AWA

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | PAGE 01 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Jeremy M.L. Hix, Nidan Dojo Cho-Greater Lansing ; Lansing, MI USA

Reflecting on this year, I am inspired by those closest to me. Their perseverance, mental, physical, and emotional fortitude, go well beyond anything short of super human. There are some battles that cannot be won. As in Aikido, there is no winner or loser, only Masakatsu Agatsu "true victory is victory over oneself." Such is the life of people with chronic pain and fatigue. Conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Chronic Fatigue, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Migraines (to name a few from a long list) are "Invisible" in the sense that they may not present outward physical manifestations of the associated symptoms. Furthermore, the individual living with the condition may also feel invisible in the sense of "self" as they are dismissed as faking their ailments. Often, this causes feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and withdrawal. I'm fortunate to have two people in my life that are very close to my heart, both battling with invisible health conditions. They are relentless in their perseverance, in their ability to overcome. They practice Aikido on crutches, in wheelchairs, and are eager to learn. They travel to and explore the world. They never give up. They never acquiesce. Through understanding, compassion, empathy, and love, we can help make visible the beautiful person beneath the vale of these chronic conditions. I would like to dedicate this editorial to my better halves: Kristy, and her sister, Kayla. Thank you both for your perseverance in the face of adversity, and for giving me the privilege of being your friend along the way. Steep as the climb may seem, I will always have your hand.

This Newsletter features: promotion and new Dojo Special thanks to AWA Member listings, a letter from Sato Sensei, and, of course, articles Photographers and Article Authors and essays submitted by members of the AWA for providing materials to community. We continue to make a strong effort to supplement this edition of the highlight Women practitioners in Aikido, and we have also Newsletter. reached out to our European family in Greece. We encourage you to take in the material throughout the Thank you for your continued Newsletter, and reflect on what our friends have support. contributed. -Jeremy-

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 02 NEWSLETTER STAFF TABLE OF CONTENTS Jeremy M.L. Hix, Lead Editor & Designer Message from Sensei. A.M. Sato--04 Greater Lansing Aikido; Lansing, MI USA On the Road. L. DeGraff--06 Kris Sumner, Editor General Announcements--08 Kiku Matsu Dojo; Chicago, IL USA Fall Camp, GA. Y. Yokota--09 Laura DeGraff, AWA Director of Operations New Dojo and Dan Promotions--10 Kiku Matsu Dojo; Chicago, IL USA Art of Peace. V. Katifori--12 Fred Mautz, AWA Photography Finding the Lost Self. J. Keawjai--15 Lakewood, CO USA Researcher's Perspective. D. Nguyễn--17 Lori Hargis-Johnson, AWA Photography A Greek Aikido Life. S. Giastikli--23 Kyushinkan Dojo; Atlanta, GA USA Photos--25 Pantelis Sakellariadis, AWA Photography Foundation; Athens, Greece

To make newsletter suggestions and submit articles for consideration, contact either of us:

Jeremy Hix: [email protected] Kris Sumner: [email protected]

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 03 MESSAGE FROM SENSEI

Andrew M. Sato, Nanadan Shihan Chief Instructor-AWA Kiku Matsu Dojo; Chicago, IL USA

November 21, 2017

End of another year.

Dear AWA members & friends,

Again we are closing out another calendar year of life, our own journey where time waits for none of us, nor cares, for better or worse. We must decide, act, and accept the consequences of our actions in this journey. At times we make pretty good decisions & at other times hindsight was 20/20.

It is unique this life we have in the universe, always nudging us to pay attention and then act (hopefully with maturity) on those indicators of which way to go on the path. Often times than not we ignore some of them even though they are really very clear to us to take the right step. Why is that? As humans we have choices & having that ability to choose often makes our choice that much harder to decide, even if we think it is so clear.

