Enbukai Photos

I was surfing around and found a couple of pictures from the Santa Barbara, USA AKI Hombu website (http://www.akisb.com/page.asp?webpageID=45). I added the notes and circles. Duh.

That's me peeking over that guy's head.

This picture speaks for itself. I noted the people that I can recognize. Aoki Sensei is the teacher in charge of my dojo. Nishimura Sensei is the teacher that always shows up. Takeda Shihan is the master teacher in charge of Aikido Kenkyukai International. Doshu is.. well, Doshu.

Are you gonna eat your 'tots?

There's nothing like walking in the rain for two hours and fifteen minutes. I headed out today, on foot, for my iaido class. I was taking a new route, that Noriko showed me from the car. It's more of a straight line, as it goes over the hills, instead of around them, like my regular route does. In other words, it was supposed to be a shortcut. It should've taken about forty minutes to get there. It had gotten kind of dark and kind of foggy. I could make out a large white building and I started to pride myself for my keen homing pigeon skills. Except, it was the wrong school. I ended up walking over another hour before I made it back to my neighborhood. I was so proud of myself, too. I was wasn't skipping iaido class. I was showing true commitment by walking. At least I got some good exercise.

I was a nut, in a rut.

So I went to iaido tonight and it was no sweat. I picked up where I left off and had a good time. I was warming up and looking in the mirror and decided, ok ok, I'l give dressing up as a samurai and playing with a samurai sword another chance.

I guess having three hikes last week that fell on the same days as my iaido classes put me in the wrong frame of mind to have to get ready and walk another few miles to the dojo.

So, for all you iaido fans, I'm not hanging up my sword, yet.

Iaido Crux

I lifted this picture from the web. I believe it's a picture of Tamiya Sensei.

I'm at an important point in my Iaido life. I have to decide to make the effort it's going to take to pursue it or quit. It's not as immediately rewarding as most other pursuits are. While practicing, it's an intense battle with one's self. Not to mention, I still can't tie the proper knots on my obi and hakama. In fact, some of the people in class, trying to help me, can't do it either. Last week, I got back too late from other business (hiking and aikido) and on another day was just too exhausted from a different hike, that I didn't go to three classes. For any of you that have started something new, enjoyed it, and then missed a few classes, you know how easy it is to just quit. Just as a teacher has a responsibility to teach, a student has the responsiblity to learn.

I am going tonight to try and get a feel for it again. I may have actually been too tired last week to go. From aikido and hiking, my legs were tired and heavy every day. It also might be, that it's just not for me. In the chance, that I just don't "fit" in this dojo, I've made plans to visit a different dojo teaching a similar art, this Sunday.

The world is black and white.

There's no need to play Where's Waldo. I thought I found myself once but realized the guy with the big white head (in sunlight) had a shaved head. This picture does not show my day at the enbukai, but it does show the same dojo with roughly the same number of people.

One toe is not like the other. The pain has subsided but the offending nail is starting to grow upwards and I can feel it inside my shoes.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Nishimura-sensei stopped me the other day, before class started.

"Jory-san."

"Hai!"

"Gokyu. OK!" he said the last part with the universal gesture for "OK." He's getting used to my preferred way to communicate. The fewer the words and the more hand gestures there are is they way I like it.

So, I passed my gokyu test!

In return, I showed him my black toe.

I Hit Doshu

Aikido Kenkyukai International Enbukai

A couple of weeks ago, my aikido group (AKI) had a little get together. About 200 of us gathered in the ~150 tatami dojo at the Hachimangu Dojo in Kamakura. The purpose of the enbukai was to exhibit all the various dojo. I didn't count but I think we had over 25 dojo in attendance. Groups came from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Chile (I think that's why we have 'international' in our name).

Due to some kind of mixup in our instructions, most people showed up in a suit and tie (myself included). This means, I walked/jogged from the house to the train station carrying my weapons bag, an umbrella, and a backpack. That wasn't so bad. The part that killed me was the sportcoat and tie. By the time I arrived (ten minutes early- I was worried I'd miss the train), my sleeves were soaking wet with sweat. It was like I stuck both arms into a toilet to retrieve a dropped _______ .

It turned out that the suits weren't needed until after our day of training and then only if one would be attending the reception/party/dinner. To begin with, I didn't think that it made too much sense. Wear a suit, just to immediately change into our training uniforms. But like the good gaijin I am, I follow instructions (when given to me) to the "T." It also turned out that I didn't need the umbrella (it quit raining) or my weapons bag (We didn't use them. Again, I was following instructions!).

Our first training session was pretty normal. It was a bit overcrowded. Some people try to make excuses for a crowded dojo by saying that it helps develop awareness. If you're not careful, you will either be slammed or slam someone else into a wall, the hardwood floor, or somebody else. This class was about 90 minutes long and by the end of it, my legs could feel the workout.

