Aikido

I think that I may have been a little harsh, let me elaborate Brothers and Sisters…

In my last post I do understand that what I said breaks the Jedi codes 7, 9, 13, 15. Please understand that I do not advocate violence and I work very hard to adhere to our beliefs.

We can apply the code to 99 per cent of any dispute we will encounter. The situation described is for the 1 per cent of the time that all sanity evaporates, what negotiations can penetrate the reasoning of a madman bent on the infliction of pain onto others, sometimes with the desire of self distraction thrown in to boot? My post assumed that efforts at talk either failed or were never an option, presenting a last-ditch, do or die scenario. Thankfully these circumstances do not happen every day.

But if we train for that 1 per cent, prepared for the unthinkable, then we will definitely be ready to take on the other 99 per cent.

I find that these days we tend to sugar coat things a little and the martial arts gets their fair share. I see adverts stating exercise, and self confidence, while true, the real nature is often side stepped trying to be politically correct, do we see boxing schools claiming anything but their true nature. I remember something my first sensei said over twenty years ago…”This is not a dance or exercise class gentlemen…this is a MARTIAL art…do not dilute it, embrace it for what it is.”

Lenny O.C.P.
Knight of Jediism

During meditations last night I realized that in retrospect I should have started a separate thread to explore the path introduced in my last two postings. I apologize for I did not intend to subtract anything from Hesin Raca’s topic on Aikido. If we are to engage in the activity of bringing peace and to aid in the course of justice, we should be aware the consequences and dangers that we may face, discussed in a frank and open manner. I believe it is a dark topic but one that deserves to be explored so later today I will open a new thread for this purpose. I am very interested in everyone’s thoughts on this.

Lenny O.C.P.

Hello again, fellow posters. This thread continues to impress me. I have found here the most in-depth and complete history and philosophy synopsis of Aikido i have ever seen, and i've read just about everything i could get my grubby little mits on if it related to martial Art. Thank you Merin, you have outdone yourself again.

Just out of interest, it is common for each martial art to have varying views of history and the importance of their own style in the great scheme of things, and the story i was told by Chinese Masters differed somewhat from Master Merin's (the authenticity and completeness of which i have absolute faith in). However, the history of my current style, Southern Chow Gar, was told differently when i was studying a Northern Style. And even now, my associates from a neighboring Southern school have nothing but inaccurate views on the Northern Shaolin styles. Having worked on both sides of the fence, i've got to say that there's benefits and drawbacks in every art, it just depends on which one suits you best. (As long as it's not Cobra Kai Karate \"Mercy does not exist in this dojo, does it?!! NO SENSEI!!\")

thud

thud thorax wrote:

As long as it's not Cobra Kai Karate \"Mercy does not exist in this dojo, does it?!! NO SENSEI!!\"

thud

Cobra Kai! Funny you should mention that seeing as my Art is Okinawan Goju-Ryu. HA! There's always discrepancies in the historical aspect when you get it from a school. I've been told Goju is the male form of wing chung, northern mantis, Naha-Te, the list goes on. The only history of Goju that I can confirm seeing as it's only a little over 100 yrs old is that it did come from Chojin Miyagi, it is mostly Chinese in origin, and it's from an older art called Naha-Te. So there's always some \"coloring\" as to the origin of an art.

From the various histories i have been exposed to, what you say is correct, and i have also seen various origins applied to Okinawan art.

Recently, i have acquired a document known as a \"Bubishi\", a Chinese document originally, this was the \"Transfer Document\" or teaching manual used to send Southern Shaolin (as there were temples other than the main Northern one all over China) White Crane and White Eyebrow Wu Shu to the Okinawan Temple.

The original Chinese which relates all of the philosophies, forms, accupuncture, herbology, dim mak, dian xue, strikes, bridges, etc. has been added to and modified, but most of the original knowledge is there.

I have had this book reliably translated from the Chinese, but the Japanese is a little less reliable as the translator i used is Chinese born. Most interesting is the history which is included in the document, and i would be glad to share excerpts with interested parties. Once again, great thread. When the knowledge we all have is shared among ourselves and spread to others, a better world will result.

thud

From the various histories i have been exposed to, what you say is correct, and i have also seen various origins applied to Okinawan art.

Recently, i have acquired a document known as a \"Bubishi\", a Chinese document originally, this was the \"Transfer Document\" or teaching manual used to send Southern Shaolin (as there were temples other than the main Northern one all over China) White Crane and White Eyebrow Wu Shu to the Okinawan Temple.

The original Chinese which relates all of the philosophies, forms, accupuncture, herbology, dim mak, dian xue, strikes, bridges, etc. has been added to and modified, but most of the original knowledge is there.