Taking time to rethink before pulling the trigger, listening to our heart, getting a second opinion all can help. Yet in our Aikido training we are supposed to act without thinking, be one with the , don’t be cerebral or analyze everything. So which is it?!! For us it should be both blending back and forth between the cerebral and intuitive minds. Sounds about right, but again, why so hard sometimes? Now a day’s technology provides daily minute by minute bombardment of information and choices. Don’t know? Google it! While life should be simple, it has gotten complex, making it harder for us to look honestly and simply at life decisions.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 04 MESSAGE FROM SENSEI

(continued)

The last few months I’ve been off the mats for a health reason. Having slowed down considerably, movements that were automatic with no forethought have become tedious, methodical and time consuming. While I know this will be temporary, it has revealed to me how much we take for granted, assume, and go about with little empathy of the universe and those around us. There is that automatic & intuitive thing again. Everyone is concerned for me and it is deeply appreciated, yet it reveals to me just as in our training we can only sense what someone might be going through unless we walk the same path. My path is my path; anyone is welcome to follow it as I have for so many years now, but at some point what I understand and know can only be mine. Even though we train together at times with many others, it is still a solitary path we each experience and understand alone.

As we end the year and enter the New Year please remember the many times someone openly cared for you, supported you, or helped you. Now, double those many times you were cared for freely, but unaware of that gift of kindness. If we all felt more an orientation to service of others than personal gain think how smoothly the world might work. All of us not so quick to take offense and maybe just be happy we get along; we’d feel maybe less alone, but ok that others care even if only strangers being strangers.

We all have a story important as the next person’s, but no more, no less. 2018 is a good opportunity for us to be fresh in outlook without judgement, but happy to help others. If we can make someone happy we will benefit in ways far beyond our expectations in the journey ahead.

Everyone have a safe holiday season, wishing you all abundant happiness & success in the coming New Year. May we all be kinder and helpful to others in the days ahead.

Andrew M. Sato Chief Instructor ~ AWA

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 05 ON THE ROAD

Laura DeGraff, Godan Director of Operations-AWA Dojo Cho-Kiku Matsu Dojo; Chicago, IL USA

Greetings! And Happy Holidays! I hope that you are all enjoying the peaceful end of the year and looking forward to a bright new 2018.

This year has been a trying year on so many levels. Natural disasters, destruction, man-made acts of terror and hatred – all of these have affected so many people whether directly or indirectly. I am hard-pressed to think of a single person in my circle who has not experienced some sort of challenge this year. Some of us face those challenges gracefully, accepting that life is not always rosie, while others may appear to buck and grimace at every obstacle. Regardless of how we respond to adversity, as practitioners of Aikido we are striving to learn to face life head on, unwavering in our commitment to continue to grow and strive to be better people.

This was a difficult year for me as I faced the loss of my oldest brother. I witnessed the passing of a man of great spiritual integrity, a man who lived what he preached and believed devoutly in his heavenly Father. While I may have different religious beliefs, it did not escape my notice that his graceful acceptance of his terminal condition was possible because of his firm commitments to what he believed to be the truth of his spiritual existence. Commitment. Being committed to what you believe and being committed to practice and the hopes in what that practice will provide to you. For me, that is my approach to my personal Aikido practice. I am in no way suggesting that Aikido is a religion, not in the practical sense. But for me, it is a spiritual pursuit as well as a physical discipline.

Baby DeGraff Sensei held by big Brother, Norman. Norman and DeGraff Sensei. DeGraff Family c.1965. 11June2017

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 06 ON THE ROAD

(continued)

This year I had many opportunities to reconnect with several members of my family and very often they would ask me about my practice. After almost 20 years of training, I am finally able to explain to people what Aikido is for me. It’s about commitment, it’s about connection and it’s about believing that we all are struggling to find things in life that work for us. For some it is religion, for some it is a passion for an artistic expression, for others it may be meditation and for me, it is Aikido.

My oldest sister joined me as I traveled to Greece for the first time this year. She was welcomed into the AWA family in Greece with open and loving arms. She and I have talked at length about that trip and about how comfortable and friendly everyone was. She spent some time watching the seminar and commented on how apparent it was that all of us on the mat, whether we were old friends or had just met for the first time, were just happy to be together. During the seminar, I spoke of Aikido as a universal form of friendship and communication – a way to connect and respect. It’s nice to hear from someone who does not train that THAT is the message we all send just by being together practicing. I continue to strive to walk the talk and I truly believe that my commitment to Aikido will make me a better person.

