takemusu-scribblings

Underworld Awakening

2012-01-21T20:23:00.001-08:00

This year being the end of several calendars including the Mayan, we are all perhaps waiting for some catastrophic event or change. I sort of gauge this by checking the premier date for films I want to see and then checking them off that so far I have made it to............Last summer Thor and Green Lantern. And now I must add to my list "Underworld Awakening".

I must say I find these films starring Kate Beckinsale fun. And they explore mythic themes and even social ones that might not be apparent. But the main reason for going to see the film is to see Kate again as Selene. I do enjoy other films with her. And I find it interesting that Ralph Barbieri on KNBR has on more than one occasion referred to her as the most beautiful woman in the world. She is by far my favorite of the modern actresses. A sort of latter day Diana Rigg. It is interesting that they both have played characters in form fitting battle suits. But besides both being British they are both very outspoken and intelligent. Ms. Beckinsale studied both French and Russian Literature at Cambridge. I once read that she said these days the only place she gets to practice her Russian is at the hair dressers.

The first and second in the series are by far my favorites. The third, while dealing with the history of the Underworld mythology and exploring Lucian, who, outside of Selene, is the most interesting character, left out Kate. So while I saw it it was a great disappointment. And I was afraid the series would end there. But I got my wish and it has continued for at least another film. A fourth. And just as the character of Selene dominated the second, so does she in the fourth. I must admit I am more a Selene fan than an Underworld fan. Just as I was an Emma Peel fan more than an Avengers fan. So after an absence of 6 years here we go again.

The film auspiciously opened January 20th as did Underworld Evolution. And this is also the same date the Avengers returned to American tv for a second run in 1967. AS the first two films explored the connection between Selene and Michael, and therefore had a romantic/sexual sense to them, this one explores the connection between Selene and a young girl that explores the sense of Mother. But there is even more action in this one than in the first two. In fact I still haven't decided what this film is yet.

The main shift in this film is that humans have discovered the existence of the vampires and werewolves and have declared a martial law and state and have taken steps to exterminate both species. So not only is there tension between vampires and lycans, there is the added sense that humans are now also an enemy.

One of the things that gets overlooked in these films is that both species are enhanced with special abilities and are looked upon in the popular vernacular as monsters. And this is even heightened in this film. One might question whether the vampires and werewolves represent(symbolically) the next step in our evolution(transforming to a deeper and truer level) and how that level might present itself initially to us as a monster, something fearful and evil. And so to see the current film explore that was interesting. And to see the scenes of martial law and the extermination of the monsters was quite scary. It makes you question who are the real monsters. Foster Gamble's documentary Thrive puts out the possibility of martial law and that those in control have a plan to eliminate a sizeable portion of the human population. So some probably unintended parallels. And it is interesting that martial law is oftentimes put out there as for the good of all when it really serves the few.

I saw it in 3D and even though pricier I think it added to the experience. There is a lot of intense fantasy violence. Which if not your bag probably means the film is not your cup of tea. I tend to find films like this cleansing. Often in the Eastern sense there is the archetype of the destroyer. Creation cannot happen without must be accompanied by destruction. Selene's initial reason for being as a death dealer was the extermination of the lycan race. In this film this is channeled into the protection of the young girl with whom she has a mysterious connection. Even though the stunts are spectacular I love the films because they are not about a woman doing man-like things. Just as Diana Rigg did in her day they present an aspect of female power that is quite distinct from the male and yet equally potent. I think Ms Beckinsale embodies this well. She indicates quite a transformation for the first film. She had to learn to run on camera. To fight. To shoot. She even found that her hands(large enough to be as big as Ben Afleck's during the shooting of "Pearl Harbor")made it easier to handle the guns. So for this film everything is polished.

So both thumbs up. If you enjoy films like this you will enjoy this one. I even urge you to see it in the theater because I would like to in my own selfish way see still another.

Here is a bit of information virtually no one on the planet has: What is an unusual connection that both Kate Beckinsale and Morihei Ueshibe Osensei both share? Answer: They both have their moon in the sign of Gemini. And still even more little known: Both moons conjunct my sun in Gemini.

For tomorrow's NFC championship, go Niners! And here is still another video from the movie "Thrive":

congratulations to 49ers and alex smith

2012-01-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

I must say I was a doubter. Both of the team and the quarterback. I secretly longed for the niners to be a flashy offensive machine with an emphasis on passing. This team surprised me by winning and by continuing to win. Great defense. Dominant special teams. Offense good enough to win. Quarterback much better than in his first 6 years but still a "game manager". Not a Montana or Young. So I have kept on waiting for the
bubble to burst and I am still waiting. And I hope I am still waiting in March.

There were flashes. Down 20 to 3 in Philly and a comeback against at that time what was considered to be an elite team and on the road. 4th and goal in Detroit with a minute left and do or die and a touchdown to Delaney Walker with no room for error.
But nothing to suggest what would take place last Saturday. Alex Smith has been the target of so much negativity over the past 6 years. And I must include myself in that. Sports astrologer Andrea Mallis(www.virgoinservice.com) predicted when he was drafted that he would be a flop of Ryan Leaf perportions. When I learned he was going to be retained she said he would be much better this year because Jupiter(expansiveness and good fortune) was now in Taurus which is his sun sign. And she has been right. But Saturday he played a game for the ages which can stand up to anything hall of famers Montana and Young ever did on a single game basis. With 4 lead changes in the last 4 minutes he ran for 1 touchdown and passed for the game winner, both times answering Saints touchdowns that gave New Orleans the lead. It was two equal forces slugging it out with the niners on top when the game ended. Really no loser in a game like this. But for that day the niners established themselves as a force equal to one of the elite teams, and that was not the perception of them going into that game.

I love it when I am proved to be wrong. The Giants did it in 2010. The niners and Alex Smith have done it this season. When you know everything the world is always the same. But when you are amazed, shocked, and positively proved wrong the world has a sense of wonder that is quite special. No one expected the Giants to win it all in 2010. And no one could have forseen what the niners have done this season.
Regardless of what happens Sunday in the NFC title game, it has been special. And seeing Smith transform and grow before our eyes has been special. Certainly my life has been much more an Alex Smith-like one before this year life than it has been like one of the annointed. And to see him rise to the occasion, show immense courage by transcending all the failure and negativity of the past, and to deliver when everything game wise was on the line was incredible. And rejuvenating. There is nothing like what happens when something that has been weak transforms into a strength and even a force. I wish him well for the next game but regardless of the outcome I thank him for Saturday's moment.

With the tradition of Montana and Young there is a lot of rare air here when we look at quarterbacks. So just coming into the space of the bay area and the 49ers is tough. But Smith may well establish his own mark here. Even when he was less successful I liked him as a person and the unassuming way he carried himself. This is very refreshing in this culture, which worships heroes and asks for more and more cliches. So Go Alex for another week!

I am including another clip of me that was shot for the movie "Thrive"(www.thrivemovement.com)

2011 a retrospective

2012-01-03T17:23:00.001-08:00

Well 2011 has come and gone. It is now the new year 2012. The new year always brings a fresh energy. But let's travel back to 2011 for just a bit. I'm sure it was quite a year for all of us. So what stood out for me personally this year?

So I will start with the Santa Cruz Summer Retreat. Being a part of that event and celebrating Anno sensei's 80th birthday both on the mat and at the huge gathering at the Cocoanut Grove will be a highlight not only of last year but of my life. It is wonderful when you can celebrate not only the event but the man. And to see and be a part of that spontaneous outpouring of loving devotion for someone who truly deserves it was memorable. And let us not forget the hardships Japan has undergone in the last year , with the earthquake and the more recent flooding in the Kumano region. By the way I just spoke to Anno sensei over the phone last week. It was brief but very heart felt. And let us all look forward to his coming this July.

Also a very moving experience for me was to be named to the honorary board of directors of the Chet Baker Foundation. Page one on the foundation website includes Dave Brubeck, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock....To put things in perspective I am on page 6. Chet's closest friend Artt Frank has been instrumental in filling me on not only on the fine points of Chet's playing but also about the man himself. I was able to visit him towards the end of 2010 and I hope to visit again. This is definitely not for my musical ability, but I will take the honor on the basis of what I have stood for in my life.

In January of last year I was privileged to be able to play with San Jose's jazz ambassador Eddie Gale. Just being able to counterpoint with someone of his level is an astounding thing. It would be like playing one on one with Michael Jordan. You would learn something. A dvd of that session was made, " Sounds for Peace" and is still available at the dojo.

I also want to mention the Menlo College Summer Retreat. It is always wonderful to catch up with and spend the week with senseis Robert Nadeau, Frank Doran, Hiroshi Ikeda, and of course Mary Heiny. Mary will be teaching at our dojo February 8th. And of course it gives me a chance to hang out with Dianna and Vladi, which is always special.

And I want to personally thank Robert Nadeau sensei and Robert Noha sensei. We spent the year trying to put a sizeable dent in cracking the code to Osensei's knowledge. Hopefull more of the same this year.

2011 also saw the premier of the movie "Thrive", a documentary put out by Foster Gamble and his wife Kimberly. Just after returning from the Japan trip in 2006 I was approached by Foster to have some footage of me shot for this documentary. So we did. While I did not make the final cut for the film, sections of the footage are included on the dvd, the website(www.thrivemovement.com), and on youtube. I am including one of these:

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T12:43:00.001-08:00

Well Christmas is just around the corner. The classes at the dojo will be on a very reduced schedule from today through New Year's Eve. We will do our annual New Year's Day training 11am to 12;30pm. And our regular schedule resumes the next day Monday January 2nd. 2012 has been projected as a target year in that it is the end of several calendars. Regardless of what may come I feel we will all continue our training in the New Year. During the second world war in what must have been equally trying times Osensei moved to Iwama to farm and he continued his training in that environment. His birthday was December 14th, earlier this month.

Another birthday this month is Chet Baker's. He was born on this date 82 years ago during the year of the great depression in Yale Oklahoma. He moved along with his parents to Southern California at about age 13 and is generally associated with the West Coast or cool jazz sound of the fifties. But he had his roots in Oklahoma.

The two men would appear worlds apart but they do reflect the role of the artist in difficult times.Ueshiba was in his earliest days an activist. When the government was coming down on the fishermen of his native Tanabe. Osensei would stand on the docks and tell the goverment enforcers if they didn't leave he'd throw them into the ocean. He was very active in blocking a strong special interests move to use the government to let them take over the lands of local shrines. During the second world war he left Tokyo to farm and train in Iwama. But it is as if he were surrounded by powerful forces and energies his whole life and left Tokyo to further deal and clarify his relationship with them. My feeling is that his act was much more than that of a pacifist. His life I'm sure intensified when he left what could have been a sheltering hysteria and craziness in World War II Tokyo.

Baker was outwardly very different. According to his closest friend, Artt Frank, he was acutely aware of social and economic inequities. He would give the shirt or jacket off his back to a homeless person he felt the world didn't care about. And his wife Carol tells of a time when he gave $20 to someone who looked desparately in need. She told him it was their last $20. He told her not to worry, went into a club, and came out with the news that he had a gig and that there would be money.

Apparently both Ueshiba and Baker had a very loose relationship with money and lived for something much greater. Ueshiba's manifested in something outwardly much more spiritual. And his family had substantial money which subsidized his quest. Baker in Europe in the eighties was making $200,000 a year yet lived from gig to gig without a permanent residence.

Baker's drug use remains an issue of controversy. However my view of things has shifted a bit during the years. While I am not condoning this there is something else that I feel has clarified for me at least. The closer one gets to something vastly original, some people may call this God or Universal Intelligence, the greater the push. There is often the thought that closeness brings light and love. I believe these are somewhat earned and that the push must be faced and integrated for true light and love to manifest. Without this my sense is that we hang out in a conceptual sense of the light and love which may be quite attractive, yet ultimately lacks aliveness and vitalness. Ueshiba handled this with a life of rigorous training and self-scrutiny. And possibly what he achieved in the end was more complete. But Baker as an artist was incredibly non-conformist and lived life totally on his own terms. Uncompromisingly. And there is a purity in that, too. And don't underestimate the rigors of jazz life. When I asked Artt Frank if he played with Chet in Europe, Artt answered that he was asked but declined because what went on there was said to be able to take ten years off your life. Baker lived to almost 60 and probably would have kept on going if he hadn't fallen out of a window of a hotel in Amsterdam and hit his head on a post on the way down. My sense is that Chet was very close to something and that produced an incredible push, which he handled through his music and, unfortunately, his drug use. But I have a clearer sense of this. I feel if Ueshiba and Baker had met they would have gotten along. What Osensei does with space and time in his movement, Baker does through sound. I feel if Ueshiba' lineage had been music, he would have excelled. And if Baker has chosen warrior, he would have as well. And I speak of both in the present tense because I feel the energy of both men is still vitally alive, with tremendous implications for the challenges we may face in the near future.

So we look at Warrior in Artist and Artist in Warrior when we consider both men. The artist must be a warrior to meet and overcome all the challenges and struggles that will be there. Ueshiba Osensei had severe health issues his whole life. Baker had to re-learn how to play when he lost his front teeth in a brutal beating. But there ultimately must be artist in warrior. Just being a warrior as it is normally phrased is limiting. Joseph Campbell in his book Myths to live by states that the artist is responsible for bringing new energy into the culture, and without this the culture will decay.

Anyway, Happy Holidays. This is a video of a Chet Baker recording of Silent Night:

Odds and Ends

2011-12-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post another picture of Tojima sensei from his visit to this area in 1979. Again this is courtesy of my good friend John Putica, who gave me these photos. As you can see he was quite active during his visit and not just on the aikido mat. Tojima sensei raised bonsai on his own and would go on excursions into the mountains during which he insisted plants talk. So as you might have gathered from past blogs, he was quite a remarkable person.

AS I announced in a message sent e-mail to dojo members we will be expanding the non-profit or Takemusu Shinbuden part of our activities. Again it is a non-profit that was given to me to help spread the message of aikido. And a lot of this is to honor my friend Steve who passed away just a year ago. Last Wednesday night we offered norito or formal Shinto prayers for Frank Silvey who was in the hospital for a procedure. But in addition to that we were able to go into some of aikido's least understood practices. Sometimes during class this does not get transmitted. So I am thinking the second Wednesday of each month we will end the aikido a bit early, around 8pm. We will start the intermediate/advanced a little earlier for those who come to that portion. But everyone is welcome to stay. We will do formal norito, but this will also give time for other aspects of aikido to surface that we don't do justice to during the training portion of the class. The training part is important because it establishes the body as a space for transformation so this is not to diminish that. But certain things also need to be presented not only informationally but also experientially. For example last Wednesday we took everybody through the ritual of fire water steam. And there are many other things we will also explore. Ultimately aikido is a deep study of how the universe operates and one's true relationship to self and the universe. So we will keep everyone posted. And there is no charge for this. People can stay in gi or come in in street clothes. There is no charge for this. Donations however are always welcome and are tax deductible, not for the dojo but for the non-profit.

Looking at the picture of Tojima sensei, some of our older students will recognize that it was taken at our original 6th street Japantown location. There was an apricot tree to the front of the building and to the left. Tojima sensei is just giving it a trim, just as he I'm sure did for his bonsai.

I just posted a new video of long staff or bo. Last Saturday we did a good hour on the long staff. For awhile I was working mainly with the jo, even though the movements were technically bo movements. And I have also spent some time using the 3 foot staff. But for now I am back working with the long staff. I hope you enjoy it.

Fundraiser, Niners, and More

2011-11-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

The Fundraiser/Training went well. We had a solid turnout for the training and the donations continue to come in even after the event. I think we have at least made a sizeable dent in this year's power bill. I want to thank Linda Holiday sensei for teaching a wonderful class and bringing a warm and vibrant energy to the class. Ditto Harry and Dianna sensei's. A good time was had by all attending. My one regret is that Vladi was unable to attend. And remember that Dianna is teaching iaido on an ongoing basis at the San Jose dojo so if you are interested in regular ongoing instruction that is possible.

Last Friday night I attended the premier of Foster Gamble's "Thrive" in Richmond. I had earlier attended a private showing. But seeing it on the big screen was quite a thrill. If you would like to see the film you may stream it for a modest $5 at the website: www.thrivemovement.com. I bought a dvd and will sometime soon try to do a dojo showing of the film which is feel is quite important. As evidenced by the Occupy Wall Street movements we are facing a meltdown of our economic systems as well as other major systems. Foster presents both a frighteningly informative at the same time hopeful film dealing with what is going on.

A lot of Foster's film details how everything is programmed not only to survive but to thrive. A great local example is the current 8-1 49ers. Those following the team in recent years have found much frustration and little hope. But with the addition of a new head coach(Jim Harbaugh), a virtually new coaching staff, some very timely free agent acquisitions, basically the same team as last year is thriving. It is somewhat similar so far to the Giants of 2010. That team had dominant pitching and timely offense. The 49ers have dominant defense and special teams and a so far timely offense. Regardless of the remaining games it is obvious to all that last years play hard but mistake prone and disappointing team has transformed into a no-excuses accountable tough intelligent joy to follow.

And nowhere has this change been more evident than in the quarterback. Alex Smith has played intelligent almost mistake-free football and when called upon has made the big plays. Quite a contrast to his old image of failure, disappointment, and being the object of fans' disappointment and ridicule. This change has been major. Basically even though I was disappointed in his play I always liked him as a person. So I am more than willing to admit I was mistaken about him and that we can only wonder how far this transformation will go. A dream would be Niners vs Packers for the NFC title game. Aaron Rodgers(Whom I wanted the Niners to draft) vs Smith(whom I didn't want). But for all Rodgers brilliance, how can his story match that of Smith?
This is like the Rocky films. Something weak and flawed inside ourselves that is transformed into strength. It is the stuff of wonder. Last season when the Niners were 0-5 I texted a student that the Niners would be 0-6 and that Jim Harbaugh would be the next head coach. I was one for two.

This video was shot outside Tenchi Aikido in Sebastopol. The song is the classic "All the Things You Are"........

sci fi double bill from the past

2011-11-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

I recently got some pictures from my good friend John Putica(known him since high school) who had some photos of Tojima sensei's visit to Northern California in May of 1979. The color photo is of him taken at Big Trees in Santa Cruz. It is interesting that the Giant tree has a womb-like feel to it. Tojima sensei had this persona of being real cool. He could appear to be just another Japanese tourist with a camera. But of course he wasn't. I hope you enjoy the photo.

Sunday Night (October 31st) I went to the Stanford Theater in Palo Alto for a pair of sci fi classics from the distant past. They were probably special effect extravaganzas for their day.Showing were "Forbidden Planet" and "The Time Machine".
I can't remember if I saw "Forbidden Planet" in theater before. I've certainly seen it countless times on tv. I've always thought of it as Star Trek before Star Trek. Leslie Nielsen plays a very Captain Kirk type Starship commander. The film came out in 1956 and the special effects were done by the Disney studios. Robbie the robot steals the show. The plot is based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest". A starship comes to investigate the survivors on a planet from a previous starship voyage. They find all crew members dead except for a scientist(Morbius played by Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter (Anne Francis). The planet had been inhabited by a very advanced race that for some unknown reason suddenly died out. The crew of the first voyage had its members murdered by some unknown force, bodies literally ripped to pieces. It is mysterious that the scientist has survived somehow. And of course his daughter falls in love with the starship commander. I thought this very Star Trek, although the tv series came out later in the next decade. If you haven't seen it it stands up well and is very entertaining. Anne Francis I remember best as "Honey West" , a sixties half hour tv show that had her portray an Emma Peelish private eye..

"The Time Machine" came out in 1960. It won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. It starred Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux. I remember seeing it in a theater in Santa Cruz(probably the Del Mar) and being really taken by it. I so wanted to be able to travel through time. There is much more a romantic sense to the Time Traveller and Weena in the film than in the novel....I remember being very scared of the Morlocks. And I remember seeing the film on tv with my parents and still being very enthralled by it. The scene underground where he goes to rescue Weena and confronts the Morlocks was and still is very gripping. In that futuristic world humanity has been divided into two races. There is an underground technological species called the Morlocks, who have descended into cannibalism and raise the surface dwelling and very passive Eloi as food, providing them with food and clothing. I had a chilling thought that in today's world the select few special interests that run the world are like the Morlocks. Have we become Eloi, passively accepting our condition on the planet while corportations really rule us? There was a 2002 version of this film I saw with my friend Marianne. I was very disappointed and much prefer the original. It is interesting that HG Wells emerged later with his time machine to become a semi-regular character on one of my favorite all-time tv shows, the -90's "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman". And the shows featuring this character with its time travel concepts are among my favorite episodes.

In spite of the lack of technological sophistication to the effects, I enjoyed both films immensely. Also seeing them in a real movie Theater, brought back memories from the fifties and sixties of going to see films with my father or my friends in a huge theater.A much different experience than we have now. I recommend you check the listings for the Stanford Theater, as it shows film classics and lets you see it in a theater experience from by gone days. It's charming.

I am including a youtube video of Chet Baker titled "Grey December" . It is mainly a vocal but notice how haunting and expressive his delivery is even though the song is sung very low key. And the trumpet playing is short but sweet.....

Halloween and Other stuff

2011-10-30T17:41:00.001-07:00

We had our annual Halloween Party last night. It was a small but very spirited gathering. I want to thank Mike Driscoll and Sean Feurtado for their assistance. I think everybody had a great time. My costume for this year was Green Lantern. I got a Lantern and Ring from Atlantis Fantasy World in Santa Cruz.

We are still moving towards our November 13th fundraiser/training. Again we will be holding a raffle during the post training social gathering. So if you have anything or any service you would like to donate, please come forward. Frank Silvey will be organizing this.

November 11 will be the premier date for an important film and documentary produced by a longtime friend, Foster Gamble. "Thrive" is set to premier not only in theaters but also streaming online on 11/11/11. This is a very important film tying such things together as UFOs, conspiracy theories, global ecomonics, infinite free energy sources.....I don't want to make this sound frivolous at all. It is important and please at least check in online. The website is www.thrivemovement.com . I shot some footage for the film in 2006. While I did not make the film, some footage will be on the dvd and the website.

The just concluded World Series was bittersweet. The Giants with better health and the off-season acquisition of a big bat could have beaten either the Cardinals or the Rangers..

And the 49ers have been a revelation. It is great to see this team with such an illustrious tradition headed back in a good direction. With today's win they are 6-1.
Before this season Andrea Mallis(www.virgoinservice.com) predicted that Alex Smith would be better(he has a favorable Jupiter) and he has. The touchdown pass against the Lions 4th and goal at the 6 yard line was a defining moment. I have always liked him personally and am glad for his success.. Hope both his and the team's continue.

I just finished a new video which was shot at the October 1st Spirit of Japantown demo. I want to thank Meng, Steve, Shin, and Yu-Chen for their participation. And Frank Silvey for shooting it.

Fundraiser/Training and More

2011-10-18T20:08:00.001-07:00

We will be having our 3rd annual "Help Us Keep the Lights On" fundraiser/training on Sunday November 13th. Our power bill is due towards the end of the year and this helps us weather the storm so to speak. It is interesting that this year marks the 35th year of the dojo(it opened in July of 1976, the bicentennial year). It also marks the 10th year of the dojo at our current Martha Street location. Indeed time has a way of passing.

Since we have not done much weapons work this year I thought it would be interesting to make that the focus of the training this year. Joining me in teaching will be senseis Linda Holiday(Aikido of Santa Cruz), Harry Concepcion(Aikido of San Jose) and Dianna Lynne(Happokaze Budokan Fair Oaks). Each will bring something unique to the presentation.

Weapons work is sometimes seen as advanced. But I would like this to be something that a new person could use to get oriented to this aspect of aikido. At the same time I would like to offer something that a student of many years could attend and be introduced to something new. So quite a challenge. My feeling is that the techniques of aikido are more than just techniques. And that a certain approach to weapons can be useful in breaking the code for what they represent. And I am interested in presenting that in a way where both a beginner and a student of some years might both find something.

Osensei did a lot of work with weapons and a lot of that training was by himself. When he was alive he did not like people doing weapons, even mentioning to some of his senior people who had formulated their own systems that they should not teach weapons. That they did not understand sufficiently. My sense here is that Osensei's use of weapons was alchemical or shamanic. That he was using the sword and/or staff to interact with or navigate certain forces or energies. For him they were apparently about transformation. About codifying both himself and his relationship to the universe. Therefore not to be confused with the sense of making aikido a martial art or giving people more material to learn.

So the challenge here is to make a very basic but deep presentation where weapons are presented in a way that he might approve and further the growth of both newer and more advanced students. My feeling is that the weapons and the way they are presented constantly need to be updated while still somehow maintaining a connection to their history and source. Certainly a challenge.

So the event will be Sunday November 13, 2011 at the San Jose dojo. The time will be from 1pm to 6pm. There will be 4 classes with breaks in between. There will be a social gathering after, with drinks and snacks provided. We are going to have a raffle then as a part of the fundraiser. Those who would like can donate an item for the raffle. Dianna Lynne is a very gifted bodyworker and healer and has offered bodywork sessions 10 minutes for $10 all of which would go to the dojo. The recommended donation for the event is $50, but those challenged may use a sliding scale. And those who would like to donate more are certainly welcome to do that. Getting a tax deduction for a donation is possible. For that or any other question please contact me jack@aikidosj.com. Those out of area reading this blog who would like to be involved in the fundraiser please feel free to contact me.

I got a new phone with a good video camera. I shot myself at the local Y shooting baskets. I do that strictly for fun and just enjoy moving and creating. And the background is a little piece Dennis and I did at the dojo......

Iaido class in San Jose

2011-10-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

We recently had our World Peace Training on Sunday September 11th. It was well attended and there were some great demos as a part of this event. One thing this allowed me to do was to work again with Dianna Lynne and her wolf Vladi. A couple of years ago after a workshop in Sebastopol at Centerfield Aikido she and I did a video together of sword drawing and cutting with music in the background. And of course Vladi added his magnificent presence to the event. It went well and happened to be filmed by James Gauer. So after a couple of years we decided to try it again. And a video was done anew.

