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 March 2010 Volume XXVIII Number 3 Sennichi no kingaku yori Reverend Kensho Furuya ichi nichi no meisho April 25, 1948 – March 6, 2007 Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher. – Japanese Proverb Letter From the Editor he tried to teach off the mat as well as on it. Last year we weath- by Mark Ehrlich ered an economic crisis that touched almost all of our members, Editor, The Aiki Dojo but we’ve emerged this year on decent financial footing, with a student body that shows a healthy mix of newer, developing, and The first months of 2010 have raced by, and we’ve arrived at the senior students, and a leadership team that grows increasingly third anniversary of the death of Reverend Kensho Furuya Sen- confident in its ability to lead us into the future with a solid sei, the founder of ACLA and this newsletter. He suffered a sud- grounding in the principles and teachings of that most remarkable den heart attack while chatting with his students on the mat after person who made all of this possible in the first place. We are practice on the evening of March 6, 2007. He died later that still standing, and we stand together. night at LAC+USC Medical Center, six weeks before his 59th birthday. I share this history with you not to gloat or tout ACLA, but to illuminate those readers who never knew Sensei or trained under In the three years since that fateful day, I feel grateful that I can him, or who come to this letter not having experienced directly say the dojo has continued and even prospered. The first year the shifts that took place before today. We’ve taken great pains seemed the hardest, as we who studied under Sensei and never to ensure that everything looks much as it always did at Second knew dojo life without him struggled to find our own way. In and Vignes Streets, but believe me, the effort needed to keep doing so, we made some mistakes as well as some useful discov- things looking serene and calm has at times seemed barely toler- eries; we lost some students and found some others; we mourned able. It stands as a testament to Sensei’s commitment and singu- and we moved to a temporary space not half a block away from lar ability that he did for years, all alone, what it takes a team of Sensei’s beloved dojo while builders prepared a new one for us. six nowadays to do to keep the doors open, the lights on, and the 2008 saw us settle into our new dojo and witnessed a shift in the newsletter reaching you. way we do things at the leadership level, as our senior students took their first steps past modeling what they knew under Sen- Continued on page 2... sei’s aegis, and began to reach a deeper understanding of what Aikido Center of Los Angeles www.aikidocenterla.com In This Issue… Letter from the Editor A Bridge To Emulate a Teacher by Mark Ehrlich ……....…....Page 1 by Paul Major……..……...…..Page 8 by Roberto Magallanes ….....Page 13 Glimpses of Sensei Holding the Course Sensei‟s Humor by Frances Yokota ……..…....Page 3 by Mike Van Ruth ….……..…..Page 9 by Leonard Manoukian .........Page 14 Sensei‟s Lessons Our Teacher Is Always With Us “You Are Not Him!” by Dr. Helen Hsu…...…....….Page 3 by Mike Hatfield .…….......…....Page 9 by Jim Bassett .......................Page 14 A Memorable Dinner With Sensei Sensei and the Art of Conversation Letters………..……..….…. Page 15 by Gary Myers….....………...Page 4 by Kevin Hoffer……….….…...Page 9 ACLA: Then and Now Stealing and Giving Sensei in the „80s by William Allen ...................Page 16 by Matt Seki ,.................….....Page 5 by Louis Lee ………….....…..Page 10 Just One Moment My Memories of Sensei Chosen Path by Shaun Menashe…..……...Page 17 by Alvaro Hernández Meza,...Page 5 by Rev. Kensho Furuya ….....Page 11 Saying Thank You The Slow Road to Enlightenment Growing Up With Sensei by Jacob Sisk ……….……...Page 18 by Ken Watanabe …………...Page 6 by Maria Murakawa …..…....Page 12 Untitled Sensei‟s Genius Untitled by Rev. Kensho Furuya ….....Page 19 by David Ito…..……..…........Page 7 by Rev. Kensho Furuya ….....Page 12 Learning and Doing Far Away Reflection on the Way by Santiago Almaraz …..…...Page 19 by Rev. Kensho Furuya …......Page 8 by Steven Shaw ……….…......Page 13 Class Schedule/Map..….…. Page 20 Letter From the Editor ways open, and we welcome you to come make progress as those around us make continued from page 1... back as best you can. Sensei never seemed progress. You only advance as you help happier than when we had a crowded mat. your practice partner and those around you Yet I think it stands as an even greater testa- to advance. ment to ACLA’s students that, despite our I have so much feeling welling up in me as I limitations, we nonetheless try time and remember my teacher, the times I had to- We are each individuals with our own wants again to do our best, to honor Sensei’s leg- gether with him and the times I’ve had since and needs, yet, we are so intricately co- acy by teaching what he taught, by learning he departed, but no more words. So I think dependent on those around us. It is within the way he would have us learn, by training it best to let Sensei have the last word; he this contradiction that we can begin to un- as regularly as we can, and by helping each liked to get it anyway! The following ex- derstand the meaning of harmony and other along so that the group flourishes. I cerpt originally appeared in the January peace. Our training guides us to transcend want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of 1992 newsletter (vol. 8, no. 1) as an insert, a the world of “you” and “me”, “I like” or “I ACLA’s students and friends for all you do. special note from Sensei to his students. I don’t like”, “yes” and “no.” Peace is Each of you makes us strong, and your ef- take it to embody a kind of mission state- never a form of discrimination, accepting forts give us the hope and heart to continue. ment that Sensei intended to give his dojo, this and rejecting that according to our own and I think its message bears repeating. I folly. In this issue, many students and others who hope it inspires all of us to continue for- knew Sensei celebrate his life, recalling ward, come what may. There is an old saying among the samurai memorable episodes together, or lessons warriors of long ago: “Cry in the dojo and learned, or exploring some aspect of their * * * laugh on the battlefield.” This means that relationship to him and how it still impacts I am always grateful to see so many people our own self-discipline may be harsh and them today. We’ve included letters from practicing hard in the dojo and enjoying demanding but when we enter the battlefield kind readers who only recently learned of themselves and really coming to understand or venture out into the world, we should Sensei’s passing, and from those who still Aikido as a martial art and as a way of life. always smile and take it lightly. If we make marvel at his book Kodo: Ancient Ways and the mistake of becoming too self-indulgent share it with everyone they can. I believe In this fast-paced world of changing values in our training, we will assuredly be disap- Sensei would find this outpouring of affec- and attitudes, it is difficult, but so impor- pointed in the outside world. Please con- tion and nostalgia pleasing, but that he’d tant, to preserve the original form of Aikido tinue to practice hard and support our won- still admonish us to keep our proper focus and what it has to teach us. It is of vital derful dojo. on training. For those of you who train with importance to understand O’Sensei’s teach- us, stay with it! For those who’ve wandered ings within ourselves and pass this gift on to – Reverend Kensho Furuya off for whatever reason, our doors are al- others. I firmly believe that we can only Page 2 Aikido Center of Los Angeles www.aikidocenterla.com Glimpses of Sensei mats. Others in black hakamas greeted me and let me sit and by Frances Yokota, Aikido 3rd Kyu watch the class that was just about to begin. As I sat on a folded blue mat set against the wood paneled wall, a middle-aged stout Nearly 20 years ago I first met the man, also in hakama, began descending the long wooden stair- late Reverend Kensho Furuya Sensei. case. It was Sensei. Walking toward the dojo, I entered the old railroad warehouse alley that As he taught each class thereafter, everything he said was clear, would soon lead me to the Aikido simple, and certain. He would teach with candor, humor, and Center of Los Angeles.