BIRANKAI EUROPE NEWSLETTER MM UU SS UU BB II Issue 7 July 2013 Chiba Sensei believes Aikido regardless CONTENTS of style should always enrich lives 1 Aikido should enrich lives raveling is strongly self-developmental and extensively, allows itself to develop harmoniously 2 Editorial I have seen with the environment and various Tmany styles of human conditions. Idealistically and 4 Kan Zen In Dojo in Aikido in the hopefully, we have to rely on the con- Zurich world. Some science and sincerity of the individual of them were Chiba Sensei teacher. In other words, whoever is 6 Encounter with a warrior beyond my involved in teaching has to be compe- imagination to be called Aikido. I used tent, with a strong foundation and 8 Teacher student to worry about this, and think about responsible in their teaching. relationship what I should do about it. But gradual- Furthermore, I believe it is important ly I became less and less worried, and to have a historical sense of this 10 Sesshin in fact I am no longer worried about it profound art left to us by the genera- at all. tions before us, supported by deep 11 Birankai France officially First of all, there is nothing you can conviction and respect. recognised do about it - you can’t be responsible There is a Japanese expression for it. Secondly, I came to the realiza- ‘mixture of diamonds and rocks’. 12 Jo-Ha-Kyu tion that as long as the people practis- Of course I see that in the Aikido ing enjoyed it, and as long as Aikido world today. So what does it matter? 13 Birankai Europe Youth enriches their lives or is meaningful in A diamond as a precious stone carries Seminar 2013 their lives, I should be pleased and its own value and beauty. At the same happy regardless of its physical form. time, a rock also carries a value and 14 5th JAC course Of course we should not be blind to use. If Aikido is the path that truly what’s going on in the Aikido world reveals the principles of nature, we 16 Notice-board today. We should strive hard to main- should be able to live with the contra- tain and preserve the quality as best diction between order and freedom. we can. However, the nature of Aikido continued on page 3 Please send submissions for January 2014 issue by Photo: Beata Darowska 1 December 2013 Chiba Sensei, Polish Summer Camp, August 2006 BIRANKAI EUROPE Technical Director Shihan TK Chiba 8th Dan European Birankai Shihankai Norberto Chiesa 6th Dan, Birankai France Editorial Photo: Franco Gabriel Valibouze 6th Dan, Birankai France Dee Chen 6th Dan, British Birankai Tony Cassells 6th Dan, British ast year at the BE summer school in July Chiba Sensei informed Birankai us that Birankai France under the leadership of Shihan Patrick Chris Mooney 6th Dan, British Barthélémy, President and Anne Ducouret, Vice President was Birankai Lgranted Aikikai Hombu full recognition in line with the other European MIke Flynn 6th Dan, Scottish and Birankai organizations. In June this year Anne Ducouret organized Borders Birankai a course in Paris when the Hombu certificate was presented by Shihan Daniel Brunner 6th Dan, Birankai Didier Boyet - see article on page 11. We are also pleased to announce Switzerland that Birankai Israel under Amnon Tzechovoy, Chairman, has also Patrick Barthélémy 6th Dan, received Aikikai Hombu full recognition. Birankai France Joe Curran 6th Dan, British This year the Birankai Europe Teachers’ Course and Aikido Summer Birankai School will be held at University of Worcester, England. Chiba Sensei had agreed that for economic reason the Teachers’ course should be Member Countries combined with summer school. The Teachers’ course 26-27 July is open Birankai Austria to Birankai certified teachers and head of dojos only and this year there Birankai France will be no course fee charged for this extra day of classes for those Birankai Germany attending the full week of Summer School. Hellenic Birankai Birankai Israel Shihan Etsuji Horii 7th Dan from Aikido Kobe Sanda Dojo, Japan will Birankai Poland be our special instructor and he will be assisted by Birankai Europe Birankai Portugal Shihan and Shidoin. We will miss Chiba Sensei who is unable to be with Birankai Switzerland us this year as he has taken an official leave of absence until May 2014 British Birankai while he sorts out his health issues. We all send him our best wishes for a speedy recovery. BE Musubi is published twice a year in January and July. Thanks to all the contributors who submitted articles and photos for English edition available on this issue. A reminder that Dojos should send in a list of Dan/Shidoin/ www.britishbirankai.com and Fukushidoin promotions and any new development in their organization/ the French edition on Dojo together with articles for the next issue due in January 2014. ☯ www.birankai.eu/shiun_fr.html Individual article reflects the author’s own views. All submissions may be edited due to space constraints and should be sent to the Editorr. Dee Chen Editor: Dee Chen [email protected] Assistant Editor: Didier Boyet [email protected] Sub Editor: Chris Howlin [email protected] Design Consultant: Franco Chen © Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Reproduction is prohibited without express written permission. 