I have done some sword cutting with her. It is different than working with a bokken. One thing that was stressed in Shingu, especially by Hikitsuchi sensei and Tojima sensei was the importance of treating the bokken as if it were a live blade. Hikitsuchi sensei insisted that Osensei told him if one mastered the secret of aikido a bokken would be alchemically transformed into a live blade, ie a cutting weapon. And as has been recorded earlier, I have seen Tojima sensei literally cut through a bokken with his own bokken.

If working with a bokken there is a tendency to work the cut off the body. Of course that is what happens anyway. But with a real sword cutting through an object there is not the feeling of weight that can come with a bokken cut. It is as if the body and the sword unite and create another level of body where the sword in some sense leads. It is a very interesting feeling. And if you go mental or muscle the sword just bounces off the target.

Even though aikido is outwardly a grappling art, on another level its movement is based on the cutting movement of the Japanese sword or the thrusting/cutting movement of the Japanese spear. A lot of the concept of tai sabaki(body changes) come from this weapons traditions and are practiced in aikido as body arts. These days one cannot walk around with a sword or spear.

Dianna is currently teaching an iaido class at the San Jose dojo the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month following the noon class. She is also a gifted bodyworker and healer an on some occasions will be available for those sessions as well. For more information check info@aikidosj.com

911 re-examined

2011-09-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of 911. It is definitely the day the world changed. I remember waking up in the Santa Cruz mountains. I was living there at the time in a cabin in the outskirts of Felton. From a personal perspective I was waking up to a radio alarm. It was set to catch Mike Krukow on KNBR and I did catch him, but he was not talking about the Giants. At the time they were in a race for a playoff spot and Barry Bonds was chasing the home run record which he would get later. But all that was being talked about was the tragedy of the Twin Towers in New York City. It was quite a wake up. Remember Steve Mariucci was then coach of the 49ers and after a few years of being bad by their standards they were once again a playoff team. And I remember him putting things in perspective by saying that even though football games were sometimes metaphorically referred to as "war", they were definitely not........

War is tragic and when personal loss is suffered it is personal.....Often times aikido is referred to as the art of peace. We must remember that peace is not a concept, but a reality that takes much evolution and transformation to achieve and we are not yet there as a species. My feeling is that Ueshiba Osensei created the art of aikido to help us evolve to where things could be settled without war. In the book "The Heart of Aikido" he mentions he was given what he considered a divine edict to stop the war. When he could not he moved to Northern Japan, built the Aiki Shrine, and trained further so that he would have something to offer the world after the war had ended. He also mentions in that book that he forsaw the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the time of fire. Even though I personally don't know this, I get the feeling he may have experienced up North what it was like in that holocaust. In the NHK documentary "The King of Aikido" it is said he had the reputation of being able to feel what it was like to be frost on the ground. So my sense is that he probably experienced much of the destruction and loss of life that took place then. Just a hunch. So he was not a detached otherworldly mystic, but rather an evolved being at home and a part of both this human world and a much more divine order.

I remember visiting Japan November of that year with Linda Holiday sensei. We went to visit Anno sensei. And the 3 of us went to pay our respects to Hikitsuchi sensei, who at that time was still alive but no longer training on the mat. When asked how the world at that time could be fixed and healed, he said the most important thing was for aikido's spirit of "mamorisodateru kimochi" which I would interpret to be the spirit of loving protection to be brought more into the world. On this 10th anniversary of 911 I couldn't agree more. Tomorrow we will hold a World Peace training at the dojo from 4pm to 5pm. Demonstrations at 5. Refreshments after.

It was quite an event to visit Shingu so close to 911. I remember people being so supportive. I remember visiting Tanabe and Osensei's grave with Anno sensei and Linda sensei. We were told in the early '70's that training in aikido was for the sake of the world(sekai no tame ni) meaning we were being trained to bring that spirit of loving protection into the world. Somehow it was fitting to visit the Shingu dojo at that time. And it seems also fitting to have the training tomorrow.

Shingu & Anno sensei Update and More

2011-09-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have heard that the Kii Peninsula in Southern Japan where Shingu is located has been hit by a very powerful Typhoon/storm. The Shingu River has overflowed its banks and flooded much of the town. The dojo itself experienced some flooding but apparently the mat area inside is okay. Anno sensei and his wife are said to be fine. They live in Mie Prefecture and have several houses on their property. Their main house was flooded but they have moved into one of their houses on higher ground. Hopefully the dojo and the people of Shingu will do fine through this. In my time there there was nothing to compare to this recent event.

As you are probably aware the 911 event in Ben Lomond has been postponed. But we are having our own event on September 11. No charge. Just donations for food and drink requested. 4pm training which I will teach. 5 pm demos. After that food and refreshment which we will send out for once we get a count. My friend Dianna and Vladi will be there and we will do a new version of 'Blade Horn and Wolf' as a part of the demo.

With all that is happening in the Shingu area I thought I would put on another video from my early time there. This is some footage of Tojima sensei that has not yet appeared on youtube. It makes me sad because after this and a little bit more there will be no more new videos. Here is some footage of irimi nage counters with yours truly as uke. Notice how natural he is. This is not rehearsed at all. Not refined or staged. Just like a Chet Baker solo played entirely in the moment. That is definitely a reflection of the training there at that time. I included a photo above of Anno sensei and myself at Tojima sensei's grave in Mie Prefecture. This was taken during the 2006 trip to Japan.

Of course I have a vivid imagination. But I often wonder what he is up to on the other side. I have a definite feeling he is with Osensei and probably quite active with whatever Osensei is involved in on the other side. I do not get that either of them are non-existent or inactive. As you can tell I had quite a time during the filming of this. The rest of the dojo was upstairs watching some recently shot videos, many of which have appeared on my youtube channel. So Tojima sensei felt relatively unrestrained and put on quite a show. Now let's take a trip back in time to 1973...........

911 update and more

2011-08-29T22:10:00.001-07:00

The 911 concert and aikido demo in Ben Lomond has been postponed. I will update the event when a new date is reached. So keep watching these pages for further info.

Just talking to people about the summer movies has brought forth more themes. It just hit me that Thor and Green Lantern offer the same theme in different directions.
In Thor a god is found lacking in humility and is stripped of much of his power and cast down to the earthly dimension as punishment for rash and destructive behavior and to learn how to deal with limitation. In Green Lantern a normal flawed human being has to deal with being given a power ring which elevates him to a god-like level: he can turn his thoughts into reality.

I think both directions are crucial and interesting. If one were to have great power one might never learn the importance of patience, compassion, and the ordinary side of things. Often times what makes a hero or heroine interesting is their life in their secret identity. In the comics Thor is cast down to earth, given a human persona with a physical defect, a lame leg. Thus he needs a cane. Eventually he finds a cane in a cave and finds when he taps it on the ground he is transformed into the god of thunder. And the cane becomes his enchanted hammer. It was probably my favorite Marvel comic. Thor had to deal with being in love with his nurse Jane(in the movie an astrophysicist) and the fact his father Odin did not approve of his son's choice.

Green Lantern explores what would happen if a limited human is given almost limitless power. I began to read this comic in the late '50's so it pre-dates my Marvel period. The film does a great job of exploring how one's humanity can be looked upon as a definite limitation but in the end might be one's biggest asset. Like Thor having to stand up to his father Hal Jordan must question the Guardians of Oa who are immortal and who created the Green Lantern Corps.

Whether it is an all-father or a group of immortal beings it is sometimes important to realize that the larger more universal perspective is not necessarily everything. That this must be balanced by one's more human side. So Thor must balance his godhood with his human feelings for Jane. While Green Lantern Hal Jordan must confront the Guardians about certain choices they have made and how they impact the universe at large.

I am surprised the Green Lantern movie was not more successful. It might have been too cartoon-like in its outer space sequences. Or maybe people decided to save their money for Harry Potter. I thought it was an excellent film and the best movie of the summer by far. If you missed it don't miss it on dvd. And for me Thor was right behind Green Lantern. I liked it better than the Iron Man movies. And I am looking forward to seeing the character in The Avengers movie next year.

AS you can tell both characters go through a lot and have to deal with a lot. So I thought you'd enjoy this youtube video of a Chet Baker standard "Everything Happens to Me". It's a later vocal. His vocal as well as playing style changed as he matured. I like this one because after the vocal and a beautiful piano section he plays unmuted. So this is my favorite version of this song.

More on 911 event

2011-08-15T22:55:00.001-07:00

The 911 event is coming closer in time. Initially I thought we were going to have a 60 minute segment to film. I found that it is closer to 30 minutes, which is much more manageable. We do need to start to organize that and we will soon. But I would like to share more thoughts on this event.

This is both a great honor and a great responsibility. It is a great honor because it is just for things like this that Ueshiba Osensei created the art of aikido. To help unite the world into one family. Peace must be based not on political leverage or military force but on the simple sense that we recognize the essential kinship to the planet that unqualifiably binds us together through a sense of oneness. Ie family. So to represent this art in such an event is an honor beyond belief. And for the same reason it is a great responsibility.

I included the picture of Eddie Gale and Anno sensei for the reason that both men in their own way represent this vision beautifully through their being. Anno sensei through his aikido and Eddie through his music. Just as being with Anno sensei one senses the depth of aikido in his being, one on meeting Eddie Gale can feel how music permeates his being. And it is beautiful loving music.

One way you can support the event is by purchasing a ticket and attending. It is a $50 commitment but this will go towards a scholarship fund at San Jose State University. Eddie Gale is commited to supporting inner city youth in their development through music and just helping in this way may nurture someone who can change the planet. One never knows what wheels can be set in motion by one's choices.
If you do not feel you can attend the event one can make a donation to help create a scholarship for someone who could otherwise not attend to go. If you contact me at jack@aikidosj.com the donation can even be tax deductible.

The event will be held at the Sequoia Center in Ben Lomond. Just being there will change your mood. It is a power spot, ie a location which at the same time energizes and calms. Set beautifully amidst the redwoods just getting out there is something else. Both Frank Silvey and I made a trip out there and it is one we will not forget.
There will be an hour concert by Eddie Gale and his Inner Peace Orchestra in addition to our demo and a showing of sensei Lou Bermingham's art work. You might have caught his recent show at the Triton Museum.

More on this event as we proceed forward. I am including a youtube video describing the event:

movie review:captain america

2011-08-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

I saw Captain America last week. I must say I enjoyed it quite a lot. I put it up there with the recent X-men, a shade below Thor and Green Lantern. It has been quite a summer for costumed super-heroes. The majority of it is set in World War II. I think it has been set as the last good war, where we were seen as clearly in the right and evil, in the form of Hitler and Nazi Germany was very clearly defined. The first season of Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman series was set in WWII as well and was very enjoyable. I think there is a reassuring sense when evil can be so directly pointed out and and we can feel good about who we are in relation to it.

Chris Evans, who played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films is cast here as Steve Rogers. I thought he was the best cast in the FF films and he does not disappoint here. Tony's father Howard appears here as a part of the Marvel Universe timeline. It is almost as if Thor and now Captain America is the ready us for next summer and The Avengers film.

I remember reading the '60's revival version of CA as a teenager. I believe both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did the original and they wrote a lot of his first revival stuff as a part of the Avengers comic. He replaced the Hulk, who went on to be an enigmatic figure who was seen to be a loner and to somewhat be a villain. Captain America was not one of my favorites. I was disappointed that he got his powers through a super soldier serum. He was originally portrayed more like the Batman, someone who has no powers but is trained past the peak of human performance to be a super hero anyway. I was disappointed when I found out he was an enhanced therefore somewhat super powered hero who was given basically a super steroid. In the film they play the chemical part down and emphasize the vita-ray aspect of his transformation. And his shield became something he used as a weapon in creative ways. This is also brought into the film.

So this has the charm of an old World War II movie mixed with the action of one of the old serials and brought into modern day special effects and CGA. So it is quite a lot of things. If you are thinking about missing it, don't. It is worth a look and then more. Marvel seems to have a great feel for bringing their characters onto the screen. I am sure Stan Lee never felt he would be doing cameos in blockbuster films in the 21st century when he was creating this stuff in the '40's and '60's. And if possible go to the comic book stores and try to get some of the original Jack Kirby work on this character. It is awesome.

A great great film set in World War II is Casablanca. And of course with that comes that song: As Time Goes By. I came upon this version of it by Chet Baker quite by accident. It is so associated with Dooley Wilson that I listened to it with a lot of apprehension.... But Chet does a great job with it. And the trumpet work at the end is understated, lyrical, and haunting. All Chet Baker trademarks.

Santa Cruz Retreat and more

2011-07-19T17:34:00.001-07:00

The Santa Cruz Retreat was a very powerful experience for me this year. It was a chance to renew ties with very important people in my life:Anno sensei and of course Mary and Linda senseis. We all go back a long ways. I was able to do all of Anno sensei's classes and in addition caught him Tuesday night last week before he left for the airport. And I was able to make it to the airport to see him off. He seemed in great spirits. And it was nice to be able to see Linda and Mary senseis and there growth on the mat and of course spend time with dear friends.

The Saturday night birthday party for Anno sensei at the Cocoanut Grove was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. And it wasn't even my party. When I was very young my parents would very occasionally get a night off and out and go dancing there. I think my 20th high school reunion was also held there. But this occasion was very special. To see someone honored for over 50 years of training. To realize what a pivotal role he has played both in my aikido career and my life. To be able to see him able to bask in the glow of all this love and approval and support was very very special to me. I sincerely thank Linda Holiday sensei for arranging it and all those from her dojo who gave their time and energy to make this happen.

One of the other things I wanted to mention is that we have been invited to participate in an event this September 11(it is a Sunday). The event will be held in Ben Lomond at the Sequoia Center and will feature Eddie Gale and his Inner Peace Orchestra, us, and sensei Lou Bermingham and his artwork. So this will be an event combining music, art, and aikido and should be unforgettable. More on this as it develops. This is what Jane McGonigal, author of Reality is Broken, terms superstructing. This is where existing structures which are not connected interconnect, with the fusion breathing new life into each of them. There is the thought that the world as we know it economically, environmentally, socially may be winding down. One way of avoiding this is superstructing, bringing together disciplines and ways in such a manner as to renew the larger structure of everything. If you are a member of the San Jose dojo and would like to participate in some way please let me know.

And it wouldn't be July 19th without my wishing Dame Diana Rigg "Happy Birthday". Her birthday is tomorrow the 20th. Definitely one of the most influential people in my life. And on the 26th we can say Happy Birthday to Kate Beckinsale, who is my definite favorite among the younger actresses and shares many things in common with Dame Diana. Will we one day see Dame Kate as well?

And I would also like to thank my friend Dianna as well. It was wonderful to see her at the retreat.

Retreat/movie reviews/birthday/miscellaneous

2011-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the Menlo College Retreat which ended yesterday(Saturday). The weather was about the best we have ever had. There was one day in the low eighties with the rest clear sunny and in the seventies. The cafeteria food was better than last year. There was a real unity and harmony among the instructors which is always important. I took my bike and was able to get in a good ride everyday, which is vital to keeping my blood sugar under control. I was able to play each day. I got the requests to play at the follies but side stepped it as usual with I'll do that the day Nadeau sensei sings or dances. As usual there was a lot of important work done after dark. This retreat is like Gotham City. The real important work gets done after the sun goes down. It was wonderful to see Mary Heiny sensei and to share memories of Japan and our long friendship. And I got to hang out with Dianna and Vladi. I must admit to watching classes from underneath the bleachers in the "wolf cave" or "wolf den". I actually got to walk him by myself, which I think is a first. So one retreat down and the Santa Cruz Retreat in 2 weeks.

I saw X-Men before the retreat. I was very surprised and found that it was my favorite of all the X-Men films. Of course it was a prequel of sorts set in the sixties around the Cuban missile crisis. And the comic came out right around then. As I remember there was a great doubt as to whether the comic was a success or not. Some people thought that since Spider-man was a teenager and the Fantastic Four was a successful superhero team this was just an attempt to cash in my creating a comic around a superhero team of teenagers. I remember that while I read it it was not on my A list:Spider-man, Thor, Dr. Strange, later the Silver Surfer.......But the movie was well done. Especially Eric Fassbender's Magneto. I thought given the sixties flavor he had an Sean Conneryesque presence in some of the scenes that seemed to be a bit of a homage to the early Bond films.

And Thursday night after our evening sessions Paul and I went to an early showing of
Green Lantern. GL was one of my favorites pre-Marvel. For many years I had a copy of Green Lantern number one from the Silver Age. I realized I was just storing it and gave it willingly to a friend who gives it a good home. I saw it in Digitalized X which is an advanced form of 3D. I saw it again last night to come down from post Retreat energy high. My sense is that in 3D it comes across as too cartoony. I liked it much better in regular. But definitely 2 thumbs up. I would give give X-Men 1 and a half thumbs. And Thor one and three quarters. So I liked it obviously. But then I was set to like it and it would have had to be very disappointing for me to not. The box office report was that it was a little on the disappointing side(52 million) but I saw it last night at a late showing and the theatre was packed. Reviews from critics have been very unfavorable, but a film like this is almost expected to draw bad reviews. Try reviewing a Fairy Tale. Or a myth. I'm sure critics would find fault with them. A very flawed human is chosen by a dying alien to wield a power ring, which endows the wearer with incredible powers limited only by the wielder's imagination and will power. So even with the tights and flying the character is a bit different from the run of the mill superhero. And the wearer must come to grips with his own worthiness since the ring itself chose him. Ryan Reynolds was a perfect Hal Jordan. I initially thought Blake Lively was a bit weak as Carol Ferris, but upon seeing it a second time I take that back.

The comics sell and turn into blockbuster films. They represent today's mythology. Often times there are good themes that are incomplete. In X-Men the real question is are we going to reach the next stage in our collective evolution ? Will humanity transform into its next level before the planet is unable to sustain us or anything else? And this has nothing to do with growing wings, reading minds, shapeshifting, or controlling magnetic fields. As the mutants are feared as something different and new so we remain dulled and trapped in a very mundane universe largely of our own creation. We fear ultimately what is inside us. In the X-men this is projected out onto the mutants.

In Green Lantern the battle is will power vs fear....An immortal godlike group of beings has decreed that will power is the ultimate sustaining force in the universe and has formed an intergalactic corp of beings wielding rings that shoot out beams of solid light that can form anything the imagination can conceive as long as the will is there to sustain it. Fear is seen as the enemy and as eroding will power.....

Both mythologies ignore the central lesson of aikido , which is love. Fear is not the enemy of will power , it is the enemy of love. And the only way we will transform to our next level is to move through our collective fear and love ourselves totally enough to transform. In many stories Superman is duplicated into a being who has his power but not his ethics and morals. The villains behind this creation reason that a being of pure power will defeat Superman and that his humanity makes him weak. But time and again he wins because his love for life and humanity give him the strength to defeat a copy of himself who in essence has nothing to fight for.

Being a warrior (or a superhero) has nothing to do with power. Power is something that comes as the hero/heroine individuate. Even if they start out with abilities, those abilities only become power when the truth of their purpose or lineage lines up to a corresponding element of truth in the character. This is very well done in the Lantern film, as Hal Jordan comes to realize his power comes from his humanity, not from some edict from the Guaridans that he must be without fear. If you have not seen the movie, it is a must see.....

Just before the Retreat I celebrated my birthday. Thank you to all those in the dojo for the lovely gifts and thoughts.

Speaking of my playing on Wednesday night (June 22nd 7:30pm) we will a repeat of the showing of "Sounds for Peace" featuring jazz great Eddie Gale, Dennis Kyne, and myself. Videos will be on sale at the dojo, a portion of which will go to the dojo as a fundraiser. If nothing else please come and meet Eddie, a man filled with so much music.

the art of peace

2011-06-06T22:58:00.001-07:00

This blog is to showcase a demo we did May 28th at the world premier showing of the dvd "Sounds of Peace". But there are a couple of other things I'd like to comment on.
Something that has been in the news a lot both locally and nationally is the injury to the Giants young catcher Buster Posey. There has been a lot of give and take in the press and on the radio talk waves as to whether or not the injury was intentional or not. Posey was run over by the Florida Marlins' Scott Cousins, suffering both a broken leg and damage to an ankle. It is quite unfortunate for Posey, a bright young local talent who in the eyes of many is the main force on the field for the World Champion San Francisco Giants. And it appears that Posey was not blocking the plate leaving a lane for Cousins to slide and score what proved to be the winning run. Thus this incident has brought up a lot for fans of the local team.
Of which I am definitely one.

One thing is certain. I don't believe Cousins hit Posey with the intent of hurting him. I do believe he hit him with the intent of hitting him hard. Often times when you are in that sense that you must do all you can to win things like this do happen.
This is something that this particular culture and sports in general must look at. Sports are entertainment for most. For those playing this is not entertainment or even work. Often times this represents a dream that they are living and it where a lot of passion surfaces. And a lot of emotion. I do believe this is one reason that Ueshiba Osensei made aikido a non-competitive martial art. That if there is a competition it is an inner one leading to a sense of inner development.

One thing about the Giants this year. Last year they WON the championship. This year they get to BE champions. They have been severely tested by injuries to Posey and Sandoval. Nothing has come easy. So that for me will be the real test for the team and its fans. So the tests will probably continue to come. And I hope we all grow through all the "torture".

So here is the video of the demo. We will be doing a repeat showing of the dvd at the dojo Wednesday June 22nd at 7:30pm. The video is available at the dojo.It features jazz legend Eddie Gale and me on trumpet with Dennis Kyne on electric guitar. The video is available for a recommended donation of $15 of which the dojo gets $5. A $20 donation would give $10 to the dojo. It is professionally done and is quite beautiful. The experience of playing with Eddie is one I will never forget.
I hope you enjoy the demo:

Thor review and more

2011-05-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

I've seen "Thor" a couple of times so I am writing a review. All said and done I liked it better than the Iron Man films, although I consider those films a bit slicker and better fitted to today's world. Yet Thor takes on a more ambitious project, trying to bring to life a mythical god in the form of a superhero. And of course both Iron Man and Thor are members of the superhero team the Avengers. And that film will likely be quite good.

Thor came out in the comics in the early sixties. And with the revisionist tendency in comics, there was a Thor for each decade. The one I am most closely bonded with is the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby version of the '60's. I thought the film did a good job of acknowledging all the Thors. Jane Foster, nurse to Thor's mortal self Dr Don Blake, is now an astral-physicist. And Natalie Portman does a great job. And Chris Hemsworth's Thor is also good. Stan Lee loved to write this title because it gave him a chance to write Shakespearean dialogue. Not that a Norse God of Thunder has to speak like Hamlet. But at the time different and entertaining. And there is just enough of that along with Hemsworth's ability to have an immortal swagger and at the same time be lovable that makes the movie go. And his preference for mortal Jane over the goddess Sif is also interesting. In the comics Jane made her exit when given a chance to be an immortal she chose to not and Thor then went on to Sif.

The real scene stealer is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He reminds us what makes evil so dangerous is how seductive it is. He is able to take Odin's wisdom and Thor's power and turn them against each other. It was always so in the comics as well. So definitely see the film if you already haven't.

May 13th was the 23rd anniversary of Chet Baker's mysterious death. Our own Bruce Peterson was in Amsterdam and e-mailed me photos of both the hotel Baker stayed in his last night and also the plaque that is in front of that building to this day honoring him. A very entertaining book is the Evan Horne mystery by Bill Moody entitled "Looking for Chet Baker". It is a very imaginative part fact and part fiction look at the mystery surrounding Baker's death. It's interesting to me that I discovered his music when I was the same age he was when he died. And I picked up the trumpet after a 40 year hiatus on May 5th of '07, right around the date of his passing. I want to thank Alex Kolbosov for a 5 cd collection with some material I had never heard.

I am including a video of some music Dennis and I did at the recent party at Barbara's house:

Thor

2011-05-05T20:31:00.001-07:00

During my teens my favorite Marvel superhero was Thor. And lo and behold the movie opens tomorrow. With a new universe coming in and Ragnarok waiting in the wings we've actually made it (or so it seems) to the opening of Thor. Lots of energy. 5 planets all lined up in Aries(energy, assertion, aggression). And on top of that on a dark moon the bin Laden slaying(thank you Andrea Mallis) . So a lot going on. And it seems fitting that with such planetary force in action we have the God of Thunder in movie form....

The cover I have showcased is from Journey into Mystery 101. It is perhaps my favorite comic book cover. Ever. A giant robot hand coming out of nowhere. A Lex Luthor look-alike on its palm. The God of Thunder whirling his mythical hammer ready for whatever may come......I loved the Shakespearean diaglog Stan Lee wrote. I loved the fact that he had a human side with a noticeable weakness(lame leg). And he had a majesty and power that could manifest in incredible anger, hence the storm god image. I have always thought that Susano no mikoto, the thunder/storm god of the Kojiki was the same archetype in a different mythology. And of course Susano was one of Osensei's major archetypes from the Japanese myths.....

I had a lot of trouble with his father Odin. Odin was always prying into Thor's private life(he was in love with his nurse) and messing around with Thor's power.....
I think Anthony Hopkins should be a great Odin. So as you can tell I am looking forward to the movie. I'll do a review after I've seen it.

I am including the second part of the recent demo at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival.

Cupertino Demo--Without Mats!

2011-05-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 30th we did a demo for the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival. This included children, teens, and adult members of Aikido of San Jose. Now the mats are important for demos in general. And it is easier if they are provided as opposed to our shipping and carrying them ourselves. So there was a confusion as to whether or not the mats would be provided on the other end. Always much simpler. But in this case there was a misunderstanding and they were not.

So we had a 30 minute gap to fill. My personal sense is that sometimes opportunity knocks in strange ways. So we had to be more creative in how we represented the art. Sometimes it is easy to just give a physical/athletic demonstration of the art. So to talk about the history, the philosophy, is important as well. Sword and staff presentations can be good. Having the children and teens was good as it demonstrated that aikido is not just for a particular age group.

Having done countless such demos and then trying to watch and listen to myself after on video, I actually enjoyed this presentation and think we did a very good job. The video is about half. And I will put the other half online soon.

