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Old 02-05-2011, 08:22 AM   #1
Tenyu
Dojo: Aikibodo
Location: Arcata CA
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New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Hi all,

After over a year of independent study by myself I've decided to share the development of a new style of Aikido which I'm calling Aikibodo. Although I discovered and created most of the forms I currently practice, I have had many great teachers in my short life that have influenced and enabled me to be in such a position.

I trained in Seido Juku Karate under Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura at honbu dojo in NYC for three years. His school has positively changed the lives of tens of thousands of people all over the world, and I'm quite fortunate my brother Tenchi persistently advised me to join for years until I actually got the guts to do it. I was able to train with some of the most compassionate and physically talented people I've ever met. The collective intensity of training was unbelievably phenomenal. Aikibodo could not exist without Seido and the strength of spirit it instills.

Afterwards I trained in Aikido for two and a half years at Tom Read Sensei's dojo in Arcata CA under a handful of dedicated, inspiring teachers. The giant Carl Tissol allowed me to attack and practice takemusu ukemi at a level rivaling my karate experience, a rare privilege. The grounded wisdom of Peggy Ilene created a peaceful yet powerful presence I admire. Read Sensei taught me the theoretical principles of Aiki and foundational forms of Aikibojitsu which in combination with the staffwork of Morihei Ueshiba ultimately guided the base forms of Aikibodo. Read Sensei recently published a technical book which I highly recommend for any serious Aikidoist. I made a few private interpersonal mistakes and a couple public ones here on Aikiweb which I take full responsibility for, but mixed with unrelated political issues of a board managed dojo and confluence of events, I had no choice but to become independent in order to continue and progress with my training. I wish the Northcoast Aikido Dojo continued success, as they help other students in learning Aikido and Aikibojitsu.

The other main influence has been my research, experience, and appreciation of traditional independent post-war gospel. I've created the largest digital archive of previously unknown and unrecognized quartets from the 60's through early 80's on the internet, all available for free: http://www.hollygroverecords.com/index.php?act=gospel I've been deeply humbled by the buddha-like nature of these veteran ‘shihans of harmony' who, despite being ignored by academic institutions while untold number pass away each year, I consider national treasures.

For those concerned with rank, I'm officially a 4th kyu in Karate and Aikido. I just started my first weekly public Aikibodo class yesterday. Ideally I'd wait till I've developed a few students locally for a couple years before attempting to share elsewhere. But due to imminent consequences of global fossil fuel depletion, such luxury of time may not exist. For those unaware of our present predicament, a general overview is available here: http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ I've studied peak oil theory and history in depth for six years and have no desire to discuss in length on this matter here. Aikido is a study of how we use personal energy to interact with the universe, whereas Peak Oil is a study of society's insanely unsustainable and irreplaceable dependence on terminally declining cheap energy sources. I'm happy to provide more resources of information via forum or private message, please ask if interested.

Here is a link to video of the Umi Kata recorded last August: http://www.youtube.com/user/WayOftheStaff (There is some external compensation for the deep sand and roaring ocean.) The kata contains more complex forms intended for the advanced practitioner but the most important basic forms are accessible to anybody regardless of physical ability or age. I'm now making myself available to share this beautiful practice with anyone dedicated and sincerely interested. Please refer and address me by my first name, no formal titles please!

respectfully,
Tenyu Hamaki
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Old 02-08-2011, 07:43 AM   #2
niall
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Hi Tenyu,

I'm commenting because I had never heard of Seido Karate until today. And it wasn't reading your post - it was checking out where a famous Japanese quote - nana korobi ya oki - fall down seven times, get up eight times - came from after a comment on my blog (the link is below if you want to see). I found a very nice and clear explanation at SeidoIndia. Looking for a way to tell them that I appreciated the article I found a link to the Seido Karate hombu dojo in New York. And then I saw that nobody had replied to your post and I noticed that Seido name again. Wow. Synchronicity. I saw that the dojo does work with young adults and with blind and visually impaired students and veterans as well as normal training. Very cool.

I have one technical comment. Sometimes your foot is landing a fraction before the strike and it seems to me you are losing a little power because of that. But the movements look very fluid and interesting.

How long is your bo? It looks like a jo.

I wish you the very best of luck.

And the quote was by Daruma Taishi...

we can make our minds so like still water, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life
w b yeats


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Old 02-08-2011, 11:53 AM   #3
George S. Ledyard
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Just a suggestion... when you list the Teachers you have trained with on a forum, it's like your references on your resume. Folks are apt to check the references... You don't generally list the boss who fired you as a reference. This is a very small community...

