Budokie From Muskogee

Merging with other blog...

2006-11-22T11:24:00.000+09:00

hi. for the one or two of you that drop by here, i'm going to start putting these entries in with my blog about general life.
the link for that blog is: http://muskogeeyokie.blogspot.com.
Please come on over!

Don Angier Vid Link and Swinging the Tanrenbo

2006-09-21T11:13:00.000+09:00

First, here is a nice video of Sensei Don Angier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvWiYcxTm2A

Second, I did manage to get out in the yard and do some suburi with my tanrenbo from Soga Sensei. I did suburi and the set of Toyama Ryu kihon waza. The tanrenbo only weighs in at 2.1kg, which is not very heavy, but when you put that out at then of a stick that your swinging, it's pretty strainful on your wrists. If I keep it up, I'll soon have Popeye syndrome without having to risk eating spinach.

Soga Ryu Toyama Ryu Battojutsu

2006-09-18T00:45:00.000+09:00

Here's a picture of the sword stand that we use in class. My sensei made it himself! His handmade bokto and shoto are also in this picture, as well as his katana. The banner has the symbol that he made to represent his goods.

Here is Soga Sensei, himself, taking a picture just like the one, up above.

This is called a tanrenbo. It weighs 2.1kg is supposed to be used as a weighted practice sword. You practice one and two handed overhead swings with it. Soga Sensei made it and I think he gave it to me. In Japanese, he asked me:
Do you have a tanrenbo?
No.
Would you use one?
Yes!
Do you want one?
Really!?
OK. Later I'll give one to you.
Really? I'd like to express my most hearfelt thanks (domo arigatou gozaimasu?).
After class, he got it out of his van and handed it over.

This old thing? My first cut. Tools of the Trade 2

2006-08-13T10:45:00.000+09:00

During a recent trip home, I picked up an old hakama that was in my storage building. I've had this thing since about 1995 and it feels good to finally be using it. There was a guy named Seok-Bom in my dorm. One Christmas, (Sock-Boom) went back to Korea and I asked him to bring me a hakama. He brought back a top that was about a child's medium and this hakama that was for a 6'5" adult. It is folded in this picture, but it's pretty messy. It was a rush job and I promise to redo it. The problem with it, is that for the last ten years, it's been balled up in a box. That is certain death for the pleats in a cotton hakama.

Last Friday, my battojutsu class practiced tameshigiri (practice cutting). It was my first time and I was a little nervous. The other guys in class all have their own katana with a real blade. Myself and another guy were allowed to use Sensei's wakizashi (the short sword that usually accompanies the longer one). While Sensei demanded various cuts from them, he only wanted kesa giri from myself and another guy. During my first cut, I was a little far away. For my next four, I was right on. It's certainly different to actually hit a target, as opposed to just striking air or an invisible enemy. The picture above is my souvenir. It's the top of the target that I first cut. In the "good" ol' days, they practiced cutting on corpses and on criminals (and on criminals' corpses). Now, we practice on rolled up tatami mats that have been soaked in water. At later stages, mats and bamboo trunks are used. In some schools, the practitioner throws up an apple, draws, cuts, and returns the blade to its scabbard.

All my stuff happened to be scattered about, so I decided to take a picture.

After my last aikido class, we were all sitting around and talking about this and that (they were sitting around talking. I just do my best to listen for the odd word I know). Finally, Sensei mentioned my name and I think he said that I'll be testing again in October. There's nothing like not knowing if an important exam is coming up or not. I'll keep you posted.

A True Cut and the Nobi Dojo

2006-08-03T16:27:00.000+09:00

I somehow went through July without an entire entry.

So I was in my new Battojutsu class on Tuesday, and I was practicing a horizontal cut that goes from left to right or right to left. A perfect cut never leaves the horizontal plane. Needless to say, my cut leaves a lot to be desired.

Sensei came over to demonstrate the correct way. First, he held out his wooden sword, vertically, and told me to cut. I hit it a few times and then it was his turn. I held out the bokken and he hit it a couple of times. He said, "No. No. Not this way." He then took up position to do it his way. He swung. One second, I'm holding a healthy practice sword and the next, I'm holding just the handle. He actually cut through my wooden sword with his wooden sword.

It wasn't the same as if somebody just hit it and busted it with a bat. Not a lot of force made it up to my hand. In fact, the first time he hit it (showing me the way I was doing it), my hand reacted violently to the force. This time, he just cut through it. It was a nice demonstration of how to cut.

On another note, I joined up with another dojo. Sunday mornings, I will be going to the Nobi Dojo in The Highlands neighborhood. I'm paid up through August and after August, I'll decide on what to do next. It's kind of expensive and comes out to be 1000 yen per class.

I walk a different path...

2006-06-29T08:46:00.000+09:00

I can't believe that it's been over a month since I updated this blog!

I've decided to take a break from iaido. At this point in time, it's just not doing anything for me. It's like, if it were next door then I'd go to every class. But since it's not...