Easter Blog

2011-04-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

I want to comment on a radio interview by Tim Roye, the Warriors' talented play by play broadcaster. Having grown up with Bill King and then later getting used to Greg Papa, it took me awhile to warm up to Mr Roye. But he is fully embraced on this end now. I love his "Unbeeeee-leeeei-vable!" And he does a game very well. He recently did an interview with one of my all-time favorite players, Earl Monroe. YOU can access that interview at:

http://www.nba.com/warriors/multimedia/audio_archive.html

Monroe was on the West Coast to promote an awareness of type 2 diabetes, which both he and I unfortunately share. His point was that it is difficult to eat at restaurants that serve foods that diabetics can have. And so his trip out here is to promote the concept of diabetes friendly meals on restaurant menus. I thought it was fantastic that he is devoting his time to putting this out. I remember when the Adkins diet was trendy there was a lot of low carb fare available. Even deserts like low carb cheese cake. Unfortunately these have all but disappeared. And it was a pleasure to hear Earl the Pearl talk about anything at all. I believe he is very active in his post NBA life. I think he has his own record label. I have seen clips on youtube where he is promoting various artists.

I recently met a gentleman at the local YMCA on the Alameda who saw Earl play in college. He recounted a game where Monroe scored 66 points. And he sat out the entire 4th quarter! I like to go to the Y when the gym is relatively open and shoot and dribble. I like to spin and drive and shoot and pretend I am Earl Monroe. So he remains a great inspiration in my life. I find when I go to laundromats and have a choice of dryers I often choose number 15(his number with the Knicks) as opposed to 16(Joe Montana).

One part of the interview that I found fascinating was when Roye asked Earl how he, being 6'3" could get off his shots against bigger opponents. Monroe explained that being that height in the early '60's locally he played center, and he always faced a taller opponent. So he credited that for his ability to get his shot off in traffic. Monroe was not known as a great leaper, so once in a Bob Costas interview he said that he relied on "la la moves". He was an artist with the ball. His spin moves have never been equaled. Athletes today rely much more on outward athleticism than EArl did. So they rely on the speed on the cirle when they spin. Earl was an alchemist/magician who understood center and cirlcle and could literally create a different time/space around him and his move.

If you have a chance, please check out the interview. He goes over the NBA of the late sixties and early seventies. He talks about the wars between the Knicks of Walt Frazier and Dave DeBusshure and his original team the Bullets with himself, Wes Unseld, and a great player not too many now are familiar with, Gus Johnson. Ironic that Monroe later got traded to the Knicks. And he won a title with them. I was never a Knick fan, but I remember being happy that he got a ring.

The following is a video I did with the black Stormbringer sword I used halloween of last year. The sound the blade generates(an eerie song like those in the Elric books)
is real, although I did amplify it.

More Elric

2011-03-29T21:04:00.001-07:00

I've been reading Elric again. Del Rey books has issued a 6 volume set with wonderful illustrations and great intros by such people as Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. Michael Moorcock also has added a new intro to each edition which describes both his history as well as that of his most famous character. One thing he states is that he still finds Elric interesting, as opposed to Conan Doyle who came to hate writing the later Sherlock Holmes stories. I just finished "Black Petals" which came out in 2007 and it is a real thriller. Scary. Filled with the Elric mood. We all wait for the action with Stormbringer, Elric's sentient black runesword. And though at the end ,it does not disappoint at all.

My earlier view was that my favorite stories were in "The Stealer of Souls" and "Stormbringer", the first 2 Elric books. I initially found the later books to lack what I considered the punch of the earliest works. But I am revising my opinion. Having just re-read both "The Revenge of the Rose" and "The Fortress of the Pearl", I find I really enjoy these later works. Since Elric dies at the end of "Stormbringer" virtually all the Elric stories are prequels. So even though stories are set very early in Elric's history, Moorcock when he writes them is a much more mature and developped writer. I am appreciating this more as I am on my current re-read. One thing that jumps out at me is that the Elric books are much more mature and complex than the Tolkien books when it comes to dark themes. And there is a lot of dark in the Elric stories. He is an albino, lacking natural energy and vitality. He relies on Stormbringer, his black runesword, for energy. Stormbringer drains the life force or soul from a victim, feeding this to Elric. Really the sword and the man are one. Elric is described as being much more rational and human than his ancestors, who ruled from the dreaming city for ten thousand years. Stormbringer can only be wielded by one of Elric's line, so the sword needs Elric as much as Elric needs it. The sword has a personality of its own. During battle it sings a wild song and emits a black radiance which can be noticed even in the dark. It is constantly pushing Elric on to take more souls. Elric is often wary of his dependence on the blade and on the addictive quality of the power and energy that it feeds him. Yet both sword and man have a connected destiny that is very vital to the universe going into a new cycle. Often times change needs a motive force or energy that can be perceived as dark or even evil. Yet the change requires it.

One of my main reasons for re-reading the Elric books at this point is that it deals with the end of one universal cycle and the beginning of a new one. Elric is the agent of this change. He must fight and defeat his own gods, the Chaos lords. This will enable the new era of law or science to come into being. And he is literally pulled along his destiny by Stormbringer. There is some evidence that we are currently experiencing a major re-balancing of the dimensions of the unverse. The recent Japan earthquake and tsunamis are a symtom of this. When the universe re-orders itself it is felt from the finer dimensions all the way to our matter dimensions. So re-reading the books gets me personally in the mood.

This is an excerpt from the end of "Fortress of the Pearl":

They would speak of a white-faced creature from hell whose sword poured with unnatural radiance, whose crimson eyes blazed with hideous rage, who seemed possessed, himself, of some supernatural force, who was no more master of it than were his victims. He killed without mercy, without distinction, without cruelty. He killed as a mad wolf kills. And as he killed, he laughed.

Of course all those in Stormbringer's path were evil, evil, despicable.......And they all had generations of heavy karma they had to face. Elric's foes are usually beings intoxicated with power given to them by the Chaos lords who totally abuse this power especially over the helpless and innocent. The sword also, however, has a liking for lovers and friends......

Moorcock first began writing about Elric in 1961. I discovered him probably in late '69. It is amazing to realize in retrospect how much you can be effected by a character in popular culture or literature. There is a reference to him in my Mrs Peel adventure. I went as the Melnibonean prince last Halloween. The newer novels though prequels give a much deeper sense of his psychological make up and battles. If you have never read him please take the opportunity to check out the new del Rey editions. I am sure you will enjoy them.

Last Saturday was the last of about 2 weeks of rain. Dennis and I came up with this piece.

Still Needed After All These Years

2011-03-19T21:02:00.001-07:00

March is definitely "Avengers" month. The show debuted on ABC on Thursday Night March 28th, 1966. March 20th two years later Diana Rigg's last episode was shown on ABC(first run, it has been shown countless times since.) Since tomorrow is March 20th, it is an anniversary of sorts. Her leaving the show had a profound effect on me. Realizing there were going to be no new Emma Peel episodes, I thought of taking up martial arts, a main theme for her and the show. That eventually led me to aikido.

I guess with the years we must begin to separate out the character of Emma Peel from the actress who played her. Emma Peel is an ageless, immortal social archetype. So many women who have made a real impact on society cite Diana Rigg's Emma Peel as being influential in their lives. Diana Rigg herself is an actress now in her early 70's(she is 10 years older than I) and I hope she is doing quite well. She is one of our greatest actors, having been made a Dame of the British Empire, winner of a Tony award, 1 Emmy(she should have won 3 for Emma Peel), and still, I think, active on stage.

Both are very similar. Emma Peel was a futuristic, space age heroine who dabbled in nuclear physics, avant garde art, fencing , martial arts, modeling......You name it, Emma could do it. During the run of the show a widow, she had a very modern relationship with John Steed. Diana Rigg has led an equally independent life, being the first actress of note to play a nude scene in a play(Abelard and Heloise) and again later in Tom Stoppard's "Jumpers". She has her sun in Cancer conjuncted by Mars(energy, assertion, aggression, according to Andrea Mallis @www.virgoinservice.com important for an athlete or for playing a physical role like Emma Peel)and also by Pluto(power). So she has a lot of the same characteristics as her character.

One would wonder what Mrs Peel would be doing at age 70? I'm sure still active physically, mentally, and spiritually. Maybe she would have gone into science and solved the unified field theory that eluded Albert Einstein. Or maybe she is a tri-athlete setting records for her age group. Maybe she would have taken up Aikido. I am sure she would be a 9th dan(they are no longer awarding 10th dan). Maybe she would have gone into economics and created a global sustainable economy.

One of the show's trade marks of its second season(in color in contrast to the first which was black and white) were the little vignettes at the beginning of the show. Mrs Peel was not a full time spy. She would be occupied with something and Steed would some how sneak in and let her know that there was action to be had. Kind of like Holmes telling Watson"Games afoot". I found this on youtube. It gives you a bit of the flavor of the show. There is nothing like it before or since:

So what does Mrs Peel represent to me? Beauty, power, intelligence, and love.......Yes, after all these years I am still in love with her. TV guide referred to her as" and Diana Rigg's Emma Peel is after all these years still a woman ahead of her time". But I still draw strength from her. I guess the character inspired me to live a life that is certainly not the norm. Yes, you are still needed......

Steve

2011-03-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

First, I want to keep everyone updated on Aikido teachers and friends in Japan given the recent earthquake and tsunami conditions. Linda Holiday sensei says she has heard by e-mail from Shingu that Anno sensei and the dojo and people there are okay. And I found out by e-mail today that classes were held at Hombu dojo in Tokyo. So that is a good sign. Let us send good energy to Japan.

I found out in December that I had lost a dear friend. Sometimes you tell yourself that you should contact so and so and you keep putting it off. And then you find that they are gone. This unfortunately was one of those. After thinking about contacting him for ages it seemed I found out from his widow Irene that he had passed away in late November.

I first met Steven Malamuth in fall of 1969 when I started aikido at UC Santa Cruz. We were both undergraduates, although that was my last year there as a student. Steve was several years older than I and had been educated abroad at the University of Mexico. Even though he was studying aikido, he was a t'ai chi instructor. In fact he was the first person certified to teach by Master Choy Kam Man. I began to study t'ai chi with him later in that school year. We got quite close. We even began to work on the pushing hands exercises, which are the more advanced drills in t'ai chi. Steve even taught me the sabre movements. Later I went on to study with Master Choy myself and got the pushing hands and sabre movements from him as well. I graduated in June of 1970. I spent a lot of the summer between graduation and starting up in grad school at UC Davis doing push hands with Steve.

I went on to Japan and aikido. He went to law school at the University of Santa Clara and opened a law practice. But we managed to keep in touch. In the '80's there was an aikido instructors' meeting in Oakland. After the meeting I wandered out into an intersection in front of a moving car. And behind the wheel of that car was Steve. So we re-connected. He moved on from practicing law to running a church with his parents. In 1991 he passed on to me a non-profit that was connected to his church in order to better spread the message of aikido and t'ai chi. I spent 10 days with him in early 1991 in Mexico on property located in Costa Careyes. I still remember his driving me around, telling me to be careful of the scorpions there, wading in warm coastal waters with people fishing with nets in the water. It was a magical trip. And the day I returned the first Persian Gulf War started. So it was a time I still vividly remember.

He was someone who had a very strong influence on me in my early aikido career and also in my early spiritual development. He was very intelligent. Multi-lingual. As I said, he had been educated abroad. He even picked up Mandarin. On his forehead he had a scar from when someone attacked him with a knife in Mexico. He used the "Raised Hands " move from t'ai chi to break the attackers elbow, but in the process he had that ever so slight scar on his forehead. So to someone raised very shelteredly in the Santa Cruz pre-University age he was exotic, charismatic, and had great influence on me.I remember in spring of 1970 there was an outdoor gathering at Merrill College. Robert Frager sensei organized an outdoor aikido gathering and shared energy practices with the students from the university who had gathered there. Instead of joining us in the aikido group Steve put on his t'ai chi uniform and did sabre in slow motion. I remember thinking of the Nemuri Kyoshiro films and the engetsu sappo. By the way Steve became quite a Kyoshiro fan. When the dvd set came out I gave him all of my Ichikawa Raizo vhs series.

Unfortunately Steve's martial arts career took a horrible turn when he was parachuting and broke his back. Bad luck and ill health seemed to be his constant companions as the years went on. He was on such strong pain killers I am sure his life was not easy. In the last several years he was very difficult to reach. One of his favorite pieces of music was the Concierto de Aranjuez in the Gil Evans/Miles Davis classic "Sketches of Spain". I had done a version of it and I wanted to make sure Steve saw it. Unfortunately he never did.

The non-profit is what is termed the Takemusu Shinbuden. It is a church meant to support the growth of aikido and it's larger practice. It is meant to be a means of spiritual growth and not anything normally seen as religious. In honor of his passing I am going to try and expand the activities of the Takemusu Shinbuden. It is meant to be a shrine and not a church. In Japanese an older word for center is miya, which also has the dual meaning of being a center.

I am including a video of me in the Japantown dojo doing the t'ai chi sabre movements originally taught to me by Steve. It is reformatted from an earlier video with music. I hope you enjoy it>

odds and ands

2011-02-14T18:06:00.001-08:00

Last week we hosted Mary Heiny sensei on Wednesday night. As always it was wonderful catching up with her, remembering old times and seeing what the landscape is these days. I hope her Santa Cruz and Monterey experience went well(and I'm sure it did). I'll be seeing her in the summer at both the Menlo Park and Santa Cruz Retreats. And as an added treat, Vladi came down with Dianna and I was able to spend some time in the office with him.

Over the weekend I was able to play some music with Eddie Gale. He is a good friend of Dennis. In the '70's during the Mineta mayorship, he was appointed San Jose's Ambassador to Jazz, a title he holds to this day. He brought his flugelhorn and we played together. It was shot and a dvd will be coming out later at some point. It was a privilege to play with someone of his level. He came in to visit at the dojo the previous week. I had heard about him through Dennis. I was immediately struck by the music inside the man. It was apparent just through the contact with him. I hope in the future that may be said of me. Or that the aiki in me is so apparent.

This video has been on youtube for a week or so. I am finally connecting it to a blog. The music is post my meeting with Artt Frank. So the sound is a bit different. The whole concept of a stream of creation using aikido movement is something I have always wanted to do. We see techniques much as musical notes. Ikkyo. Kaiten Nage. Irimi Nage. But what if instead of notes they were chords? What if the notes were just the flow of the music to the chords? A stream of creation. I hope you enjoy it if you haven't already seen it.

quite an honor

2011-01-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

Today I was awarded a great honor. I was named to the honorary board of directors of the Chet Baker foundation. Included on that are such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner.......My musical accomplishments are really quite small compared to these greats. But they are all people who appreciated Chet Baker's, for want of a better term,magic.

Joseph Campbell wrote in his book "Myths to Live By" that the most important conduit for new forces or energies to come into society was the artist. That they were the shamans and alchemists of today. The bringing in of new energies is also what I term magic, as that is what not only maintains such qualities as beauty, true power, purity but also allows in the possibility for change and growth and eventually, transformation.

So in my book Chet Baker was a magician. It was revealed to me recently that my major line is the archetype of the mage. Even though I am a sports fan, my major interest in sports has always been people like Earl Monroe and Joe Montana, who worked a magic in their fields. And I like to see this magic through the body, not just the theoretical side of it. Sacred knowledge embodied. So this is probably why I feel so close to Chet and his music. The other day I went into a Starbucks and ordered a coffee drink for "Jack". It came back to me for "Chet". Cool and somewhat eerie.

For me Baker's music opens up a whole other universe. Lyrical. Free. Beautiful. Expressive. Yet powerful. Some of his soft notes just burn and don't stop. And this extends to his vocals. There are other great artists. Yet for me Chet's
sound and phrasing and use of silence are unique and touch me very deeply. Outside of Ueshiba Osensei's aikido, I don't know if I've ever been so touched by an artist.

And I would like to thank Artt Frank. Without him this honor would not have been possible. Artt has just finished a book about Chet which I hope will be available soon. I was privileged to look at the manuscript while I was in Arizona. And this is being turned into a film. If I were producing the film I would emphasize the aspect of Chet as magician. There is enough magic in his music and life I am sure some of this will come through.

The word universe is translated as "the one song". My current sense is that if the universe is the one song, it is bebop. Bebop has to do with the 2's and 4's and 4's and 8's and 3's and 4's. I thank Artt for awakening me to a ground level sense of this during my visit in December. But this is very close to the numbering Osensei used in his diagrams of aikido. And make no mistake. What Chet Baker played was bebop.

I recently heard this rendition of California Dreaming by Bud Shank. When I heard the trumpet my sense was"Whoever was playing was really influenced by Chet Baker. Or I must have Chet Baker on the brain." I looked and it turned out to be none other than Chet himself. Enjoy!

The Green Hornet Rides Again-Movie Review

2011-01-15T22:47:00.001-08:00

I saw the new Green Hornet film today at a matinee. When I was I was in high school I used to listen to the Green Hornet radio episodes on Sundays when they were broadcast on KCBS radio. They used to do the Shadow, which I thought was better. But I enjoyed the radio episodes. Following the success of Batman ABC brought the concept to television in fall of 1966. Whereas Batman was played camp, the Hornet was a 30 minute action/adventure show that was largely played straight. And who really remembers that Van Williams was the Green Hornet. We all remember the show as basically belonging to Bruce Lee as Kato. The plots were largely unimaginative and the 30 minute time didn't allow for character development. What elevated the show way above the ordinary was watching Bruce Lee doing Kung Fu. Unlike the film there were no special effects added to the fight scenes. But when he moved it was as if there were special effects. It was so above anything else martial art wise that was being shown at the time. So you watched the 30 minute show to see about 60 seconds an episode(usually 2 fight scenes) of Bruce Lee fighting.

Anyway, the movie is a verry updated version of what was initially a very limited concept. But I found the film fun. Not good. Fun. Whereas there was always a real distance between Van Williams and Bruce Lee, this film is basically an action high tech special effects ridden buddy film. So there is much more emphasis on the buddy-buddiness of Britt Reid and Kato in the current film. And the issue of Kato being so much superior in all ways to the Hornet is dealt with, which it never was in the tv show.

Jason Chou does a good job of playing Kato. But it is a bit like Uma Thurman playing Emma Peel in the Avengers movie. Hard to match up to the original even with special effects and an updated concept. Cameron Diaz plays the secretary. And there is a hint of an attraction between her and Kato in the movie. This never would have happened on sixties television. Times have changed.

Those who remember the tv episodes will recognize little bits from some of the episodes. Bulldozers vs the car in a junk yard scene. The Hornet shot and Kato fixing the problem of Britt Reid having a bullet in him by pretending to shoot Reid in public. A lot of Chou's movement is meant to remind one of Lee's movement. He demonstrates an inch punch.Does lots of jump kicks. And moves well. But again hard to top Bruce Lee even with special effects.

So a good popcorn film. Catch a matinee. And the 3D was worth the extra couple of bucks. But my favorite 3D film is still "How to Train Your Dragon". I pulled the following off youtube. It is my favorite Kato kung fu fight with the real Bruce Lee:

My Arizona Adventure

2011-01-02T17:16:00.001-08:00

I spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and part of Thursday of last week(between Christmas and New Year) in the state of Arizona. It was a magical experience with the whole thing like a roller coaster ride. I had a very hectic Tuesday of travel. The actual flights, ie San Francisco to Phoenix, layover, then Phoenix to Tuscon, were uneventful. However, the real adventure started out at the Tuscon airport. Earlier this year I had to renew my California drivers license. I did so at the local DMV. However, I was not given the actual license, just a temporary one. I told them I felt the license would be lost in the mail. So to make a long story short, the license never arrived and I forgot about it. When I went to the car rental place at the airport, I found that I could not be issued a rental. My hard copy had expired. The temporary had also expired. I tried calling the California DMV to get a faxed copy sent, but was unsuccessful. In fact I twice was on hold to talk to a technician and was both times cut off after 30 minutes each times.

The car rental people called the local DMV so I could determine what could be done. It turned out I could apply for an Arizona license. Since my California license had been expired less than a year(my hard copy, the actual license had been over the counter renewed and paid for)I could be issued an Arizona license for $10. With the help of two power beings, don Jesus and don Emilio, I was able to get to the DMV and back to the airport with a license and was in the end issued a rental car.

I was able to stay with 2 old friends, Harv Moscowitz and his wife, Catherine Tornbom. I have known Harv since I first started aikido in 1969. And I remember Catherine from as far back as 1974 when she was training at the Aikido Institute in Oakland under Alan Grow. It was wonderful to see them both. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings produced some interesting conversations. I thank them both for their friendship and hospitality.

Arizona was a welcome 3 day change from the bay area. The landscape was filled with cacti, open spaces, and very beautiful and irregular mountain rock formations. When I go back I would like to visit the Sonoran Desert.

The purpose of my visit was to see Artt Frank. I had talked with him over the phone and via e-mail. But this was the first time I was able to do so face to face. It was truly a mega-event in my life to meet him for the first time as well as his lovely wife Lisa. Artt is one of the few remaining direct links to an era of music termed jazz and in particular bebop. Artt played with Duke Ellington, with Billie Holiday, with Miles Davis and other greats. But mainly Artt is very closely tied to Chet Baker. Artt not only opened his home to me for an afternoon, he shared with me private recordings of himself and Chet. He went over them in great detail with me, highlighting important new directions for me to look at. I have been working on what he passed onto me and have noticed some real changes, from embrouchure to improved co-ordination of lips and fingers. And Artt is such a passionate person around music and jazz history.

I came across this jazz version of "California Dreamin'" on youtube. I heard the trumpet player and thought he must have been strongly influenced by Chet. When I checked to see who it was, it was none other than Chet Baker himself.

Year end musings

2010-12-23T19:21:00.001-08:00

Today was my last teaching day of the year. We will be on an abbreviated schedule starting tomorrow Christmas Eve. For now my next class will be New Year's Day 11 am training. I found a great photo of Sonya(mentioned last blog) along with Harry and Elena Anderson. I hope you enjoy it.

Next week I will be heading to Arizona to see Artt Frank, a very close friend of Chet Baker. I just want to meet him(face to face, we've talked a lot over the phone and have e-mailed). Artt played with Chet, Miles, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington to only name a few. So he is definitely a great part of jazz history. And I hope to get a chance to play along with him. Fates willing. According to Andrea Mallis Mercury is in retrograde, so travel and communications can get skewed. And I hope to see a couple of old friends, Harv Moscowitz and Catherine Tornbom, who have re-located to Arizona. And I just realized this is quite a day to mention this, because this is Chet Baker's birthday. He was born 81 years ago in Yale Oklahoma.

I want to mention a couple of things about early next year. For the first time Division 3 will be having its own training. That will be the day before the CAA meeting at the end of February. It will be Saturday before the Sunday meeting and training. And it will be at our dojo as will the meeting. Hey, why not do both? And at the end of January there will be what by all indications a very important workshop for all those interested in Osensei's process. It is on Sunday January 30th at City Aikido in San Francisco and will be led by Robert Nadeau shihan. Nadeau sensei is a direct student of Morihei Ueshiba Osensei. I will be there as well. A lot of times people have no idea how to approach Osensei's stuff. It can be very immense and very difficult to grasp. So people on one end of the spectrum just give up and "just train" without getting a feel for the process the Founder worked. Or on the other end they go way too big way too fast and get lost in the size of Osensei's message. So this workshop will cover how to bridge the gap between the daily living applications of the process and how to expand that on the way to a larger more universal sense. So definitely not to be missed.

I just shot this video today with a new camcorder. The old one gave up the ghost and is one reason I haven't done more aikido videos lately. Thanks to Sean and Andrew for their assistance:

More Dojo Friends

2010-12-06T18:44:00.001-08:00

On the dojo website under the dojo friends section there is a whole piece devoted to Tiger. Actually over the years there have been many feline friends associated with me and the Aikido of San Jose, especially in its early inception. I remember the first 2 cats, one gray and one white, I named Gray Mouser and Elric after the sword and sorcery heroes. We kept Mouser and gave Elric to I believe Nick de la Torre, who then re-named him Frodo. We had a couple of plantar boxes in front of the old Japantown dojo and a litter of kittens was left. I named them for the Golden State Warriors of the time. We wound up keeping the one named for Sonny Parker. Sonny was a unique Russian Blue shaded cat. He had a gentle disposition and he and I were very close. Unfortunately he went missing.There are no photos of him.And out of the next litter left on our doorstep came Christina. She was an Orange colored cat who had several litters, one of which produced Jenny. Jenny was named by my own daughter, who is also Jenny. Both Christina and Jenny had many litters. Jenny produced Puff, who is pictured above with my daughter. Puff had long fine fur much of which had an almost flame-like quality. Now having so many litters meant the cats had to be given away. Many dojo members took members of litters. And this also meant the dojo had to be flea bombed very often. During one of these Jenny and her mom were visiting Jenny's grandmother in Walnut Creek. I was staying over in the dojo office. In the middle of the night I heard a little cry outside the office door. I opened the door to find Puff who had wandered away from his mom and his litter. I brought him inside and he spent the night with me. And I got in the habit of taking him upstairs with me at night when I was going to sleep. So he and I got very close. Unfortunately after only a few years we awoke to find him dead in the office. I am still haunted by the fact I should have realized how sick he was and gotten him help.

Sonya was Puff's half-brother. My daughter named him Sonya even though he was a male cat. He came out of Jenny's next litter. He and Puff were close. After Puff died He and I became great friends. He was a very big cat and carried a lot of weight. I used to race him up the stairs. He used to let me think I was going to beat him then race effortlessly past me on the last few steps. Sonya had a much longer run than Puff, but he succumbed to a stomach tumor in 1994. Both Puff and Sonya are buried by the old Japantown dojo.

Dennis and I have been practicing some Christmas songs. We did this one last week. I put it together with some photos. Also featured in the photos is Swiftwind, a white cat from one of Christina's litters. I named him after She-ra's winged unicorn. He was a good friend to both Puff and Sonya. Also pictured is Flash, who belongs to my friend Lorri Verzola, and of course Vladi needs no introduction.

Elric

2010-11-30T22:19:00.001-08:00

For the dojo Halloween party Frite Nite this year I went as Elric. I'm sure not too many people understood the character I was supposed to be so I thought I'd do a short blog on this. Elric is a sword and sorcery character created by the British author Michael Moorcock. Of that genre, he is definitely by far my favorite. It is unique that Elric cannot be really listed separately from his blade, the black runesword Stormbringer. They really exist together and cannot really be separated.
In the stories Elric exists in a prior age ruled by the Gods of Chaos. This is where magic ruled over science. Elric is the last of a long line of sorcerer/kings of the Melnibonean race. He has the power to command the elementals of wind and wave. He understands and can speak the language of the great dragons. When they are active(and they hibernate a lot) he rides them across the sky. He is an albino and so lacks natural reserves of energy. However he wields the black runesword Stormbringer which is a magical blade. When he kills the sword feeds him the life essence of his victim. So this energy gives Elric great power and more than makes up for his albinoism....So Elric will not only kill you, he will steal your soul. In fact both Elric and the blade are sometimes referred to as the Stealer of Souls.

