Christian Moses wrote: View Post
Nurse: "So what happened to his arm?"
Student X: "We was sword-fightin!"

Chris,

You are a very bad man. I had forgotten that you knew THAT story.


Toby
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Old 01-04-2010, 03:33 PM   #91
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

I've cut two people with swords in my life and one of them was me. The other was a ninja buddy of mine who wanted to show me some jutte waza from his ninja group (I think we was Genbukan or Jinenkan at the time... he swaps ninja clubs all the time). Anyway, he pulls out a sword and tells me to cut shomen. I do and just hold the sword out there in a high chudan. He jumped out of the way and locks the sword in his jutte. He twisted the jutte some odd direction and lays his thumb wide open. I'm still just standing there in chudan.

Anyway, I think Toby is right about crazy stuff out there. There are still dueling clubs in Germany that fight with sharp swords. Bull fighters still kill bulls with swords. I've seen belly dancers balance a sword on their head while they dance. There are a bunch of reason to use a sword and not all are for killing people and that doesn't make one any better than another. Just different... It isn't fair to judge one art against another if they have very different goals. I put my money on the belly dancing girls every time though

Chris Covington
Daito-ryu aikijujutsu
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Old 01-04-2010, 05:18 PM   #92
Michael Hackett
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

I've seen three or four LE training films showing some deranged or drunken knucklehead swinging a "samurai sword" around and refusing to drop it when confronted by uniformed officers. Given all the circumstances, I doubt that these were quality swords, by the way. The sword technique wasn't any better either. The shotgun waza and TASER waza was excellent though, reminding me of the old adage about not bringing a knife to a gunfight.

I've never faced a sword-wielding suspect in the field; a couple of guys with knives and one character with a recurve bow and hunting arrows. I'm fairly confident that I wouldn't try shinken dori if I were.

Michael
"Leave the gun. Bring the cannoli."
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Old 01-05-2010, 09:00 AM   #93
Keith Larman
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Christian Moses wrote: View Post
Nurse: "So what happened to his arm?"
Student X: "We was sword-fightin!"

A friend of mine (godan MJER) shoved his very nice shinshinto sword back through his forearm during a kata. His angle was off a bit and the tip caught slicing into and out of his forearm. Everyone who knew stayed very quiet (Best Schultz voice: "I know nothinnnnnng.").

Moral of the story: Only train with reserved, quiet, discrete people who do their best not to upset the hospital staff.

I.e., don't train with Texans...

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Old 01-05-2010, 09:06 AM   #94
Keith Larman
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

And just to add an observation... I've seen people do things in Aikido with bokken that make me want to get one of my swords out and see how that works with a real one. There would be a *lot* of people out there missing body parts, usually due to their own really, really bad habits. Too much time with bokken and none with a real sword.

And as a guy who trains in it I'll add to the chorus -- it is about learning movement, distancing, aiki, etc. It is about improving your aikido. If you want to learn swordsmanship, go somewhere to learn swordsmanship that teaches swordsmanship. Personally I think it is a good thing to learn to use it correctly. It filters back into the work with the bokken in Aikido. I just wouldn't suggest thinking it goes the other way -- swords are vastly too specialized a weapon. They have their own rules.

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Old 01-05-2010, 09:36 AM   #95
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Keith Larman wrote: View Post
Moral of the story: Only train with reserved, quiet, discrete people who do their best not to upset the hospital staff.

I.e., don't train with Texans...
LOL

About eight (good grief has it been that long...) years ago I snapped my ulna in half during randori at the end of class (my fault, drove home the point that te-gatana is a metaphor not a reality). A dojo mate splinted it with two wooden tanto, she was a medical professional so she did me up right. I didn't bother changing out but headed to the hospital with her. Got there and finally got to talk to a doctor. "Well I was going to ask how this happened, but I'm guessing you weren't at a pajama party..." he says. After complimenting my friend on the splint (she was an EMT for a while) he started unwrapping it. When he got to the tanto, he paused, and slowly handed them to my friend, "I bet you want these back..."