However, here is a picture of the current Tamiya Ryu grandmaster. I think his current age is 100+.

Just because I gave up my current iaido path doesn't mean I'm through with the sword. I searched around online for other options. I was hoping to find a style that teaches the Two Swords As One School school. The nearest one is on the other end of the country so I doubt I'll be joining up.

Above: Romanticized picture of Musashi; Below: a depiction of Musashi as a young boy (not so romantic!)

For those of you that don't know, that would be Miyamoto Musashi's school of fencing. He used two swords. While he was definitely a skilled swordsman, I recently read that he was also left-handed. This means that he learned to use a sword with his right hand (the Japanese arts are taught this way) and then when he picked up a sword in his dominant left hand, he didn't exactly have to retrain it. I'm sure that helped him along his way. So their HQ told me there were several "Musashi" schools but not so many that were official. I'd have settled for unofficial but he didn't offer any locations.

Here's a picture of my weapons shop. I feel sorry for these people when they see me darken their doorway. I've learned to come in with dictionary in one hand and a pencil and paper in the other. It's mostly a kendo shop but they carry a minor assortment of other things. I picked up some wooden swords here and some name patches for my aikido uniform. They passed me a couple of phone numbers for other sword classes.

One of them was a Toyama Ryu Battojutsu class. This differs from iaido in that it's not very old at all. It's basically what was being taught to the imperial army for use in combat. The name was given to it in 1925. It's basically a sword handling/skill class. They even do practice cuts on rolled up tatami mats. The class was very exciting to watch and really intrigued me. I'll be joining up in July. The sensei was a very warm fellow and he loaned me a copy of a VHS tape he made that was full of him and his sensei doing cuts and seminars.

And that brings me to this name plate on a neighbor's house. Every time I meet a sword person, I ask them about this fellow and sign. According to the sign, a teacher of Japanese swordsmanship lives here. Nobody answers the buzzer and nobody seems to know what style of swordwork he's affiliated with. During my meeting with the Toyama Ryu sensei, I asked him. Another student came over and said oh yeah, that's so and so. He also saw the sign and knocked on the door. It was answered by the man's widow. My new sensei then remembered the name and proceeded to show me his self-published book in which there was a group photo that this guy was in. He was a fellow student, back in the day.

Enbukai Photos

2006-05-24T20:39:00.000+09:00

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?

2006-05-19T22:08:00.000+09:00

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.

2006-05-17T23:22:00.000+09:00

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

2006-05-17T15:33:00.000+09:00

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.

2006-05-17T14:16:00.000+09:00

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

2006-05-15T07:21:00.000+09:00

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

2006-05-01T08:43:00.000+09:00

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.

Aikido Update

2006-04-28T09:39:00.000+09:00

Noriko and I rented some mat time the other day and practiced a little bit. She is finally getting more confident in her forward rolls. You can see on her face that she hates to admit that she can do it a little bit better so it's fun to watch her practice.

Our new schedule looks like they're trying to add class twice a week so on occasion, we'll be going to Numata Sensei's dojo. We've been once and my regular sensei (Aoki-san) was teaching the class.

There is supposed to a surprise party this Sunday after our kyu tests to congratulate Aoki-sensei for his being rewarded godan. He's still a pretty young guy (late thirtyish) so that's a pretty good accomplishment. So my other sensei, Nishimura-sensei sent out emails inviting us to the surprise party. It sounds fun, but it comes with a price tag of about $60.00. It makes me wonder about this particular organization. It seems like there are frequent get togethers that come with a price tag. I think there are group training events about twice a year. These include two-three days of training and then some dinners and hotspring visits in the evenings. A hotel or ryokan is also reserved for the group. Needless to say, it's not free. I've looked in the requirements for upper testing, and later on, attendance to these group trainings becomes required. What if you are an outstanding aikido student (not talking about me) but you are dirt poor? It makes me wonder about the wisdom of staying with this group.

Anyway, that's about it. My kyu test is Sunday. Wish me luck! If I pass, I'll officially belong to a particular path of an aikido tradition.

Iaido Update

2006-04-28T09:30:00.000+09:00

I've gone to three iaido classes now. After sending back my first hakama, I know have one that fits. I just have to learn how to tie it while I'm using it and then how to fold it when I'm done. There's also an obi (that holds my sword in place) that I have to figure out how to tie.

The first time I watched a class, all the sempai/sensei had such mean looks on their faces. But the ones that have helped me have been 100% kind.

So far, the only thing that has improved is some slight control over my blade. After my first few swings, the tip would bounce around as I tried to stabilize it. Now, at least, it stops with just a little bit of uncontrolled movement. A perfectly controlled cut is a beautiful thing to see.

Until I can move on to learning kata, I have to become better at my overhead cut and walking while cutting. I'm supposed to glide as I step but my feet are sticky and catch on the wooden floor. Instead of a graceful slide I feel like an anti-locking brake system has kicked in. I've also been working on drawing the sword and putting it back in its scabbard. It's not a bad balance of things to work on. When my arms get tired, I can practice the other.