Elric exists at the time when the age of the gods of chaos is about to end, hopefully issuing in a new age of order where science will rule over sorcery and magic. Elric is the agent by which the shift from one age to another will be accomplished. He must face his own gods:Arioch, Xiombarg and others in battle. And through all this he is pulled onward by his sword. As the age of chaos nears its end Stormbringer grows stronger and stronger. It pulls Elric along to his eventual fate. Those interested will find the stories quite entertaining, so I won't give away the ending. There is some talk about an Elric movie, given the success of the Lord of the Rings films.

Elric is the first of many of Moorcock's character to bear the mantle of the archetype "The Eternal Champion". Instead of a universe we have a multiverse where the same themes are played about in different universes. Elric meets on occasion other aspects of himself. I never found the others to be as good as Elric.

I discovered him when I was in grad school at UC Davis. His adventures kept me going at what for me was a low time in my life. My sense was that I wanted to do aikido, and yet I felt I needed to get a graduate degree for my parents. I suceeded in getting my Masters then headed off for Japan. But the period in Davis for me was very slow. So Elric was one of the ways I kept going. He is very similar to the Nemuri Kyoshiro character. Instead of Kyoshiro's magical full moon cut Elric wields a magic sword. But they are both very dark characters who face the real dregs of an evil world and somehow their darkness helps restore balance where in Elric's world the Chaos Gods and in Kyoshiro's the decadent nobility and upper class create suffering and pain for those less fortunate.

Elric and Stormbringer face off against and kill incredibly dark and evil forces and the people they act through. But the sword also has a taste for the souls of those close to Elric and on more than one occasion kills a lover or a wife. Stormbringer is depicted as sentient and in its own way intelligent. That is why I say that they are one character. They can take on armies and win. My favorite stories include where the sword emits a dark radiance and has its own song of destruction that it sings as armies of dark and evil beings are being killed. I know this is rather dark, but when you are in seminars about 18th century Russian Classicism and studying the memoirs of Catherine the Great you'll take entertainment in any form.

One of Osensei's major Shinto Gods was Susano the storm god. Early on in the creation myths he is depicted as a destructive force. Yet as the age of the gods unfolds he becomes a guardian/protector of earth. Maybe I saw some of Susano in Elric. And Susano slays an evil dragon and from its tail finds the magical sword Ame no Murakumo.

I found the following clip on Youtube. Initially this song was given to me on audiocassette by Harry Concepcion. I found the song on youtube with a lot of Elric based art. I hope you enjoy it.

Mr Peel to the Rescue---Again

2010-11-22T23:13:00.001-08:00

I just found a great video on youtube of the end of one of my favorite Avengers episodes. It is entitled "The Superlative Seven". At the beginning its tag tells us that:

Steed flies to nowhere
Emma does her party piece.

The title invokes "7 Samurai" of Kurosawa note or "The Magnificent Seven". Steed flies off in a robot controlled plane with 6 other people. Each including him are shrouded in mystery. As the show goes on it is revealed that each is the master of something. A champion weightlifter. A western sharpshooter. A master of guerilla warefare. An expert fencer. A bullfighter. Steed of course is a secret agent. They are told upon reaching a remote island that planted among them is an assasin whose
job is to kill the other 6. So this is a combination of the "Seven" films mixed with a touch of Agatha Christies "And Then There Were None".

"The Avengers" was unique in that the heroine often rescued the male lead. This was the opposite of a formula that was used several times in the Diana Rigg episodes. Mrs Peel would be on her own to battle against strange and almost unbeatable odds(The House That Jack Built, The Joker, Murdersville). Steed would come in at the end of these episodes and for a change rescue her. This was Steeds chance to play a more or less solo role for most of the episode with Mrs Peel coming in at the end. When I first watched it I was afraid she was going to be missing for the entire episode. She comes in at the end to electrifying effect. Of course I watched the show mainly to see her.

Of note are an actor (Donald Sutherland) and actress(Charlotte Rampling) who both went on to some notoriety. John Hollis plays the bald headed man. He is a '60's and '70's version of Patrick Stewart. Mr Hollis also appeared in "The Empire Strikes Back" in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

The assasin is supposed to be virtually unbeatable, and to prove this, is pitted against this team of experts. However, as you can see, he proves no match for Mrs Peel. I am pretty sure it is Diana Rigg in the fight scene.Her movement was choreographed to be more sensual than actually martial. And you get no argument from me on that point. I have all the Diana Rigg episodes on dvd, but it concerns me that "The Avengers" on dvd is no longer on sale. I am glad that they have a home, at least for now, on youtube. So here is the conclusion to "The Superlative Seven":

Seven Samurai

2010-11-07T23:29:00.001-08:00

Saturday night I was invited by Jackie Cossman sensei to her and her husband Charlie's home to watch Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai". It was an event that included the MT View dojo students and teachers. Nadeau sensei was in attendance. I believe this film was the first samurai film I saw as a youngster. And of course I have seen it several times since. And I've also seen the western re-make of it, "The Magnificent Seven".

It was fun to see it again after what may be 20 years or so. The film emphasizes that being a samurai is much more than wielding a sword or spear well. The virtues of being centered and aware are also essential. And following a path leading to the development/perfection of the self is also crucial. I remember really being taken with the character of the master swordsman. For me the saddest part of the film is always when he his killed by a rifle shot.

It is important to realize that aikido comes out of this tradition. That aikido also follows the path of self-development/perfection or shugyo. When Osensei said training never stops he didn't mean the training in the dojo, but rather the concept of shugyo must continue on forever.

The final battle in the rain seems to go on and on and yet keeps one on the edge of one's seat. A similar effect is the final battle sequences of Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke". If you haven't caught that, it is a must. And recently we've had the example of the Giants, evolving through the regular baseball season and transforming through the playoffs into world series champions. Nothing really good comes quickly and without a price.

My favorite samurai character is Nemuri Kyoshiro, played by the great Ichikawa Raizo. An invincible swordsman wielding a Musomasamune blade and practicing an almost occult style(The full moon cut). In contrast to Kyoshiro, who is a real loner, the Kurosawa film encourages the value of team work and group discipline, which is also important. And the ending is always a moving one. The farmers win, as their life style continues. The samurai must move on.

The following video was done by Dennis and myself on Saturday after class. In contrast to others we have done, this is largely vocal. I've recently discovered Anita O'day, a great female jazz vocalist. Artt Frank considers her one of the all-time great scat singers. So it was fun to try this song:

frite nite, fundraiser, and oh yes, the giants.............

2010-11-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever since the last blog. Frite Nite. Our fundraiser/training to help on "Keep the Lights On". And the Giants memorable run. So in no particular order......

Our weekend fundraiser did its job, so the lights will remain on. Thank you Jackie Cossman, James Friedman, and Linda Holiday senseis for leading wonderful and very inspiring classes. Thank you to the students who came and trained very well. And thank you to former students and/or friends and supporters who just donated. All that you did helped us to have a memorable experience and event. And special thanks to Maurice Gregoire, who catered the after training party.

The night before we had our annual Halloween Costume Party. Special thanks to Mike Driscoll for organizing the event and for his continuing support. This year I went as Elric of Melnibone. More about this character, who might be a bit obscure, in a future blog.

As I am writing this blog I am listening to the celebration of the Giants World Series Championship in San Francisco. I cancelled the noon class today so we could celebrate this event. My original intent was to go to the parade this morning. I soon realized that with a million people or so expected that might be more than a little hectic. I heard that some people got their places for the parade as early as 4 am. So I realized where I needed to be was with my Dad. He passed away in 1994. He was a big, big Giants fan. He was a gardener who listened to the games on a transistor radio. I remember going with him to watch Giants/Dodger games on local tv. In those days other than weekend network games(usually the Yankees) those games played in Los Angeles were the only games on local tv. And he took me to my first game in 1959 at Seals Stadium. And in the '60's we went to watch the Giants at Candlestick Park. In those days it was really difficult to have a conversation with your Dad(maybe that is still the case). But we could always talk sports and that meant the Giants. Before I discovered the 49ers and the Warriors, I was a Giants fan. And this was because of my Dad. I remember the heartbreak of 1962 when McCovey's line drive was caught. I know my Dad really knew his baseball, even though his sports were track and basketball.

So late this morning I headed South to visit his grave(he is buried in Watsonville along with my Mom). One of baseball's real charms is that it is generational. So to go to him and talk with him. I remember when Chris Mullin was in his playing days with the Warriors and became an all-star. He lost his dad, but he said since he and his dad talked so much that didn't stop. When he was outside in his hot tub he would pick a star in the sky and talk to his dad through that star. Of course I can also do that at any time, but when I do visit his grave we tend to talk then. He would have loved the make up of this team. No superstars, just heroes is how someone expressed it. Just show up everyday and go to work.Just like he did.

So for now let us all bask in the field of this tremendous energy we have been given.Thank you to a starting rotation that went a fantastic four deep: Timmy, Cainer, Baumgarner, and Sanchez. And to the beard that inspired fear: Brian Wilson(and his sidekick Sergio Romo). Javier Lopez for his domination of the key left handed power bats throughout the playoffs and world series. Thank you to Buster Posey for reminding us that youth is good. To Cody Ross. Juan Uribe. Freddy Sanchez. Andres Torres. For providing enough offense and for the strength to battle and beat a series of "invincible" star pitchers. And of course to Edgar Renteria the series MVP. When he was on the opposing team I always feared his at bats with the game on the line. And of course, thank you, Dad.

Way to Go Giants!

2010-10-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

The Giants will be in the World Series for the 4th time since they came West in 1958. This has been the most unexpected and improbable of the lot. The other pennant winners were built around major stars. Willie Mays. Willie McCovey. Orlando Cepeda. Juan Marichal. Will Clark. Barry Bonds. Jeff Kent. All save Clark(who during his Giant days seemed headed to be one) are either Hall of Famers or destined to be. What this team has is pitching pitching pitching. They go 5 deep in their starting rotation. Have a super lefthanded specialist in Javier Lopez. The game's best closer in Brian Wilson. Never has a San Francisco Giants team had this kind of pitching. They might have gone 2 deep with Marichal and Gaylord Perry. But they in the '60's came up short several times to a Dodger team that was 4 deep in their starting rotation. So good pitching can dominate good hitting. Especially in a short series. So I like our chances. Actually I've had to throw out everything I thought I knew about baseball in following this current bunch. No one star among the regulars on field. Aubrey Huff. Juan Uribe. Of course Cody Ross(NLCS Most Valuable Player).In terms of a star for the future we are looking only at Buster Posey.

It is resilient and relentless. Time and again during the regular season and even during this year's playoffs I have given up on them. And time and time again they have proven me wrong. It is not surprising that last night's clinching victory was a one run affair. That it was decided by an unexpected lightening bolt off the bat of an unexpected hero(Juan Uribe). And that Brian Wilson made things once again all too interesting in the bottom of the ninth. But for all that torture, there was the sense that when they took the lead they would win. And the drama of that looking called third strike to end the game. Ryan Howard is this era's Bonds. What froze him so that Wilson's cutter sneaked past him on the corner? Was it a gift call from the umpire? Yet winning teams get the breaks and capitalize on the other team's mistakes. So I am in unexpected territory now. Bring on the Rangers.

In the Aikido classes we have been stressing that the "I" is not the overseer or controller. It simply goes along for the ride. As Giants fans we can attest to the fact that it has been quite a ride. If this is a train ride it has been a fun ride with some awesome scenery and there have been a couple of dark dark tunnels. But the dark has always been followed by a return to the light. And through both light and dark it has been a wonderous ride. Don Juan told Casteneda that the supreme achievement for a warrior is to balance the terror of being alive with the wonder of being alive. So for the chance to simply breathlessly follow the Giants on this magical run , thank you.

We have our annual Frite Nite Halloween Party Friday October 29th. I've put together a collage of pictures of memorable people and costumes from the past. And the background music is "Line for Lyons", a jazz standard written by Gerry Mulligan.

Giants Again

2010-10-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Giants continue their unlikely post-season run. Winning the opener of the NLCS in Philadelphia 4-3 was in typical Giants fashion:torture. This is certainly an unforseen very fun time. Again, this is the most fun we've had since the "We Believe" Warriors of '07. But let us hope they are more like the '74-75 NBA championship Warriors who swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets.

A must win every game September was torture for both the team and the fans. But both the team and its fans have been forged for the post-season. All the one run games have honed the team and its fans to never give up. I must say even I, who have always played "The Giants always break your heart" card, know that this team is special. As a fan I've followed the young player they have brought up: Lincecum, Posey, Sanchez, Cain, Baumgartner,and Wilson and it is just great to see them on a major, major stage.

And to see Burrill, Huff, Ross do what they have done is just fun...Wilson has evolved from a closer who always made things too interesting to a guy we trust and rely on. Lincecum for all his struggles in August seems to have transformed from Sandy Koufax to Juan Marichal. People don't remember, but Marichal could throw heat as well.

Of course there is still a lot of baseball to go. But regardless of outcome, it is just refreshing and renewing to see something that seems to come out of nothing. And this team took me by surprise. But the experience of , as Marty Lurie said, seeing this team grow up before our very eyes,has been very moving. And we still don't know where this can go. Sometimes when a team has sustained success the fans grow jaded. So when things are new there is a sense of wonder to what is going on. And that is very fun. Go Giants!

More Fundraiser and Giants

2010-10-13T16:15:00.001-07:00

More wish list for the fundraiser: someone who'll help organize the sweats. Who wants them. size. Also, someone to take money the day of the event. Someone to organize the cleaning. Friday October 29th we will be having a Halloween party instead of the usual evening class. So back to back the Halloween party and the next day the fundraiser and training. So we need to organize a clean-up Friday night after the Halloween party. Also, we will be having a light catered event following the training. Some food. Hopefully suitable for those having trained who would like to stay a bit. But also for alumni or those not currently training who would like to donate and would like to be a part of the event without the training. We need someone to help Eiji-san contact those people. If you know of someone who is not training at this moment but you feel would like to contribute, let me know. So time is moving. Those willing please come forward.

It is truly amazing when the whole area gets behind a team. For now the Giants are that team. The last whiff of this was in 2007 during the Warriors' miracle run. Let's hope the Giants can go further and sustain something. A team can be a real humanity unifier. The energy generated by an entire region is an incredible high. In the more distant past the 49ers' Super Bowl teams were examples of that.

An athlete needs to have a strong profile to succeed. But a team and team chemistry depend on these strong personalities being very easy with their "I". And there is a real alchemy around this. When told that there is no "I" in the word team, Michael Jordan replied that there is in win. It is not the eradication of the "I" or the absence of it, but the ability of the "I" to be very easy with itself and allow the team to come first. It is almost as if the team is the bus. The "I" is not the bus. Nor is it the driver. It is the passenger. Yet the entire vehicle is built specifically for the "I". The bus and team sense is what in aikido we sometimes term "the functioning unit". And a good or great team is the balanced creation of a number of components into a system that is greater than the sum of their parts. The first Niner Super Bowl team with a very young Joe Montana and an even younger Ronnie Lott was like this. They were held together by a number of interchangeable veterans. Witness the current Giants with their young pitching and Buster Posey. Who could have forseen Pat Burrill, Aubrey Huff, coming in an playing a role and supporting the youngsters as they have? And notice the absence of a dominating "I"(Bonds). I personally loved to watch Barry. But this team is even more fun than his teams were.

The torture that the Giants are known for is a form of forging. Playing so many close games and winning, facing incredible defeats and resurrecting, renewing, all these things for both team and fans has been an incredible journey. I hope it continues much,much further.

And contrast the Giants to the current Niner team, which has been decimated by the "I" of ownership and leadership. Any good team or functioning unit has a design. Though he was criticized for his, Brian Sabean's was and still is pitching, pitching, and more pitching and fill in with interchangeable veteran parts. If he had dealt a key starter or had brought in a big "I" presence, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. The Niner ownership/leadership has relied on slogans, outer charismatic image, and promises while creating something that just goes around and around in the same circles. Both Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary were I'm sure great interviews. Both lacked a track record or anything to indicate they could be a head coach. As much as I am frustrated by Alex Smith, I genuinely feel sorry for him. Ditto Mike Singletary, a decent man. But I knew when they cut Nate Davis(fortunately the rest of the league is dumb and allowed the Niners to put him on their practice squad) the team was not going to be as advertised. Conversely I knew when the Giants traded Joe Nathan they were going to be in for a tough stretch.

So go Giants. I can't wait for the NLCS this Saturday. And for now I'm seeing 0-6 for the Niners Sunday.

Here is another video of the recent Japantown demo with new footage and music:

Congratulations Giants

2010-10-07T18:17:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants, Champions of the National League West. As I write this they are undefeated in the play offs for 2010. The first game starts in about 20 minutes. I hope they continue on through the playoffs and the World Series and bring the fans here in the Bay Area their first Giants championship. But regardless of what happens it has been a remarkable year. It is sometimes difficult to compare sports to Aikido because aikido is not a sport. It aims at a win/win philosophy that stresses inner development. Sports is about winning.

Yet this team has some spirit. Spirit in the Japanese culture is exemplified by the carp fish. It is said to be able to swim up a waterfall and is thus an example culturally of spirit, a word that is unmistakeable but undefinable. This team was from the beginning a flawed team, and despite the great pitching, still is. It reminds me of the '74-75 Golden State Warriors who won an NBA title. That team had one superstar(Rick Barry) and a lot of role players. But it came together at the right time and swept a heavily favored Washinton Bullets squad to take the title. We will find out if this Giants squad has some of that same magic. No great superstar, but great pitching, a lot of incomplete players buoying each other up, a phenomenal rookie(Buster Posey) issuing in a post Bonds era. I quit on them so many times. Torture is the word that was coined for their gut wretching style of play. So hopefully a la aikido both the team and its fans have forged themselves for a memorable post season run. I can't wait. I'm headed for a tv screen to watch.

Here is a video of the October 2nd Spirit of Japantown demo. My thanks to Steve Tsao, Yu Chen Shen, Shin Tsurushima, Alex Kolbasov, Andrew Le, and to Meng Ear for shooting the video. There is still more photage, and I may format that into another video in the future.

Keep the Lights On part 2

2010-09-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

Our second annual "Help Us Keep the Lights On" fundraiser to help us pay our PG & E bill is taking shape. The date is Saturday October 30th. And remember tomorrow as I write this is October 1st. The event will consist of an afternoon of training followed by a socially partially catered gathering. In the spirit of keeping things moving from year to year we have some different instructors lined up this year. Linda Holiday sensei and myself from last year. Senseis Jackie Cossman(Aikido of Mt View) and James Friedman(Suginami Aikikai San Francisco) will be teaching at this year's event. The training will start at 1:15 pm and go till 6pm. And the social gathering follows the training. The gathering is geared for friends of the dojo and for dojo alumni no longer at this time training to participate in the event.

My personal wish list. Someone to co-ordinate the social event and organize the catering. Someone to help contact dojo alumni and friends to let them know about the event. Someone to organize a dojo clean up Saturday morning. Someone to co-ordinate the taking of the money for the training. And there are other things I have probably overlooked as I write this, so please feel free to talk to me about that.

I have been in communication with the building's agent for handling the utilities. He explained that this is an old building which eats power. And due to our lease agreement, we pay a substantial part of the building's power. This offsets our very reasonable rent. So our portion of the power bill has more than doubled from when we started here in the early years of the new millineum. Eventually I would like to explore an effort to go at least partially solar, but the immediate thing is to make sure our monetary reserves for the dojo are not totally drained by this year's bill.

I designed some sweat pants using the katsu hayahi characters that were very popular earlier on a t-shirt. And I am in the process of putting together a dvd of the dojo's and my history of aikido(the matsuri in b flat video on youtube). So I am putting together some guidelines for donations:
Maximum Package: $300 or more
-training October 30th
-new Aikido of San Jose sweats “katsu hayahi”
-“Matsuri in B flat” dvd of Aikido of San Jose’s history and lineage

Non-training Maxi Package: $200 or more:
-new Aikido of San Jose sweats “katsu hayahi”
“Matsuri in B Flat” dvd of Aikido of San Jose’s lineage and history

Training plus: $100 or more
-Training October 30th
-ASJ sweats”katsu hayahi”

Just Training: $50
these are just guidelines. If you are financially challenged yourself you can donate any amount and that would be appreciated and still participate in the training. Or if you would like to offer your assistance for the event in lieu of a monetary donation. Your energy on any level is appreciated.

If you would like to purchase the sweats only that can be arranged. Just contact me. If you would like your donation of any amount to be tax deductible, also please contact me at jack@aikidosj.com.

This blog does seem to reach a wide variety of people. If you would like to participate in the fundraiser but are out of area and can't train, please feel free to do so. Just contact me at the e-mail address above.

Here is a new music video. Solar is a Miles Davis piece:

Giants

2010-09-19T20:53:00.001-07:00

My first Giants game was sometime in 1959. So it would have been at Seals Stadium. Candlestick Park came in 1960. I remember the Giants were trailing in the late innings and someone named Dave Philly hit a 3 run pinch hit home run to win it for the Giants. I remember seeing Willie Mays. Orlando Cepeda. Willie McCovey. I went with my Dad and a couple of Uncles. And my most memorable moment was probably seeing this very distinguished man in a suit signing autographs. My uncle told me,"That's Joe DiMaggio."

So I've been a baseball and Giants fan ever since. Still waiting for a world series championship. I remember 1962 when Willie McCovey's line drive was caught and the Giants lost to the Yankees. The most poignant moment might have been the disappointment of 2002. I was in my car in the Santa Cruz mountains with the Giants leading 5-0 over the Angels and poised for a downtown parade only to suffer car trouble. By the time triple A came and started my car battery the Giants had coughed it up and lost the next day in game 7.

But this season has been a pleasant surprise. One thing about baseball is that it is 6 months and there are many highs and lows. The Giants as I write this are in first place by half a game.(My mom always questioned how a half game could exist.) I've given them up for dead more times than I would like to admit only to see them resurrect. That has been their defining factor: the ability to come back from adversity and disappointment. And what a great story. A team that has been down for awhile and linked to the controversial Bonds years. Lincecum. Cain. Posey. Bochy showing he is nobody's fool and a top manager. Sabean after some questionable years bringing in some top hitting talent for the stretch run. So seeing change. New faces and talents coming forth bringing new energy. It has been an exciting year so far. And it promises more thrills and/or disappointments.

One of my favorite Giants is Jonathan Sanchez. During the '60's I heard no-hitters from Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. And after that many disappointments. I remember following Scott Garrelts lose his in the 9th inning to I believe the Cincinati Reds. So last year I remember following the first part of Sanchez' no-hitter online. I switched to radio and still remember John Miller's call"struck him out looking on a curve ball!". So he finally delivered on a no-hitter and it was a delicious moment.

So I'm gearing for hopefully some post season action. One thing I really enjoy on the weekends is listening to the post game show with Marty Lurie. Occasionally my astrologist Andrea Mallis(www.virgoinservice.com) will appear on the show explaining why certain players are doing well from an astrological perspective. But Marty treats his callers with such respect and shows such deep love for baseball and its history it is a pleasure to listen to him. One caller labelled his show the "Late Night Party with Marty" as he has been known to go well past 10pm on days with an afternoon game. In fact as I write this blog I am catching the end of his show. Go Giants!

Tiger's Song

2010-09-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last week Dennis and I were playing and a new piece of music emerged. After I'd been with it for a couple of days, I realized it was a song for Tiger. So I assembled the photos of him I had, including one above that has not been posted yet online. And I remembered there were some great drawings done by my goddaughter Alison Byers that I had forgotten about. So I figured with the music as background and the photos and these extra drawings we could try to assemble a video.

It was quite a moving experience which brought me to tears on more than one occasion. But I felt the music fit the theme. And I added some text to fill out the experience. All in all I feel it came out quite well. I am very close to Lily. Yet Tiger and I have a bond that is still strong. I have felt him quite strongly recently. There is a lot going on the the finer planes of the universe(where he hangs out) and so his presence here is meaningful and indicative of that.The universe especially at the finer levels is going through a massive re-balancing. We are experiencing that here in the world of matter through economic changes, storms, earthquakes, and geologic activity.

So hopefully through all this Tiger will keep active and continue to visit.

Keep the Lights On part 2

2010-09-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Last November we honored my 40th anniversary in Aikido by having a fundraising event to help us pay our power bill. It was wonderfully successful, with teachers and friends and students from 40 years on in coming and celebrating. This year the power bill is again lurking, and a 41st anniversary is much less dramatic, so, as Foster Gamble named it, we need to do another"Help Us Keep the Lights On" fundraiser. Linda Holiday sensei is celebrating her 40th year this year(and I will be participating) in November, so October is a better month to run ours.

A date that seems to work on multiple fronts for now is October 10th, a Sunday. So I am envisioning an event with some training and an after training celebration/party of some sort. Even though a lot of this needs to be further organized, please for now keep this date in mind. And any suggestions as to the structure of it please feel free to share with me.

One topic that came up during the dojo building section of the last CAA meeting(last Sunday) was that people act on "why" and justify it with "what". How does this relate to running and maintaining a dojo? For example on an obvious level, "Why should I do a martial art?" Self-defense. Exercise. Meet new people. An interest in oriental philosophy. Now the question now becomes, what would meet these needs or interests? Now the important thing for us is that aikido becomes the "what".

So this is a question we might all ask ourselves: why do we do aikido and also what made aikido our "what"? When I was a teenager in the'60's martial arts were very exotic. You saw snatches of them in the James Bond films and here and there in action films. Diana Rigg in "The Avengers" and Bruce Lee in "The Green Hornet" were both very important influences on me. So my why is that I wanted to do martial arts because they were doing them on tv. My what was initially Shotokan karate. At the time karate was much more exotic than judo and so that was what I looked for. And I helped start a club on the UC Santa Cruz campus. And though I enjoyed it, I found my why shifted things. I found I had an interest in Oriental philosophy and mysticism. And as my why shifted to that I found that my what shifted to aikido and t'ai chi ch'uan.