I have had this book reliably translated from the Chinese, but the Japanese is a little less reliable as the translator i used is Chinese born. Most interesting is the history which is included in the document, and i would be glad to share excerpts with interested parties. Once again, great thread. When the knowledge we all have is shared among ourselves and spread to others, a better world will result.

thud

hello After chating with a fouw of you i have i think betear understand wot is gowing on with the aikido coumety becoming so upseat wean aney thing jediish is metioned in the same sentise as aikido.
for aikido thear is often some terms that alout of pepeaill otmactley plase with starwars like force. force in aikido can mean in pratous wean somwon poushes your sholder the forse of the poush somwones forse of momentem of theam moving towardes you that sort of thing.
and the tock of ki or energey is another thing that lenks pepeailles minds to starwares. so for pepeaill how studey aikido are constley being compared to wot others now about starwares and the jedi in the movey sence the aikido pepeaill becom tyared of being compared to movey caretors ovear and ovear agen. so becos of this aneything related to jedi has becom a nagitof thing that is full of bad experinces.
so maney mindes have ben closed and not wiling to evean lock at it.
me i was vearey corueas of wot was realey behined this is it realey somthing tacking right frome the moveys dow pepeaill realey think theay are jedi with mined powers and the like. or wot is the real storey behined this. from wot i have ben toled and have founed out for may salfe the aikido coumetey hase made a mistack. and is rong to clowes its mined justbecos of a bad experince and a fouw uncomfterbul sutiuwachens.
i have descovered that you hear are quite excpting and not some silley pepeaill that think a movey is reale but a grupe of pepeaill how tray to falow a way of life that is to tray and berat things to be good to others polite kined all good things.
well you have opened one aikidosa's eyes in that this is not a bad thing. aney thing that helps pepeaill becom betear is a good thing thankyou.
i dont think i ame a jedi i ame fuley an aikidosa but how nows i mau some day slowley start to considermay salfe wone of you. and if you dont mined i wont to stay arouned hear to get to now you betear.
and hopfley i can start to open the eyes of other aikidosa to wot you are realey up to.

thanks once agen frome the little mouse in the corner

Mouse, You are always welcome here as is anyone. We look forward to hearing your thoughts more and MTFBWY

Mouse, welcome, and thank you for your posts thus far. You seem to have a deep understanding of your Martial Art, and an excellent grasp on what it is to be a real (not movie) Jedi. To become adept at anything, an understanding of the task at hand is essential. To leap blindly into anything without really getting the concept of what you are attempting to do is almost a guarantee of failure. I look forward to more of your posts, and feel sure you will make a fine Jedi.

MTFBWY
thud

thank you thud and twsoundsoff. well since this is an aikido thrade and i have lernt a bit about this i will if you dont mined share some aikido stuf :lol:
this is an aritcaill i engoyed about the hackma i hope you dow to.

if you alsow dont mined i woued like to share some flisfey i engoy that part of aikido.


What is a hakama and who wears it?
Multiple Authors
A hakama is the skirt-like pants that some aikidoka wear. It is a traditional piece of samurai clothing. The standard gi worn in aikido as well as in other martial arts such as Judo or Karate was originally underclothes. Wearing it is part of the tradition of (most schools of) aikido.
The hakama were originally meant to protect a horseman's legs from brush, etc., -- not unlike a cowboy's leather 'chaps'. Leather was hard to come by in Japan, so heavy cloth was used instead. After the samurai as a class dismounted and became more like foot-soldiers, they persisted in wearing horseman's garb because it set them apart and made them easily identifiable.
There were different styles of hakama though. The type worn by today's martial artists - with \"legs\" - is called a joba hakama, (roughly, horseriding thing into which one steps). A hakama that was kind of like a tube skirt - no legs - another and the third was a very long version of the second. It was worn on visits to the Shogun or Emperor. The thing was about 12-15 feet long and was folded repeatedly and placed between the feet and posterior of the visitor. This necessitated their shikko (\"knee walking\") for their audience and made it extremely unlikely that they could hide a weapon (retainers suited them up) or rise quickly to make an attack.
The 7 folds in the hakama (5 in the front, 2 in the back) is said to have the following symbolic meaning:
· Yuki = courage, valor, bravery
· Jin = humanity, charity, benevolence
· Gi = justice, righteousness, integrity
· Rei = etiquette, courtesy, civility (also means bow/obeisance)
· Makoto = sincerity, honesty, reality
· Chugi = loyalty, fidelity, devotion
· Meiyo = honor, credit, glory; also reputation, dignity, prestige
In many schools, only the black belts wear hakama, in others everyone does. In some places women can start wearing it earlier than men (generally modesty of women is the explanation - remember, a gi was originally underwear).
O Sensei was rather emphatic that EVERYONE wear the hakama, but he came from a time/culture not too far from wearing hakama as standard formal wear.
\"Most of the students were too poor to buy a hakama but it was required to wear one. If they couldn't get one from an older relative, they would take the cover off an old futon, cut it, dye it, and give it to a seamstress to make into a hakama.
Since they had to use cheap dye, however, after awhile the colorful pattern of the futon would start to show through and the fluff from the futon would start to work its way out of the material.\"
Saito Sensei, about hakama in O Sensei's dojo in the old days.