One way, it takes about an hour to get to the dojo.

Spring Gashuku with Numata Sensei

2006-04-21T13:42:00.000+09:00

The day before Troy left we had a 5 hour training session with a few of the dojos in my area. Numata Sensei was one of the two main instructors. I don't know the name of the other one. The Aikido Kenkyukai Internatinoal group press having regular group trainings that cover the span of two to three days. This session was supposed to be two days long, but since Troy was leaving on Sunday, we could only attend Saturday.

We almost didn't make it that day. I was tired and Troy's kneeds were skinned up from having to do knee techniques in Kamakura. The first thing that happens, when you arrive to train in Japan, is the "adjusting" period of your body to the different mats. As you slide around on your knees, the mat grabs your gi and it in turn grabs the skin on your knees. The skin loses. I could only train once a week when I first got here but now can handle two or three times. Also, Troy is used to having some additional protection from his hakama. Here, he only had his gi pants.

So, we arrived early and were sitting outside. We started talking ourselves out of going. Troy's knees did look bad and I was pretty tired from all of our walking (see other blog) and we were still recovering from the beating we gave ourselves three days earlier in Kamakura. Only Noriko's persistence that we stick to the plan kept us there until one of my sensei's showed up, Nishimura Sensei.

To Troy's embarassment, Noriko quickly relayed the condition of his knees to Nishimura Sensei. Nishimura Sensei simply smiled back and explained that it was no problem. Nobody would force him to do anything more to further cause him pain and injury. He called over a couple of other people and they all laughed and smiled and said things like, "Oh, he trained with Takeda Sensei? Don't worry. We understand." Of course, now Troy felt like a big, 6'6", giant gaijin wimp! (Right, Troy?)

When it was over, the group divided into "Who's going to the hot springs?" and "Who's not?" We were in the "Who's not?" group. Of course, if we had, they could've seen Troy's skinless knees.

In the end, we were glad that we trained. We both learned a lot and it was nice to be able to train with yudansha all day long. Everybody has something to offer. Everyone has a different way of presenting something as they do a technique. Troy was extremely happy that we stuck around for the day. I was too because I need to get out and meet my extended aikido family. I even feel more relaxed at having to meet more new people and train with them. My Misakikai schedule has us going to Numata Sensei's dojo at least three times a month.

A kan of WHOOMP @$$!

2006-04-21T13:17:00.000+09:00

A picture of Satoshi Takeda Sensei (taken from an AKI member's website).

Knowing that Troy-san would be thouroughly beaten by the Aikido Monk (see earlier posts & pictures) if he didn't get the chance to train, we planned for a day of sightseeing in Kamakura and night of training at one of the dojos that is part of my organization. We ended up at the Wednesday night class that is taught by Takeda Satoshi Sensei, in the Kamakura Budokan. Noriko called around and after talking to a dojo representative, decided this was the class for us. Even she attended. They told her on the phone, "Yeah. Don't worry. It's a beginner's class." Ha. HA. HAHA.

It was FAR from being a beginner's class. Most of the techniques had kokyu as its core powersource. Kokyu and controlling your uke's mind. I'm all for this kind of training, I'm just saying, it's not a beginner's course!

As Noriko would tell people later, "Takeda Sensei loves gaijin!" As I would have to explain, immediately afterwards, "There is a difference between loving gaijin and loving to throw gaijin." Don't get me wrong. Takeda Sensei was a perfectly nice and kind man. He welcomed us and seemed to happy have us training (even with Troy as a guest from outside our organization). BUT, he does love to throw gaijin. Takeda Sensei did have piercing eyes. As you would come in with an attack they'd see right through you. In my mind, they were a piercing blue. But a Japanese with blue eyes is not the most common sight. I think it was part of his kokyu mind power.

Most sensei will call on one person to be uke for his technique. The sensei will show the technique a few times. The sensei will do it slow and fast and point out anything that needs pointing out. Takeda Sensei will demonstrate a technique on one person and then pick another. He'll go through about 5 different people of different levels. This is cool, because you get to see different levels of him doing the technique and see the different ukemi that the various students can do.

As visitors, Troy and I didn't even suspect that we might get called as uke. Ha. HA. HAHA. He wasted no time in getting Troy on the mat. At 6'6", Troy towers over 99% of the Japanese population. Takeda Sensei is definitely in this majority. In Troy would attack and WHOOOMP! Down he would go. Again, "KIAI!" And again, "WHOOOMP!" A couple of times, I even thought "DAMN! Troy sure landed hard." Troy handled the ukemi, fine, but he was sure surprised. Not as surprised as I was, when it was MY turn. "WHOOMP!" and "WHOOMP!" I have been thrown hard but never as hard as at this place. After I got home, I noticed that if I got on my back and turned my head a certain way, that the room would spin. Concussion?