My recommendation is for folks to go to the source...
Tom Read Sensei and Aikibojitsu

Aikibojutsu and the Structure of Natural Law Tom Read Sensei's new book.

Last edited by George S. Ledyard : 02-08-2011 at 11:57 AM.

George S. Ledyard
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Old 02-08-2011, 12:44 PM   #4
Howard Popkin
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Nakamura was a top Kyokushin guy from the early days. He has one of the largest dojos in NYC. He is excellent.

http://seido.com/

Howard
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Old 02-08-2011, 01:26 PM   #5
Demetrio Cereijo
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Excerpts of Tom Read Sensei book on Aikibojutsu here:

http://www.aikibojitsu.com/BookExcerpts.html
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Old 02-08-2011, 03:33 PM   #6
phitruong
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
Here is a link to video of the Umi Kata recorded last August: http://www.youtube.com/user/WayOftheStaff (There is some external compensation for the deep sand and roaring ocean.) The kata contains more complex forms intended for the advanced practitioner but the most important basic forms are accessible to anybody regardless of physical ability or age. I'm now making myself available to share this beautiful practice with anyone dedicated and sincerely interested. Please refer and address me by my first name, no formal titles please!
hey, those bo moves looked like the moves made by this beef cake here doing with the sword http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQRFuBeRAi4#t=1m27s

the beef cake looked better though with the well oiled body and such. i am thinking if i have body like that, my wife won't let me out of the house to attend various seminars, where i would learn that the way of weapons is the quickest way to put the business ends into the other buggers and introduce him/her/it to the pain and suffering of income tax.

i tell ya, all these spiritual stuffs with weapons are really messed me up.
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Old 02-08-2011, 04:00 PM   #7
JW
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Dude. Phi, that was TOTALLY NSFW. Not only do I need a cold shower but I have to worry if I have a job tomorrow.

PS I like the bo moves better.
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Old 02-08-2011, 04:10 PM   #8
Jeremy Hulley
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Looks like its taken straight from Tom Read's stuff. I would love to know how it is "internal" and what you mean by it....
Thanks
Jeremy

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Old 02-08-2011, 04:29 PM   #9
Tenyu
Dojo: Aikibodo
Location: Arcata CA
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Niall Matthews wrote: View Post
Hi Tenyu,

I'm commenting because I had never heard of Seido Karate until today. And it wasn't reading your post - it was checking out where a famous Japanese quote - nana korobi ya oki - fall down seven times, get up eight times - came from after a comment on my blog (the link is below if you want to see). I found a very nice and clear explanation at SeidoIndia. Looking for a way to tell them that I appreciated the article I found a link to the Seido Karate hombu dojo in New York. And then I saw that nobody had replied to your post and I noticed that Seido name again. Wow. Synchronicity. I saw that the dojo does work with young adults and with blind and visually impaired students and veterans as well as normal training. Very cool.

I have one technical comment. Sometimes your foot is landing a fraction before the strike and it seems to me you are losing a little power because of that. But the movements look very fluid and interesting.

How long is your bo? It looks like a jo.

I wish you the very best of luck.

And the quote was by Daruma Taishi...
Hi Niall,

Interesting you mention that quote as it was one of the lectures by Kaicho that really resonated with me. There were many times in Seido classes, especially the endurance ones, where I didn't think I could ‘get back up' when I thought I had exhausted everything already. Strengthening the mind this way was a very important lesson for me.

I didn't know it at the time but I really think there's a lot to be learned from teaching the disabled. When I was an assistant instructor for Northcoast Aikido's kids class there was one ten year old who was severely autistic, to the point where he could barely take the softest roll or fall. He appeared unresponsive because he could never look at anyone. Originally I didn't get to train with him because I was assigned to teaching stick(staffwork) to the advanced kids, but I felt really bad seeing the other kids to no fault of their own having trouble when paired with him. After a few weeks I finally got switched one-on-one with him. I walked up to him and I could sense he was fully aware of me and his environment even though he was gazing unfocused into the corner of the ceiling. I was pleasantly surprised and immediately tapped into his ‘wavelength'. I still had to go slower but I had him taking ukemi immediately with no resistance and a smile on his face, the first time he showed any emotion in class. What I thought was going to be a difficult task turned out to be extremely fun and rewarding. His mother was present then and became so happy to see his new liveliness. Many times later on I actually preferred working with him over the talented kids because it wasn't easy, if I lost mental connection with him for just one instant no matter how slow we were moving he would clam up and resist the technique either as nage or uke. I don't know yin style taichi but that's what I imagined it to feel like.