A very significant figure in shifting my why was Ueshiba Osensei. I read an article about him in Black Belt magazine. He was referred to as the most spiritual man in Japan. Quite a statement. And he was prominently featured in an article Robert Frager wrote for Psychology Today magazine entitled "The Psychology of the Samurai". The pictures of him showed a man very advanced in years and yet he glowed. Even shined. Somehow despite the years he didn't seem old. I remember watching 8mm movies of him during workshops Robert Frager and Robert Nadeau co-taught at the Castro Street location of Aikido of Mt View. I remember telling myself that I wanted to do what he was doing. I was privileged to start with 2 people who personally knew the founder. And it was also significant that they are both Westerners who saw him from a perspective different than that of the Japanese culture. Anno sensei during his recent visit said that he never thought of aikido as just Japanese because Osensei used to talk so much about the universe. And I was also fortunate to train in Japan with people like Anno sensei, who got the universality of Osensei and what aikido is.

So from where I am now I am almost all why. There is very little what to aikido and my reasons for doing it. Why do you do(or are you possibly considering doing it) and how can we make it your what?

Here is another ipad recording of 2 of my favorite Chet Baker pieces. I'll have to someday go into the why/what of music for me.

Aikido Stick Figure Photo

2010-08-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

The stick figure in the photo is something Robert Nadeau sensei put on the black board at Aikido of San Jose's original location in Japan town. At the time Nadeau sensei was doing a lot of workshops at Esalen. This was put on the board and left there, indicating perhaps that it had some lasting significance. So much so that I took a camera and preserved it as a photo.

Energy flows and fields talk. In the aikido universe everything is alive. And communicates. That means if you want to find out how to improve your ikkyo, ask the flow that supports the form. Or dialogue with the form itself which is also energy and alive. And the dialogue is often times not in words. A sound, a word, an image or picture may be what the flow uses to talk about itself.

The picture itself gives an intriguing map. Daydream. Think. Feel. Sense Feel. Often times the spaces and flows come through in sense/feel images. And these can appear a lot like daydreams. Often times a more advanced dimension can appear like a dream. So what clues one in on whether it is a daydream or a sensing image?

A sense/feel image is something that is talking to you. It may be in response to something you asked. Or it may be something trying to get your attention. Dreams also can contain images and symbols that are trying to get our attention. A senseing image is something that most often occurs in a waking state. Hence the possible confusion about whether or not it is a daydream or a deeper experience nudging you.

Einstein did a lot of his work through thought experiments. Which means he created a waking daydream and placed himself in it, asked questions, and felt this was a vital part of his solving relativity and other physics puzzles. If he were running at the speed of light, shaving, and holding a mirror, could he see himself shaving? After all, light must be reflected off an object for us to see it, and if we are moving at light speed......Einstein's lineage was brilliant theoretical scientist. Most people do not think. Their "I" thinks for them and in place of their mind.

I once had a very vivid dream where I was on a basketball court. I realized quickly in the dream when I jumped booster rockets fired in both feet shooting me much higher than I can normally go. To quote Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man I,"okay, I can fly......" I realized I had conscious control of myself in the dream state, so I did some spinning 360 overhead 2 hand dunks I had always wanted to do in material reality. I woke up the next day with my back out. So in a conscious dream the state included my sense of myself through the body. The energies formed the image of a basketball court. And I had a functioning sense during what appeared to be a dream. I could consciously and experientially do whatever dunk I wanted. And these were powerful energies as I woke up with my back out.

A key phrase in the picture is that senseing images appear a lot like daydreams or think you must become it. Even though it may appear like a dream, learn about it by being it. This means the body is important here. I recently showed Nadeau sensei the photo and gave him a copy. He looked at it, thought about his current work, and said,"I was on the right track."

It's been awhile since I did a freeform staff video. I just put a new one on youtube:

Another Tiger Story

2010-08-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out some old storage boxes on Sunday and came across some photos. One was a picture I knew existed but had managed to misplace. It was of my cat Tiger. Those of you from the Japantown dojo era would remember him from the mid-90's on. Tiger moved in in December or so of 1995. He was at the time around 5 months old. I moved to a cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains in 1996 and he came with me. Since he was very close to me and visa versa and was comfortable both in the mountains and at the dojo, I would commute with him. For the entire story of his life you can go to www.aikidosj.com and click into dojo friends and you will get most of it. But this picture reminded me of an adventure I didn't put into the dojo site.

It was early in '96. Tiger was barely over 6 months old and both he and I were living in the dojo. He went missing. He was inside and outside. But he would often come upstairs to sleep with me at night. So after a few days it was apparent that he was not just wandering around. Joan Sylvain helped me by putting together a poster with a photo of him and we both plastered the Japantown area with them. About a month after he went missing I got a phone call from a man who said he had my cat. He and his family lived in the Evergreen area and came to Japantown about once a month to shop. On their last visit they had encountered Tiger lying on the street as they were driving. They stopped and realized he was friendly and immediately fell in love with him and took him with them. They thought he was a stray. After a month they returned again to Japantown and saw the posters and realized that Tiger belonged to someone. So they called the number on the poster which was the dojo number and we connected. I went to go pick him up. He spent thus a month with them. They had given him the name Rocky. Afterwards I would call him occasionally by that name and he would give me a funny look. And they gave me the above photo.

One thing about Tiger was that he loved to lie around in wash basins. So seeing the photo brought back many memories. It is ironic that I recently found the photo of Marty the dog, who was the subject of my previous blog. Then I find a photo of Tiger that I had been looking for for years. I no longer remember the name of the family who watched him for a month. A bit later Tiger's mom Dinah had another litter with a kitten who looked much like Tiger. So I contacted the family and they took Tiger's sibling lookalike. Apparently his personality was much different than Tiger's so I am not sure it worked out.

It is interesting that after Tiger, the cats I have been very close to have been female. A psychic friend told me that even though he was a cat he was balanced masculine/feminine and thus a double being. Which is a high level of being cat or human.. I know I still feel his presence strongly. When Lily went missing a couple of years ago I would ask him to help keep her safe and to see to it that she came back. And she did.
I hope you enjoy the photo as much as I did finding it after all these years.

I just put this video on youtube. Just music. Short. I recorded it on the ipad I got from Maurice Gregoire. It sure makes recording music easy. It is one of my favorite Chet Baker songs. I hope you enjoy it.

Marty

2010-07-27T17:05:00.001-07:00

A couple of days ago I was in storage and came up with a couple of photos I knew existed but had lost track of. The aikido picture of me was taken when I was about a 2nd kyu at UC Davis. My uke is Judy, the wife of Professor Charles Tart, who was the faculty advisor for the aikido club. There are a couple of other photos of me during that period. As far as I know those are the only aikido photos of me during my first 3 or 4 years in the art. AT the time the photos were taken I was studying with Alan Grow, the founder of the Oakland Aikido Institute, which at the time was located on College Avenue.

The other photo is of a very old friend, Marty. I think he was initially my sister's dog, a Lassa Maltese mixed with something else. After my sister left for Pharmacy school my mom took care of him. Marty was a lot like my cat Tiger. We had an almost telepathic connection. The night before I left home for UC Davis and grad school he came into my room and it was obvious he knew that I was leaving home.

Marty had certain connections to aikido. When I got back from Japan in 1975 I would practice amatsu norito and kototama chants and Marty would come into the room and make kototama like sounds and chant along with me. It was unbelievably cute. And he left a definite impression on Hikitsuchi sensei, who stayed at my parents' house in Santa Cruz May of 1974. Marty tended to like to eat food from the dining table over his own dog food. And he would definitely get food because he was so cute. But one trick my mom and sister used to use was to tell him that if he didn't eat his food, that I would..... He would then come, snarl at me, and go eat his food. Hikituschi sensei observed this humorously. When I went back to Japan he would regale people in Shingu with stories of Marty. "Tabenai to Jyakku(Japanese pronunciation of my name) ga taberu yo!" Which of course translates as"If you don't eat it, Jack will." And then he would give a snarl in imitation of Marty. Marty lived for some years after my mom passed away in 1975 and my dad re-married. It was a real trip seeing the photo and re-living my memories of him.

Now Vladi the wolf is a totally different trip. I am including video footage of him taken at the 2010 Menlo Summer Retreat. Vladi is outwardly much more aloof but a real trickster. I consider him a dear friend. The end of the video contains me in the background going through a pitching motion. You never know when you're on camera these days. And the music is by Dennis and myself. I recorded it with my new ipad and I like the sound.

2 birthdays

2010-07-24T19:42:00.001-07:00

Of course I didn't forget. Dame Diana Rigg's birthday was Tuesday July 20th. But then Kate Beckinsale's is just coming up, July 6th. 2 British actresses of different generations. In her Emma Peel incarnation Dame Diana was definitely my first love. And Kate in her Underworld movies is definitely my favorite actress(by far) of this generation. They are both strong women. Glamourous as well as beautiful. Intelligent and sexy.

I share powerful astrology with both. Dame Diana and I share a sun moon conjunction, her sun in cancer and my moon in cancer. Almost as powerful as sun/moon is venus/mars. Her venus in virgo and my mars in virgo conjunct. But her mars in cancer and my venus in cancer conjunct. Kate and I share a sun/moon conjunction, with her moon in Gemini and my sun in gemini conjucting. In an interesting aside Ueshiba Osensei's moon was also Gemini. Diana's cancer sun is conjuncted by Mars, giving her a lot of Mars energy. Kate's Mars is in its own sign of Aries which makes her also a very strong woman with a strong Mars. And her Mars is in my first house(identity). According to Andrea Mallis I get a lot of energy from her. I used to charge up quite a lot watching "Underworld Evolution".

It is not likely that I will in this life meet either of these women. Is it going to be Dame Kate in the future? As for Dame Diana she is 10 years older than I am. She has lead a very strong and iconoclastic life and has been a strong role model for me. She did not choose a "safe" life. The youtube video I chose is a very recent one which shows her at her present age. And she is still beautiful.

Santa Cruz Retreat 2010

2010-07-19T22:04:00.001-07:00

The picture above is from the 2008 retreat. But the principals were the same in 2010. Linda Holiday sensei. Mary Heiny sensei. Anno sensei. And I was included. It was a very moving experience. When Anno sensei taught in '08 it was with the understanding that it might be his last visit to the United States. So it was wonderful that he agreed to come back. And to be with old friends and training partners Linda Holiday sensei and Mary Heiny sensei was also very special.

I want to congratulate Linda Holiday sensei for putting together a monumental event. In a down economy. With Anno sensei at an advanced age where nothing healthwise can be taken for granted. Moving the venue to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Inviting and honoring the dojo-cho from around the Bay Area. Providing a smoothly well-run event. All of these things happening at a high level was the equivalent of hitting a walk-off grand slam with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth inning facing a closer throwing 100 miles per hour heat. It was monumental. And it took great courage and vision. So thank you. Tomorrow morning we are going to see Anno sensei off at the San Francisco airport. It's is a tradition. In the '70's when one of us was leaving Shingu for America, Anno sensei Yanase sensei, Tojima sensei and the other dojo members would show up at the Shingu train station to see us off. In 2006 when I took a group to Shingu, both Anno and Yanase senseis came to the station to see our group off.

On this occasion I am including a new video. I have taken old videos and photos and formulated them to some music to create a sensei of history. Mine. The San Jose dojo.
So it traces the lineage which is both personal and dojo. Of course it starts with Ueshiba Osensei. But our lineage includes both a local angle with Robert Frager and Robert Nadeau senseis and the Shingu dojo with Hikitsuchi, Anno, Yanase and Tojima senseis. And the San Jose dojo which I took over in 1980. I took the earlier "Holidaze in B flat" theme and formulated it to videos and photos to give a sense of lineage and tradition. So San Jose dojo members can see that both locally and from Japan we trace our lineage directly back to Ueshiba Osensei. Unfortunately no video footage seems to exist of my taking ukemi from Frager and Nadeau senseis.

The musical piece outwardly is lyrical yet it contains I feel an intensity that makes it ideal for this piece. I hope you enjoy it.

Menlo Retreat

2010-06-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

Well the Menlo Aikido Summer Retreat of June 13 through 19 has come and gone. The weather was very good. It started out very hot on Sunday. I registered early then went back in my car and drove around for awhile with the air conditioning on. But it quickly cooled down, with temperatures warm as opposed to hot and the skies clear. The food was a pleasant surprise. It was good this year.

It is always a time to see friends and long-time aikido associates, reflect on what the past year has brought, ponder about what lies ahead. So it was nice to see Doran, Ikeda, and Heiny senseis. Of course we are lucky enough to have Nadeau sensei at our dojo on a weekly basis.

With the economy what it is one is ready for a horror story possibility. But, the mat was full and the classes well attended. It seems a greater percentage of the participants are commuters. Meals are where people bond, so, in the future, even if you commute, please make an effort to take a meal or two a day in the cafeteria. This will add to both your retreat experience and the collective group experience. Remember, the food was good this year.

In the comic book mythological universe night is often times when ones true work starts. Bruce Wayne by day. Busy with polo matches, dating super models, falling asleep at Wayne Tech board meetings. But when it turns dark that is when the Batman goes to work. I believe Superman is Susano the god of strength in the Kojiki. I am still trying to see if Batman has a counterpart in Shinto Mythology. It struck me recently how his major villains reflect our own inner adversaries. The Joker is our own collective and inner personal insanity. The Penguin our self-importance. Killer Croc our own bestial inner rage projected outward. Osensei said true victory is over the "I", an inner quest. Taken in that light(or dark) Batman's mission is an inner cleansing or misogi. See what insights you get after a week-long intensive?

So that said, there was a lot that went on at night at the retreats. And it is probably unique to this one. In the future, be on the look out for it. It's not advertised or even particularly well attended. But if you wonder why Bruce Wayne is tired sometimes, he might not be getting a lot of sleep at night........

Here is a new aikido and music video:

Birthday Blog

2010-06-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well my birthday came and went yesterday. Thanks to all who came to class and offered a happy birthday. To friends who called. And those who texted. To my sister Judy who phoned. And to my daughter Jenny for a wonderful post-evening class dinner. As birthdays go this was seamless and fun. A busy period is coming up. The Menlo Retreat next week. The Santa Cruz Retreat in early July.

Post sixty is a combination of many things(62 for me). I told my daughter that I am currently without any chronic pain. Although the body does tend to stiffen up if one sits for long periods. Every couple of years the back goes out and needs a couple of days of rest. There was one of those periods recently. Fortunately I got a bodywork session from my friend Dianna, which speeded up the recovery quite a bit. Then just a little rest.

I find that just because one can do things, and even do them well still, one should not OVER do. So so far so good. At my age Osensei was in Iwama during the World War Two years farming and training. So these years can be active and powerful.

The picture of me above is current. Lily and I are currently staying with friends in the Santa Cruz mountains around the summit area. She seems very happy

Here is a video that I posted a couple of years ago. It is shot in Sebastopol. I think it was early fall of 2008. Of all the music or non-aikido videos it is by far the most successful, having over 600 posts. And it has gotten a couple of very positive comments:

Still More of Osensei's Astrology

2010-05-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

This last blog of this series will focus on what Ueshiba Osensei had to overcome to fulfill his destiny as the founder of Aikido. He was born on the full moon, which is a time of large energy therefore big stress. A constant in his life was the tremendous amount of energy he had to deal with.

His sun in Sagitarius, moon in Gemini, and his Uranus in Virgo form what is called a T square to Uranus. These are 3 mutable signs. This means he had a tendency to weirdness and rebelliousness. He could be unpredictable. High strung. Too intense for ordinary life. People with this T square tend to be a law onto themselves. Self-willed. Others with this alignment are Emily Bronte, Thomas Beckett, Winston Churchill, the spiritual teacher Gurjieff, and Jim Jones. His nervous system was high wired. He could be restless. Possibly too unstable to cope with the mundane. In other words he was ready to do something off the charts. Or to be totally non-functional in the world.

His Sun in Sagitarius is oppositional to his Moon in Gemini. This means his head had a tendency to argue with his heart. This could lead to health problems, which he certainly had. Also this could lead to relationship problems and could make him a spotlight seeker. Again, these are energies that were present and to some degree acting on him. Whether they were outwardly manifest or not is another issue.

His Moon squared his Uranus. This can confer great ingenuity and talent, but can also mean one can be plagued with misfortune that occurs suddenly. While in Ayabe he lost 2 sons to illness. His father and mother also died during that period in the 1920’s. His son Kisshomaru said that that period was so painful to his father that he never spoke of it.

His Sun squared his Uranus. This means he was inventive and original, yet also that he had tendencies to be erratic and eccentric. He was a true Renaissance Man, literally one of a kind. Blessed with flashes of deep insight. But this alignment further delineated his tendency to be rebellious.

His Mars squared his Uranus. This means he had a strong urge to act out fantasies and dreams. On a positive note that means he could do things other people only dream about. This planetary alignment could have fueled a strong escapism or a strong spirituality. It also could bring about drug and or alcohol problems.

His Venus in Capricorn trined his Neptune in Taurus. This means he could have been brilliant in music and/or art. His chanting of the norito(or sacred Shinto prayers) could be heard for miles. And he was deeply into the study of kototama. So possibly his music found an outlet here. His mother was accomplished in letters and wrote poetry. Osensei himself wrote many doka or poems of the way. And he left a great legacy of calligraphy.

His Saturn in Gemini conjuncted his Pluto in Taurus. This alignment endows a person with the ability to perform work that has a far reaching effect. And this is very obvious. Less obvious is that this also confers a secret or very personal side.

His Mercury squared his Uranus, which gave him the tendancy to a very nervous disposition.

So we see there was a lot of activity around his Uranus, which is the planet of individuality. One of his most important precepts is “Masaka Agatsu” or true victory is victory over the “I”. So we can see he had a lot to overcome. A tendency toward rebellousness. Possible escapist tendencies. Potential drug and alcohol problems. A very nervous disposition. So off the charts intense that he could very easily have not coped with everyday reality. Self-willed to the extreme. We are fortunate that he was able to universalize his being and in the end became a servant of the universe, teaching people to let go and surrender to the more original nature of themselves and the universe. This could very easily have gone in other directions.

And his Sun and Moon being oppositional probably means that he was constantly being pulled in more than one direction. And this, coupled with all his Uranus activity, probably means that for him to have forged the path that he did was no easy task, to put it simply.

He passed away April 26, 1969. Saturn returns every 29 years to the house which it occupied at birth. So one’s final Saturn return comes between 86 and 88. According to Andrea Mallis, he died just on the cusp of his final Saturn return, meaning that he lived a full astrological life. This is also probably a sign that he completed his divine mission.

I found it fascinating to go over Ueshiba Osensei’s chart. Since I started aikido in October of 1969, I never personally met him or knew him. So just going over his planets and their positioning and interrelationships gives me a sense of the person, as opposed to simply the archetype.. I never could have done this without Andrea’s help. She has gone over my chart with me and guided me through many other charts, so I have possibly a rudimentary sense of all this. I hope you found this interesting.

I am including a re-working of the Cupertino video. I have re-formatted it. I would like to thank Andrew Le for sending me quotes of Osensei, Carl Jung, Albert Eintein, and Leo Tolstoy. I intentionally included them in the video because Osensei , while he is far less known than those others, deserves a place alongside or even ahead of those. And by seeing his quotes alongside of those of the more famous people, we are acknowledging this.

More on Ueshiba Osensei's Astrology

2010-05-24T18:26:00.001-07:00

So let us move onto more of Ueshiba Osensei's birth chart, focusing on his fixed planets at birth. His Mercury and Venus were both in the sign of Capricorn. This means he was sobre, goal oriented, and had a pragmatic side. He was clear and rational. Disciplined in his thinking. He could get unemotional.

His Jupiter was along with his Mars in the sign of Leo. That means he was expansive. Had a big sense of things. Bold.

His Saturn was in the sign of Gemini. This means he was a very hard worker(cutting all those trees down in Hokkaido, organizing the fire brigade in Ayabe, farming and raising not only food for himself in Iwama during the war, but sending the surplus to feed the hungry in Tokyo). Very Serious about things. Studious and bookish(also highlighted by his moon in Gemini). An example of a planet transit is that Saturn every 29 years returns to it's original place on your birth chart. This usually signifies important events in one's life. At 29 Osensei left to help colonize Hokkaido.

His Uranus was in the sign of Virgo. This means he had an original approach to work and at the same time brought very practical ideas. He was obviously a good teacher. People with this in their chart are builders(creating a unique martial art), inventive, humane. Others with their Uranus in Virgo are Harry Truman and Albert Einstein. This can also mean erratic health problems, which did indeed plague Ueshiba Osensei.

His Neptune was in Taurus. He was very practical. It is interesting that this also confers a tendency to be stuck on money and possessions. Others with Neptune in Taurus are Albert Schweitzer, Isadora Duncan, and Herbert Hoover. Obviously he transcended this limitation as he was definitely not stuck on money and possessions.

His Pluto(planet of power) was also in the sign of Taurus. He was driven by the need to do and build things. Others with this planetary alignment: Hearst, Taft, Lenin, Adler, and Van Gogh.

The next blog will focus on what he had to overcome to fulfill his mission as Ueshiba of Aikido. I including a video done earlier at the Hongu grand shrine located in the Shingu area:

Ueshiba Osensei's Astrology

2010-05-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to do this blog for awhile. In late fall I had Andrea Mallis(www.virgoinservice.com) do Ueshiba Osensei's chart. I guess the tremendous amount of energy around this has been gathering to where I am going to start. Now Andrea is top of the line. She does sports astrology and can often be heard on some of the KNBR sports talk shows. I asked her to do Osensei's chart with his birthdate(December 14, 1883) and birthplace(Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan), yet lacking his precise birthtime. Yet a pretty comprehensive chart can be done with just the information available. I have over the past couple of years found Andrea's council and accuracy to be very insightful and valuable. So I am going to start. And from this chart I found this to be very much the Ueshiba Osensei I felt I knew(through books and people who directly knew him) and at the same time I had surprising insights into areas that without the chart I would not have suspected existed.

His sun is in Sagitarius. This would make him religious and fun-loving. His moon is in Gemini, which means he was rather bookish about his feelings and tended to have a bookish side. Now these planets are fixed at his birth. There are also the fact that planets move, or that we go through various transits during the course of our life. In astrology it is important to realize this. Planets represent various energies. And the planets fixed at our birth give incredible information and insight in to a person's nature. Now he was obviously religious and spiritual. But his fun-loving side? He had a great love of adventure and in his native Tanabe was a legend around New Years when mochi or rice cakes are made and served. Giant mallets or hammers are used to pound special rice into mortars thus producing the rice cakes. Osensei was so strong that when he swung the giant mallet he would break the support used to make the mochi. This got to be such common knowledge that he was awarded a place of honor at these so he would not swing and break more mortars. He was very scholarly(his mother's influence?) when younger, reading the classics and showing a great interest in spiritual matters. He wanted at a very young age to become a monk, but his father would not allow this. So bookish. And his son Kisshomaru, the second Doshu, wrote about his father that he had difficulty in public showing any affection for his wife Hatsu. So the Gemini moon in further evidence.

Another important planet Mars was in the sign of Leo at his birthtime. This is a great sign for athletes. Mars is energy, assertion, aggression, which are vital for a top or in this case an elite athlete. And Leo is a very exalted sign to have your Mars in. So Osensei was blessed with having the astrology of an elite even uniquely gifted athlete. For comparison, Barry Bonds has his sun(also an important planet) in Leo. Other things that come with this placement, a Noblesse Oblige (Osensei was blessed with the fact that his family had money and his father was able to do things like build a dojo and bring in a judo sensei so that Osensei could train following the Russo-Japanese War, and he bankrolled Osensei's move to Hokkaido with what was estimated at the time at a quarter of a million dollars), a strong sense of personal integrity, and a highly competitive nature. Even though aikido is non-competitive and stresses inner development over outward victory, Osensei honed himself in life and death matches and encounters. For this a well-placed Mars was undoubtedly important and even necessary.

And his sun in Sagitarious trines(re-inforces) his Mars in Leo. This is excellent for athleticism(His son writes that his father by jumping in the air and grabbing his legs with his arms and making himself into a ball could go 5 feet in the air), physical strength(it is recorded that during one season in Hokkaido he personally cut down 500 trees and by his own account this was over 700). He possessed great will power. He was a winner. Again competitive, and aggressive. So even with his early love of study and spirituality he was not by any means just a philosopher.

I can see we have just touched the surface of this project. So more soon, including some planetary influences he had to overcome. He was not blessed with an easy life. And the completion of his mission entailed the victory over things that might not be evident to the casual student. So more soon. And sooner as opposed to later. I am including a video of Osensei in his later years with some revealing slow motion shots:

Iron Man 2

2010-05-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

I guess you see what comes first in May to signal in the tide of summer blockbuster movies. This year it is Iron Man 2. I was amazed how much I liked Iron Man in 2008. Robert Downey Jr makes a great Tony Stark. Larger than life. Flawed. At the same time human. I loved his recent Sherlock Holmes. And he brings that same combination of charm and the ability to sense then seize the moment to Iron Man 2. AS in Spider-Man 3, the main opponent to Iron Man is success and acceptance. Often a hero, such as the early periods of Spider-man and Batman must battle public opinion as to whether or not they are truly heroes. Here Iron Man has himself brought about a period of peace and stability in the world by himself being a nuclear deterrant. And of course nothing can consume you quicker than success. So it is a fascinating film about how Tony Stark must come to grips with forces that either want a piece of him(the government) or want to destroy him for their own ends(Justin Hammer and the scientist/villain Vanko). He must also deal with the fact that the power source that is creating Iron Man is slowly killing him. And we get more resolution about the Tony Stark/Pepper Potts romance, which takes another step forward. In the original Stan Lee/Don Heck comics she and the chaffeur Happy Hogan(I love Jon Favreau, I think his Foggy Nelson in Daredevil was great) were simply cartoon caricatures. AS the strip progressed she was drawn prettier and prettier until she became a love interest for Stark. Here she replaces Stark as CEO of Stark Enterprises.