It was a great class. We trained with yudansha most of the time and everybody was really nice to us. Noriko asked me to keep training with her, but I abandoned her to help her learn that nobody's going to hurt her. There was one Japanese guy that trained in D.C. with Saotome Shihan, once upon a time. There were three other gaijin in the class, as well. A young woman that is teaching at NOVA, I believe, a man named James (he might be teaching, as well), and another guy I didn't know. James is from Louisiana and his Japanese, while jozu, still had his accent.

Bruised, exhausted, and concussed, we headed home. At least, Troy wouldn't have anything to fear from the Aikido Monk. We joked that maybe in a few "dans" we'll head back. Well, Troy was joking, I was serious.

NOTE: The Aikido Monk warned Troy to be careful. He knew there was a possibility that a smaller statured person would really enjoy throwing such a tall guy. Maybe he knows from throwing Troy around, himself!

Makoto Dojo- Larry Reynosa Sensei

2006-04-21T13:13:00.000+09:00

This video has nothing to do with my time in Japan, but I thought it was nicely done. From watching Steven Seagal Sensei's Path Beyond Thought, I got to see how intensely they train. This shows another glimpse into their world.

http://www.venturaaikido.com/defaultvid.html

Aikido in Kyoto

2006-04-17T00:32:00.000+09:00

My friend Troy, from the Tulsa Aikido Club, came to Japan. He wanted to do some aikido training and sightseeing.

We made it back from Kyoto without a scratch or any broken limbs. We also made it back without having done any aikido. However, I did get to watch two classes. They were both held in the Kyoto Budo Center. The budo center is part of the Heian Shrine and the grounds are awesome. There is one huge temple-looking kendo hall in the middle of it. There is also a thoroughly modern building that makes up part of the complex. One of the classes I watched is headed by Okamoto Sensei (http://aikidokyoto.com/). She is by far one of the best aikidoka I've had the pleasure of seeing in person. I was sick and freezing while I watched but neither stopped me from taking notes. She did a lot of kokyu-related techniques and I filled up about a page of written notes. Check out her bio on their homepage. She has quite a bit of experience. On the mat, she was pure aikido. Nothing distracted her. That I heard, she can speak Japanese, English, and French. She walked over to ask me if I wanted to train and also wrote out directions to her other dojo in case I could make it to that one. One thing I noticed, was that most of the yudansha in her class were female. Also, the majority of the class was gaijin.

The second class was also held at the Kyoto Budo Center. I'm not sure who Okamoto Sensei is affiliated with, but the other group was from Osaka Aikikai. All of their literature lists Nomura Sensei as their leader, but I heard that he was asked to stop teaching at the budo center. There was a healthy group of about thirty- half of which were yudansha. The best I could figure, was that, this group is made of up senseis from the local Kyoto dojos. On this particular night, maybe they all go to the Budo Center to train.

While I didn't get to train, I feel that I got something from watching the classes. I've done all the techniques that they showed. The end of the techniques are usually the same. It's the beginnings that are different.

While I was away, Noriko was hard at work converting and old kimono obi that we bought in Kanazawa into an iaido sword bag. Now, if I ever have some aikido kids, I can say, "Back in my day, your mama had to make my weapons bag! She also made one for Troy.

Kyoto Bound

2006-03-30T18:42:00.000+09:00

I'm heading to Kyoto tonight on an allnighter bus. I'm meeting a friend from Oklahoma and we hope to take in the sites and do some training. Aikido related, I plan on training two or three times at the Kyoto Budo Center. Two teachers have a class there: Okamoto Yoko Sensei and either Nomura Kazuo Sensei or Nomura's group. I've heard many good things about Okamoto Sensei. More about her can be found here: http://www.aikidokyoto.com/. I will be missing two days of training at my regular dojo but I hope to balance it with 2-3 more days of training while I'm travelling. We're also going to drop by the storefront of Tozando.com and see if they have anything good for sale.

Kokyu huh?

2006-03-26T18:32:00.000+09:00

I made it to Saturday's and Sunday's classes. I woke up both days feeling kind of blah. There's a good chance it's from the sakura blossoms. I didn't feel like going on either day but I pushed myself and made it. I won't get better at it if I'm sitting at home. Now that today's class is over I know that since I went today, feeling so rotten, that I have no excuse on other days when I feel fine. That's a good lesson in itself.

It's a good thing that we went today. The only other two people there were Nishimura Sensei and his son. I'm not sure what dan either of them are but one rarely gets to have what feels like a private class with yudansha. Noriko and I would just change partners for each technique. Nishimura Jr. is in his twenties (my best guess) and he won't just let you have the technique. He makes you earn his ukemi. That reminds me. At yesterday's class, Jr. was gone but Nishimura's daughter came. I guess it's just one happy aikido family.

