The Aiki Dojo
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Awarded “Outstanding Cultural Organization” 50th Anniversary Southern California Japanese Chamber of Commerce. Recipient of the Brody Multi-Cultural Arts Grant 1988 Aikido Center of Los Angeles, LLC, 1211 N. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Tel: (323) 225-1424 www.aikidocenterla.com The Aikido Center of Los Angeles The Aiki Dojo Direct Affiliation: Aikido World Headquarters, 17-18 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan Los Angeles Sword and Swordsmanship Society Kenshinkai The Furuya Foundation November 2010 Volume XXVIII Number 11 In This Issue… Letter From the Editor by Mark Ehrlich …..…...…...Page 1 Hidden Responsibilities by David Ito ..………….…...Page 2 Aikido in My Life by Roberto Molina ………...Page 3 Etiquette by Rev. Kensho Furuya …….Page 3 Our Neighbors, Our Food by Maria Murakawa ..…...…Page 4 Great Expectations A scroll from Sensei’s collection that reads, “Ichigo Ichie” by Rev. Kensho Furuya …….Page 7 ̶ one time, one meeting. Class Schedule……...….…. Page 8 Letter From the Editor a place to push our bodies and open our Dojo Map..…...……...…..... Page 8 by Mark Ehrlich minds, a place to continue the mission of Ai- Editor, The Aiki Dojo kido as set down by the Founder and by Sen- sei. You all make a difference. If you are anything like me, no doubt you Upcoming Events have mixed feelings about this month; on the We have quite a community at ACLA, and in one hand, we have just kicked off the holiday this issue we take a look at the responsibilities November 25-26th: Dojo Closed: Thanksgiving season with Halloween (Our dojo children’s that building community entails. Ito Sensei party, by the way, boasted lots of food, fun, examines the burdens that sempai bear to help and great costumes. If you missed it, do try their kohai develop, Magallanes Sensei of our November 27th: to come next year. It’s worth the trouble!) Veracruz branch relates how they weathered a Instructor’s Intensive and now have my favorite holiday, Thanks- storm (literally) with the help of each other giving, coming up quickly, with Christmas- and of friends from afar, and we include two December 4th: Dojo Christmas Party time riding its coattails to wind up the year. nuggets from Sensei’s archives ̶ one on the Which brings me to the other hand: where did importance of etiquette to our training, and December 11th: all the time go? With each passing year, the one on how the bedrock relationship, that of End of Year Clean-up old saw “so much to do, so little time” rings teacher and student, relies on letting go of ever more truly in my ears. expectations to experience what happens in December 24th-25th: the moment. And food guru Maria Mura- Dojo Closed: Christmas In the interest of time, I’ll cut right to the kawa rounds things out with another review chase: thank you for all you do, because you ̶ of a local eatery you’ll want to try out soon. December 31st-January 1st: our readers, students, instructors, and friends ̶̶ Dojo Closed: New Year’s help make ACLA the place that it is, a place Have a safe, healthy, and Happy Thanksgiv- to challenge and let go of our preconceptions, ing, and I’ll see you on the mat soon! Aikido Center of Los Angeles www.aikidocenterla.com Hidden Responsibilities by David Ito, Aikido Chief Instructor As we scale the ladder of life and march the path toward our true inner selves, we can easily forget the burden others carry on our The way is never exclusive. It is open to all to follow, but those behalf. A long time ago, I once heard a black belt say after being who set out on the path perforce need the help of those who have scolded by Sensei for making a mistake, “That's easy for him to passed that way before. say, all he ever does is sit up there and watch TV.” At the time, I ̶ Soshitsu Sen agreed with him because when we arrived at the dojo at 5:00 p.m., Sensei would seemingly be just sitting and watching TV in his This Thanksgiving, please take time out to give thanks for the office. What I didn’t see was that Sensei had been up and running reluctant hero, your sempai. She is the one who gives thought to since 4:00 a.m., working hard, and he used the TV to keep him your welfare and takes care of you, even though you might never company because he was all by himself. Behind closed doors he have realized it. worked and worked – on the newsletter, arrangements for a semi- nar, planning for the future – but from our vantage point he was The Japanese martial arts traditions typically just sitting and watching TV. How insensitive form a