I also cut the front of my knee about 10 years ago doing kiri otoshi tameshigiri. I was paying attention to the cut and not my footwork and cut in a hanmi (a no-no in my battojutsu style). I over cut, and went clean through the target and wacked the front of my knee with the tsuba. I looked down and there was about a 1.5" slice in my hakama. I pulled it up and there was a matching 1.5" slice in my dogi pants. I pulled my dogi pants up and there was another matching 1.5" scalpel clean slice right across the top of my knee. I ran inside and put two butterflies across the cut. The cut was so clean that it healed up in three days with no stitches.

Those things be crazy sharp.

Chris Moses
TNBBC, "Putting the ME in MEdiocre!"
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Old 01-05-2010, 09:57 AM   #96
Alec Corper
 
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

At the risk of being jumped on, here is the other side of the story. I took up Shinkendo and practised fairly seriously for 7 years. i have much respect for Obata kaiso's art, and whatever peoples opinions of koryu vs. gendai he is IMHO a master swordsman. Howver I came to a point where i felt it did not add to an overall flow and blend which i was personally seeking in my aikido. The attitude of enter and cut is something I now try to study and implement under the guidance of Hiroshi Kato sensei. His swordwork is Aikiken and yet it sometimes gives me a more realistic sense of flowing with the sword as a part of my body and an extension of my irimi, rather than using a weapon. I believe the idea of "sword. body and ki as one" is the essence of the study.

If your temper rises withdraw your hand, if your hand rises withdraw your temper.
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Old 01-05-2010, 10:08 AM   #97
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Alec Corper wrote: View Post
At the risk of being jumped on, here is the other side of the story. I took up Shinkendo and practised fairly seriously for 7 years. i have much respect for Obata kaiso's art, and whatever peoples opinions of koryu vs. gendai he is IMHO a master swordsman. Howver I came to a point where i felt it did not add to an overall flow and blend which i was personally seeking in my aikido. The attitude of enter and cut is something I now try to study and implement under the guidance of Hiroshi Kato sensei. His swordwork is Aikiken and yet it sometimes gives me a more realistic sense of flowing with the sword as a part of my body and an extension of my irimi, rather than using a weapon. I believe the idea of "sword. body and ki as one" is the essence of the study.
Most Aikido practitioners who do weapons, especially sword, cannot adequately tell you how what they do directly ties into their empty hand. To my mind, if it's aiki sword or aiki jo, then the principles at work are identical to those at work in the empty hand. One should delineate what those are. If not, then probably what is going on is a bunch of "stick whapping" and really has no relation to the empty hand.

At a seminar I taught once, I was breaking down a set of Saotome Sensei's forms at a level of detail that the attendees were clearly not used to. One stated that he wasn't doing sword to actually be a swordsman, he just wanted to make his empty hand better. I challenged him to tell me how doing bad sword could possibly make his empty hand better.

George S. Ledyard
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Old 01-05-2010, 10:33 AM   #98
Alec Corper
 
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
Most Aikido practitioners who do weapons, especially sword, cannot adequately tell you how what they do directly ties into their empty hand. To my mind, if it's aiki sword or aiki jo, then the principles at work are identical to those at work in the empty hand. One should delineate what those are. If not, then probably what is going on is a bunch of "stick whapping" and really has no relation to the empty hand.

At a seminar I taught once, I was breaking down a set of Saotome Sensei's forms at a level of detail that the attendees were clearly not used to. One stated that he wasn't doing sword to actually be a swordsman, he just wanted to make his empty hand better. I challenged him to tell me how doing bad sword could possibly make his empty hand better.
Totally agree, however I question the idea that "real" swordsmanship improves aikido more than properly understood Aikiken. I believe, from experience, that many aspects of unarmed combat derive from lessons learnt in armed combat, most importantly that survival is often measured in a "hair's thickness". Precision, timing, distance, rythym, postural alignment, focus, relaxation, etc., etc.
I also agree that "stick whapping", whilst lots of fun for the testosterone impaired, bears little relationship to empty hand, it also bears virtually none to swordsmanship. Thus I can only conclude that those who don't learn much from aikiken would probably not learn much from working with a shinken. Those who are serious, shin ken, would learn with a chop stick.