\"In postwar Japan many things were hard to get, including cloth. Because of the shortages, we trained without hakama. We tried to make hakama from air-raid blackout curtains but because the curtains had been hanging in the sun for years, theknees turned to dust as soon as we started doing suwariwaza. We were constantly patching these hakama. It was under those conditions that someone came up with a suggestion: \"Why don't we just say that it's okay not to wear a hakama until you're shodan?\" This idea was put forward as a temporary policy to avoid expense. The idea behind accepting the suggestion had nothing to do with the hakama being a symbol for dan ranking.\"
Shigenobu Okumura Sensei, \"Aikido Today Magazine\" #41

\"When I was uchi deshi to O Sensei, everyone was required to wear a hakama for practice, beginning with the first time they stepped on the mat. There were no restrictions on the type of hakama you could wear then, so the dojo was a very colorful place. One saw hakama of all sorts, all colors and all qualities, from kendo hakama, to the striped hakama used in Japanese dance, to the costly silk hakama called sendai-hira. I imagine that some beginning student caught the devil for borrowing his grandfather's expensive hakama, meant to be worn only for special occasions and ceremonies, and wearing out its knees in suwariwaza practice.
I vividly remember the day that I forgot my hakama. I was preparing to step on the mat for practice, wearing only my dogi, when O Sensei stopped me. \"Where is your hakama?\" he demanded sternly. \"What makes you think you can receive your teacher's instruction wearing nothing but your underwear? Have you no sense of propriety? You are obviously lacking the attitude and the etiquette necessary in one who pursues budo training. Go sit on the side and watch class!\"
This was only the first of many scoldings I was to receive from O Sensei. However, my ignorance on this occasion prompted O Sensei to lecture his uchi deshi after class on the meaning of the hakama. He told us that the hakama was traditional garb for kobudo students and asked if any of us knew the reason for the seven pleats in the hakama.
\"They symbolize the seven virtues of budo,\" O Sensei said. \"These are jin (benevolence), gi (honor or justice), rei (courtesy and etiquette), chi (wisdom, intelligence), shin (sincerity), chu (loyalty), and koh (piety). We find these qualities in the distinguished samurai of the past. The hakama prompts us to reflect on the nature of true bushido. Wearing it symbolizes traditions that have been passed down to us from generation to generation. Aikido is born of the bushido spirit of Japan, and in our practice we must strive to polish the seven traditional virtues.\"
Currently, most Aikido dojo do not follow O Sensei's strict policy about wearing the hakama. Its meaning has degenerated from a symbol of traditional virtue to that of a status symbol for yudansha. I have traveled to many dojo in many nations. In many of the places where only the yudansha wear hakama, the yudansha have lost their humility. They think of the hakama as a prize for display, as the visible symbol of their superiority. This type of attitude makes the ceremony of bowing to O Sensei, with which we begin and end each class, a mockery of his memory and his art.
Worse still, in some dojo, women of kyu rank (and only the women) are required to wear hakama, supposedly to preserve their modesty. To me this is insulting and discriminatory to women aikidoka. It is also insulting to male aikidoka, for it assumes a low-mindedness on their part that has no place on the Aikido mat.
To see the hakama put to such petty use saddens me. It may seem a trivial issue to some people, but I remember very well the great importance that O Sensei placed on wearing hakama. I cannot dismiss the significance of this garment, and no one, I think, can dispute the great value of the virtues it symbolizes. In my dojo and its associated schools I encourage all students to wear hakama regardless of their rank or grade. (I do not require it before they have achieved their first grading, since beginners in the United States do not generally have Japanese grandfathers whose hakama they can borrow.) I feel that wearing the hakama and knowing its meaning, helps students to be aware of the spirit of O Sensei and keep alive his vision.
If we can allow the importance of the hakama to fade, perhaps we will begin to allow things fundamental to the spirit of Aikido to slip into oblivion as well. If, on the other hand, we are faithful to O Sensei's wishes regarding our practice dress, our spirits may be more faithful to the dream to which he dedicated his life.\"
Mitsugi Saotome Sensei, \"The Principles Of Aikido\"