I wish all of you peace and happiness in the New Year and I pray that we all will face a year with less adversity and fewer challenges than we faced in 2017.

See you all in 2018 And Kangeiko is just around the corner :-)

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 07

YOKOTA Y. FALL CAMP SEMINAR

OCTOBER 2017 - ROSWELL BUDOKAN - ATLANTA, GA USA REFLECTION OF FRIENDSHIP THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 09 NEW DOJO AND DAN PROMOTIONS

SUMMER 2017 - WINTER 2017

Kirk's Martial Arts - Westchester, PA, USA (Michael Hutchinson) Anytime Fitness - Friendswood, TX, USA (Dale Gargrave)

SHODAN

Russell Chapman Aaron Hadley Joey Keawjai Ryan Kelly Ioannis Koniaris Iskander Muzafarov Spyros Pan Hector Ramos Jaime Ryan Estshemurun Emi Sagay Arkadius Stankiewicz

NIDAN

Luke Bahar Vivi Katifori Frank Randall Rich Sims

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 10 NEW DOJO AND DAN PROMOTIONS

SUMMER 2017 - WINTER 2017

SANDAN YONDAN

Andres Duran William Henderson Dale Gargrave Pantelis Sakellariadis Dung Nguyen Artemio Ramos Sebastian Ruocco Georgi Stoikov

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 11 GLOBALIZATION OF THE ART OF PEACE

Vivi Katifori, Nidan Martial Arts Foundation; Athens, Greece

To the unsuspecting western eye, even to that of its more novice practitioners, Aikido seems like a purely traditional Japanese martial art. Practitioners need to wear special uniforms, adhere to a specific etiquette in the dojo, and are taught a syllabus of techniques that are named in Japanese. Naturally, westerners can easily classify the Art amongst the old and traditional martial arts of the East. Gradually, one realizes that the founder of this art, O Sensei, lived and developed Aikido during the 20th century. Certainly Aikido is based on the long tradition of the highly developed systems that are still alive and strong in the martial arts world, including Aikijutsu that O Sensei was proficient in. However, Aikido, as its founder, (1883 - 1969), is in fact a child of the 20th century. The founder lived in a period of strife and flux, a period with events that have marked humanity. He lived during major wars, including the Russian Japanese one and two World Wars that affected the life and marked the psyche of billions of people. Although born and developed in an era of violence, Aikido has a very different approach. It is in fact a martial arts system, but due to the genius of its Founder, it is given a unique direction and spirituality that came as an answer to the atrocities of wars that caused unimaginable pain and horrific deaths. The essence of Aikido is harmony, which goes much beyond its literal application in the practice. In the words of O Sensei: Budō is not the felling of an opponent by force; nor is it a tool to lead the world to destruction with arms. True Budō is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect, and cultivate all beings in nature. This is the subconscious teaching that Aikido promotes through its practice and it makes it different from the rest of the martial arts. The first and foremost teaching of the art is harmony and the avoidance of violence through deflection.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 12 GLOBALIZATION OF THE ART OF PEACE

(continued)

This is the main lesson beginners are taught: The objective is not to destroy the opponent, It is to resolve conflict in the most harmless way for both. Understand this harmony on the mat, means that you can bring it with you in your daily life and then realize it on a wider scale, even a global one, politically, socially, environmentally. Harmony, however, does not equal uniformity. To be able to realize the Aikido principles in the practice, the Aikidoka has to adapt them to her own body type, and mental and physical characteristics. Aikido is an art, and as such it has room for personal growth, expression, and diversification. At the moment Aikido counts several different branches, based on the style of practice of their different founders. Each great master of the Art adds a personal touch that is then transmitted and in some cases even transformed by the students who assimilate the teachings and adapt them to their own personality. This was the message O Sensei began to spread through his first students. Different branches of Aikido were created all over the world, promoting harmony through personal development and expression through a constant flow and transmutation of style. There is no doubt that Aikido has been very successful. We are proud to be part of a global ever growing family. It is an art that is constantly spreading, reaching more people through new dojos all over the world. It offers a diversity of styles that can appeal to almost everyone and satisfy different objectives, from a spiritual and ki development practice to self defence and martial applications for professionals. It is at the hands of each dojocho and supervising organizations to stir towards one or more directions. Its more deep and spiritual teaching also remain more valid than ever.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 13 GLOBALIZATION OF THE ART OF PEACE