We took a break and they announced that Doshu was there. Without looking it up, Doshu is a word that means "keeper of the way." One of the Aikido founder's sons was 1st Doshu. His son is 2nd Doshu. That was our special guest. He's the highest person in the Aikido world (at least in the Aikikai scheme of things which is almost everybody). I don't even know if he holds rank.

He taught the second class. He bowed the class in and it was augmented with the banging of an 8' drum (taiko). It shook the entire building. He went over much of the same material from our first class and my legs were burning by the end of it. Between techniques, during his explanations, I kept my point at "centerfield." This maximized my closeness to where he stood and did his demonstrations.

The high point of this class was getting paired up with a guy that felt like this was his first class. He was very choppy and rough. During yokomen uchi iriminage he was completely lost. To my "boasting" benefit, this was helpful. Suddenly, during one of the executions where I was the attacker, Doshu appeared. He had me attack him, in order to show the technique to the other guy. It was kind of a static demonstration, so I wasn't able to feel his "aiki" very well. However, he was VERY stout. I guess growing up as the keeper of a budo will do that to you. The important thing is that I can now brag to my fellow Aiki-Okies that I hit (or attempted to, rather) Doshu.

It's actually not that hard of a thing to be able to do. Anybody can go to the Aikido HQ in Tokyo for the 6 am class which is led by Doshu. I'm sure that at certain points he comes around and offers pointers. It's just a lot more convenient for him to come to you.

After Doshu's class we took a break and then the exhibition started. We lined up on each side of the dojo, which left one end for the Doshu (and entourage) and the other end empty for us to come onto and off of the mat. Each dojo had up to two minutes to demonstrate. Some just paired up and did techniques. Others took ukemi from their sensei. I was really nervous when it came our turn to go up. I don't exactly like being in the open in front of a large crowd.

AKI's leader, Takeda Shihan, performed his demonstration right before the break for lunch. Despite the fact that he is my "leader," I had never seen him, before. His technique was awesome. His technique is the highest level of aikido I have ever seen.

I got to bring home one souvenir from the day. During shomenuchi nikkyo, as I was transitioning from having just put my uke on his stomach and moving into the pin, somebody put their knee down on my big toe. The pain was so sharp and intense that I had to close my eyes and bite my lip so I wouldn't reel over and pass out. The fact that I was holding onto my uke's arm is probably the only reason I didn't fall over. The smash crushed the half of my toenail that is closest to the foot. It's black and I'm just waiting for it to fall off.

Noriko showed up later and took some photos with her cellphone camera.

No. 2 Pencil

DETAILS OF MY GOKYU TEST (All of 'em!)

THE DETAILS:
I took the 7:44am train and met up with my other dojomates, Hashiba San and Yumi San, in the last car. They both got on at earlier stations. We got to the testing location at 8:15 and had until 9:00 before the day would begin.

We milled around with some other students and I decided to find out what technique was being called "katatedori kokyunage omote." The first two guys I asked looked at each other and became confused, themselves. Finally, a sempai of mine came over and cleared it up.

After all forty-two of us arrived, the doors were shut and we started the day. We first had a regular class, led by Numata Sensei. He covered several basic techniques. As always, even with a technique that you've done hundreds of times, a good teacher can show you some aspect of it to tweak. Numata Sensei came by and pointed out the best way to straighten out uke's arm during the ikkyo pin. At about 10:15 we took a break and then moved on to some bok-to work. Almost every style of aikido teaches some sword work. Since Numata Sensei also does iaido, he is a little pickier than most. At 11:25, we took an hour long break for lunch.

I sat outside with Hashiba San and we each had onigiri (samurai snacks). We didn't change back into street clothes. At our ages, it's just not worth it to take off our sweaty clothes when we'll just have to put them back on in 30 minutes. The younger, highschool age people all changed and prettied up for their sack lunches.

We settled back into the dojo and waited for the unknown. They had us all line up to make sure we were there and then it was time for the first group of testers to perform. A pair of teens lined up for their test, which was 6th kyu. My dojomates and I were all taking the first test and it was for 5th-kyu. Apparently, there's some kind of age bracket that determines where you start.

Everyone, regardless of kyu test, had to perform bok-to cuts, first. One person counts for the group: ONE! (swing) UUEE! TWO! (swing) UUEE! THREE! (swing) UUEE! Each exercise was done ten times. The next exercise was a strike forward, then a pivot, and then a strike again: ONE! (swing) UUEE! (pivot, swing) UUEE! TWO! (pivot, swing) UUEE! (pivot, swing) UUEE!
The third exercise was a diagonal cut: ONE! (swing down to the right side) UUEE! (step up, change feet, swing down to the left side) UUEE!