Scarlett Johansson plays one of my favorite Marvel characters, the Black Widow. The Black Widow as I remember was originally a Soviet spy and therefore a villainess in one of the earlier Iron Man stories. She later got a connection with SHIELD and became a heroine. Being a '60's character she was strongly influenced by the Emma Peel character played by Diana Rigg. Her outfit became black leather combat suits. She began utilizing martial arts instead of super powers, also homage to Mrs Peel. She had a great run in Daredevil in the '70's where she and Matt Murdock moved to San Francisco and were a team. These were drawn by Gene Colan and were very very good. I always preferred her to Elektra as a partner for Daredevil. Ms Johansson does a good job playing Natasha Romanova, the last name giving the character a tie to the Russian royal family. She comes in undercover for SHIELD. Robert Downey Jr's line is "I want one." Gwynneth Paltrow refers to her as "an expensive sexual harassment suit about to happen". The martial arts sequences with her are part of a trend in films I don't particularly care for. Like some of the sequences in "The Dark Knight" they are speeded up and the movements are unclear intentionally to add an effect to the film. All her sequences are computer enhanced. Diana Rigg did a lot of her own scenes. My sense is that people might just begin to gloss over the martial arts in the way the media has begun to portray them. I don't know if anyone would think of taking up martial arts from watching the sequences in this film.

This film is seen as a trilogy, with 2 films now done. There is a Thor film coming out soon. Then a Marvel Avengers film. Then Iron Man 3. A good job so far.

I put out an quick new video on irimi nage. Hope you enjoy it.

Chetty's Lullaby

2010-05-13T17:02:00.001-07:00

I fell in love with this song. It was sung in Italian. At the time a mother and her two sons were training. She taught Italian and I gave her a cd of the song and she was gracious enough to transcribe it for me. She translated it also, but I no longer have a copy of that. It was written, I believe, by Chet Baker for his son Chet Jr. with his second wife Halema, a beautiful Indi-Pakistani woman who is featured in some memorable William Claxton photos which made it to some memorable album covers. Even though it seems a romantic song it is a lullaby to Chet's young son.

If I were playing it now I would follow Marianne's very capable playing much better than I did two years ago. And the trumpet work is somewhat primitive by what I can do now. But having listened to it recently, I thought the whole thing works enough to present it. Today is the twenty second anniversary of the day Chet passed. He fell out of the window of the Prinze Henri hotel in Amsterdam. His death was somewhat mysterious. There is speculation he was killed. That he committed suicide. At this point we'll probably never be certain. And the original is available on youtube if you type in his name and the song's title. It is very beautiful. But his music is still alive and still inspiring people, and that is the point in presenting this. I had to learn the lyrics in Italian, which was challenging. I had to remember them. Which was hard. But then I memorized Amatsu Norito and Kami Goto in Japanese, and that is exponentially harder, believe me.

The performance was organized by Maurice Gregoire, who at the time was running the Peninsula Regent. Even though it was way to soon to do a gig, it had the effect of my learning some songs and continuing with music. Chet spent about 9 months in an italian jail, and , by his own account in his incomplete autobiography" AS Though I Had Wings", came out speaking fluent Italian. By the way, the book is an interesting read. Chet was a music major at El Camino College in Southern California, with a minor in English. I think he could have been a writer if that is what he wanted. Apparently he drove so fast that his pianist, Russ Freeman, refused to ride with him. And he told his wife Carol that if he could not be a musician, he would have been a race car driver.

So now we go back to late March of 2008:

more local "Iwama" news and personal cinco de mayo

2010-05-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Things have begun to heat up concerning the potential aikido living situation in Boulder Creek. If any more are interested, please contact me(jack@aikidosj.com). The more people we have the cheaper the rent would be. For more info please scan recent blogs.

Tomorrow is cinco de mayo. It was three years ago that I took up the trumpet again. I rented an instrument and went home(at the time the East Hills of San Jose) to try to make a sound. I was determined to try to play with an orthodox embrouchure(two lips instead of the upper lip and tongue I used in middle and high school). What possessed me to start again? It was that I was listening to the music of trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker. I started with singing along with his vocals, then I decided to try to play. That first session was very mixed and somewhat discouraging. But towards the end some notes from "Let's Get Lost", the first Chet piece I ever heard floated out and I decided to continue.

Some interesting and coincidental dates: Chet Baker passed away on May 13, 1988, so I started within about a week of the 20 year anniversary of his passing. Also, at the time of his passing he was 58, and that was the age I was when I discovered his music and started to play again. In the early to mid-60's Chet was the victim of a brutal assault and suffered the loss(or very severe damage to) his upper front teeth. And according to Artt Frank Chet also suffered nerve damage to both sides of his jaw. He was told he would never play again. He was local for awhile. His mom had a house in Milpitas and he pumped gas at a local gas station. It took about 3 years for Chet to make a comeback and play again in front of an audience. He was supported during this time by the friendship of Artt Frank, who has written a book about those "lost years" in Chet's life during which he made a comeback against almost impossible odds. Hopefully that book will be published shortly. I will definitely post information here about it in my blog.

My thought process was that if it took Chet 3 years to learn to play without teeth(he had dentures) then I could give the trumpet 3 years as well. So three years to learn how to play. It has been a fascinating journey. I've had a few friends and students to play along with. I've had wonderful advice and encouragement from Artt and his wife Lisa, as well as their friend Lucille. Mainly it is about self-exploration and self-expression. I think the recent "Isn't It Romantic?" is very good. My technique and ability to follow music needs work. But in terms of expressing an inner lyricism, and, as Artt puts it, "Being able to tell my story", I feel good. So I'll go for another 3 years and see if I get any closer to being able to play like Chet. And I don't seek to copy him. But he himself was strongly influenced by a Miles Davis album "Birth of the Cool". And he himself said while he didn't copy Miles, in listening to it he found who he was. So that is my intention around Chet and his music. There is something behind the lyricism, the legendary cool and the same time the emotional fragility and vulnerability he expresses that awakens something in me.

Now the next part is very subjective. It is my sense, and I do not wish to offend anyone with what I say. Along with my sense of Ueshiba Osensei's aikido, I think Chet Baker's sound and music are unique. I believe his sound double helixes, just like Ueshiba Osensei's movement and chanting. I believe he was a very original soul very much in touch with the soul's original creative power. I think music just came to and through him. I feel he played from a place very close to what Ueshiba Osensei called the "divine realm". And being such an original soul so close to what we may call the source energy, I think he found it very difficult to be here in this world so dominated by thought form energy(war, winning, control, fear are major thought forms that tend to control the world). But he brought into being music that is still very unique. He is categorized by many as an exponent of the cool jazz(or west coast jazz) of the '50's as if he never moved past that. Yet his lyrical magic and the fact that when he free formed his compositions were often times much better than the standards he played are often overlooked by people who simply categorize him as a certain type of jazz player from a certain era. I told Artt Frank that I think of him as pure magic, that maybe given more time or slightly different circumstances to his life and that he could have been curing cancer with his playing.

The video below is from youtube and is the First Chet piece I ever heard. It is one of his most famous. Notice the emotion that his airy and almost effortless vocal style can create. How it can take you to another world. And the second of his trumpet solos is brilliant.Every once in awhile I get up the nerve to play try to play it along with him. Enjoy!

winning

2010-04-29T11:13:00.001-07:00

We just finally did another sports blog(Stephen Curry) and it had been a long time. Well here's another one. Franklin Mieuli, the one-time owner of the Golden State Warriors, just passed away at age 89. Under Mr. Mieuli's ownership, the Warriors had 8 consecutive winning seasons, the longest in their bay area tenure. And in 1975 they brought the bay area its only NBA title. Mr. Mieuli was a colorful character, often seen a la Sherlock Holmes in a deerstalker's cap.

When I was a freshman in high school, I played C & D basketball. That was basketball for short kids who didn't want to run cross country track or play football. In those days Mr Mieuli had a residence in Santa Cruz, so the Warriors had their training camp in Santa Cruz. They would play an open public scrimage with the proceeds going to charity at the Civic Auditorium. And the Soquel High School C & D's would pay their Santa Cruz High counterparts in 2 preliminary games. So I got a chance to see Wilt Chamberlin, Nate Thurmond, Guy Rodgers, Tom Meschary in these public scrimmages. 1962 and 1963 I believe. After that the training camp was shifted to San Jose. I remember standing about 10 feet from Wilt Chamberlin during their half-time break as he dripped sweat and put away large coke container after container. He was massive and awesome indeed. I saw Nate Thurmond's first training camp. Rick Barry didn 't come along until 1965, so I didn't get to see him.

It is amazing how this culture is dominated by the thought form of winning. I talked to Mr Mieuli once on Sportsphone 68(KNBR) in the early '80's. I was very critical of the way the Warriors were being run. Like so many others rather than being grateful for the 1975 title I was spoiled by it and wanted to know why that success was not being sustained. I look at myself then and really cringe. Even as a fan winning was not everything, it was the only thing. The '49ers were yet to hit their ascent of the '80's.The A's had a run of world titles in the mid '70's. The Raiders were the paradigm of success, constantly fielding winning teams and winning the Super Bowl in 1977(I was in Japan and missed it). So there was enough winning going on to make you believe you were entitled.

Mr. Mieuli as the NBA became more "corporate" was forced to sell the Warriors in the mid to late '80's. The initial owner, Dan Finane, brought in Don Nelson first as GM then coach, and the Warriors became interesting again, if not title contenders. The Cohan ownership has produced one shining jewel of a moment(the "We Believe" first round upset of Dallas a couple of seasons ago) and not much else. So it had been awhile since I gave Mr Mieuli and his tenure any thought at all. He ran the franchise as a fan would. His model was family, not business. He gave his star players(Wilt Chamberlin and Rick Barry) handshakes instead of contracts. At the time this horrified me. He apparently kept the 1975 NBA championship trophy in the back seat of his car just so he could go around publicly and let the fans touch it. Yet he was totally committed to winning. He was eventually forced to sell because the league ownership became more and more corporate therefore wealthier. He was forced to trade Bernard King to the New York Knicks) because he couldn't afford him. King after the trade took out a whole page ad in the Oakland Tribune and thanked the fans for their support.

I guess what really shocked me was that the way Mieuli ran the Warriors is like I try to run the dojo. Aikido has gone its own form of corporate. The emphasis is on having large organizations, workshops both local and international, and numbers numbers numbers. For me the message of the founder is foremost. A lot of leaders are committed to aikido but I feel have lost his message. I happen to personally like some of these people a lot. But I do not hang with empire builders...... So it is amazing that if I were 30'sh today, I would probably look at the way the dojo is run and be very critical, just as I was of Mr. Mieuli. I think the message is quite clear. BE careful of what thought forms rule you. Winning and success are very seductive. I hope Franklin Mieuli rests in peace. He deserves it.

Here is a youtube clip about the historical and social significance of the Warriors only NBA title, and Mr Mieuli was a large part of that, too.

Busy Day

2010-04-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

It was indeed a busy weekend. Yesterday(Saturday) Aikido of San Jose did a demonstration at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival. Our special thanks to Andrew Le for contacting the right people and setting it up. To Harry Concepcion, Shin Tsurushima, Matt Laine, Andrew, and Meng Ear for participating. And to Sasha for his camera work. Thanks to him we have a video to attach to this blog. After the demo we all enjoyed a little time in the sun in what was a truly gorgeous day.

Today started early. I went up to San Francisco to teach the morning class at City Aikido. And then after class headed back to San Jose for our Osensei Memorial Training. I arrived about the middle of the second class. It was a good turnout and people seemed to train well and to enjoy the classes and the ceremonies.

At the beginning of the ceremonies Bob Noha sensei did a beautiful presentation of Osensei’s Suuuuu….. chant. Linda Holiday sensei followed that up with the Amatsu Norito and the names of the kami. I did the Kami Goto. And we ended with some sound meditation with Linda sensei’s Bell. All in all it was a beautiful day.

Betsy Hill sensei was unable to make it today. My thanks to Frank Silvey sensei for saving the day and taking the first class. And my sincere thanks to all of you who supported the event. It is much appreciated.

So I am currently in the office late unwinding and writing this blog. It was truly a day to share with friends and students and to bask in the glow of the Founder’s message. And a day to re-dedicate oneself to one’s training and one’s life purpose and mission. Again, thank you all very much.

Stephen Curry

2010-04-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I did a sports oriented blog. The local teams have scuffled a bit, so not much to write about. But I have been following the rookie season of the Warriors' Stephen Curry. Of course a couple of years ago he lead Davidson to a dream run in the NCAA's. And his father, Dell, was a longtime NBA player. I was amazed when he fell to the Warriors with the 7th pick of the 2009 NBA draft. Predictably on a very chaotic team he had a very mixed and somewhat slow start. But he has finished the season with a couple of stellar months and deserves to be mentioned in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Will he win? I have a feeling, but I'm not banking anything on it.

He represents the type of athlete I really like to follow. Chris Mullin was one. Not outwardly gifted athletically. But creative, with an athleticism that was subtle. Yes you would and should choose Michael Jordan over him everytime. But fun to watch. Quirky. In his slow slow way had a way of getting to the hoop and finishing with style. Earl Monroe didn't have great speed, but he had a street flair to his game and a mesmerizing spin move. Curry is beginning to remind me a bit of EArl Monroe.

I am putting some of his highlights here. You'll notice that even though they say he is not exceptional athletically, he finishes difficult moves with style. From his passing you get the feeling he sees the whole court and senses what is going to happen before it does. And he is a great great shooter who will probably get even better as he plays. He shoots the deep deep three about as good as anyone. He has the knack of knowing when the defender shifts his weight back to defend against a drive, then he stops and shoots. In addition to a great shooting range and an ability to finish at the hoop, he also has the mid-range game some great athletes never develop. So here are his top 10 rookie season highlights: Stephen Curry rookie highlights

So I am looking forward to following what I hope will be a long and entertaininly successful run with the Warriors. It has been a while since Warrior fans have had anything sustained to cheer about. Obviously the playoff from a few years ago is a notable exception, but it was not sustainable. I think Steph Curry will be here awhile. In case you don't want to go through 10 highlights, here is the real eye opener from youtube:

More Iwama

2010-04-15T22:55:00.001-07:00

I have more reflections on Osensei's period in Iwama, but first I'd like to recall points of my most recent visit to the aiki shrine, which was in June of 2006. It was part of Nadeau sensei's group if 50 that visited Hombu dojo for about a week. Wednesday of that week we visited the Aiki Shrine and also the Iwama dojo. I have described that visit in previous blogs. But for me the most memorable part of that visit was Osensei's spirit passing through. As a group we were allowed into the inner part of the shrine. I asked through Laurin Herr, who served as translator, if I could chant Amatsu Norito. Isoyama sensei, who is currently the shrine's guardian, said it was okay. But Nadeau sensei went first and did the "Suuuuu....." chant he learned from Osensei himself. Then I followed with the norito. And the whole group felt a palpable change in the energy of the place. I have only felt anything approaching that once. In the Self-Realization Fellowship garden in Encinitas, California, while I was meditating, I had a visit from Paramahansa Yogananda. When a being of that magnitude visits there is a definite change in the whole vibe of a place. Intense, light, and at the same time very calm.And very powerfully loving. I wish we had been able to commune with his energy longer, but we were summoned to lunch.

The first picture is of Nadeau sensei with me in the background. It was taken in the dojo just before lunch. I think it is fitting that the photo of Osensei is featured prominently just behind Nadeau sensei. The two were very close. The next photo is of me with Lou Bermingham and Frank Silvey senseis. It was taken in front of the shrine. And the last is the second group photo taken in front of the shrine. It differs from the one I put in the last blog.

I think the Iwama period was very important for Osensei. The world had gone crazy and was at war. I think during this period he more clearly saw his purpose and his life's mission. So amidst all the turmoil these very important things in his life were more substantially forged. During this period he his mission was revealed to him and the spirit of the dragon king, ame no murakumo kuki samuhara ryuo, was said to have entered his blood. Osensei backed off from accepting his mission, feeling it was much too exalted for him, and became seriously ill. It was only after accepting his mission/purpose, that he recovered his health.

With the world in a very uncertain and chaotic state, I feel we have all entered an Iwama phase in our training. With the economic uncertainties and the recent geological upheavals, there is clearly massive change flowing through the entire fabric of our existence. We are probably not going to move to a farm in Northern Japan(although read the previous 2 blogs for the possibility of an aikido living situation locally). Yet I do feel that this will be a difficult yet very important period during which to clarify our mission/purpose, and, with the pressures of what may be hard times, forge ourselves further along the path of aikido.

The farming was very important for Osensei. For me music has become very important and complementary to martial study. I have recently begun to play with an exceptional musician, Tom Landry. The following is a piece we recently did at his recording studio in Campbell:

Of kyu exams and aikido living situations

2010-04-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

We will be doing tests this week. Friday night April 16th for adults and Saturday the 17th for children. We have not done exams in awhile. We will try to get back on track and have regular exams every couple of months for all age groups. Some times it may come across is that I am anti-exam. That is not the case. One things exams do is that they encourage the learning of the structure of the art, ie the forms and the names that are called out in Japanese. And often times the candidate is encouraged to work with some one more advanced to help them prepare for their exam. So some important bonding can go on. Also it is good to see a group that has come in together “go up the ladder together” so to speak. The reason we have not tested lately is that a date must be found and the schools involved must co-ordinate a date. I am involved in an aikido study group(justice league meetings) which take time and involve a whole different way of looking at the art than exams do. And there are some things happening in the music realm that require a lot of time. But hopefully in the future the exams will be organized on a more regular basis.

One thing that does happen is that the exam format does encourage a more mental approach to learning the forms. Often times the pressure of an exam will movtivate someone to learn a body of information but very mentally. Even hours spent in preparation with a senior student where details are being passed on will cause the “Oh, I learned such and such “. Syndrome. All real knowledge is experiential. Einstein himself said as much. He said everything else was just information. And the knowledge must be experiential and through the body. The techniques were originally developed to get people to access that field of information through the body. And that knowledge was meant to be innate. Innate knowledge is of the moment, experiential, not of the past. While exams can be good for getting through a body of technique, exams have an agenda and often times people carry the mind knowledge of the movements, which is something learned in the past, with them into present and future. So be aware that everything you have learned for an exam must also be stripped away so that you can go back into the moment with your learning. So please prepare and take kyu and dan exams. But also please keep a perspective on what they are. A good exam includes good technique, but also that the candidate has hit a whole new level of themselves in the process. That happens occasionally……

The situation for the potential living situation in Boulder Creek is still in the developmental stage. I have been approached by a couple of people. But they were not clear whether the place was Boulder Creek or more local in San Jose. Yes indeed it is in the mountains among the redwoods. Certain other things need to be done. Such as testing the ph of the soil. The area in question has a little slant to it, which would have to be addressed. If any of you have any expertise or advice on this, please let me know.

Again, the most immediate thing would be finding 2 people who would like to rent rooms. Then the farming area could be addressed. It has been suggested that portions of the growing area could be rented, with crops going to those people who are involved in that way. Also, that some people might be interested in purchasing some of the property. So if any of you have any suggestions, I am all ears. Also, if someone wants to take a leadership role, please let me know. Things like agriculture I am not familiar with. But I am willing to learn. For more information on this, please check the previous blog.

The Iwama situation for Osensei has been coming up for me lately. I visited the Ibaragi dojo in fall of 1973. I spent about 5 days there. Linda Holiday sensei had visited prior to my visit. At that time Saito sensei was still working on the railroad and so I only saw him the first day for training. He taught a private class for me upon my arrival. And I went to see him before I left. He told me “Mata Iwama e irrashai”. A couple of years later when I was back in this area, Saito sensei was visiting. I took Master Choy to see him. So it was a meeting of t’ai chi and Aikido. Very friendly by the way. I returned in summer of 2006 when with Nadeau sensei’s group we visited for an afternoon. I am including a picture taken in front of the Aiki Shrine during that visit. One of my favorite photos of a very memorable day. We had to leave early that Wednesday afternoon because we had dinner scheduled with the Doshu that night. This is recounted in one of my earliest blogs in June 2006. So it is in the archives.

Aikido Living Situation Possible

2010-04-03T20:14:00.001-07:00

I am currently in Boulder Creek. I am staying with friends . The mother of one of my goddaughters and one of my goddaughter’s best friends. My cat Lily is with me. After about 2 weeks she went missing but has recently returned. I guess she didn’t like being inside for the initial period, took matters into her own hands and decided to be outside for awhile. But she is back. Remember, Lily was missing in the Santa Cruz mountains before and returned, that time after 3 months. Even though I was worried, I know she can take care of herself.

It is about a 40 minute commute to the dojo. Having lived in Felton for 9 years I am used to the drive. And after having lived in San Jose for the past 5 years(yes time does fly) it is for the moment very refreshing to be back in the mountains among the redwoods. And I feel my system going back into a balance. My blood sugar readings have been lower(I am diabetic) and I attribute that to having a break from the energies of constantly being in the city. There is something almost womb-like to the silence at night in the mountains that can be very therapeutic.

I found out just recently that the house may have to be put up for a short sale. A re-financing attempt was unsuccessful and much is owed on the house. So after just having moved I am facing the possibility of another move. I tend to compartmentalize and say”My poor cat”. Well this is a crisis of sorts for everybody over here, Aikido teaches us to blend with things and to work the alchemy to turn Crises into opportunities. So here we are.

An idea did come to me. And it is multi-tiered. On a level one basis there is a history of Aikido living situations in the bay area. Years ago Robert Nadeau shihan owned property in Mountain View and a whole community of people lived there as aikido students doing a deeper spiritual study than can be done just at the dojo. And of course they all trained at the Mountain View dojo. Just before I left for my first stay in Japan I was living in Santa Cruz with my parents. But I used to hang out with people who lived in an Aikido House on Colorado Street. They were all training at the UC Santa Cruz Aikido Club. One of them was Linda Holiday sensei. And after I returned from my second stay in Japan there was an Aiki House with seminal members of the Stanford University Aikido Club and I would sometimes train at Stanford, spend the night there on the couch , and train again the following day. It was a much freer and open existence in those days. So I am wondering if some people might be interested in renting(there are 2 rooms). Among 3 people somewhere between $1500 and $1600 must be come up with. And I need to get even clearer about the figures. I intend to write at least another blog about this so more clarity as we continue on. So the off-shoot of this in broad terms is that I am looking for 2 possible house-mates. And if this were an aikido situation, since I would be there, we could structure activites that would make the situation a more in-depth kind of study than can be done at a dojo. This needs to flesh itself out a bit more.

A possible level two: there is a fair amount of property in back of the house. Some trees would need to be cleared out, but some sort of training space could probably be managed. There is even the possibility of growing food(and a lot of it) there. So an Aiki farm like Osensei did in Iwama during the second world war is a possibility. And locally. The Iwama location served as a retreat for Osensei during the World War II time. It allowed him to get away from Tokyo during a difficult time. He was teaching military and police and was forced to teach a ciriculum that was not totally to his liking. The move to the country allowed him to explore spaces that helped produce the more modern post World War II aikido. So more than just a living situation for several people, this second level would allow people to come in for activities as well. Possibly to even help with agriculture. Osensei loved the growing of food. Producing sustenance. The food was not only for himself and his family but he produced an excess which was sent to Tokyo during that tough war period to help people who were without much food. Osensei found farming and budo to be a good mix.

There is a third level. Some years ago I was given a non-profit with which to build an Aiki Shrine in America. It was christened by Hikitsuchi sensei the “Takemusu Shinbuden”. Literally the residence of the Honorable Spirit of Universal Martial Creativity. So the third level would be to create some sort of spiritual center for aikido with the property whereby a large number of people would have access to it. As I have said, I intend to write at least another blog on this matter. Let me know if any of you would be interested in participating in this on any level.

By the way, the picture of Lily was taken at our former residence in the East Hills of San Jose and not at our current location, which is equally beautiful in it's own way. Lily is just beginning to find her way around the redwoods.

I am including a video done fairly recently. Stella by Starlight with Dennis Kyne on guitar and me on trumpet:

more shade and james robinson and avengers

2010-03-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say a couple of more words on James Robinson and Starman and the Shade character. The Shade as presented in the Starman saga was British. I always thought a young(Avengers age) Patrick Macnee would make a great Shade. Shade wore a top hat instead of a bowler hat and carried a cane at times instead of an umbrella. Macnee for all his stylishness has a coolness and even a dark side that would be great in the Shade character.

Another similarity between the Avengers and the Starman Robinson comics was that they could take place anywhere in time and space. Yes, London and Opal City were the major cities featured. But the stories could go into outer space, time travel, magic and psychic themes, explore movie themes. So they were both very imaginative. Robinson recently revealed that he is working on a Shade series. I hope it comes into fruition. And soon. But I would also like to see Jack Knight back in the DC universe with his cosmic rod.

And yesterday was the yearly anniversary of the Avengers first episode on American tv. It was the cybernauts and I found a clip of this episode on youtube. There was a martial arts fight scene between Mrs Peel and a woman black belt that is included in the clip. Some of the Japanese terms are incorrect or mispronounced, but I found the scene still riveting. So from March 28th, 1966, Thursday night, ABC tv(it took the time slot from Ben Casey) at 10pm here is that seminal fight scene. See, we can travel through time as well.

A beloved comic book series and a fundraising update

2010-03-24T23:53:00.001-07:00

Starman is my favorite all-time comic book. The character has been around since the late 1930's, debuting shortly after Superman and Batman. But that was Ted Knight, the first Starman. The recent series started in 1994 and ran into 2000. 80 issues. And it featured Jack Knight, the son of the original Starman, Ted. Jack is the reluctant hero, who only assumes the mantle of hero when his brother David is killed. His growing into the role of Starman in his own way is a fascinating journey. When he is not being the superhero, he runs a collectibles shop and hangs out with his dad, who has retired from superheroing to pursue his science.

The entire series was written by James Robinson, who did the screenplay for the movie "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" among others. His writing is excellent and entertainingly quirky. An example, two killers holding hostages discussing which of the Raymond Chandler Philip Marlowe films is the best. The entire 80 issues is like a novel. There are seeds of very important themes in the first issues that come to fruition during the last issues. At the end of the last issue, Robinson thanked the loyal fans for allowing him to "tell and finish his story". Robinson is currently back in comics doing the current Superman arc about Kryptonians released when the bottle of Kandor is finally enlarged. The entire series highlights aesthetics, discussions of collectibles, art, film that are a treasure. As much as I am happy that Mr Robinson is back in comics and doing Superman, I hope one day he'll return to Starman, or at least bring him somehow into the Superman world.