(continued)

Our society continues to be highly competitive, focused on individual, short term, mostly financial, interests and lacking a strong sense of community and collaboration, the will to work together towards a better, sustainable future. This pattern is repeated from a neighbourhood to a global scale. In this way, Aikido is still relevant, even more than ever, to support its practitioners to acquire a new mentality that will promote their personal harmony and thus promote social harmony. As a well established martial art, it has now the responsibility to adhere to these more spiritual principles and pass them on consciously and coherently through its teachings. Due to the intrinsic characteristics of human nature, the constant drive to become better and to prevail, sometimes at the expense of others, there are cases where Aikidoka are influenced by negative feelings of pride and competitiveness and let their ego interfere with their practice and attitude. The challenge is strong for all practitioners to overcome these negative feelings and let the spirit of the Art flow through their practice and attitude in life. Dojocho are there to support in this process. They are the representatives of their branch of Aikido, and its corresponding organization, the representatives of Hombu Dojo and, most importantly, the Art to their students and as such they should adhere to and promote the Aikido principles in a strong and consistent way. Aikido international seminars are a proof of the unifying power of Art. Strangers meet under the same roof, not to compete but to practice together and exchange perspectives and understanding. There is a special feeling attending these events, the optimism that people from different, even opponent, countries can really be together on the mat as friends and co- practitioners. Aikido truly brings a feeling of hope during otherwise very difficult times.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 14 AIKI SHUGYO: REDISCOVERING THE LOST SELF

Joey Keawjai, Shodan Houston Aikido Foundation; Houston, TX USA

“…in today’s world, more and more we place too much store by the wrong things, and consequently people feel that they are losing themselves. This is regrettable. People should at any cost follow the way of aiki shugyo. If you do this, you can re-discover the ‘self’ that has been lost.” - Ueshiba Morihei

For the past two years, I struggled with my professional career. I witnessed multiple layoffs within my company and my department downsized by 75%. Eventually, my employment status went from full-time to part-time then ultimately to unemployment. Making ends meet wasn’t an issue, however, my budget became limited. I applied for many positions within and outside my organization, but my applications were rejected at every turn. I began to think I wasted my time in a field that had nothing to do with my degree, and that the particular skillsets I learned in my job was not marketable in the current job market. At this point, it was obvious I wasn’t happy where I was at in life and wondered what my calling would be. Looking for answers, I read self- help books, watched motivational speeches, and reached out to former colleagues for advice; none of these could point in the direction that was right for me. I eventually convinced myself that I needed to wait for the right moment, or for the perfect opportunity to present itself, and bear through the storm.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 15 AIKI SHUGYO: REDISCOVERING THE LOST SELF

(continued)

Soon thereafter, I begin to plan for a vacation as I thought it would lighten my burden. With this vacation, I hoped I could find an answer although I had certain doubts about that. I invited a friend, Rei, to this trip. Rei suffered setbacks in her professional career, but rebounded back on the road to success. I figured if anyone could give me insight as what I needed to do, it would be her, but still, doubts lingered about whether or not if I could get closer to the answer. In one of our many conversations during the trip, Rei quoted J.R.R. Tolkien, “Not all those who wander are lost.” She said, “Perhaps for some of us, we’re not really meant to find a particular purpose in life. I think we should just experience as much as we can.” This made sense, however, I was not completely convinced, but I did take her point to heart.