Nishimura Jr. has two things he always tells me: Rirakkusu shite (Relax!) and "Kokyu!" Kokyu is one of those things that I've found hard to learn. Either that, or it's hard to teach me. It sort of means "breath power." So, for the most part, when someone blurts out "Kokyu!" it's mostly just a chance to hear the word from a native Japanese speaker. The first time he told me to relax I thought he was trying to mix Japanese and English. I was proud of him for trying. Later, I found out that is one of the words from English that Japanese has borrowed.

Noriko finally made it back to class today. I'm envious that she is being shown concepts like kokyu and has a clean slate. Maybe later she can teach me. But, the more I get to do things like tenchi nage, the better I'll get.

I pace my attacks during atogeiko now, so I'm never quite as winded. Don't get me wrong, I'm still panting but at least I'm able to walk back to my place on the floor. And, I'm taking 30 ukemi instead of 20.

Until next time, Relax and Kokyu!

Going to Kanazawa

2006-03-17T23:03:00.000+09:00

It's going to be quiet around here for the next few days. Well, more quiet than usual. I'll be missing two days of training. We are going to Kanazawa for the weekend. It's the vernal equinox and I guess that's kind of a memorial day over here. We'll be going to the cemetary of J-pop's J-pop in the morning and then heading out on about a 6-7 hour drive. The daughter of Tokuji-sama lives in Kanazawa and her husband is a monk there. His temple is where we're having some kind of ceremony for J-Ma's father. The map is messed up but the red wording says Kanazawa. The words on the right says Tokyo. I live south of Tokyo. As you can see, it will be from one side of Japan to the other. I will see you in a few days!

Tools of the Trade

2006-03-13T11:09:00.000+09:00

From top to bottom: Tokuji's kendo bag, sho-to, and shinai, J-Pop

s bok-to that is now a sho-to, and my purchased bok-to and sho-to.

After the last two classes, I've fared a little better after atogeiko. Either I'm getting more conditioned or I'm controlling my attacks and ukemi a little better. Maybe both. But I still wake up sore and tight the next day! I decided to practice my Japanese a little with Aoki Sensei. He wanted to know about the time I first saw aikido. I also showed him my gifts from Uncle Tokuji and the sho-to that I made from J-Pop's bok-to. Also, he said my aikido was "smooth." If that's a good thing, "Thanks Mike Sensei!" If that's a bad thing, "Sorry Mike Sensei for doing it wrong!" I also can't seem to get my dogi pants to stay securely on. I told Aoki Sensei that I've lost a little weight since I came to Japan, so I have a tough time keeping my pants up. We also had a visitor from Numata's dojo: Akaboshi. His name means red star. Cool name.

I feel like, sometimes, it's important to do what i call "capturing the opponent's mind." That's just what I've seen from more talented people doing jiyuwaza and randori. I can't do it. It could be a finger flick to their eyes or a kick to their groin. Anything that makes them react and create an opening. Some people actually strike at their opponent. If they react or block then an opening is created. If they do nothing then they get hit. I'm still waiting to see this done in my current dojo. It is definitely something that is safer to do at a higher level. Hopefully, I will see it later.

Note: I looked up the brand of the shinai that Tokuji-sama gave me. A new one is over $200.00!

Tokuji-san: A family heirloom.

2006-03-09T20:16:00.000+09:00

J-Ma told us that her uncle (by marriage) Tokuji-san (78 years old) used to do kendo and iaido. As a fireman, he was required to participate in some kind of martial art It had been about 3 weeks since I first met him. so we wanted to see him and show him my new iaito. We also took him some dango (a Japanese sweet dumpling made from rice flour) as a treat. He quickly ushered us in out of the cold and to his cozy sitting room with kotatsu.
Our visit really seemed to energize him. He left the room to rummage around in a small shed in his front yard and returned with his iaito. J-Ma remembered correctly. Tokuji-san is a 4-dan in kendo and a 2-dan in Omori Ryu iaido. I asked him if I could take a picture and he was more than happy to pose. He explained that he'd do a couple of standing techniques. I was able to snap a few pics of him in action. I asked him if he'd like to have a student and he just chuckled and shook his head. Maybe I'm supposed to hang outside his house now, practicing my overhead strike, until he takes me in.

Tokuji-san demonstrating

The proper way to hold a katana

After about another hour of chatting, he offered us some tea. He left again and returned with a sho-to. It's the one that he used for his kendo 1-dan test. He presented it to me and told me it was for me. I didn't know what to do, except bow and say "Domo arigatou gozaimasu." To which, he replied, "Ganbatte!" We sat and talked for about another hour. He explained that while kendo, judo, aikido and iaido are all different, they share the same bushido kokoro. He left again to rummage around in some closet and returned with two weapon bags. One held his tournament shinai and the other one held two of his other shinai. He told me that if I did 100 daily suburi with his tournament shinai that it would help my iaido. He then told us to take it too. I didn't really know what to do but bow some more and tell him thanks for everything and how much I appreciated it. Before we left, he gave us a towel to wrap my iaito in. He said that in the past, policmen used to practice iaido and could tell the difference between a real sword and a practice sword. Now they don't, so it's illegal to walk around with a sword that's not in its case. He probably just saved me from getting arrested. So now, in addition to J-Pop's warped bok-to, I have Tokuji-san's shinai, bag, and sho-to.