Jack's relationship with his father is a crucial part of the series. His father is able to pass on his experience as Starman to Jack. In one of the early issues, he tells Jack there is no need to go looking for the weirdness. That it will find him. And it does . Repeatedly. Father-son relationships can be very complex. And I saw some of my relationship with my own father in Jack Knight's relationship to his. In another one of the early episodes Ted the father reveals the reason he named his son Jack was that it was a heroes name. It brought tears to my eyes. I had lost my father to cancer in '94 shortly before the series came out. And I found out at the funeral that he had named me after Jackie Robinson. A coincidence.

Another coincidence. Emma Peel of the Avengers has the maiden name Knight. I hoped maybe in the future it might be revealed that the Jack Knight starman and Mr Peel might be related and even have an adventure together. Another coincidence.
The sound editor for the color Emma Peel episodes was named Jack Knight.

For a more detailed history of the series, there is a pretty complete wikopedia entry
Jack Knight-Starman .

I have quite a lot of the Starman collectibles. A pin, a watch, several t-shirts, a poster, some action figures of Jack, his father, and the Shade. Which brings me to one of the most entertaining characters in the series. The Shade is an immortal who weilds a dark shadow energy. He can create constructs out of it much like Green lantern can with his ring. But the Shade's power comes from darkness. He lives in Starman's Opal City. He is neither purely hero or villain . Although as the series evolves he becomes more heroic. Recently Robinson did a one shot Starman issues, an issue 81 for Starman collectors, as a part of the Blackest Night story arc currently going in DC comics. And it was a wonderful and nostalgic return to Opal City for Starman fans. And it featured the Shade.

It seems when I am about to move Starman comes up. In 1995 I was moving from a place with friends in Campbell. I had bought the first couple of Starman issues and then did not collect the next issues. I wound up going all over to comic book shops and completing the collection. And now during my current move, I discovered that they have issued the series in hardcover Omnibus form. So I am collecting the hardcovers. The entire series is available in graphic novel form. Which is a lot cheaper than the hardcover editions. But I am a collector so I'm getting the Omnibus editions. The most recent comes out tomorrow. And I'll pick it up at Atlantis Fantasy World when I am in Santa Cruz Saturday. I have the entire run in comic book form, as well as in graphic novels, and now the hardcover. And I keep on hoping that Mr Robinson will someday return to Jack Knight and the Shade.

Fundraiser update: We've collected over $1,000. So I have been able to pay the pre-op visits off. So $3,000 to go. Remember for donations of $20 or more a free dvd of my music. See fundraider dvd
. Thank you.

another fundraising update and More.......

2010-03-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

.So far the fundraiser has raised over a thousand, so thank you very much. Tomorrow I am going to pay off the pre-op stuff, which in retrospect, was quite expensive. Again, for those who would like more information on that, please read the previous blog entitled "More Fundraising".

Anyway, later this month are a couple of important dates for me around my favorite all-time television show, “The Avengers”. I will be in Sebastopol for the Robert Nadeau/Mary Heiny workshop, but this Saturday March 20th will be the 42nd anniversary of Diana Rigg’s last live episode’s airing on network television. I believe that was aired on a Wednesday night, early, at 7:30 am. In the previous 2 seasons the show aired late, at 10pm. I remember after the show ended, I went into my room and cried. I found out later that after that last episode was filmed, Patrick Macnee went into his dressing room and cried.

The show was way ahead of its time. It dealt with things that were just not addressed in that time. How a woman could be strong and at the same time feminine. How a show could be overtly off-beat and at the same time about sexuality without any outward sex. How a show could be about the England of the mid to late ‘60’s and at the same time be placed anywhere in time and space. Very surreal and at the same time quite quirky. Very special.
I addressed some of these in a story I wrote where Mrs Peel and I share an adventure:
Mrs Peel Adventure

The second date is March 28, which will be the 44th anniversary of the show’s initial airing on ABC tv. So both dates are in March, and the end before the beginning. The later episodes are okay, but they do not measure up to the Diana Rigg episodes. I was horrified to
learn that the Avengers dvds are no longer available through A & E. Hopefully that will be remedied in the future.

One of the things about Mrs Peel was her wardrobe. She wore very stylish miniskirts and trouser outfits. For her fight scenes she initially in her first series wore black leather, a look pioneered by her predecessor, Honor Blackman. In the later color episodes she wore stylish jump suits that were named “Emma Peelers”. The black leather seemed to give the character an edge. There was the sense that this was a glamourous, educated woman who in no way could be labeled “nice”. And that was a source of appeal to me.

The following is a youtube video with one of my favorite fight scenes:

more fundraising

2010-03-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

I came across this photo the other day. It was taken in Fair Oaks. My friend Dianna led a group of us in a session where we got to cut with a Japanese blade. The others were veterans. I believe it was my second or third time doing this. The point of this is that I was doing this essentially with one eye. At that time(October of 2008) I had cataracts in my left eye that allowed some light in and yet everything was essentially a blur from that side. There were a couple of incidents driving that led me to the conclusion that I needed to get the problem corrected with surgery. You can compensate for not being able to see out of one eye. But one eye can focus on what is essentially half a field of vision. So when you are focusing on one, you are neglecting the other half. So on November 4th(which was election day, coincidentally), I had the surgery done. You can read the details in an earlier blog dated November 5th, 2008 surgery blog .

It has been over a year since the surgery. The good news is that my left eye for distance is actually better than my right(formerly my strong eye). And it is a different world when you have a full field of vision. Colors are brighter. Shapes, spaces are more dimensionally full. So my life has been much richer this last period.
The not so good news is that my insurance does not look like it is going to cover the surgery. I switched carriers to get cheaper rates and at that time I was told that an eventual surgery would be covered. But the condition was pre-existing to the time I switched companies, so the present company is currently refusing to pay the surgeon.

I tend not to pay myself a whole lot through the dojo. But I do get benefits through the dojo, one being health insurance and medical benefits. So what this means is that the current situation puts an economic strain on the dojo during what is a very slow period. With a pre-op visit and surgery, the amount due is around $4,000. My sister loaned me the amount to cover the surgery, so the length of time needed to pay the entire bill has been extended. But it must be paid.

Aikido instructors tend to not have great health care. My friend Mary Heiny was fortunate to have the support around her to have her recent hip replacement surgery covered. In my case the amount due is not in that league. A couple of us have tossed around possible vehicles for a fundraiser. Some years past Linda Holiday sensei had a dojo cookbook to raise money for her Santa Cruz dojo. My thought along those lines is to use the holidaze dvd for that purpose. You can check the whole thing out at dvd fundraiser . Now the webpage is very self explanatory. For any donation of $20 or more, you get a dvd. That means 200 donations and the whole thing is covered. There is a button where you can do the whole thing through paypal. Dvds are available in the dojo office, or, if you e-mail me an address, I will mail it to you.

Now this is a touchy thing for me because this concerns outwardly my interest in music. Which is for me a very private thing. Even before the fundraiser I gave some copies to some friends who were very encouraging. A couple of them were very close friends of Chet Baker(whose music I study very closely). And it is very difficult to be objective about oneself. It is very difficult for me to record and listen to myself. I feel the music is good, stands on its own merits apart from the fundraiser angle, and reflects mainly someone who is in the process of developping and growing. Which is all any of us can really do when we undertake anything. And I think visually the piece "Blade Horn & Wolf" is very engaging. I found out that James Gauer, who shot the piece, has studied film professionally.

So please check out the above link to the dojo website and also the dvd. Seth Spitzer has done a wonderful job on the page, and has put excerpts from youtube for the pieces on the dvd. The following piece was done immediately after the surgery. I am wearing shades to protect the eye:

dojo ebay

2010-02-24T20:41:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, I am in the process of moving. So I'm putting a lot of my stuff in storage. GEtting the storage area in line to take my stuff has been a project. There are some things in there that may be of interest. I was originally intending to have a yard sale in the dojo. But that would necessitate bringing a lot of stuff into the dojo. So I thought instead I'd let people know what is available and they can contact me with an offer at jack @aikidosj.com.

1. I have the vhs sets for "The Avengers" in 1963 and 1964. These star not Diana Rigg but Honor Blackman, whose Cathy Gale preceded Emma Peel. The character of John Steed is much darker, not the suave image we are used to from the Diana Rigg series. Ms Blackman did her own stunts and learned judo for the role. She is, of course, most famous as Pussy Galore in the Bond film"Goldfinger", for which she left the British tv series.

2. From 1975 I have the complete vhs set of Kolchak the Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. This was a tv series, but I also have the 2 made for tv movies that preceded the series: "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler". An interesting blend of horror and comedy. McGavin is excellent. There was an attempt to revive the series a couple of years ago, but the original is much better.

3. A Japan Life International sleep system. It allows you to sleep in a magnetic field, which can give you the eqivalent of accupressure or body work as you rest. This is a child's unit, but many claimed the adult ones were way too hard. It is cushy and comfortable. The 108 magnets are said to last for over 100 years.

4. A mochi maker. With special rice(brown can work too) you can cook up rice cakes. They can vary from garlic seasoned to sweeter more desert versions.

5. A box full of t-shirts with O sensei's calligraphy for "Katsu Hayahi" or "Do the aikido that can be seen by the human eye". Or "that speed which transcends time and space". Mainly chilrens sizes.

6. Audio cassettes of "The Floating Bridge of Heaven", amatsu norito, kami goto, free form kototama. I gave one to Hikitsuchi sensei with a lot of trepidation. But he liked it. It is available at our website through Cafe press, but the audio cassette contains some artwork by Lou Bermingham sensei done especially for the audiocassette.

7. Dvds of a youtube video I did,"Secret Agent Gal", starring Dame Diana Rigg in an Emma Peel like role. I did a vocal for it that I know sort of regret doing. I whispered into a mike trying to get a new sound. The vocal is very inconsistent, but I edited Dame Diana's two mini-films "Minikillers" and "Das Diadem" into, I think, a good little short. I showed it to Nadeau sensei, and response was,"That's one tough woman".

8. A whole bunch of fairly current comic books featuring the "Blackest Night" arc and the current "World AGainst Superman" that is in the current Superman titles.

So if you see anything you might like, let me know. I'll donate 50% of everything taken in to the dojo. AS more items surface, I will let you know.

more Japantown dojo musings

2010-02-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of organizing for a move. So I am trying to get my storage space set so that it can take a lot of my current at large stuff. So I've been looking through old stuff. There is some interesting "stuff" so I'm thinking about doing a dojo garage sale some weekend and some old items can be made available. I have a complete vhs set of Kolchak the Night Stalker, the classic '70's Darren McGavin show.
I have a boxed set of Honor Blackman Avengers VHs also. I have many Kato sensei videos that were shot in the '90's. Even if you're not that into the aikido, it is a blast to see who was training in those days. There is quite a turnover in a dojo in 10 to 15 years. I have several "Leave it to Chance" books written by James Robinson, the writer of my favorite all-time comic book series, Starman. It is a cross between Kolchak and Buffy , with a memorable female protagonist. And with Robinson's excellent writing. He left comics to do movie scripts. He did "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and is currently back in comics doing the Superman titles. I hope he revives the Jack Knight Starman. Please.....

I came across these photos while I was looking through stuff. From the group photo you can see the turnover from 20 plus years in the dojo. From my count there are only 3 active people from that group, and only one active in the dojo presently. Can you pick this person out?

Of course the most memorable part of the '80's Jtown dojo experience was the opportunity to be with my daughter Jennifer. She lived in the dojo well into 1987 along with her mom. After Sarah and I separated and later divorced, Jenny was often there after school and her mom would pick her up. And she continued to spend weekends and several weeknights there. But the time i will remember was the time she was pretty small and would be with me between classes. And would come with me to San Jose State when I was teaching there during the days. So if I had had a regular job, I would not have been so involved in her day to day as I was. There is a lot of time
between classes for an aikido instructor, and she and I got to spend a lot of time together.

I found an old vhs of her 6th birthday party which was held at the dojo. Robert Eyre, Peter Ralls, Tom Tabakin, and Lenny Pollak(who was at the recent 40th anniversary celebration in November) were all present. Lenny with his daughter Dawn and Tom with his daughter Jessica. I was going to try to put some of this online, but I won't without my daughter's permission. I had bought a used video camera from someone for $150. It was very large and needed to be hooked up to a vcr. This was used to shoot her party. I found a clip of myself doing the t'ai chi sabre form. This I am putting online:

Another milestone

2010-02-08T17:28:00.000-08:00

Another milestone just recently passed. On February 1st of 1980, I became the chief instructor of Aikido of San Jose. The dojo in its original location was on 6th St of San Jose's Japantown. My daughter Jennifer was born in that building which is also referred to as Okida Hall. And it housed the dojo from July of 1976 into 2001. It was opened by Robert Nadeau sensei, whose business partner at the time was Ed Dreesen. At that time I was married, and Sarah and I purchased the business from Nadeau sensei and ED Dreesen. Actually, we took out a loan from Sarah's dad and were able to pay him back, in I believe, about 3 years.

So as of February 1st of this year, I have run the San Jose dojo for 30 years. Quite a milestone in its own right. So of my 40 years in Aikido a good 30 or more have focused on the San Jose dojo. Sarah, Jenny, and I lived upstairs in those early years. What later became the kitchen was originally the Women's bathroom. Of course the changing area was on the stage. Women to the right and Men to the left. I think the monthly rent when I took it over was less than $400 a month. That part of it changed as years passed.

I remember the area just across the street was a large warehouse, which housed art galleries and a lot of creative small businesses. This is similar to our current location. Across the hall on the other side of the building are a lot of neat businesses and art oriented ventures.

I still go back to Japantown. I have many memories of our time there. Many of the old businesses have moved on. Dobashi Market is now Nijiya Market. The old warehouse complex is now Blockbuster Video and apartments. The old dojo building last I looked was unoccupied and for sale.

Of the photos above. The first is a cute picture of Jenny taken in front of the old dojo building. And the next is of Sarah and Jenny and the elder member of the Dobashi family. When the dojo first opened and for a long while there was a house where the parking lot is now. And in the back there was an extensive garden. Mr Dobashi used to garden there during the day. Often Jenny would be out there with him. The house eventually went. I remember I went to Moscow for 10 days in 1989. When I got back the house was no longer there. For a major amount of time I actually lived in the upstairs space of the building. Yes, many memories.

More Striking and Kicking

2010-01-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

Often times aikido is looked at as a purely defensive art of throws, pins, and locks/holds. Yet once I asked Hikitsuchi sensei about Aikido pre-World War II and which was stressed more then, the throws and wrist locks or the atemi/striking movements. His answer was brief and came very quickly.”Mazu, atemi da,” he said. Of course, the atemi. My feeling is that the atemi worked in combination with the throws and take downs as a complete system through the body. All of aikido, especially the atemi, if viewed from a mental or conceptual point of view, creates problems. But I feel that is true of everything in the art.

It seems that what aikido represents is anti-thetical to what kicking and striking represent. But what if kicking and striking represent part of a creative process aimed at the goal of self-discovery? Instead of viewing the kick as something directed towards another person, what if the purpose of the kick was to remove the I and the verb sense of kick and to “just kick”, creating a field of harmony where the person and the action are one? Miles Davis used to work out as a boxer. Artt Frank was a boxer. Chet Baker would have Artt show him how to box. At the level of rhythm, timing, body when kicker and kick, striker and strike are one, there is unity. Or harmony. Expressed in the moment through the body. I once noted to Artt that I felt that like Bruce Lee’s movement, Chet Baker played in a “broken rhythm”. Artt told me that I was correct, and that Chet had a very percussive approach to phrasing. These all tell me that the creative process, whether music or movement, are one. And martial arts, being around movement, are no different. Ultimately, one is a creator, ie of the creative process. And as a creator, one is also an artist. Joseph Campbell once wrote that he felt that the most important channel by which new energies entered society was through the artist. And in that way the artist was a shaman. And he felt that society was in trouble because of the commercialization of art. Whether writers or musicians or what ever, the successful artist where those with numbers, ie popular and financial and social. He wrote this decades ago, and we are facing some of those consequences now.

I had my first session kicking and striking with my daughter Jenny on Thursday. She did very well. Again, as in aikido class, we tried to get back to the body and to function with less and less mind in the movement. So the approach in the class was very aiki. I hope she enjoyed the class as much as I did. I’m sure I’ll find out. In exchange, she taught me some exercises for shoulders with a resistance band. By the way, she is now an excellent Pilates trainer.

The following video was shot in December during one of my jam sessions with Dennis. It is available on dvd as a part of a fundraiser for the dojo at holidaze dvd .

Striking and Kicking

2010-01-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

The photo above was taken in the early '80's at Aikido West in Redwood City. After an event, I was taking jiyu waza ukemi for my daughter Jennifer. Being born in the old dojo in Japantown, she had a pretty innate sense for aikido. So we used to work between classes. As she got older, one of the things we used to work on was Bruce Lee stuff. Strikes. Especially kicks. With air shields. It was a lot of fun in that it got her used to her body in a good way. She was very strong with her arms and her legs from a very young age.

She now styles hair and instructs Pilates locally. But sometimes things do come full circle. Later this week she is coming to the dojo for a session where she again wants to explore kicking and striking. Fairly recently I have been back into that on a personal basis. I began by studying Bruce Lee's movement again. Being diabetic I need to exercise to keep my blood sugar in control. I found that shadow kick boxing, especially the kicking, got my pulse rate up like nothing else. Also, after 40 years of aikido, I had gotten to a place where I could "just kick". So I am going to work with Jenny on some of this and see how it translates to possible private lessons.

There is striking in aikido. The "atemi" movements are in each technique. Tojima sensei, especially, really concentrated on the striking aspect and its relationship to showing "suki" or openings in movement. And he could kick. I once saw him in the narrow rear part of the Shingu dojo leap up in the air, execute a flying side kick, kick the dojo wall, propel himself to the other side of the dojo, back roll and come up right next to the wall on the other side without hitting it. Yes, in don Juan-Castaneda terms he could "stop the world". I don't believe he had any formal instruction in this. It was just something he had a predilection for and simply picked up as he went on his journey. And he understood the connection between striking and weapons.

So I have been having an interesting time on my own with the striking and kicking. And so I was wondering if anyone else out there in aikido-land would be interested in exploring the kicking/striking concepts in a way that would be consistent with aikido. That means you wouldn't have to do another art in order to do that. I remember in Japan Linda Holiday sensei and I used to work on kicks. So it has been done. Just not recently. The build up and release of energy through the body in kicking are very similar to some concepts in ukemi. So if you have any interest in any of this, let me know.

I just uploaded the following video yesterday. It is another version of an earlier"Wolf-tunes and Blade Blues". It was done following an Aikido workshop in Sebastopol held in August of last year. Dianna Lynne and I started trying to synch up music to sword drawing. And through it all Vladimir the Siberian Wolf majestically witnesses. The whole piece was shot by James Gauer and goes for over 12 minutes. It has been collected on dvd with 2 other pieces. You can access a link with more information on this at dvd.

Artt Frank Interview

2010-01-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

I think it was early October of last year. I was heading home from the city after a Friday meeting with Nadeau sensei and I called Artt Frank. I hadn't talked to him in a while. Artt is a bebop legend, a drummer who plays completely by ear and heart. He has played with such other legends as Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Duke Ellington. And a host of others. To get more of a complete list and much more information on an incredible man and resource, check out his website www.arttfrank.com. And he was Chet Baker's closest friend.

During our conversation Artt let me know that he was going to appear nationally on an internet radio station interview. He kindly e-mailed me the interview prior to the broadcast. But even so I was online to hear his interview with Lisa Raphael on Purejazzradio. With his permission I am putting the interview on in segments on youtube with a photo background.

Artt is one of the most passionate individuals I have ever met. Talking to him makes jazz and jazz history come alive. He has given me more tips over the phone on music than I can ever repay him for. Hopefully my putting these segments of his interview on will do some of that. Artt has also just completed a book about Chet Baker's lost years. In the mid 60's Chet lost his upper front teeth as well as suffering nerve damage to both sides of his jaw during an assault. He was told he would never play the trumpet again. Much of Chet's time during this period was spent locally in Milpitas and San Jose. But with Artt's help along with his family, Chet learned to play with dentures and was able to continue and play perhaps his best music after the beating. And so I am eagerly awaiting the publication of Artt's book.

For me music has been an happy aside, as my main career is aikido and martial arts. But I feel music and martial arts are connected. Much of what Artt talks about in the interview, about responding in the moment to what one has heard, I believe, is similar to what Ueshiba Osensei talked about when he mentioned Takemusu Aiki. I personally believe that when Chet sang or played he was coming from what Osensei called the divine realm. Just a hunch.

Anyway, here is the interview. Even though you might not be a jazz or Chet Baker fan I think you'll enjoy it:

A Memorable Event

2010-01-13T16:03:00.001-08:00

On Sunday January 10th Aikido of San Jose and I were honored to be a part of a very special event. The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and Robert Frager sensei sponsored "Osensei Interpreted" at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. The event was hosted by John Stevens sensei, who, almost singlehandedly, has made Osensei' s words and philosophy available into the English language. There was an extended slide show showing Ueshiba's life along with photos of his calligraphy. Following the presentation was a reception where people could meet with the host. There were other instructors besides me who were brought in to give demonstrations. Included among those was Henry Kono sensei from Toronto, Mary Heiny sensei from Seattle, and more locally, Linda Holiday sensei from Santa Cruz, as well as Bob Noha sensei from Petaluma.

Henry Kono sensei was a contemporary of Robert Nadeau and Robert Frager senseis at Honbu dojo in the '60's. As such he is also a direct student of the founder. I was privileged to watch his Friday night class at Aikido of Santa Cruz, as well as to hang out with him Sunday and Monday. Of course it was wonderful to see Mary Heiny sensei, as always. She will be out next month to teach a series of workshops in Northern California. She will be at Aikido of San Jose the second Wednesday of February. Please make a note of that.

The following video is of my demonstration on Sunday. It is graced with some beautiful photos by Beau Summers(beau@rainbeaupictures.com)which . are included with his permission.

More Happy New Year

2010-01-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well we are now officially into 2010. I remember New Years Eve of 1999 and the entrance into the 21st century. And now we are a decade into that century. I remember I trained at Aikido of Santa Cruz. I was living in the Santa Cruz mountains at that time. And I watched an Avengers episode, "Escape in Time", which was about time travel. Appropriate. It seems we are in a time machine inexorably careening into the future faster and faster.

It seems no less significant to be heading into the second decade of a century that seemed so distant when I was a little boy. Literally the stuff of science fiction. Yet here we are. The dojo will begin regular classes on Monday the 4th. I will be here for the first official class of the New Year at noon. And I'm looking forward to a year hopefully of training and growth for everybody.

And we are all facing challenges as we all move forward. Hopefully we will all progress forward together in our endeavors. The year ahead looks busy. I will be teaching a couple of times a month at City Aikido on Sundays in San Francisco. Nadeau sensei and I are waiting till after the John Stevens event in Mt View to start. More on that as it becomes clearer. And I will be a attending the Summer Retreat in Menlo College in June, as well as being a part of the Santa Cruz Summer Retreat in July. And I'm sure other things will crop up as well.

I had a wonderful year end conversation with Artt Frank and his wife Lisa. Artt was Chet Baker's closest friend. And he had some nice things to say about some music I sent him through the mail. I had a wonderful New years Day in San Francisco with my sister and family.

I finally got the video that was shot of the Oakland Raider demo on November 22nd. And I uploaded it onto Youtube. So here it is:

Happy New Year

2009-12-29T15:53:00.001-08:00

It is almost the end of 2009. Aikido of San Jose is taking a one week rest, with a special New Year’s Day training at 11 am on Friday. So it is a little funny having no classes at the dojo. I am often in the office trying to tie loose ends together. This blog is one of those.

So what have I learned in 40 years? I guess the main thing is that it is a journey, a path. There are what one might consider high points at the time. But the major thing is to continue and endure. One class at a time. I guess it adds up. At first the classes were all training classes. Undergoing the standard frustrations at learning and failing. Later some teaching was combined with the training. Now the classes are basically all teaching, but the person you ultimately teach is yourself.

For the last period of time the major focus of mine has been the San Jose dojo. Initially it was the UC Santa Cruz club. Then the UC Davis club. Then the Shingu dojo in the ‘70’s. Since ’76 it has been San Jose. Even during my stay in Japan in 1977 it was with the sense that I might take over the San Jose dojo someday. In fact February 1st of next year(soon) it will be 30 years since I became chief instructor of Aikido of San Jose. I was living in the dojo at the time and teaching some classes. But it was a whole different matter actually being the dojo-cho. I was living upstairs with Jenny and her mom. Some of my best memories are of helping to raise my daughter in those days. And it was fun being a part of the Japan town culture at that time.

In terms of beginning to understand Osensei’s message, it has been a brisk year. Much of this is experiential and does not lend itself to discussion in words and ideas. The mind’s ability to translate experience into words and concepts makes discussion difficult. But hopefully the New Year will see in all of us a greater depth of understanding regarding the Founder’s message.

I am including a video of my class for the 40th anniversary celebration. Happy New Year!

Not a Sport

2009-12-22T16:12:00.001-08:00

One thing Hikitsuchi sensei stressed constantly at the Shingu dojo was that aikido was not a sport."Aikido wa supotsu de wa arimasen!" he would say. This was something that Osensei was also said to be very much behind. So what is aikido if it is not a sport?
What is the difference between a martial art and a sport?

Sports tend to be about competing. About winning and losing. Aikido is unique in its emphasis on being non-competitive. About its emphasis on personal growth and transormation as opposed to the strengthening of the ego around the concept of winning.
Sports tend to inflate the ego around victory. After all, what is the fun in losing?
When told that there is no "I" in the word team, Michael Jordan once replied, "but there is in win". A very telling concept for this culture. I used to really be into sports. Especially following the greats such as Bonds and Jordan. Then it occured to me that, though these people have access to unbelievable levels through the body, that they were not very developped people. There were dimensions in them that were immature and even incomplete.