Regarding my strikes, my foot should be landing simultaneously with the activation of the strike's asymptote. The beach is on an incline and I hadn't slept in a couple days when they were recorded, so it's not the best example of proper grounding or technique.

I currently use two ‘bo's' designed for my height of 5' 10", one is 54" grade 3 hickory and the other is 57" grade 7 hickory, both 14/16" diameter. I only use Kingfisher staffs since their frequency response is the best I've experienced. I'm sure most here already know Brad's craftsmanship is master class as well.

Thanks for the well wishes, I may need it. I had no students show up to my first class.

-Tenyu
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Old 02-08-2011, 04:31 PM   #10
Tenyu
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
Just a suggestion... when you list the Teachers you have trained with on a forum, it's like your references on your resume. Folks are apt to check the references... You don't generally list the boss who fired you as a reference. This is a very small community...

My recommendation is for folks to go to the source...
Tom Read Sensei and Aikibojitsu

Aikibojutsu and the Structure of Natural Law Tom Read Sensei's new book.
There is no reason to hide one's public training history. I won't be baited into debating private matters though.

I wish you the best in your training. I've read many of your posts here so I know your dedication to Aikido is sincere and exemplary.
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Old 02-08-2011, 04:36 PM   #11
Tenyu
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Phi Truong wrote: View Post
hey, those bo moves looked like the moves made by this beef cake here doing with the sword http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQRFuBeRAi4#t=1m27s
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Old 02-08-2011, 10:29 PM   #12
George S. Ledyard
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
There is no reason to hide one's public training history. I won't be baited into debating private matters though.

I wish you the best in your training. I've read many of your posts here so I know your dedication to Aikido is sincere and exemplary.
Private matters are best left private... but you've put yourself forward as a teacher of a Bo style. I have trained off and on with Tom Read for 30 years. I have watched him evolve his Bo style over that time. He first showed his stick work at the Aiki Expo ten years ago at which he was the very first demonstration in the whole event,

Tom's use of the staff is unique in execution and conception. While he does have rank from Hikitsuchi Sensei in Bo, his own work is totally different from the Shingu Bo work. It is his and his alone. It is not "public domain" stick work. Anyone knowing Tom's Aikibojitsu will recognize, as Jeremy did, where you got what you are doing. You have taken something someone else developed and was kind enough to teach to you and have set yourself up as a teacher in your own right, not only without permission, but in actual opposition to the wishes of the Founder of this style. Furthermore, you received no rank or teaching certification in Aikibojitsu. So, now you have repackaged something which, in my opinion, only a creative genius like Tom Read could have developed, and given it a new name and made yourself a teacher of it.

There are a number of people who have undergone strenuous and lengthy instruction in Tom's Bo style. They have been granted rank. We have one certified teacher up here in Seattle at Two Cranes Aikido. For whatever reason Tom Read Sensei chose not to give you rank and you did not receive permission to teach what you were shown. Doing so under another name, as if you developed the style yourself is simply an end run around a systematic teacher certification process which Tom designed to ensure proper transmission of both the technique and underlying spiritual foundation which is central to practice of Aikibojitsu.

As the English would say, "bad form". Since you have now set yourself up in the public arena, I think people should know what you have done and decide for themselves. If they think what you are showing has merit, I would advise them to go to the source because I guarantee that anyone else's imitation of his lifetime's work will only be an ersatz version, lacking in the real depth of Tom's conception.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
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Old 02-09-2011, 02:01 AM   #13
Demetrio Cereijo
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
There is no reason to hide one's public training history. I won't be baited into debating private matters though.
You should have been put the classical story of "after engaging myself in ascetic training for ........ (preferibly a lot) of days then a tengu/kami/yamabushi appeared and taught me, then gave me the scrolls of the style". It has been working for centuries.