Throughout the trip, circumstances unfolded that forced Rei to leave the trip midway. On the day we said our goodbyes, something within my brain, within my mind altered. I became free; free from the burden of doubt and uncertainty. The feeling was immense, powerful, overwhelming, yet calm and peaceful. I realized I wanted to be a better friend and to be a better person. By following this path, matters would work themselves out and I could place my trust in it. Ultimately, I felt that my future would be okay and I no longer had to worry, and that was the answer. The answer I looked for all this time. Through my friendship with Rei, she revealed to me a part of me I never knew, or it was something I lost, only to “It changed the future and it changed us. It re-discover or become aware of it with taught us that we have to create the future or her help. This experience was not others will do it for us. It showed us that we have shugyo in the strictest sense, but it was to care for one another because if we don’t, who a new beginning. A new beginning will? And that true strength sometimes come where I no longer have uncertain fears. from the most unlikely places. Mostly, though, I A new beginning where I can finally think it gave us hope, that there can always be have the strength, trust, belief, and new beginnings, even for people like us.” confidence to move forward without - Susan Ivanova, “Sleeping in Light” Babylon 5 having doubts about the future.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 16 A RESEARCHER'S PERSPECTIVE: AIKIDO HISTORY AND THE ART'S FUTURE

Dũng X Nguyễn, Sandan Wadokan Dojo; Houston, TX USA

Aikido, created and characterized by Morihei Ueshiba (1884-1969) as the “art of peace” [1], is a Japanese martial art practiced around the world. We will trace its incubation, its development and its evolution into a spiritual martial art through the life of its founder. We will also discuss how Aikido flourishes multifold after the passing the founder and share our thoughts on its future. We would like to acknowledge that our accounts on Morihei Ueshiba’s life and the history of Aikido are drawn mostly from [2] and [3] and various online articles from Aikidojournal.com.

The early years Morihei Ueshiba was born on Dec. 14, 1883 to a wealthy farm family in Tanabe, a seacoast town in . He was rather frail as a child, and being the only male heir, he caused his father, Yoroku, great concern. Yoroku took great care in helping his son build up his strength and stamina. He had Morihei taking up swimming and wrestling at a very young age. In 1901, Yoroku gave the young Morihei a large sum of money and sent him to so he could learn about commerce and business from the Inoue family, his relatives. But Morihei spent time studying Tenjin Shinyo-ryu jujitsu instead. A year later, in 1902, Morihei fell ill with beriberi and had to return home to Tanabe. Morihei trained hard physically to regain his strength resulting in a much more powerful physique. In 1903, he joined the infantry and earned a reputation as a formidable bayonet fighter. From 1904 to 1905, he served in the Russo-Japanese war in Manchuria. While in the army, he trained in Yagyu Shingan-ryu and earned his first teaching certificate (menkyo) from Masakatsu Nakai. Discharged from the army in 1906, he returned home and continued to train in martial arts. Yoroku, always supportive of his son, built a local dojo and brought in a young Judo instructor from the Kodokan Judo Headquarter to teach Morihei and the young men in Tanabe

Daito-ryu and the technical root of Aikido In 1912, Morihei led a group of 54 families in Tanabe to settle in the harsh wilderness of northern Hokkaido to “create something out of nothing.” Morihei showing tremendous physical strength, mental resolve, survival skill and leadership, helped build the village of Shirataki and earned the name “King of Shirataki”. In February 1915, on a trip to the town of Engaru, which was a day ride on horseback from Shirataki, Morihei met a grand master of Daito-ryu Aiki jutsu named Sokaku Takeda. Completely captivated by Takeda’s skill, Morihei forgot about going home and spent a month taking lessons from Takeda. Upon returning home, Morihei built a dojo on his property and persuaded Takeda to come and stay at his home to teach him Daito-ryu. By 1917, Morihei had become one of Takeda’s most capable students, and after sending his family home to Tanabe, Morihei began traveling with Takeda to teach. In 1919, when Morihei got news that his father was gravely ill, he quickly sold off his property in Shirataki and turned over most of his possession to Takeda and left for home.