If your temper rises withdraw your hand, if your hand rises withdraw your temper.
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Old 01-05-2010, 02:41 PM   #99
Toby Threadgill
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
Alec Corper wrote: View Post
I question the idea that "real" swordsmanship improves aikido more than properly understood Aikiken.
Mr Corper,

I hope you did not get that impression from anything I wrote. I think I've been very clear. I see aikiken as a specialized system created to advance and support the understanding of aikido principles. Furthermore, not all kenjutsu traditions may be conducive to supporting aikido principles because their core principles may be in conflict with those of aikido. When I observe Jigen ryu, for instance, I do not see an art that would be particularly valuable to an aikidoka. Jigen ryu just doesn't operate in the same physical plane as aikido.

In most koryu-sogo bujutsu schools (comprehensive martial systems) you might find things a bit different. The foundation of a sogo bujutsu is almost always kenjutsu. Consequently, the associated taijutsu/jujutsu system stands on the same basic movements and physical principles utilized in the schools kenjutsu. In fact, all the different systems taught in a sogo bujutsu will embrace one set of cohesive principles, whether you are wielding a sword, spear, knife or executing a jujutsu technique. So, "real" swordsmanship would only be valuable to an aikidoka if that sword system embraced complimentary principles, and since aiki originated in Japan as a principle of swordsmanship, there are numerous systems of kenjutsu that aikidoka enjoy as complimentary study.

So, you may be misunderstanding. I don't think anyone is claiming kenjutsu is superior to proper aikiken as a comprehensive part of aikido training....unless as an aikidoka you also want to be a swordsman. The controversy occurs the other direction, when someone doing aikiken, mistakenly believes aikiken to be "kenjutsu" and believes themselves to be a qualified swordsman.

I have many aikidoka with top notch experience in aikiken now training with me in TSYR. One is the US Chief Instructor of JAA. Others are from Shirata's Aikido system and Iwama style. Without exception, they will all tell you exactly what I am saying. Aikiken is an excellent training device for aikido, unless an aikidoka desires to go farther in their understanding of swordsmanship. If that is the case, they should search out a system of koryu kenjutsu, but that system should embrace principles complimentary to those in aikido, otherwise you face the challenge of learning two arts with conflicting principles.

Respectfully,

Toby Threadgill

Last edited by Toby Threadgill : 01-05-2010 at 02:45 PM.
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Old 01-05-2010, 05:58 PM   #100
Aikibu
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Re: Aiki-Ken vs reality

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
Most Aikido practitioners who do weapons, especially sword, cannot adequately tell you how what they do directly ties into their empty hand. To my mind, if it's aiki sword or aiki jo, then the principles at work are identical to those at work in the empty hand. One should delineate what those are. If not, then probably what is going on is a bunch of "stick whapping" and really has no relation to the empty hand.

At a seminar I taught once, I was breaking down a set of Saotome Sensei's forms at a level of detail that the attendees were clearly not used to. One stated that he wasn't doing sword to actually be a swordsman, he just wanted to make his empty hand better. I challenged him to tell me how doing bad sword could possibly make his empty hand better.
Excellent Post Sensei and I agree Sensei that most cannot explain "Aiki-Ken"... Those who practice Shoji Nishio's expression of Aikido however understand the importance of "Aiki-ken"

Quite simply..our Aikido will not work without a firm understanding of weapons be it Bokken Jo or Katana
Every Aikido principle we're taught is based on the sword..From how to move all the way to pinning your uke. Our Tai-jitsu is done expressly as though you have a sword in your hand. In fact your arm and uke's arm are nothing more than extensions for the sword.
When I attend outside Aikido Seminars the difference in our approach to Tai-Jitsu because of our emphasis that "Aikido is the Sword" is really obvious.

So "in reality" our Aikido is an expression of our Sword not The Sword is an expression of Aikido.

Shoji Nishio's representative in the US Koji Yoshida Sensei continues to improve upon this philosophy.

As usual Stan Pranin's interviews with Shoji Nishio Shihan provide more insight than I can.

http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleID=397

I really hope to get to one of your seminars soon. I have not seen you since the last Aiki-Expo.

William Hazen
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