The mind tends to be the ultimate drug. And the mind can become obsessed with winning and push the body in certain cases to unbelievable levels. And a very mind based culture creates icons out of this mix. The whole Tiger Woods situation is a reflection of this. Because he has come to represent winning to many people he has become very marketable, the first billionannaire athlete. Wealth, fame, victory tend to be very attractive to the mind and the "I". And it is not surprising that with the recent turn of events and disclosures of what is going on beyond his corporate image, people have turned against him. Both he and the people who now criticize him are both equally part of a very mind-based culture. It is ironic that it is largely out of things like defeat and set-backs like this that people actually grow and develop. And in some cases transform.

Aikido to me is not a sport, but it shares with sports the empasis on body and being through the body. However, its emphasis is on true victory being a victory over the "I" makes it very different indeed. Masaka(true victory) is Agatsu(self-victory, victory over the "I") and leads to Katsu Hayahi(speed which transcends time and space, or the aikido that can't be seen with the human eye). Aikido may offer quickly some very important insights, but it is something that must be experienced through time to be truly meaningful. And it is about the harmony of mind and body. I think of it as being more a vitamin, ie natural, than a steroid(ie mind/drug).

Aikido's main challenge is to remain a viable transformational art through the body. Much of it's philosophy and con-competitive nature makes it very appealing to a certain level of mind. The two places where aikido has become very successful is as a model for conflict resolution on a mental level and as a positive vehicle for people to come together socially. For it to continue to move forward, however, the key concept is its transformational potential through the body.

After saying that aikido is not a sport, Hikitsuchi sensei would then state that it was True Budo, therefore not a sport. I think it would be pointless to try to describe True Budo. But I will relate a story about a visit I made to see Tojima sensei at his house. This was sometime late 1974 or early 1975. For some reason the conversation turned to Anno sensei. Tojima sensei said that the reason he really respected Anno sensei was that Anno sensei was the only person through aikido that he had seen really change, ie transform. He had seen others develop and some grow strong. But Anno sensei was unique in that he had truly changed through his training. Anno sensei had to deal with many difficulties and even misfortunes. He was semi-paralyzed for some years and unable to get on the mat. Then upon returning to training he had to deal with the loss of strength in his arms and upper body. To see him now you would never know what he had been through. So making of oneself a living trophy of this victory over the self is more important than impressive technique or even professional success.

Now I don't believe overcoming that level of hardship is necessary to transform. But it is also a sobering thought that there is transformation and also depth of transformation. Quite a lot, hopefully, to mull on..........

Still More 40th Anniversary

2009-12-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of more thoughts on the 40th anniversary celebration. I'd like to thank Sasha Kolbasov for recording the event in photos and video. And I can't forget to thank Maurice Gregoire for the wonderful cake. Unfortunately, being diabetic, I couldn't partake of it. But its sheer beauty was certainly absorbed by me at the soul level.

It has been a very busy period of time. We had a video shoot, followed by the 40th anniversary, which was followed by the Oakland Raiders half-time demo. And of course now we are starting the holiday season. I am planning on doing our now annual New Years Day training 11am to 12:30 pm. We usually take the period from Christmas Eve to New Years Eve off at the dojo. Some times are best spent with family and friends. I assume classes at Aikido of Santa Cruz will on some basis be held and those wanting to train can certainly go there. I'll check in with Nadeau sensei about Aikido of Mt View's holiday schedule. So there will be updates by e-mail. Those wanting to be informed of dojo stuff, please go to the title page of our dojo website(www.aikidosj.com) and sign up for e-mail list.

I remember in New Years of 1975 I was in Shingu. There the dojo was closed for the first 7 days of the New Year. It seemed like an endless orgy of visiting friends(or in my case friends of friends), eating, drinking...... Still can recall it. Fresh raw fish tended to be much less fresh as the week off progressed. And the sake kept coming. I think by the end of the 7 days it was basically served cold. Which in my case was harder to drink. Cold sake is much different then chilled, which is very good in hot weather. But cold sake in cold weather.........

I just posted a video on Youtube of "My Funny Valentine" as performed by me at the dinner after the training. It is Chet Baker's signature song. I want to thank Dennis Kyne for accompanying me on it. If you were there, hope you enjoyed it. We get a fire engine siren right in the middle of it. But on watching it, I don't think it detracted from the song at all. Doing anything live is always risky, and the world will always send you things to blend with......

Pictures from the Oakland Raiders' demo

2009-11-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

These are a few photos that came of our weekend adventure at the Oakland Coliseum. We got a chance to pose as a group with Bruce Lee's widow, Linda Lee. There is a scoreboard shot honoring Bruce Lee and the Martial Arts event. There is a field shot but of the center and not our demo next to the corner of one of the end zones. There is a nice shot of Shin during our demo.

A Memorable Sunday

2009-11-23T14:06:00.001-08:00

Yesterday a group of Aikido of San Jose students and I went to the Oakland Coliseum Arena to do a half-time demo for the Oakland Raiders. This was facilitated by Master George Chung, who has thoughtfully included us in his events in the past. This includes half-time demos for the 49ers in 1994 and 1996. But these were summer exhibition games. Yesterday was a regular season NFL game. The Raiders sponsored an Asian Heritage Week. There was a half-time demonstration by Martial Arts schools from the bay area. It honored the spirit of Bruce Lee, and included in the proceedings was an appearance by his widow, Linda Lee Cadziwell. We got a chance to briefly meet her and have a group photo with her. Earlier I was on a seminar teaching junket to Seattle Washington and able to visit Bruce Lee's grave and have a picture taken there.

Now these demos are physically very challenging. As a group we had to be at the Coliseum for some walk throughs at 8:30am. This included a series of runs across the diagonal of the football field the long way. After each run followed a going through of our presentation as a group, followed by another run off the field. All in all I feel we did a good job. I want to thank Harry Concepcion, Jim Johnson, Yu-Chen Shen, Mary Fortino, Shin Tsurushima, Matt Laine,Andrew Le and Meng Ear for a spirited and game effort. And also Steve Tsao, who was on injured reserve as he turned an ankle during our Friday night run through. Some of the demo team members may feel as if they played a football game yesterday. And in spirit maybe they did. For the record, all of the demo team and I except Shin left at half-time. The Raiders pulled off an exciting win scoring 10 points in the last minute of play.

I hope the Bruce Lee part of the proceedings was emphasized enough. Here is a man who started several industries pretty much on his own. Martial Arts action films were pretty much a non-factor before him. There were Chinese and Japanese sword films, mainly period dramas. To make martial arts the reason to go see a film, that was brought about by Bruce Lee. And the phenomenon of Martial Arts schools likewise.
His presence and films created a revolutionary interest in Martial Arts. Many schools opened and continue to open because of that.

Growing up Asian and male in the '60's was very different than it would be today. He was a tremendous influence on me. Along with the British actress Diana Rigg and Aikido's founder Ueshiba Morihei Osensei, one could argue that he influenced me as much as any one could. Not a direct contact. I've never met any of the three. But to see him in "The Green Hornet" was revolutionary. Someone Asian and male who was strong, decisive, and "in charge" was very strongly inputed on my psyche. Some of the scenes in the tv series show him taking on corrupt authority figures such as police officers on the take, bad politicians, etc. The man exuded "attitude" with a capitol A. I would watch the whole show just to catch the 3 to 5 seconds where he would show his kung fu moves. And to realize that this martial artist/actor is a bigger star than anyone the NFL has ever produced is mindboggling. The NFL or any sports league will never produce a star that has the historical and global impact of Bruce Lee.

I have heard that Stan Lee and Marvel comics has found a way to make Bruce Lee a character in an upcoming Action film. And the following clip demonstrates that his memory continues to live:

Mission Accomplished

2009-11-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

I just want to let everybody know that our Fundraiser was a success. We have managed to pay the power bill. It was a very good turn out for training, both from within the dojo and from other dojos. It was heartening to see some of the newer members of Aikido of San Jose on the mat, doing their first Aikido event.

I would like to thank both Rober Frager and Robert Nadeau sensei's for coming. They formed the duo that was my original contact to Osensei's aikido. I would like to thank Linda Holiday, Betsy Hill, Robert Noha, Lou Bermingham, Frank Silvey, Mary McLean, and Harry Concepcion senseis for teaching wonderful classes.Special thanks to an old student and friend, Ed Rathman of Willow St Wood-fired Pizza for donating the gourmet pizzas, to Maurice Gregoire who chipped in to cater the sandwiches and salad, To Frank Silvey and Mike Brown who helped co-ordinate the action on the "playing field". And there were so many people who served as "guardian angels", helping out with the cleaning, the setting up of the food, and other tasks that might be left unnoticed.

Old personal friends who dropped by: Peter Ralls, Sandy Olliges, Nick and Marianne de la Torre, Mariko Tamura, I would like to thank you all. I re-connected with Lenny Pollak, an aikido student who was active more in my Santa Cruz days. More on that as I get photos and videos from people who were shooting. But thank you all for your support and love.

I just put an Osensei video on youtube. It is in the late '60's and shot at the Hongu Grand Shrine. Seeing Hikitsuchi sensei as uke is very interesting:

ASJ Frite Nite 2009

2009-11-01T21:37:00.001-08:00

Friday night we held our annual Halloween costume party. We had a good turn out. Although due to the Friday night date a lot of people who have made previous Frite Nite's so memorable were not able to attend. So I assembled a video so those not able to attend could see what transpired. I think the choice of costumes reveals a lot about what is going on inside.

I believe our first Frite Nite was in 2005. It was held in Los Gatos at Mike Brown's house. I went as Starman, a DC superhero written by James Robinson. Still one of my all time favorite comic books. More on that in another blog.

In 2006 I was really into the "Underworld" movies. So I dressed up as a vampire deathdealer. I was able to get a matrix type jacket, like the one Kate Beckinsale wears, put on some vampire teeth, and there I was.

In 2007 I got a kimono, had my daughter Jenny tint my hair red, and went as Nemuri Kyoshiro, the full moon swordsman. Still, as portrayed by Ichikawa Raizo, my favorite movie samurai character.

In 2008 I went as Superman. That was hard to do. Donning that outfit was pretty daunting. But it turned out to be much fun. I was advised by a psychic healer to either have a portrait done in or be photographed in a Superman costume. She said that would heal a lot of past unresolved stuff. Also, she said I would one day fly. I still hope to, but to this date that has not come to pass.

And this year I went as Bruce Lee. With Alwen Laguatan's help, I traced down a Game of Death jumpsuit on the internet. This was much harder than even the Superman costume. I've always wanted a body suit. It comes from watching Bruce Lee and Diana Rigg in "The Avengers". But putting one on is not as easy as one thinks. You can get very hypercritical about the state of your appearance. Especially as you get sixtyish.

So themes from my past several years. Superheroes definitely. Warrior themes strong. Mystical magical supernatural flavor also. I was also considering putting on my Chet Baker t shirt, walking around with my trumpet, and being Chet. This would have been a radical departure from my past. So what will next year bring? Stay tuned........

Sunday Shoot and more

2009-10-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday myself and several members of the San Jose dojo took part in a film shoot in Kelly Park just outside the Japanese Friendship Gardens. Louis Fox, an old student of Nadeau sensei, brought a film crew and we shot for over 3 hours. Those representing the dojo were Harry Concepcion, James Johnson, Steve Tsao, and Shin Tsurushima. Louis had temporary access to a camera that could shoot in extreme slow motion.

So we gathered together to shoot some aikido that will hopefully in the future promote the art. Louis is working on a project tentatively called kamiwaza which will span sports, music, as well as our aikido section. He has already interviewed Phil Jackson, coach of the NBA champion Lakers and author of Sacred Hoops, a wonderful book combining basketball and spirituality.

So we were put in front of the camera. I've done several shoots before. We were featured in a George Chung movie entitled Hawkeye. I personally did a shoot with Sue Ann McKean in the '80's during her bodybuilding phase. It was just photos and shot in Cuesta Park in Mt View. More recently I did a shoot with Foster Gamble for his documentary to come entitled Thrive. We focused on the aikido chants and movements of the staff. It was very challenging in its own right.

We spent most of the shoot focusing on multiple attack. The camera would go for 10seconds at a time. The multiples were shot real fast. All out attack. In fact looking at them in real time it seemed things were artificially speeded up. Hopefully the slow motion sequences will come out well. We ended by doing some individual movements.

I want to thank the ukes. It was physically very demanding. They all took some strong hits but kept coming. There will be more to come as we prepare for the Raider half time show on Sunday Nov. 22nd.

Things are coming together on the fundraiser Nov. 15th. For particulars and updates, please click onto the following link:http://www.aikidosj.com/fundraiser.html

I am including a video shot by Alex Kolbasov of the Japan town demo in September:

Even More 40th anniversary musings

2009-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

A large part of my 40 years in aikido involves the San Jose dojo. The following story takes place in the late '70's. The end of 1977 or very early in 1978. I had returned from a stay in Japan that took up most of 1977. The area hosted Yoshimitsu Yamada sensei from New York. He taught seminars both in San Francisco and San Jose.

At a class at the San Jose dojo taught by Yamada sensei, Mary Heiny sensei and I were training together. It was a very brisk and spirited training, with lots of fast and focused ukemi. We were young then, training up a storm in a corner of the dojo, and it was just loads of fun. I think the technique was something in motion from rear attack.
Anyway, right in the sequence with me when Mary was the nage, she got a big surprise. Yamada sensei came in as an attacker. So both he and I both went in together taking brisk, clean and very spirited ukemi.

I want to point out that he momentarily left his own class just to train. He did not instruct us nor did he assume the position of senior and control the action. It seemed to me that something in what Mary and I were doing re-kindled in him a deep joy for just moving and training. It was wonderful to see. And we are talking about a man who was even at that time a very high ranked shihan from Hombu dojo, who now is in charge of aikido on the East Coast.

When we were in Japan in 2007, Nadeau sensei showed me the apartment he rented just around the corner from Hombu dojo. He told me that he and Yamada sensei would go there between classes and eat peanuts just to keep their body protein up during periods of intense training. They were old training buddies.

I want to remind people about the 40th anniversary training/celebration/fundraiser honoring my 40th year Sunday November 15. I hope to have more info to share with you soon. I am also including a new video from last months demo at the Japan town festival. I hope you enjoy it

The Field of Harmony

2009-09-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

The pictures above represent a veery early phase of my life. My mom and dad when they were both very young. A picture of me as a toddler. The last picture was taken in Santa Cruz at the place I was raised on 17th avenue. The pine tree in the background was an old friend and still remains strong in my memories. The house is now gone, torn down in the late '60's. A trailer park now stands where it did. The pine tree remained for awhile and I would notice it as I drove past the trailer park. It is now gone also.

So this is a blog about what we might call for want of a better term "The Field of Harmony". What if aikido is not about the techniques or the skill one acquires with them? What if aikido exists independently of the technical body of movements and even of the existing political and ranking structure that now exists? What if aikido is not strictly about the physical location of the dojo or even the friends you have there? What if aikido is not about your teacher(s?)(although please be respectful of them)?

What if the field of harmony were something that one's "I" and everyday mind just didn't value? It is not the sexiest thing going. There is the rush of powering up for the dynamic finish of a technique. Or the swagger of feeling one is "getting it". Whatever one is. Or the satisfaction that one has been around and can talk with some authority about the inner workings of the art's politics. So what if this field couldn't compare with any of these things the"I" and its normal level of mind valued?

It takes more than one thing to create a harmony. If the world the universe was all IIII Me Me Me there might be boredom but everything would be just one thing. But the second another thing is introduced the possibility of disharmony comes into being. And so does the possibility of harmony.

What if the harmony represented a much more original state that just was? And we might come upon it by backtracking, ie pursuing something around training and growth? So even though we seem to be clueing into it by going forward in life, it is in reality a return to a more original level of being? What if the I and mind at their everyday level were just locked into grooves that brought you out of that state? Or at least if you touched it you might associate it with something else like being in nature, going to a yoga class, or even training in aikido? What if it's the biggest and best kept secret going?

And what if it is there everytime you simply settle and let your body catch up to where your mind wants it to go? What if by centering or grounding through the body it just simply is? What if one of the biggest traps were to become mindful(ie full of mind) of it? And you need at least two things to harmonize to tap into it. A mind and body. A yin and yang. A receptive and a positive. A masculine and a feminine. A water energy and a fire energy. Heaven and earth. Form and formless(emptiness). So an alchemy of at least 2 forces.

The question is often raised how can I be in harmony during what is a very difficult time. People are losing jobs. Facing forclosure. Facing a loss of trust in traditional institutions and structures. How can I be in harmony when all this is going on? Someone once explained to me that I couldn't be poor enough to make even one other person rich. Or that I couldn't be miserable enough to make one other person happy. By coming from the field of harmony we bring into the world something it desperately needs........balance. So now is the most important time for Aikido's most important message.

A case in point. My second stay in Japan was probably my most powerful. The first was just a day to day struggle. And the third brought me squarely face to face with the reality of the art's political nature. So in terms of feeling good about myself(which the I and the mind value) it was my strongest stay. Yet I came home because my mom was very ill with terminal cancer. I began to teach at the University in Santa Cruz. Because I had a lot of free time(a couple of hours a day covers a teaching load in aikido)I was asked to be with my mom in the hospitol on a daily basis. My dad had to work to keep the family going financially. And my sister was in San Francisco at the UC medical center finishing up a degree in pharmacy. This was my mom's dream and my sister worked hard to fullfill it. So I was it when it came to being there on a daily basis.

Now the things that one values in daily training: increasing mastery of technique, speed, power, stamina, strong will do nothing when one is essentially a caregiver. Much more importance is calmness, an ability to nurture. A sense of loving connection. My dad marvelled that I could get her to laugh even under such dire straits. I guess I brought some of Tojima sensei's magic with me.

So all of what one might term benefits of hard and intense training seemed of little use. What sustained me? I believe it was the field of harmony. In some sense being such an original state, we might view it as a parent on another level. In The Secret Teachings the founder urges us to see the kami as our parents. And he urges us to"Fix our thoughts on emptiness, stand in the void, and transcend life and death". That, he says, is the secret of martial arts. Even though it was some months before she died, on a daily basis I faced death. So life and death together. And at the same time I was terrified by the imminent loss of the being who had brought me into the world and nurtured me. Given me life. Life and Death. But I know that I was able to make my piece with her passing. And that I got a lot of strength from putting aside the I and mind's agenda for what I wanted and doing what was the right thing in the right way.

I shot a video of the song"My Funny Valentine". It is Chet Baker's signature song and one of my favorites. The lyrics are fitting with the field of harmony. The song deals with a love that is outside what the minds attributes beauty and love to:

"Your looks are Laughable, unphotographable
Yet your my favorite work of art.

Is your figure less than Greek,
Is you mouth a little weak,
When you open it to speak,
Are you smart?

But don't change your hair for me,
Not if you care for me,
Stay Little Valentine stay,
Each day is Valentine's day."

So maybe Valentine's day in the song is a metaphor for the Field. There are many other things your mind and it's everyday level of I would find sexier. But it is my favorite work of Art.

Concert at Tenchi Aikido

2009-09-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

The first weekend in August there was an aikido weekend at Tenchi Aikido in Sebastopol. It was hosted by Betsy Hill sensei and James Gauer. It included some dan tests, training, and some music. I have been playing along with Dennis Kyne after Saturday morning class and didn't want to miss a session. So Dennis was kind enough to attend the seminar so we could practice together. Since we had never done this for any sort of audience, it would be a good practice session for that as well.

Following the training on Saturday, he and I jammed probably for over an hour. It was very INFORMAL. People gathered outside and socialized while we played inside the dojo. A few brave souls came in and actually sat and listened. We got some very nice and kind comments about the music.

I enjoy the sessions with Dennis because I am able to play along with someone. I was able to do this with Ben Shuts earlier. And even earlier was able to meet and play along with Marianne Messina. Dennis is very talented and can give me a number of different looks to try to play along with. We will be playing for the 40th anniversary celebration/fundraiser on November 15. So if you would like a little preview..........

As you can see, Vlad was there. And my friend Dianna.

On another note, some of you remember Richard Paredes from the dojo's location in Japantown. I recently spoke with him over the phone. He was suffering from a serious case of liver failure. However, he received a transplant and is doing well.

Anyway, here is a video from the music session of the Sebastopol weekend:

More 40th anniversary celebration

2009-09-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

This photo is from I believe Spring of 1974. I was back from my first stay in Japan and was doing an aikido club at Cabrillo Junior College along with Steve Gray. Steve was part of the first group of shodans produced by the UC Santa Cruz Aikido led by Robert Frager sensei. I left for my second Japan stay in August of that year. I'm not sure what if anything happened to that club. Those of us still alive from back then were obviously much younger. I don't have any real memories of that club other than it was fun.

We have a tentative date for the celebration of my 40th year in Aikido. That date is Sunday November 15th. It will be at the dojo, include a day of training, a meal(light), some music, and , hopefully, some memorable people from the past 40 years. The event is also a fundraiser. We get our portion of the power bill around then. Last year it went up by almost a thousand or so, and I'm expecting more of the same this year in a down economy.

Again, tentatively, some people have indicated that they are interested in attending. I started with Robert Frager at the UC Santa Cruz Aikido Club in October of 1969. At that time he and Robert Nadeau worked very closely together. So, between teaching exchanges(Santa Cruz and Mt View) and co-taught workshops, they were both my original influences in aikido. They combined to pass on a deep reverence for and appreciation of Aikido's founder, Ueshiba Morihei Osensei. And their more humanistic transpersonal approach to aikido was very important in shaping this area's uniqueness.

Linda Holiday sensei has indicated that she probably can make it and do some teaching as well. Hopefully the tides of fate will flow so that this is possible. More on the rest of the people teaching soon as this event develops. I plan on doing some teaching. But I would like to acknowledge people from my past and also people from the history of Aikido of San Jose. So there will be several people teaching. As this firms up, I will let you know.

I have been doing the music for the past 2 years. Recently I have begun playing with Dennis Kyne from the dojo. Dennis is a very talented musician. We've done the background for the 2 most recent videos on youtube. We'll probably play a few numbers, which require audience attention, then just jam. Then people can talk or listen as they wish. This went very well at the most recent weekend workshop in Sebastopol. I received some very kind words from Artt Frank, who was an incredibly close friend of Chet Baker, recently. So hopefully the playing is coming along. I just feel that you can only play for yourself so long and that at sometime you have to try and communicate what is going on with you at an inner level.

So, stay tuned.........

I was referred to this video on youtube and I think it is incredibly clever. Iron Man vs Bruce Lee. With a surprising conclusion. In 1970 there was a comic book event on the UC Santa Cruz campus. A number of us attending were given a chance to speak into a tape recorder, with the assurance that Stan Lee himself would hear the tape. I mentioned I thought martial arts would be important in both comics and media in the future. I saw an interview with Stan recently where he said Bruce Lee was the prime reason for such Marvel titles as Iron Fist and Master of Kung Fu. Probably no correlation but an interesting aside. And, as this video shows, it is possible for someone with training and no super powers to be a super hero.

A Day with Vladi

2009-08-26T17:33:00.001-07:00

On Sunday I was privileged to spend the afternoon with Vladi the Siberian wolf(courtesy, of course, Dianna Lynne). It was a beautiful sunny day with a cool side to it that is unusual in this area in late August. So the day was spent in a series of long walks, meal and snack breaks, and many explanations of exactly what Vlad is. The question of"What kind of dog is that?" comes up frequently. I notice Dianna will dodge the topic when someone simply says, "What a beautiful dog!) Just take the compliment and move on. But when the question is asked, Dianna answers"Wolf" and the discussion proceeds from there.

For the record, Vlad is a full Siberian wolf. Hence the name Vladimir. His father was a Tundra wolf. Visualize Vladi and his fur length and the non-white color in him and we can get a sense of his dad. His mom is a timber wolf. Completely white with short hair. In Russian Vladimir means ruler of peace. However, the word "mir" can also be translated as world, so I pointed out his name could also mean he rules the world. His personality is to be very shy, actually shunning attention. At events he prefers to be alone in some corner where he is not noticed. In the dojo he likes to hide under the office desk.

So he is a wolf. And friendly, not tame. I enjoy being around him because for me he exudes a sense of primalness. A sense of nature, not wild, but primal. Fresh. Real.
He has a very strong prescence. So his energy is very tangible. When he is focusing on you, you feel it. And to be able to let him know that I acknowledge his presence without being too outward(his shyness) is also a good challenge. He is a very intelligent being.

One of our favorite films is Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke". Wolves play a very important role in the film. The title character is raised by the wolf gods and later rides them. The film radiates a sense of the primal in nature that Vlad awakens in me. It is an energy that is indigenous to the Kumano area of Japan where the founder of aikido was born and the Shingu dojo is. I hope you enjoy the following clip:

Sebastopol Weekend

2009-08-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

Friday nite, Saturday, Sunday, I spent at Tenchi Aikido. It was the third anniversary of the new dojo. This dojo is run by Betsy Hill sensei, who in addition to being an old friend, is the first person in aikido that I met. Friday nite was a short training, followed by a ceremony. I chanted both Amatsu Norito and Kami Goto.

Saturday and Sunday were morning and afternoon classes with dan tests included in the afternoon segment. Congratulations to Jim Gauer on his promotion to nidan and to Cathy McFann for her promotion to sandan. They were both strong tests.

Attending the seminar on Saturday was Seth Spitzer, a long-time student of Aikido of San Jose who is now in San Francisco on work. Seth was scheduled to test sometime back but then moved to San Francisco. We used the occasion, with Seth's permission, to test him for shodan. His also was a very good test, and so I have the pleasure to announce his promotion to shodan. I included a photo of him taken a few years back at one of our dojo Halloween parties. Seth was the Thing from Marvel's Fantastic Four and I was a deathdealer from the Underworld movies.

Saturday following exams and training Dennis Kyne and I played music. We usually play Saturday after class in the San Jose dojo. Since I wanted to practice, we set up a playing session that was open to those who went to the seminar. It was well received and portions of it were shot by several of the people there(a good sign). My thanks to Dennis for coming up and supporting me both by training and letting me play. In addition to Dennis I would like to thank Mary, of course Seth, Ken, Andrew, David, Mike, and anyone else from ASJ who went and supported the event. And of course it was wonderful as always to see Dianna and Vlad.

I found the following Chet Baker piece on youtube, entitled "Nightbird":