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(continued) The Omote Religion and the spiritual root of Aikido On the way back, Morihei made a detour to Ayabe to meet with , the leader of the Otomo religious sect, asking to pray for his father’s recovery. Deguchi told Morihei that his father “will be better off where he is going”. It turned out that Morihei’s thirst for spiritual guidance was just as strong as his desire for martial arts guidance. He lingered for three days absorbing Deguchi’s teaching and by the time he got home, his father already passed away. This disturbed Morihei greatly. After three months of agonizing, Morihei decided to pack up and moved his family to Ayabe seeking inner peace in the religion of Otomo. Deguchi recognized Morihei’s tremendous martial arts skill, encouraged him to continue his training and set up a dojo for him to teach the Otomo sect members. In 1922, Takeda suddenly showed up in Ayabe with his family at Morihei’s doorstep. Takeda stayed there for about half a year teaching Morihei and the Otomo members. Before he left, Takeda awarded Morihei a teacher’s certificate (kyoju dairi), which stipulated that Morihei would pay Takeda certain fixed amount for each new student he taught. Reportedly, Deguchi did not like Takeda and encouraged Morihei to create his own art since Daito-ryu was too “combat- oriented” and thus “could not serve as a means to united man with god and promote harmony among all people”. In 1924, Morihei accompanied Deguchi and his small circle of confidants in a secret trip to to establish a utopian colony. The group was arrested by local authorities and sentenced to death. A last minute negotiation by the Japanese government saved the group. This near death experience had a profound effect on Morihei and caused him to train even harder as he returned to Japan. Reportedly, after defeating a master who came to challenge him, Morihei experienced martial enlightenment, realizing “the true meaning of budo is love, love that cherishes and nourishing all things”. There are numerous stories of martial arts exponents who challenged Morihei only to experience defeat. Morihei’s reputation as a formidable martial artist spread far beyond the confine of the Otomo sect. Many people from outside the sect came to apply for admission, most of whom were military personnel.

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(continued)

The Kobukan Dojo Era In 1925, Admiral came to Ayabe to observe Morihei and came away totally impressed. In the years 1925- 1926, with the help of the Admiral, Morihei traveled extensively to Tokyo to teach highly influential people. In 1927, Morihei moved his family out of Ayabe to Tokyo with Deguchi blessing to continue his martial arts teaching. In 1928, Morihei renamed his martial arts to Aioi-ryu Aiki Bujitsu, taking steps to distance and detach himself from Sokaku Takeda. Not long afterwards, he changed the name again to Aiki Budo. During the period of 1927-1931, Morihei mostly taught in private residences of well to do people. By 1931, he gathered enough financial support to build a permanent dojo known as the Kobukan. This allowed Morihei to admit live-in students (uchi deshi) as well as regular students, who later would become instructors to help promote his arts. , who later founded the Japan Aikido Association (JAA), , who later founded Aikido, and , who later founded a composite martial art system called budo, were three of the many highly accomplished students during that pre-war period. It is interesting to note that Mochizuki was sent by Judo founder Jigoro Kano to learn “the ideal budo” from Morihei. The years1931-1942 proved to be an extremely active and busy period for Morihei. With the Kobukan as his base, Morihei expanded his teaching to areas around Tokyo, Kansai, Wakayama and . He was the martial arts instructor for numerous military schools and police academies. Thanks to his connections in high places, Morihei was spared in 1935 when the whole leadership of the Otomo sect were arrested, convicted of lese majesty and sentenced to life imprisonment. This incident wounded Morihei deeply. The heavy teaching load and the extensive traveling slowly took a toll on Morihei’s health. By 1942, Japan was deeply engaged in World War II and Tokyo was ravaged by the Allies’ bombing. Morihei turned over the management of the Kobukan and retired to his home in Iwama of .