tate shakai, or vertical society, which of us not to realize his burden! I have come to means that they adhere to a sempai-kohai hier- understand Sensei much better after having run archy. This hierarchy is usually dictated by the dojo now for almost four years: there is so rank or seniority and it is said that, in Japan, no much work to do and there never seems to be two people are truly ever equal; position, rank, enough time in the day to accomplish what Sen- seniority, and/or experience create the division sei did all by himself, which today requires at between people’s social standing. This separa- least five of us to do. tion, interestingly enough, was not created to oppress anyone. Rather, its existence culti- Someone years ago called Sensei’s behind-the- vates relationships between a senior (or sem- scenes efforts, “secret work.” I had no idea pai) and a junior (or kohai). It is also does not what this was and he explained that it meant all intend to cause one person to think that he is the work that Sensei would do to run the dojo better than another. The hierarchy inherently that nobody knew about. Years later, I now invests the senior with the responsibility to understand this, but to me the term secret seems look after the junior. The senior shows the a misnomer; the word implies that you don’t junior the way: if the junior makes a mistake, it want anyone to know what you are doing. A is always the senior who gets scolded first. better word, I think, would be hidden. Being When the junior needs help or is in trouble, it is secretive was not Sensei’s intention. He was the senior who intervenes. It is also the sen- merely being Japanese about his situation in ior’s duty to provide for the junior; thus, the life. In Japan it can be deemed bad manners to junior’s only job is to work hard. broadcast your efforts or to shine the light on yourself. The Japanese value kenkyo (modesty), In tea ceremony this relationship becomes one enryo (restraint), and gaman (perseverance), of mutual consideration and is thought of as the and it is frowned upon when people monku host-and-guest mentality, which forms the ba- monku (complain). Sensei wanted the students sis of Japanese etiquette. The host resigns him- to have nothing to distract them from their train- self to provide his guest with the best possible ing. To him, practice was the most important experience. The guest realizes the host’s ef- Ichigo Ichie thing, and everything else he would take care of forts and does her best to make the most of her for us. We benefited from his sacrifice. experience. This is called ichigo ichie: one time, one meeting. In realizing each other’s efforts to make the Today many people work hard behind the scenes at ACLA so that most of the situation the two parties become one entity sharing the others can enjoy Sensei’s dream of having a beautiful dojo where same experience. The senior derives no reward for his efforts, people can come and train, seven days a week, year in and year because with rank comes responsibility. The junior realizes the out. Their burden goes relatively unnoticed, but they bear it efforts of the senior and does his best to be a good student. This cheerfully and we owe them more than we can ever repay. So this is also where the Japanese idea of giri comes into play, an obliga- Thanksgiving, please remember Sensei and all his efforts to make tion that one feels for another’s efforts. Traditional Japanese this beautiful dojo, as well as your seniors who burden themselves Culture and Modern Japan has defined giri as “the caring for on your behalf. They think of you, so please think of them. Fi- others from whom one has received a debt of gratitude and a de- nally, please accept the best wishes of Myers Sensei, me, and all termination to realize their happiness, sometimes by self- of us at ACLA for a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving for all sacrifice.” This is done quietly and subconsciously and goes al- of you and your families. most unnoticed to the untrained eye. Page 2 Aikido Center of Los Angeles www.aikidocenterla.com Aikido in My Life This past September, the State of Veracruz, and some other states by Roberto Magallanes Molina, M.D. in Mexico, suffered terrible flooding at the hands of hurricane Chief Instructor, Veracruz Aikikai Karl and tropical storm Matthew that devastated many families. Houses were lost because of the four- to eight-foot flood waters, I started studying Aikido 16 years ago after practicing Karate for and everything in them: furniture, books, photos, family histories, 23 years.