For a little more on Tokuji-san, see this entry at my other blog: http://muskogeeyokie.blogspot.com/2006/03/uncle-tokuji.html

Don't Cry for Me Nishimura!

2006-03-04T18:00:00.000+09:00

Afterhours school hallway leading to the dojo

Today started the first day of our cramming session. First, I got lost trying to find the alternate dojo. Some kendo room in a local jr. high. I persevered and made it. I did have to stop and ask a local, though- such a great way to test language progress.
Aoki Sensei wasn't there so Nishimura Sensei was leading class. He has the nicest and kindest face. That's the last thing you see during atogeiko right as he throws your @$$ to the ground- twenty to thirty times as fast as you can get up again. You can always count on atogeiko ("after training") to push you to your limits. Everyone gets the same treatment appropriate to their level. Whether you are head student or a beginner, you are exhausted afterwards. He sort of talks to himself or to you ( I don't know for sure since I don't know what he's saying) while you get thrown about. He "helps" you practice breakfalls and things like that you might not do on your own during class. Like, as you do a roll he might hold onto your hand forcing you into a breakfall. Hey is my pinky broken? I don't think so. It's always kinda bent. Arigatou Nishimura-san!

Iaito... Iaito... IAITO HOOOO!

2006-03-04T11:44:00.000+09:00

We went to Yokohama yesterday and found a good deal on a used practice sword for iaido. It was considerably cheaper than a new cheap one and much much cheaper than the local dealers were selling them for. At the moment, I don't know its length or weight. Plus, I don't know what the menuki are (two different ones). I'd mess with the binding but with "mess" being the key word, I'd ruin it. As you can see below, the tsuba is also pretty plain. The camera malfuncioned in the first pic but it managed to capture the subject.

Iaito
Menuki

Tsuba
Menuki

The store was pretty small but it was full of swords, coins, and stamps. Occasionally I feel too large for Japan. I stretched my arms over my head and burned my hand on a lamp that was hanging from the ceiling. Actual swords were $5000.00+. Smaller ones were still over $2000.00.

Seagal Spotting

2006-03-04T11:28:00.000+09:00

I hopped on the train yesterday and as the doors closed, I was face to face with one of the most famous names in aikido: Steven Seagal! I was kind of shocked. This poster is advertising the movie Into the Sun. I saw it in America about 9 months ago. Of course, it sucked. As all of his movies suck now. I mean, they weren't exactly good to begin with. But Out for Justice and Marked for Death at least contained aikido techniques. And those movies are responsible for many westerners to find a dojo and start training. I've always wished he would make a good aikido movie. Something historical, maybe about O Sensei or something. Of course Steve would play the part. He looks really good in this rendition. They've taken off about 20 lbs and 20 years. But look how white he is!

Miteya!! Watch it!!

Cramming for Tests

2006-02-27T10:58:00.000+09:00

Well, the AKI organization has spring testing and it's due to happen in April. This means that from now until then, my dojo will have Saturday and Sunday classes. This is great, except the soreness I feel on Monday morning (after regular Sunday class), I will now feel on Sunday morning- only to be renewed fresh for Monday.

In other dojos, one day will be strenuous and maybe the next will be kind of relaxed. It just depends on the teacher that day or what techniques are being taught. Well, EVERY AKI class is strenous. At then of class, we all take ukemi (falling) from the teacher and/or senior students. We take it until we are panting and our legs are heavy. At this point, that doesn't take long for me.

Also, since I will be testing, I am now generally working with the senior students. This means more falling down, more getting up, and more knee-walking than when working with beginners. I'm sure, in 20 years, I'll look back and smile.

Family Heirloom Update

2006-02-27T10:20:00.000+09:00

So it turns out (either J-Pop came clean or he just remembered), our family heirloom bokken (bokto) was not owned by either Grandfather. J-Pop bought it himself twenty years ago! Why? Was he hiding some kendo/kenjutsu/aikido/iaido/*.do/*.jutsu in his past? Nope. In America, we keep the baseball near the front door- maybe in a closet. He bought it in case of home invaders! We made a few jokes about why it's bent. Is it his secret technique? Defenders don't know where to block? Did he hit someone with it? So far, he can't remember.

Homage

2006-02-20T14:06:00.000+09:00

I was searching online for some Iaido information when I stumbled across a familiar webpage. I checked it out and lo and behold I found two of my aikibuddies! I was surprised to see them. I knew they did iaido but I think they really look sharp! I don't have permission to use these pictures and if necessary I'll take them off and put pictures of Chuck Norris in their place. Seriously, both of these guys and their training regimens are inspirational. They are role models.