This is how great styles are founded.
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Old 02-09-2011, 06:22 AM   #14
Tenyu
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
Private matters are best left private... but you've put yourself forward as a teacher of a Bo style. I have trained off and on with Tom Read for 30 years. I have watched him evolve his Bo style over that time. He first showed his stick work at the Aiki Expo ten years ago at which he was the very first demonstration in the whole event,

Tom's use of the staff is unique in execution and conception. While he does have rank from Hikitsuchi Sensei in Bo, his own work is totally different from the Shingu Bo work. It is his and his alone. It is not "public domain" stick work. Anyone knowing Tom's Aikibojitsu will recognize, as Jeremy did, where you got what you are doing. You have taken something someone else developed and was kind enough to teach to you and have set yourself up as a teacher in your own right, not only without permission, but in actual opposition to the wishes of the Founder of this style. Furthermore, you received no rank or teaching certification in Aikibojitsu. So, now you have repackaged something which, in my opinion, only a creative genius like Tom Read could have developed, and given it a new name and made yourself a teacher of it.

There are a number of people who have undergone strenuous and lengthy instruction in Tom's Bo style. They have been granted rank. We have one certified teacher up here in Seattle at Two Cranes Aikido. For whatever reason Tom Read Sensei chose not to give you rank and you did not receive permission to teach what you were shown. Doing so under another name, as if you developed the style yourself is simply an end run around a systematic teacher certification process which Tom designed to ensure proper transmission of both the technique and underlying spiritual foundation which is central to practice of Aikibojitsu.

As the English would say, "bad form". Since you have now set yourself up in the public arena, I think people should know what you have done and decide for themselves. If they think what you are showing has merit, I would advise them to go to the source because I guarantee that anyone else's imitation of his lifetime's work will only be an ersatz version, lacking in the real depth of Tom's conception.
There's no reason to go into detail how Aikibodo fundamentally differs from Aikibojitsu on this forum. First no one here including you practices either art and wouldn't understand the descriptions, second making comparisons can only be viewed as judgements against. If there's one thing I learned from my first time on Aikiweb is that it's really bad form to critique anyone, especially a stranger let alone one's former teacher regardless of history, who's not directly asking for advice.

I will say what Aikibojitsu and Aikibodo do have in common is the use of the asymptotic strike. But this is not at all unique to either art. It is in fact quite common in others, most obviously in bo katas of traditional Karate and generally so in certain Chinese arts of Xingyi and Taiji. There are thousands of videos where one can see this either open hand or with weapon. Most importantly I've seen O Sensei use them definitively and phenomenally with the bokken. I can't recall precisely if he did it on film with the staff but I've seen it many times in the Iwama line. It's visible in much of Morihiro Saito's yokomens, and going by the National Geographic clip I would argue Hitohiro Saito has improved on them from his father with the staff.

I have atoned for my mistakes and despite your demand for private information it's frankly none of your business. There's still some freedom in this country and nobody owns Aikido or staffwork. I have no problem sharing what I did with any of my future students, as it was one I made of passion(getting upset at someone for one minute, barely raising my voice) out of the love I had for Tom Read, my former students, and the dojo. I considered them family, including the parents of my former students. Everyone I've told what I did has agreed it's not beyond what any morally conscionable person could make in the context. Mistake yes, crucification far from. This is not why I left the dojo nor do I intend on sharing the compendium of events that happened. I'm keeping that information private not for my protection but in order to exercise compassion, the essence of Aikido, for something this painful. Obviously I know Tom can and does teach well, but a line was crossed between him and me, nobody else. Leaving the dojo was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but it was the right decision. There was no pride in it. I've been on my own for over a year, and it's time for everyone to move on.

Aikibodo is a culmination of my whole life and I've helped out a lot of people along the way. Your misinformed ad homs are not welcome, nor are any second-hand ‘rebuttals' you may desire to attempt.

Finally, I've been to enough seminars in other dojos and seen things morally grotesque occur right out in plain view, by very high ranking people. Never a word on Aikiweb. Couple years ago Ellis Amdur was kind enough to let me in on a few astonishing ‘community secrets' as well. There're many glass houses and I suggest you understand that before beginning another crusade.

-Tenyu
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Old 02-09-2011, 07:54 AM   #15
Cliff Judge
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
After over a year of independent study by myself I've decided to share the development of a new style of Aikido which I'm calling Aikibodo.
Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
I trained in Seido Juku Karate under Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura at honbu dojo in NYC for three years.
Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
Afterwards I trained in Aikido for two and a half years at Tom Read Sensei's dojo in Arcata CA under a handful of dedicated, inspiring teachers.
Quote:
Tenyu Hamaki wrote: View Post
For those concerned with rank, I'm officially a 4th kyu in Karate and Aikido.
You've been training for six years and you are founding a martial art?
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Old 02-09-2011, 09:37 AM   #16
Janet Rosen
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
You've been training for six years and you are founding a martial art?

