TAYORI
Selected Articles from Issue 7
February 2001
SPRING LEARN-IN
2001!
A club activity for Spring of 2001 has been planned
and approved by the club instructors.
It will be called, “Spring LEARN-IN 2001!” We have chosen the date, Saturday, March 17, to hold the
learn-in. What it will encompass is the
conducting of three special classes for all of
our students during that morning.
The classes will be planned and taught by all of our instructors. Students are encouraged to attend and train
in as many of the classes as they can.
If they can not make it to all three classes, they should practice in at
least one or two of them. All the
instructors will be there at the classes to help each and every one of the
participants. The learn-in will end
with a lunch. There will be a small fee
charged to buy bentos for anyone who will be at the lunch. Detailed plans are currently being worked on
and further announcements are forthcoming.
Parents are invited to participate also. You may observe, just have lunch with us, or
if you would like to, you may participate in the sessions. You will be introduced to the exercises your
youngsters go through each session. You
may also try and learn breathing exercises, etc. We would love to make this a “family” affair! If the shirts are received on time, we will
also be distributing our new “Hilo Seishikan Aikido” t-shirts at the learn-in. So, come and participate everyone, and learn
at Hilo Seishikan Aikido’s “Spring LEARN-IN 2001!”
CLASS ADDED TO SCHEDULE
We have been able to get another time slot at the
Waiakea Recreation Center and have added another class to our club’s weekly
schedule to better provide for our members.
The class will be in session on Friday evenings from 7:00 to 8:15
p.m. We are currently conducting Open
Aikido classes for anyone from beginners to more experienced persons. Everyone is welcome to come and join. Those currently enrolled in our club are
also welcome to come and practice during this class time.
T-SHIRT SALE IS ON!
A sale of official Hilo Seishikan Aikido t-shirts is
currently going on. The t-shirts will
be a shade of blue with the characters for “Seishikan” printed on the back,
with the words “Hilo Seishikan Aikido” printed over the characters. On the front chest will be a patch-sized
logo of Hilo Seishikan Aikido. On sale
will be youth sized t-shirts, adult sized t-shirts, and adult sized long sleeve
t-shirts. Prices are: youth t-shirts $8.25; adult t-shirts S-XL $8.50; adult t-shirts XXL $10.50; adult long sleeve t-shirts $15.50. We were fortunate to get some very
reasonable prices.
Forms
for placing your orders are available through your instructors. The deadline for all orders is Monday,
February 26. The distribution of the
t-shirts is planned for mid-March, possibly during our Spring LEARN-IN
2001! It all depends on our receiving
the shirts in time. At any rate, place
your orders on time. Show your spirit
and pride in Hilo Seishikan Aikido!
PHILOSOPHY
Dr. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, is considered
one of the foremost figures of modern martial arts . He is recognized as one of the three giants of modern budo along
with aikido founder Morihei Uyeshiba-sensei, and karate master Gichin
Funakoshi-sensei. All three of them had
interesting and similar philosophies, and it is interesting and valuable to
examine some of their thoughts. The
following is one of Dr. Kano’s philosophies and worthy of our thinking about.
Dr. Kano said, “There are two types of judo—small
judo and large judo. Small judo is
concerned only with techniques and the building of the body. Large judo is mindful of the pursuit of the
purpose of life: the soul and the body
used in the most effective manner for a good result.” The exact same can be said of aikido! Think about it and make this a part of your daily life!
AIKIDO TRAINING
Aikido is a relatively recent innovation in the world
of martial arts. Morihei
Uyeshiba-sensei created aikido, after training extensively in several different
schools of jujitsu, sword fighting, and spear fighting. O-sensei also immersed himself in religious
studiess. He developed an ideology
devoted to universal harmony.
Aikido is not
only a system of fighting, but it is also a means of developing and
improving oneself. True aikido has no
tournaments, competitions, or contests.
There is no “sparring” in aikido.
Aikido is learned cooperatively at a pace related to the abilities of
the aikido student. Uyeshiba-O-sensei
taught that the goal of aikido is not to defeat others, but to defeat any
negative characteristics that one may personally hold. At the same time, the potential of aikido as
a means of self-defense should not be ignored.
Aikido can be a truly effective means of self-defense. Aikido has its roots in several styles of
jujitsu. Judo is also rooted in
jujitsu. Although aikido has its roots
in jujitsu, as well as sword and spear techniques, we must also remember that
O-sensei also made his own innovations into aikido techniques. Those who have followed him have also
influenced aikido and its practice.
There are no shortcuts to gaining proficiency in
aikido. The same may also be said of
all other aspects of living. In order
to gain proficiency in aikido, one must make a sustained and dedicated effort
in training. Learning aikido might be
characterized as a “marathon,” not a “sprint.”
it is impossible to become good at it in just a few months or years.
There are today many different schools and
organizations that offer training in aikido.
Many of these differ especially in philosophy and what is stressed in
training. In America there are dozens
of organizations, each differing slightly from each other. However, we might
point out that almost every aikidoist believes in two aspects of aikido
training. First, that one should always
seek a peaceful resolution to any conflict, whenever possible. Second, that one should seek
self-development and self-improvement through aikido training.
We might also look at the word, “dojo.” Dojo refers to the place where we learn “the
way,” and also to carry on the way. In
our case, “the way” refers to “the way of Hilo Seishikan Aikido.” The word dojo implies much more meaning and
feeling than merely “gymnasium” or “place to take lessons.”
(continued in next issue of
Tayori)
Back to:
HILO SEISHIKAN AIKIDO
O-Shima Ryu
Hilo, Hawai`I
Questions, comments, etc.