300713 BE MMUSUBIUSUBI July 2013 . Aikido enrich lives continued from page 1 This world is so interesting. It is so dynamic and beautiful in its as-it-is- ness, because there are things like diamonds and rocks coexisting without conflicting against one another, and everything is in its place in its own right. Needless to say, this should not be our excuse to avoid responsibility. The law of nature, of cause and effect, is evident and inescapable, and there- fore what is to perish will perish in its natural course. ☯ Shihan TK Chiba 8th Dan Birankai Founder San Diego, California Article originally published in Summer/Fall 1994 issue of Sansho - the Aikido Journal of the USAF Western Region and precursor of Photo: Beata Darowska Biran. Chiba Sensei, Polish Summer Camp, August 2010 Photo: Beata Darowska Photo provided by Jürgen Schwendinger Chiba Sensei, Austrian Summer Camp, Dornbirn, July 2008 Chiba Sensei, Polish Summer Camp, August 2009 July 2013 BE MUSUBI 3 The birth of Kan Zen In Dojo in Zurich Stephan Corstenʼs dream comes true with help from the villagers witzerland had two Birankai Dojos,S one in Lausanne and one in Bern though there was a small Stephan Corsten group of Birankai members in Zurich without any Birankai Dojo close by. These people trained in several Aikikai Dojos. Quite a few of them stopped training for some time, maybe because they couldn’t practise what they were com- Photo: Jasmina Ritz mitted to. In 2005 Stephan Corsten was allowed to teach once a week in the Aiki-Kai Zurich Dojo. Finally the group had a platform to practise Chiba Sensei’s Aikido. Since we had the space only for one evening (Friday training) everybody was depending on additionally training in the Aiki-Kai style. We quickly realized it’s very confusing to train one day in this style and then on another day in a different one. We have to admit though, it does open the mind. But it is very difficult to embody the movements. In addition Photo: Stephan Corsten our agreement with the Aiki-Kai task. Real estate prices as well as wanted a real and permanent Dojo. foreclosed any recruiting or grading their rents are at the level of London The identification with a compact place of students. There was quite a gap or Manhattan. Of course we were also where you train, sweat and bleed in is to Sensei’s vision of the practice thinking of a gymnastic hall or any a strong bearer of the spirit of Budo. of Aikido. room we could lay out our mats for For three years Stephan has been In 2009 Chiba Sensei and Daniel the training. But the longer we were looking for a place big enough for Brunner Sensei suggested finding our searching the clearer it became that training and small enough to finance. own Dojo. In Zurich that’s not an easy we should find our own Dojo. We In 2012 he was not able to join Photo: Jasmina Ritz 4 BBEE MUSUBIMUSUBI JJulyuly 2013 summer school in Worcester, UK. For us, members of the Kan Zen In, Keep looking for your own Dojo! ☯ And as if it was destiny in exactly the a new part of the journey has started. same week he found a room which We want to meet the meaning of our Stephan Corsten 4th Dan had been used as a Dojo before. new name and we will fill our Dojo Aikido Birankai Zürich - Everything was there - except for a with the spirit of Birankai Aikido! This Kan Zen In Dojo ceiling high enough… We took it! On is already visible and people entering Limmattalstrasse 354, 8049 Zürich 22 September 2012, the exact day the Dojo realize right away - this www.aikido-birankai.ch when Daniel Brunner Sensei was is a special place and everyone is [email protected] celebrating 50 years of teaching, welcome! 30 May 2013 Aikido Birankai Zurich was founded. Finally we had a room and eight members. Philippe Baur, Matteo Laffranchi, Stefan Wegmann, Christian Schwarzer, Rahel Buchter, Anastasia Stamatiou, Daniel Isele and Stephan Corsten. Of course Daniel Brunner Sensei became our honorary member. So actually we were nine, two more than Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’. And as a matter of fact we were many more, because we also had many villagers that helped us building up our ‘castle’.