Janet Rosen
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Old 02-09-2011, 09:54 AM   #17
kewms
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
You've been training for six years and you are founding a martial art?
Yeah, this.

I would imagine that both Nakamura Sensei and Read Sensei have a great deal more to teach than even a dedicated student could learn in three years.

Katherine
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Old 02-09-2011, 10:25 AM   #18
phitruong
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
You've been training for six years and you are founding a martial art?
it's not hard to find a martial art. if you looked back into history of mankind, this sort of thing happened all the times. eons ago, the grand master of OWW-do walked by a rock cliff where a rock dislodged and strike his head. he was knocked out cold. as he woke up, he came to realization of a martial arts based on placing rocks at dangerous locations. however, as he contemplated the various rock waza, he was promptly ate by the nearby saber tooth tiger. also, at the approximate same time line, grand master of ARRGGHHH-do, walked grandiosely and was knocked out flat by a low hanging tree branch. as he woke up, he came up with a martial art based on placing sticks at low level in order to knock the other buggers off their feet. however, he was promptly ate by the nearby saber tooth (actually the very same saber tooth that ate the rock grand master). then sometimes later, lots later, an young up coming grand master came up with a new martial art which he called RUN-FASTER-THAN-YOUR-BUDDY-do. he discussed with his tribe. later that evening, his buddies waited for him to fall asleep, proceeded to tie him up and left him outside which promptly ate by the saber tooth (damn bugger kept waiting around for various grand masters).

so as you can see, various martial arts have been found quite accidentally and relatively quickly. however, the saber tooth clan has also been quick to breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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Old 02-09-2011, 11:19 AM   #19
Demetrio Cereijo
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
You've been training for six years and you are founding a martial art?
This was what people said to Kano back in the day, isn't it?

Anyway, I don't like what I've seen in Tenyu's clips but, as an Iwamaer, I'm probably biased.

Tenyu, have you checked the viability of your Aikibodo in a martial environment, like a Dog Bros. gathering or similar? If so, how it went?
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Old 02-09-2011, 01:47 PM   #20
John Thomas Read
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Hello,

My name is Tom Read (John Thomas Read.) I've been studying Aikido since 1969, trained in Shingu (1974-75) have been dojo-cho and Chief Instructor at Northcoast Aikido in Arcata, CA since 1977, and have been working to create a unique staff art form since 1985 that I call Aikibojitsu. Aikibojitsu is defined and explained in depth in the book Aikido Aikibojitsu and the Structure of Natural Law which I published in December, 2010.

The reason that I am writing is that, although I tried to stay out of it, I feel I need to address the actions of Tenyu Hamaki, a one-time student of mine who is making a number of false claims.

Tenyu Hamaki was allowed into the Aikibojitsu Instructor's program about 2 years ago even though he was a 'beginner', due to a personal request by his brother. Due to that personal request I allowed Tenyu into the program and worked with him personally for over a year. As a result Tenyu's staff work is really not bad. But contrary to what he is saying here, over 99 percent of what he does is straight Aikibojitsu.

Aikibojitsu is a very distinct style of staff work, its physical techniques the natural expression of a comprehensive theoretical foundation revolving around non-resistant power (given in the book.) Those who have trained with me over the years know how distinct it is, and will easily recognize it in Tenyu's 'Aikibodo.' His 'new' style is not at all new, nor is it his.

In addition to the distinct and unique nature of Aikibojitsu's physical techniques, his use of terms like 'asymptote', or 'exponential' show that he is just copying my conceptual work. For example, I use the hyperbolic spiral's dual asymptotic form to explain how to generate and control high energies in Aikibojitsu staff strikes. Asymptotes are something central to Aikibojitsu's theoretical foundation. Tenyu's casual use of the term 'asymptote' at strike termination (elsewhere in this thread) shows the degree to which he has become confused about just where his knowledge actually came from.

Tenyu is angry at me, calling our differences 'personal.' In actuality he is angry because I expelled him from Northcoast Aikido after his behavior became so egregious that I couldn't allow him to participate in the school. He had alienated all of the teachers (in spite of what he claims elsewhere in this thread) to the point where all were asking me to deal with him. The precipitating event leading to his expulsion was Tenyu deciding to berate a parent in front of their child while acting as assistant kids' class instructor.

