Well it's just another 'my aikido is better than yours' article, isn't it?
These appear every few months or so, this one is as full of holes as any other.
For instance - a lot is said about O Sensei
only teaching weapons in Iwama, leading some to say that this means Iwama is the only real Aikido. No...this just means that the occupying forces banned weapons training especially in the larger areas such as Tokyo, where Hombu is.
Any weapons training had to be done out of sight. This of course has become twisted into 'he didn't do weapons in Tokyo because they were not worthy' or some such.
Quote:
At his Hombu dojo in Tokyo Ueshiba allowed only Saito and himself to teach weapons. According to Saito this was because O'Sensei was not happy with the weapons level of instructors.
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This quote is quite ironic given the general views of Aikido's weapons skills by the wider (non-aikido) weapons community - ie non-existent.
And of course people who claim that weapons were only taught at Iwama are totally ignoring Hikitsuchi sensei, 10th dan, who was the only person that O Sensei graded in weapons. And Hikitsuchi also kept the traditions of Shinto and misogi - all the spiritual and ethical teachings of O Sensei.
Then of course there is the more obvious (deliberate?) mistake where people say that Hitohiro is the natural heir to Saito...but that Kisshomaru is
not the natural heir to O Sensei. What is being said here is that O Sensei's son was not his real Aikido heir. I myself am uncomfortable with that statement, you can't have it both ways. One man's son is his heir but another man's son is not?
However I don't think any of this can be blamed on Saito, many of the original deshi complained about the way newer Aikidoka became less martial in their training. From what I have seen and heard most of this stuff comes from the students.
So what do I think about the article?
I think it's a promotional piece. But as with some Iwama types it falls into the same muddy ground - the absolute insistence that only they are doing proper Aikido. Until they can overcome this fixation they come across....negatively.
And it's a damn shame because they do some really good Aikido. I really enjoy my Iwama practice even though my main class is Shodokan.
Anyway I hope this doesn't seem too negative a response.
Quote:
His famous deshi all seem to be in agreement that they did not understand much of what he was talking to them about, that his language was arcane
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None of us really know.