After each exercise, the next person in line, would handle the counting. The "UUEE!" was a kiai of sorts that everyone did. With the groups being four people or less, I was number two in our lineup. That means I had to count for the swing/pivot/swing exercise. It's not that the basic movement is difficult. In our dojo, we never count and we never kiai. I was really nervous since, 1. I was in front of everyone, 2. It was my first test, ever, 3. I had to count in Japanese, 4. I had to remember to kiai, and 5. I had to do my best to do the movements correctly. I messed up the initial movement when we started and we had to begin again. Also, somewhere around 5 or 6 I started thinking, "Did I just skip a number?"

For the sake of it being easier, I hoped to be able to do the techniques with somebody else from my dojo. I think they purposely make sure you do it with a stranger, so you're not used to how they move and react. Yumi San and I were called out to from our dojo, first. Our partners throughout the test were probably a seventeenish year old and a twentysomething year old. After about two or three techniques, they rotated our partners.

1. suwari waza shomen uchi ikkyo shoto
2. suwari waza shomen uchi ikkyo
3. tachi waza katatedori shihonage
4. tachi waza katatedori kokyunage ura
5. tachi waza shomenuchi iriminage
6. suwari waza kokyu ho
7. ukemi

5. After our initial sets of four, each, Numata Sensei had some words. I have no idea what he said or to whom they were directed, but after he was quiet we did a few more.

6. I was the "attacker" first. He actually almost completely failed doing this technique. Since we were testing, and it was just for the beginner's rank, I mostly went through the motions. It didn't seem like it would've been proper for me to shut down his technique during a beginner's test. Also, he would be holding my arms down, next, and I didn't need any problems from this fellow.

7. This part was truly the test. The first two people that went, the teens, had to do three sets of thirty ukemi. All the young people had an amazing energy level. But still, somewhere between numbers 61 and 81, they were all stumbling around. The testees line up on one side and there is a call for the same number of yudansha to line up on the other side. The test emcee calls "Hajime!" and the yudansha proceed to throw the students. At thirty, there is a small break and a different set of yudansha are called up. At sixty, yet another group are called up.

During my group's round of ukemi, the first thirty were no problem. By the end of the next sixty, three of us were all about to die. It's all you can do to get off the ground. Forget about what you might consider a committed attack. It's all you can do to just step forward and grab their wrist. You also have no idea what number the count is up to. You just hope that the next time you stand up, your thrower has backed off and is halfway into a bow. After 60, we were all seated and taking a rest. My back was to the emcee and he began talking. Since I couldn't understand him, it's almost the same as if nobody had been talking at all. Finally, he peeked over my shoulder and motioned me to sit slightly offline with Yumi-san and the twentysomething guy. Thank God, I would not have to do another thirty. The teen guy didn't have the same fate. They pushed him onward for another thirty. Finally, after that, he looked like us. Sure, if you go to the bar, you want to be carded. You want to look younger. But not during a test! When it was Hashiba San's time, they only made him do thirty.

The more advanced tests looked a lot like ours. They just did a few more techniques and as a result were a little bit longer. The highest test was up to 2nd kyu. There was another gaijin there, and he was the only one testing to 2nd kyu. After each group tested, there was loud applause from the spectators.

When all testees had been tested, we had to line up again, as a group. Numata Sensei had some words for the group. To me it sounded like "Nihongo nihongo, nihongo nihongo nihongo. NIHONGO! wooden sword, nihongo nihongo nihongo. Wooden sword, nihongo." We bowed out and it was over. It was about 3:15pm.

COMMENTS:

I don't know when they do the black belt tests. It kind of seems unfair if kyu students can't watch them. We'd all like to see our own sensei's pushed and tested. To see them put there money where their mouth is. My sensei has been promoted from 4-dan to 5-dan. If secrecy is the case, I'm a little let down.

I feel like my dojo's sensei let us down, a little. On our last class before the test, Aoki Sensei or Nishimura Sensei didn't even show up. I sat outside with Hashiba San and we chatted for about 30 minutes when one of our sempai showed up. He was just late for our regular class and was surprised that we were alone. I think that my senseis should have taken a more personal interest in preparing us. They could have run through the testing procedure with us and in the least, showed us how they do the sword cuts with the counting. Hashiba San had some confusing with counting/swinging, himself.

So far, in regular classes, I'm rarely corrected. I'm a more advanced than other students in my class, but it's not like I'm correct all the time. I haven't seen anything new and I've mostly relied on my past training (As always, thanks Mike Sensei!) to do the techniques. To rectify this, I'm going to get out more and visit other senseis in my group. My sensei's might be taking a VERY light approach with us since as a group, we're beginners.

To improve my stamina for ukemi, I'm going to do more during our in class sessions which take place at the very end of training. I'm also going to incorporate some more stairclimbing around my neighborhood.

Time's up. Please put your pencils down.