Osensei memorial training & a new Tojima sensei video

Sunday April 27th we will be having our Osensei Memorial Training honoring the founder of Aikido Ueshiba Morihei Osensei.Training will start at noon and go to 4 pm. The final hour will be a discussion hosted by the instructors about the founder's message 40 years after his passing. Please attend.If you are relatively new and don't feel confident on the mat yet for a training like this, please come and watch. Even though by our counting this is the 39th year since his passing, by Japanese count it is the 40th year. Truly a milestone. For those wanting to make it an aikido weekend, there will be training and a ceremony Saturday the 26th at Aikido of Santa Cruz.

I am also in this blog attaching a new Tojima sensei video. This one highlights his bo or long staff movements. In Shingu the 5 foot bo was taught instead of the more widely used aiki jo. Notice how precise Tojima sensei's movements are yet how at the same time they are fluid, natural, and explosive. I am also describing the man himself. I also provided a sound background for this video. I am not attempting to play music at all. I am simply trying to express through sound the energy shapes that Tojima sensei is producing with his movement. The horn is very much fire, so I mixed in a flute background to convey water.

Words from Anno sensei

--Train, train, train… until you have a natural stance, natural form, and natural joy.

--Maintain your center. Don’t allow yourself to deteriorate. Think about how to use your center and not your physical strength.

--As you continue to train, it is important to align yourself with Osensei’s Aikido. However, it is difficult to do Aikido consistently. We get caught up in winning and losing.

-- It is important to practice well, practice hard, and make progress. Keep polishing, to become more and more radiant. And wasn’t that Osensei’s dream? For each person to train, to become more radiant, and to bring that increasing light into the world….


The above words are some I borrowed from a flyer from Linda Holiday sensei containing translations from the teachings of Motomichi Anno sensei, 8th dan and chief instuctor of the Shingu dojo. I found them very inspiring and wanted to share them with you all.

I have been studying the new Osensei book("The Secret Teachings of Aikido" by Morihei Ueshiba). Anno sensei's message is essentially the same(big surprise), yet at the same time put in his own words. They are by no means a copy of Osensei's writings.