During the expulsion process (one of 3 that I've had to do in the entire 34 year history of Northcoast Aikido), I told Tenyu that he was not to try to pass himself off as an Aikibojitsu teacher, something that he'd already been working toward behind the scenes even before being asked to leave (some of my students have collected examples of this off the web.)

In order to try to get around this, Tenyu made two main changes. He changed the name 'Aikibojitsu' to 'Aikibodo', and changed the 'tag line' from Aikibojitsu's 'The Art of the Staff', to 'The Way of the Staff.'

One way I name Katas is to call them something concrete. For example, there has been a unique and very difficult Kata in Aikibojitsu since 1991 called The Granite Kata. The first notice I had of Tenyu's actions with regard to 'his creation of a new staff art form' came when a student of mine said that Tenyu had posted his new art form on YouTube, with his 'Granite Kata' video! (he has since renamed his kata 'The Umi Kata', but we have screen shots of 'The Granite Kata' label.)

Tenyu was allowed into the Instructor development program in Aikibojitsu with open arms, and was freely taught based upon a very clear agreement that he not teach Aikibojitsu without permission (without an Instructor's Certificate.) He has broken that agreement, and I am writing to ensure that people know what he is really doing.

My book is focused around an in-depth explanation of the nature of energy in non-resistant systems in general, and in the martial interaction in particular, both theoretically and practically (technically.) The book takes a detailed look at Aikido technique based upon unique and important conceptual insights, and also provides a sound theoretical foundation for Aikibojitsu as an art form. The book is aimed at more advanced practitioners, but the material is important to anyone who is serious about martial arts.

For more information about my work, go to www.aikibojitsu.com

You may contact me via email at aikibojitsu@gmail.com. There is also a list of certified Aikibojitsu Instructors at the site with email contact information whom you may contact to verify what I have said regarding Aikibojitsu.

(For those who are curious about the book, visit the excerpts page www.aikibojitsu.com/BookExcerpts.)
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Old 02-09-2011, 02:21 PM   #21
dps
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

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George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
You have taken something someone else developed and was kind enough to teach to you and have set yourself up as a teacher in your own right, not only without permission, but in actual opposition to the wishes of the Founder of this style.
Hmmm, sounds like a familiar story, once upon a time in Japan.

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George S. Ledyard wrote: View Post
I would advise them to go to the source because I guarantee that anyone else's imitation ( O'sensei's ) of his lifetime's work will only be an ersatz version, lacking in the real depth of Tom's ( Takeda's ) conception.
(Parenthesis is mine).

dps
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Old 02-09-2011, 02:22 PM   #22
Alfonso
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

so did you spot the Aikido trained guy in the clip?

Alfonso Adriasola
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Old 02-09-2011, 03:11 PM   #23
kewms
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

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David Skaggs wrote: View Post
Hmmm, sounds like a familiar story, once upon a time in Japan.
Sure. But I'll bet there are more charlatans than martial geniuses among the founders of new styles.

Heck, I'll bet plenty of people thought both Ueshiba and Kano were charlatans until they proved their stuff worked.

Katherine
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Old 02-09-2011, 04:12 PM   #24
dps
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

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Katherine Derbyshire wrote: View Post

Heck, I'll bet plenty of people thought both Ueshiba and Kano were charlatans until they proved their stuff worked.

Katherine
So if Tenyu's stuff works that will validate his new Aikido style?

David
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Old 02-09-2011, 04:15 PM   #25
George S. Ledyard
 
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Re: New Internal Style of The Wooden Staff

Quote:
David Skaggs wrote: View Post
I would advise them to go to the source because I guarantee that anyone else's imitation ( O'sensei's ) of his lifetime's work will only be an ersatz version, lacking in the real depth of Tom's ( Takeda's ) conception.

(Parenthesis is mine).

dps
Hi David,
I would point out that someone with a teaching license and some different ideas about how to proceed into the future going off on his own is substantively different than someone who doesn't even have yudansha rank "founding" his own style.

Also, if you mean to suggest that Aikido is just watered down Daito Ryu, I would beg to differ. Although the post war growth in Aikido has lead to some important gaps in the transmission Aikido is very different than Daito Ryu. O-Sensei's creation added a whole new dimension to what he had learned in Daito Ryu. If that were not the case, we'd all be better off going back to Daito Ryu. While I actually practice one style of Daito Ryu, it is totally distinct in conception and practice from Aikido. They compliment each other but I would strenuously disagree that one is "better" than the other. But they are truly different.

Last edited by George S. Ledyard : 02-09-2011 at 04:24 PM.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
Aikido Eastside
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