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 19 A RESEARCHER'S PERSPECTIVE: AIKIDO HISTORY AND THE ART'S FUTURE

(continued) Iwama, the birthplace of modern Aikido In 1942, right around the time Morihei retreated to Iwama, The Dai Nippon Butokukai, the association of all martial arts in Japan contracted the name Aiki Budo into Aikido and that became the official name of Morihei Ueshiba’s martial arts. During his retirement in Iwama, Morihei spent time farming, meditating and training to heal his body and strengthen is spiritual being. It was during that time that Morihei developed the concept of takemusu aiki, the ultimate expression of Aikido when the martial artist is in perfect harmony with the universe and techniques are executed freely and spontaneously. It is important to note that in 1946, Morihei admitted an 18 year old live-in student by the name of , who ended up staying with him, studying with him and serving him and his wife until the end of their lives. After the founder’s passing, Saito served as the guardian of the Aiki Shrine built by the founder in Iwama and taught what came to be known as Aikido. Morihiro Saito passed away in 2002. His son, , a high-ranking instructor of his own, separated from the Ueshiba family in 2004 and formed his own organization called Iwama Shin-Shin Aiki Shuren-kai. It wasn’t until the early 1950’s that Morihei started to travel again. He made irregular trips to Tokyo and other dojos by his former students to teach and mostly lecture on the spiritual aspect of Aikido. In February of 1961, , one of Morihei’s famous pre-war students, arranged a six-week trip for him to visit . This was the first and only trip Morihei made to the USA. At the welcoming ceremony, Morihei said the following: “I have come to Hawaii in order to build a “silver bridge.” Until now, I have remained in Japan, building a “golden bridge” to unite Japan, but henceforward, I wish to build a bridge to bring the different countries of the world together through the harmony and love contained in aikido. I think that aiki, offspring of the martial arts, can unite the people of the world in harmony, in the true spirit of budo, enveloping the world in unchanging love.” Morihei Ueshiba died of liver cancer on April 26, 1969 with his son, Kisshomaru and many of his students at his side. O’Sensei, as his students call him, is gone but his Aikido lives on and flourishes.

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(continued)

Aikido after Morihei Ueshiba When Morihei Ueshiba retired in 1942, his son, Kisshomaru, became the second Doshu and took command of the Kobukan, which later was rebuilt and became what is now known as the Humbo Dojo. Kisshomaru proved to be an extremely competent martial artist and a skillful manager. With the help of loyal and dedicated students and friends and associates, Kisshomaru was able to keep the school together during the war ravage time and the post-war trying time. Kisshomaru sought to export Aikido to the rest of the world by dispatching high- level Aikikai instructors to the USA and Europe. Koichi Tohei was credited to be the first to bring Aikido to the USA when he traveled to Hawaii in February 1953. Later in the year, Kenji Tomiki and a group of high-ranking Judo instructors visited the US mainland. was the first full-time Aikikai instructor to arrive in New York in 1964. Minoru Mochizuki was the first to introduce Aikido to France in 1951. A host of other high-ranking Aikikai instructors were sent to England, Germany and Italy as well. In 1974, Koichi Tohei resigned from his post of Aikikai Chief Instructor and formed his own organization, SHINSHIN TOITSU AIKIDO, in order to freely teach his style of Aikido, which put heavy emphasis on Ki. This event shook the Aikido world to the core because he forced his students and followers to choose between either him or the Aikikai. A bit of historical relevance here: among the high-ranking instructors that followed Tohei was Fumio Toyoda who came and settled in the USA. Toyoda later split up with Tohei and formed his own organization called Aikido Association of America (AAA). When Toyoda passed away in 2001, Andrew Sato, his long time student, became the Chief Instructor for AAA. In 2005, Sato’s relationship with AAA was terminated. Sato then formed his own organization called Aikido World Alliance (AWA), which now has memberships in many US states, Puerto Rico, Poland and Bulgaria. The various schools and organizations mentioned in the above are a sample of the many different schools and organizations promoting Aikido. Each one emphasizes and deemphasizes different aspects of the art. But Aikikai is the original Aikido organization and is believed to have the largest number of memberships. Aikikai established the International Aikido Federation in 1976 as an umbrella organization that unites all Aikido organizations in the world recognized by Aikikai. Stanley Pranin, a noted Aikidoka and Aikido historian, credits Kisshomaru as the architect of the current technical curriculum of the Aikikai [4]. Kisshomaru passed away in 1999 and his son, Moriteru, became the third Aikido Doshu. It is expected that , Moriteru’s son, will assume the title of Doshu when the time comes.

