Pseudo-aikido is identifiable by the ineptness of its practitioners, something which waving a camera around, hot music, drums and grass growing introductions cannot hide. It impresses no one but those who know better...
Archive - 2011
“Challenging the Status Quo,” by Stanley Pranin
Originally published in Aiki News #98, 1994 The role and direction of Aiki News has periodically shifted in the twenty years since its inception. We began our research focusing on the life of the founder and evolution...
Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation 2, by Peter Goldsbury
In the next few columns of this series, I plan to examine in more detail the activities of teaching, learning and ‘stealing’, especially as these applied to Morihei Ueshiba and his immediate disciples, and also the...
“Interview with Katsuyuki Kondo (1),” by Stanley Pranin
Born in Tokyo in 1945, Katsuyuki Kondo, Sensei first learned Daito-ryu while still a child from Tsunejiro Hosono of the Shineikan dojo. He began studying under Tokimune Takeda Soke in 1961 and under Kotaro Yoshida in...
Interview with Seiseki Abe (2), by Stanley Pranin
Renowned calligrapher and aikido master recollects his experiences as both student and teacher of Morihei Ueshiba.
“Historical photo: Morihei Ueshiba, Aspiring Calligrapher!,” by Stanley Pranin
“During the last 15 years of his life, Morihei brushed hundreds of calligraphies, many for his students to display in their aikido schools.” Relatively late in his life, Morihei Ueshiba enthusiastically took...
“Historical Photo: Enter the Noma Dojo and prepare to be amazed!” by Stanley Pranin
You’ve heard of people who have achieved what can be called a “legendary” status. Aikido has its share of legends to be sure. But it’s seldom that documents attain such a status. But the visual...
Historical photo: Who was really the first person to introduce Aikido to America?
A number of years ago, Joseph Svinth wrote an article with this eye-catching title: “Aikido Comes to America: September 1935.” As a student of aikido history, I was immediately hooked by the title! I found...
A Hiliarious Episode Involving Koichi Tohei Sensei I Will Never Forget, by Stanley Pranin
I had a certain amount of contact with Koichi Tohei Sensei in the mid-to-late 1960s in California. In fact, I took my shodan and nidan tests in front of him in 1965 and 1967, respectively. I know a lot about him from...
“Modern Learning: A Decline in Stealing?,” by Peter Goldsbury
The Founder of aikido has been quoted as good-humouredly telling his deshi, “Don’t expect me to teach you. You must steal the techniques for yourselves.” The stealing of techniques, coupled with the relationship known...