Poll: Have you ever lost an aikido friend or teacher to death?

AikiWeb Poll for the week of June 1, 2003:

Have you ever lost an aikido friend or teacher to death?

• I don't do aikido
• Yes, within the past year
• Yes, over a year ago
• No
  

Here are the current results.

My friend and Sensei, Tom Moss, died recently. I haven't "lost" him. His legacy of Aikido, his club and association, his instructors and his joie de vivre live on. He's just not there to enjoy it.

Jim.

Yes, I still miss them. Sometimes we seem to feel their presence in the dojo. It'll be okay with me if that never goes away.

Yes, I lost Fumio Toyoda-shihan of the Aikido association of america. His legacy lives on in many of his students. Though my encounter was brief, it was enough to stimulate me for a lifetime.

It is important that we Aikidoka strive to learn from the very few remaining masters that actually knew O-sensei personally such as Yasuo Kobayashi-shihan, T.K. Chiba-shihan, etc. Their mastery of the art of Aikido is beyond reproach and there is so much to learn from these iconic figures. It is very imortant to train under these legends while we can so we can transmit traditional Aikido properly.

I recently had the opportunity to train under Kobayashi-shihan and the man is nothing short of incredible. I had hit a sticking point in my training and in just one week with him, he not only broke me through my plateau but he carried to new heights all together!!! That is the difference between training under a master and some shmoe down the road who went to a couple of seminars and claims to tach Aikido. For this reason, I feel it is very important to become affiliated with an appropriate organization. Not only to be an accredited and ligitmatly recognized transmitter of the art, but to ensure that quality remains the highest standard!

Thanks.

My teacher, mentor and friend died a little over 3 years ago from cancer. Ted Stratton Sensei started his training in Malaysia under Thamby Rajah Sensei (who introduced Aikido to Maaysia in the '50s) and trained for over 40 years.

He also trained under Gozo Shioda Sensei (Thamby Rajah Sensei's teacher) and was the first person to bring Yoshinkan Aikido to the UK about 40 years or so ago.

He gave me so much, not just Aikido, but in good times, confidence and wonderful memories. I keep a great picture of him at home, not in Gi and Hakama, but shorts, t-shirt, and a baseball cap with a huge laugh filling his face.

It is so important to learn from these Masters, and I wish my wife (1st Kyu) could have known him personally too and trained under him. I have trained under Sensei's teacher, Thamby Rajah Sensei, a number of times too, and my wife has also had the pleasure of training under him.

Sensei Stratton's Aikido was so effortless and powerful. I too sometimes feel like he is with me on the mat. I will be teaching and do something, or go down some path, and I can't work out where it came from. Maybe he was telling me what to do.

Dear Si

I now train at what was Ted Stratton Sensei's club in North Devon (UK) and, although I never knew him personally, I know that his legacy to us who remain is huge. He was and is still very widely repected.

My teachers talk about him all the time.

Seeing him on video is a bit weird knowing that without him we would not be learning this style of aikido.

And so he continues to affect us and our learning and we continue to admire him for what he brought to us.

Good Training

Matt

ps: Thanks Si for posting those pictures of Sensei in the Aikigallery.

What do you guys think about creating an Online Memorial , for those great teachers that have left us..?

Aikiweb would be an excellent place for it , given the respect , seriousnes and tact with wich this site is directed.

If the idea sounded disrecpetful to anybody here , please have my sincere apologies.

Plus KI!.

Dear Matt

Yes, if it had not been for Sensei Stratton, who knows what we would be doing. I was bouncing around lots of martial arts before I discovered Shudokan, which was just so amazing. And here I still am.

Actually I just go back from training with my very first Shudokan teacher! A good day, and all from Sensei Stratton.

I actually lived in the North East and about once a month (sometimes more) I would drive down to Devon to train with Sensei for the weekend, either staying with him or his daughter who is a good friend.

We hold a memorial for him every year in March and I am always in Devon for it.

I see you train with Chris. Please pass on my regards. All the best and good training.

Dear Si

I also train under Jenny Herniman Sensei, maybe you know her too?

Have heard about the memorial w/ends and that the turnouts were excellent. A true indication of Ted Stratton's acclaim.

Likewise: All the best

Maybe see you around

Cheers

Matt

Ho Matt,

Yeah I know Jenny. You've possibly seen me, depending on how long you've been training. I'm the guy who had the dojo in Germany, although we've just come back.

All the best.

Si

Got bells ringing like crazy here

Did you once attend a w/end training session in Ilfracombe (would've been a good couple of years back now)?

Freezing cold school sports hall etc?

I think I was a very lowly 6th Kyu at the time.

There were a lot of Shudokan bods there, including John Russell I believe.

Might not have been you

Will pass on your regards to Chris

Matt

I have lost my sensei of 18 years, Sensei Marion Mucha, Principal of Lancashire Aikikai, who died about 6 years ago age 79.

He had the most beautiful soft and powerful aikido, after coming from a much harder background in Special Forces and Judo. He was also a skilled healer, always available to his students with shiatsu or herbal poultices. He also taught zazen after training in Paris with Deshimaru Roshi.

A sign of his character was that he would come down before courses and put mats out before people arrived!

All who knew him miss his teaching and his presence.

Yours in Aiki,

Peter

Hi Matt,

Yep, I was there, with Sensei John, Ron, Pat, big Jeremy, Jenny and Morgan.

Actually, I moved to lincoln a few years back and trained under Sensei John Russell for about 18 months before heading to Germany. That was about the time that Soke passed away.

See, we have met!

All the best.