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(continued)

Conclusion If past history is any indication of future development, we see that Aikido will continue to flourish. Of course, as there are more and more practitioners of the art, there will be disagreement and discord as to what Aikido should be. This is a good thing because diversity is key to a healthy growth of any social organization. Aikido will probably never become an Olympic sport like Judo because of its anti- competition policy. But Aikido practitioners do not care. For Aikido is one martial art that does not seek to dominate the opponent, but to harmonize in order to resolve the conflict. The future of Aikido is that of peace and harmony.

References 1. The Art of Peace, by Morihei Ueshiba (translation by John Stevens) 2. Aikido – The Way of Harmony, by John Stevens 3. Aikido Masters – Prewar Students of Morihei Ueshiba, by Stanley Pranin 4. http://blog.aikidojournal.com/2011/03/27/kisshomaru-ueshibas-stamp- on-modern-aikido-by-stanley-pranin/

John Stevens Sensei. Stanley (Stan) Pranin Sensei. 1947-Present. 1945-2017.

DEC - 2017 | ISSUE 16 AWA | Page 22 A GREEK AIKIDO LIFE

Sofia Giastikli, 1st KYU BUDO Life Martial Arts; Athens, Greece

I began my training almost 5 years ago and now I am training for my black belt exams. If you ask me if I remember my first day?? I would be able to describe it moment by moment. I had made my research for martial arts, but for many years never had time, or at least that was what I was saying to my self to visit my nearest dojo and see what was the AIKIDO. In Greece, at least back then, Aikido was not so popular; most of the kids are practicing cause of ‘’Karate Kid’’ movie! When I lost my job, it was a great opportunity for me, cause I had plenty of time to visit my nearest dojo! So here we are! I met my Sensei, and since then, we are practicing together. Through these years, my sensei and I changed several dojos, and finally he has his own dojo ‘’BUDO LIFE’’ and we can move on! Through these years, I have met several people, students (from Greece and abroad), parents, cute small aikidoka, instructors (not only from our art), in these dojos, some of them remain and some of them left. But each one of them has given us great memories. Among them I had the honor and pleasure to meet Sato Sensei who made me feel extreme pain but at the same time he taught me how not feel pain! He told me that first I must fall to stand up! Great lesson!

For plenty of time we were only two or three trainees and was not easy all the times, but that was a great lesson for me to be patient and relaxed and here we are now, our dojo family has increased and hope that will increase more in next years.

I must admit that through this years of training I have changed as personality, I feel safer, but I am always awakened, and I can assess people better than in the past. The biggest lesson was how to relax and not quarrel so much, be patient when I am explaining a technique or something, or communicate with others.

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(continued)

So, now I am very pleased to see that our dojo Is a place where we are not only training, but we laugh each other, we fight and urge, we are training together, and we support each other when it is needed. Specifically, I remember when I had my exams for 2 Kyu, all of my colleagues were there as Uke for me and they were trying so hard for everything to be perfect. As currently I am the highest Kyu in our dojo, they suffered a lot cause they did not always know how to follow, but they were there and they were trying, and I saw that they had the same fears as I had, and they were counting with me during Jo kata I, but eventually I would say that was the best exams that I have till now, and I feel blessed for that!

In Greece we are a very small community under AWA but we support each other, from the Senseis to the very beginners. It was a great honor for me to participate in the black belt exams, and 2nd and 4th Dan exams (guys, hope that you do not hate me if I made any mistake LoL) as those people have supported my training and my exams whenever was needed. Many people believe that we are not strong, or we cannot make the other safer, or even most of our techniques are not really working, and especially for us cause we are women!

So, we challenge them! No I am joking! We just invite them to see what we do, and how we do it. We are 4 ladies in our dojo, and I can guarantee that we get no special treatment, cause if we really need our art outside the dojo, we need to know what we will face. So, keep practicing, support, laugh, and spend time together in the dojo! And always remember to have very low profile with the beginners; we were at 7th Kyu before our ! If you wish to meet our small family and our friends from the rest of the dojos, you are more than welcome to visit us and share with us your knowledge!

Merry Xmas to all. My best wishes for a happy and prosperous year! Have fun in your lives and keep smiling! :)

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Aikido World Alliance

4512 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60625 USA

773.784.4450 (Main) 773.784.4405 (Fax)

[email protected]

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