Before we knew his name, Noriko and I called him the Aikido Monk. He lives and breathes the stuff. (I have concealed his identity and now he does look rather like Snake Eyes).

If you ever want to see what someone looks like that is giving 200%, just train with this guy.

If either of you wish me to remove these photos, just ask. After a duel (with you winning) and an eat off of fugu (again with you winning and not dying), I'll think about it. Seriously, I'll take them off. Or I'll put a black bar over your faces.

The long and the sho-to of it.

2006-02-19T22:56:00.000+09:00

I've only had three classes in three weeks, but at least it's been consistent. I had Noriko query Sensei a little further. The sho-to (short wooden sword) is used to perfrom the technique shomenuchi ikkyo. I still need to get a regular length bokken (or bok-to) to practice a couple of cuts. J-Pop gave me one that mysteriously showed up in his garage, but it has a lot of character (meaning it's warped and squiggly). I wonder if that means there's not much of a budo past in the family. The point of practicing is to learn to make a perfectly straight cut. It's kind of hard to do that swinging a three foot long "S." After our last class, Noriko said, "I like ikkyo. Omote. Ura." That she can even use these words in a sentence is nice. What a wonderful wife!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

2006-02-19T22:53:00.000+09:00

Well I didn't send anything back home in time for my Mother to get a card and I didn't want to compromise her email by using an online ecard so I made her a custom ecard.

The Eternal Beginner

2006-02-12T20:08:00.000+09:00

Tonight was our second aikido class in Japan. This aikido journey in Japan is going to be interesting. I can't understand 90% of what is being said. Supposedly, that is how it should be. Students of yore were supposed to watch their sensei and "steal the technique." That's how you have people like Tomiki, Tohei, and Shioda, all students of Ueshiba, but they all have their own strain of aikido. They all stole/saw something different.

The loudest person in my aikido class isn't even there. It's Mike Pollack sensei and he's in my head. "Use your thumbs!" is his most common outburst. Mostly I hear him in my technique (by the way, i'm doing him a grave disservice by even comparing my technique to his). But I see him doing every technique right along with me. I'm doing my best to emulate him in class. I haven't seen anything yet that can replace all of those years of watching him teach.

I can't remember if I ran it down in the last entry. In Tulsa, I was a member of the Tulsa Aikido Club, which was in turn, affiliated with Aikido Schools of Ueshiba. Here, I'm a member of the Misakikai Dojo, which is in turn affiliated with Aikido Kenkyukai International.

Aoki-sensei also announced that I'm going to be testing in April. I can't believe it. 15 years after my first aikido class, I'm going to take a class for 5th kyu. After this long, it really doesn't have much meaning to me. He told Noriko I need to get a short bokken because I'll need it for the test. I've started aikido and I've quit aikido. Two months or two years later I've started and quit again. Three months later, I've finished a job and was able to start up lessons again. This has gone on for 15 years.

There are also some one day and two day training events coming up that I shouldn't miss. Some advice I received before coming to Japan was, "Train as much as you can." I'll do my best.

Dreaming of Mori

2006-02-11T11:20:00.000+09:00

So last night, I had a strange dream. I was joining an aikido academy and I met with Morihei. We bowed and he slid a folded black hakama toward me across the tatami. That's the good part. I take that as a welcome sign. The rest of the dream turned into one of those "back-in-college-and-you're-late-for-class-and-you-can't-find-the-class-etc." dreams. I was running around this huge dojo complex looking for the dressing room. Then I had to stop and pee (wasting more time- thank goodness I didn't wet the bed). All i was thinking, "Ueshiba-sensei is going to be pissed that I'm late to his class."

Rowing To Beauty

2006-02-11T11:09:00.000+09:00

I was watching an interview with an older Japanese actress, who was aging gracefully. They asked what her secret was. She said she does a certain exercise everyday. Lo and behold, she stood up and started doing the "rowing" exercise! I know that Ueshiba incorporated many ki-type exercises into his warmups but it was interesting to see someone outside of the aikido circle doing it (of course, for all I know, she is a hachidan somewhere).

For shots of what it looks like, visit:
http://www.aikido-world.com/highlights/technical%20_tips/rowing-grp-front-profile1a.htm

"Can you show me Nikkyo?"

2006-02-05T20:30:00.000+09:00

The dojo locker room

Sunday finally came and with it, my first aikido class (this time around) and Noriko's first class, ever. Aoki Sensei was absent so somebody from another dojo was filling in. We had a class of four students. The substitute sensei brought his son to help out with any beginners. The style is very similar with my dojo from Tulsa (meaning I sucked at the same stuff as I sucked at in Tulsa).

Inside the dojo

We spent most of the class doing suwari waza) That translates, loosely, to "My knees are killing me know, because instead of doing techniques from a standing position, we did them from a kneeling position." Halfway through class, the sensei asked me if my knees were ok. I said, "Oh yes. They're fine."

