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TRIANGLE CIRCLE SQUARE
Each of these shapes has key physical properties that act as a master key to not only understanding jujutsu, Jo, and Ken applications but also how to apply Aiki (if one has developed the ability to Aiki,) in those applications. Virtually every waza utilizes these properties in their operation. Doesn’t it seem like it might be important to know what they are? Ueshiba Morihei seemed to think it’s important. Remember, he didn’t think that the waza/kata themselves were all that important. He didn’t even consider them to be Aikido per se. He did think that the elements that comprised waza/kata were important. I don’t think it is an understatement to say that he thought that knowing these elements and utilizing their principals WAS the practice of Aikido. Waza/Kata is a natural byproduct or outcome of a human’s manifesting the properties and principals of these elements. In other words, waza/kata was the byproduct of the manifestation of Aikido.
It is also important to note that he didn’t just stand around and pontificate on the symbolism. He did pontificate, but he didn’t JUST pontificate. Usually, he either demonstrated what he talked about before, during, or after pontificating. Sometimes he did all three.
Most individuals present during these lectures readily admitted they did not and could not understand the point and purpose of Ueshiba’s speeches. So, where did the “philosophy” of Aikido that is so readily available come from? And if it was so difficult to understand, why do millions of modern Aikido teachers find it so easy to explain?
Ueshiba made it verbally clear that to his mind he WASN’T talking about waza/kata. Yet to most onlookers, waza/kata is what he demonstrated. This explains why all those sincere individuals went off and trained waza and/or kata like crazy, and then went off and taught waza and/or kata like crazy. Which spread around the world like crazy . . . for a time. As we know, eventually millions of individuals were practicing waza and/or kata along with philosophical pontification. Curiously, it is the fact that many conflated Aikido with the practice of a set of techniques that drove many to quit Aikido in favor of studying Daito Ryu. After all, most schools of Daito Ryu offer more techniques. Of course, some individuals identify the essence of Aikido with an “Aikido philosophy” and continued to practice waza and/or kata as a metaphor representing that “Aikido’s philosophy.”
Personally, I’m fine with all of that. What I described above actually describes a large portion of my past training experience, and a lot of that experience were good times. But I’m also fine with it for another reason, if the Aikido of waza/kata and pontification hadn’t spread far and wide, I would likely have had the opportunity to eventually come to know the Aikido of Aiki.
To be blunt, in my opinion, I kind of doubt that Aikido, as Ueshiba taught it, would have stood much of a chance of engaging as many people as possible and spreading around the world. Aiki is just so darn difficult to conceptualize, learn and develop enough of, that the majority of people that had the opportunity to begin studying would stop before developing sufficient Aiki ability to be noticeable to anyone in application. Learning and developing martial skills and technique through simple targeted practice is a much faster route to martial ability, as compared to developing martially applicable Aiki, and is therefore much more rewarding for most.
With the next installment we will start with the Triangle!
Until then, keep in mind the story of the guy that wanted to learn something SO bad and asked how long it would take. And after being told asked, “What if I train twice as hard?” And was told that it would then take even longer, etc.
And also keep in mind that you already have access to far, Far, FAR more information than virtually any other individual that came before you. And then ask yourself this: Have you achieved as much (let alone far, far, far more) than they ever did, considering the advantages that you have? And if the answer is, “No.” Then perhaps it would be wise to consider that the cause of the disparity might not be lack of information, but rather the lack of something else.
Until next time!
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2 Comments
fred veer · December 8, 2021 at 2:27 pm
Hi Allen, You might actual question if Ueshiba taught Aiki(do) in the sense that we use the word in English. His most important students, Tomiki, Shioda, Shirate mostly experienced his Aiki(do) on the receiving end. And that does not make for a universal teaching model, like his son developed.
Regards, fred
Allen Dean Beebe · December 8, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Hi Fred, First off, the evidence points to Ueshiba clearly having taught those men Daito Ryu. The attempts to relabel Daito Ryu were thinly veiled at the time. Things were stamped “Aiki JuJutsu” so I suppose an antecedent to the term “Aiki” Do could be argued for, but we know that didn’t come into common parlance until later. And even then, what Ueshiba did and technical documents related to him still are easily identified with Daito Ryu, despite the counter narrative that was aggressively promoted and the obvious censorship of documents and even photographs.
Also, you make a very valid point about the differences what is assumed to be “teaching” in different cultures. In the Confucian model, the “teacher” presents (or represents) an *ideal* model. The students study the model and the one’s that replicate the model perfectly have “learned” and can move on to become models themselves. One can see this during the “Kobukan” era. Only a *select* group are admitted in the first place. The “teacher” represents the model of the ideal. Those among the “select” group that eventually manage to replicate the model are again “selected” (they are actually self-selected by their ability and then recognized as having done so by the authority) to in turn become models themselves.
This, by design, isn’t meant for the masses.