Reigi Sa Ho, an Aiki Perspective Revisited, by Francis Takahashi

Etiquette is a most useful tool in assisting people of independent thinking, diverse cultural backgrounds, and time invested ethnic origins to establish order, as well as to develop a carefully and scrupulously maintained environment of mutual respect and regard for each other’s rights and ultimate welfare. It is the social foundation, as it were, for enlightened leaders and individuals, to suspend for the interim, their particular biases, beliefs and self imposed boundaries, for the good of harmonious, respectful, and mutually beneficial social interaction with one another. The human species is the only one I am aware of that finds this form of social discipline to be both useful and necessary. It has also proven to be equally elusive, and in constant need of re-definition and re-enforcement. A work in progress indeed.

Is there value and merit in having enforceable guidelines that work to establish common ground rules of conduct and proper etiquette for Aikido training and activity? I certainly think so, as so much tradition, knowledge and history can be transmitted to a wider and more diverse audience of earnest and sincere practitioners of the art. Should these guidelines be set in concrete or stone, and mindlessly applied without thought or regard for cultural, ethnic or personal differences? I think not, as the Aiki Principles trump Aikido convention, with the universal appeal and flexibility of applying these principles being of primary importance. Each dojo should be allowed to establish their own working version of the traditional model, and not be held to arbitrary account for such decisions.

In my view, most established and enforced standards of etiquette are, at best, arbitrarily determined, culturally specific, and never intended to be an all inclusive invitation for the greater majority of citizens to unconditionally be subjected to, without question, or without regard to the possibility of enlightened correction in the future. In other words, these so called “standards” are primarily designed to enable certain classes of citizenry to effectively differentiate themselves from other existing social levels and classes, via well established guidelines and levels of privileged status and allowed participation. You either comply with such standards, willingly or not, or be potentially ostracized and banished from further involvement with that particular group. You then incur the risk of being denied the specific privileges and access to benefits as defined and regulated by the entrenched, and too often self entitled, stewards of such meticulously engineered systems and organizations.

In the martial arts world, however, this is not how the rules and structure of appropriate and accepted standards of etiquette are traditionally defined or intended. True, established standards have been maintained for long periods of time, with the Koryu arts tracing their lineages back for centuries. Nonetheless, I believe that the fundamental bases for such traditionally honored caveats are rooted in the laudably higher human need for fairness, rectitude, compassion, and the dream of a higher state of individual achievement through long and lonely perseverance, and humble effort. Such a dream transcends cultural distinctions, in my opinion, and is inclusive of anyone, regardless of social ranking, who is willing to pay the unique and decidedly high price of dedicated and unconditional membership to such an organization.

From what I know or think of the Founder of Aikido, he would probably dismiss the entire conversation of “required bowing” to a Shomen or Kamiza as a silly, and perhaps antiquated convention, and an unnecessarily arbitrary distraction to the goal of training undisturbed in his Aikido.

This ultimate purpose of Aikido, in my opinion, is to create and maintain an environment where anyone who is honest and willing to work through differences of style, experience, individual preferences and occasional misunderstandings, can find common ground in the generous capacity for vision, tolerance and compassion, abundantly and thankfully to be found in the Founder’s Aikido.

When we make such a “big deal” over any singular demand of required compliance to established etiquette, we face the real risk of ignoring and perhaps losing the very essence of why we gather together to train. It is not for the reason of reinforcing mandatory standards of behavior, as much as it should be the allowing for ourselves the right to remain open to new and sometimes challenging points of reference, different from our own. We are in effect taking “our eyes off the prize” of growing together in Aiki, being truly committed by virtue of respectful, open hearted, as well as open minded training. It is perhaps in this way of reaching out to one another through such training, that we may find ourselves happily open to finding common ground on matters not necessarily tied to just training, but to the answers to the mysteries of how we can all agree to go along to get along. This is what Kisshomaru Doshu called “nakayoku keiko”, or joyful training with peace and good will in our hearts, healing energy in our hands, and unmistakable joy and gratitude in our movements.

Smile, you are on Candid Aiki!

In respect to the question of “Should we be required to bow to the Shomen or Kamiza?” as an integral element of proper Reigi, I have had several instances of earnest and well meaning people share with me their reservations to that requirement of actually bowing to the Shomen, who in every other way, were respectful, considerate of each other, and committed to training in good faith with the rest of the group. If I had capriciously terminated their membership, it would be my dojo, myself and my sense of the Founder’s Aikido that would have suffered an irreparable loss. The fact that I did not yield to such an arbitrary and short sided reaction has resulted in excellent students of Aikido, and the maintenance of mutual respect and harmony in my dojo.

Perhaps a frank and quiet discussion of the reasons for the traditional trappings of common dojo etiquette would be the first order of business with such a troubled member, and to hopefully reach a mutually satisfactory agreement on some alternative behavior, acceptable to all, that would take the place of the physical bowing to a shomen or kamiza. Such enforced behavior has never, in my experience, guaranteed the highest form of compliance to the rule of the dojo, faithfulness to Aiki Principles, or to guarantee the true sentiment and pure intention of the individual to others in the dojo.

The late Shoji Nishio Sensei authored “Yurusu Budo”, which I personally interpret to favor the reasoned tolerance of a temporarily unsatisfactory situation, while a universally fair and mutually acceptable solution is being honestly and compassionately worked out through earnest Aikido training, with genuine regard and respect for cultural differences and interpretations.

Bushi no Nasake, or the Compassion of the Warrior, is a time honored and prized attitude to witness, and a character trait to eventually cultivate for oneself. Along with Reigi Sa Ho, a powerful combination of traits indeed.

Click here to view this article on the Aikido Academy USA website.