Outside the dojo

While the sensei didn't speak much to me during the techniques, he did his best to demonstrate what I should be doing. That way works, I just need to do it about 1000 times (and then 1000 more and 1000 more...). He taught Noriko to do ikkyo, from a standing position, that was also a new way for me. Nage drives straight into uke and uke has to turn to take a roll (usually). He told her that if she learns this way first, then the other way is easier. For me, this way was really awkward, at first. Sometimes you have to kind of sweep uke's leg. We ended the last 20 minutes with a session of free techniques. You attack the sensei twenty times and then he attacks you twenty times. By the end of the session it's very hard to breathe. I've heard of other classes where they expect you to throw up when it's over.

After class

There are about 26 dojos in this area. The farthest one is about an hour away. Now that I'm a member of this dojo, I can visit any of the others and pay a small fee (~500-700 yen). Throughout the year, other dojos have seminars and taikai and other events that we're welcome to attend. Finally, Noriko asked me, "Can you show me nikkyo?" How sweet it that?

As an end to my evening, I had a nice long soak in the tub. Paradise.

The Misakikai and Me

2006-01-29T20:31:00.000+09:00

This afternoon we went to Misakikai Dojo. The main guy, Aoki Sensei is affiliated with Takeda Sensei's group (same as Numata Sensei). They have class every Sunday afternoon for ~$20.00 per month. He explained that if you join his dojo or Numata's then you can visit other dojos in the Takeda family for a mat fee. Aoki Sensei's style was almost identical to the style of my original sensei Michael Pollak. Noriko loved this class because the teacher was so attentive and she got to see another new student in action. There was ample floorspace and not so many students. We will probably sign up for Sundays and then on other nights when I'm free I can just pay a mat fee at participating dojos. Other than that, there's not much to say. The dojo is located in a nice modern community recreational center.

Doumukai or Doumukai Not. There is no "try."

2006-01-26T08:44:00.000+09:00

Here is a picture from the Doumukai Dojo. It's mostly just to give a little life to this blog. Some eyecandy. We checked out Iida Sensei's Doumukai Dojo. He teaches at the Ootsu Jr. High and also at the Navy base. A contact (and hopefully new friend) recommended it from http://www.aikiweb.com .

Iida Sensei definitely knows his stuff. He related a story about a terrible accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Finally after seven months in the hospital he was able to move again. He's missing a kidney and part of his stomach (he showed us his scars). He said he's physically very weak and that it's helped his aikido out a lot. In some of the more dynamic demonstrations I could see his power over his own center and the center of his "uke."

In the words of one of his students ("...3 years of training, 5 times a week..."), who seemed to know everything, "Iida Sensei is the best." I asked him if he's trained with any other sensei and he said he's visited Honbu Dojo twice and during travels visited a couple of other dojo. But really, he's only trained with Iida Sensei. Hmmmm... He also explained that Iida used to be part of Aikikai but got tired of the politics and quit the organization and went out on his own. He also said Hattori Sensei (who also uses the gymnasium at the base) used to be Iida's student and then left to train (and pay for rank) at Honbu only to return and badmouth Iida. Like I said, he seemed to know everything and was happy to share.

Sensei came by a couple of times to demonstrate the "unbendable arm" and also let me do a little kokyuho. He would first do a very stiff demonstration and say "American Aikido" and then do it naturally and say, "See? So soft!" I wasn't sure what to say. My original sensei, who has never been to Japan to train, never felt stiff and choppy.

Iida Sensei seemed like jolly old soul. He smiled and laughed a lot and was very amiable. He spent several moments with us to talk. Doing Aikido is definitely part of his being. I think his class is best for someone that starts with him and can finish with him. It seems like it would be difficult to just jump in and start training. Many of his students first meet him on base and then continue during the other nights at the jr. high.

Noriko really liked the pace of his class because it was slow and relaxed. A new person started last night and he was treated very tenderly.

I'll put Doumakai on my list and move on. We still have two or three dojo to check out.

Door Number Two

2006-01-24T22:31:00.000+09:00

Tonight, we looked into Numata Sensei's dojo. Someone told us he's Takeda's number one guy. His technique was outstanding. I don't see many roku-dan where I come from. The class was small so there would be a lot of one on one correction by the sensei. That kind of attention is very valuable. It's definitely going to be at the top of my list when this ~two week aikido investigation is over. Numata was very humble. When we told him that somebody on an american webpage recommended him he was in genuine shock that his name made it out of his dojo.

And so it begins.

2006-01-22T22:22:00.000+09:00

I began my search for a dojo today. It's going to be very difficult. I'm very bashful and afraid of being prejudiced against as a gaijin. This fear is not founded on any reality or past experience- I'm just paranoid. The aikidoka at the first place on my list were sooo nice. One of them works with my Japanese father and a couple more came by to chat and invite me to join the class. They were all very good (of course) but it was kind of a long drive. I have to keep in mind that I might be riding a bike or driving myself to practice. Today wasn't a total loss. I finally got to see a Japanese dojo and take a step toward finding a new home dojo.