“Once the student can successfully control his maai, the ability to then apply appropriate kuzushi, tsukuri and kake, are greatly enhanced.” Ma, in Japanese, refers to a “space, or an interval” between...
Archive - July 2012
Josh Gold“There Is No Such Thing As A Wrong Attack,” by Nev Sagiba
“A peaceful person does not talk about “problems” or being a victim, because he does not see problems, only opportunities to harmonize.” The customer is always right. If you want his money that is. The...
Founder of Aikido (37): Manchukuo and the Noted Sumo Wrestler Tenryu by Kisshomaru Ueshiba
From Aiki News #66 (February 1985) The following is a chapter summary printed with the kind permission of Mr. Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Aikido Doshu based on the original Japanese text which was published in 1977. Manchukuo...
Interview with Yoshimitsu Yamada by Stanley Pranin
Interview Conducted by Stanley Pranin, Winter 1992 Editor: You were one of the earlier uchideshi at the Aikikai. What year did you start? When I joined as an uchideshi only Tamura Sensei and Arikawa Sensei were there...
Training and Cognition by Yoshio Kuroiwa
“The body has its limits, but the mind has no limit. The mind is free and unrestrained.” The article appearing below was kindly contributed by Yoshio Kuroiwa Sensei, Chief Instructor of the Rikkyo University...
From Nev Sagiba: “Just tap out and live to fight another day! ” by Stephan Kesting
“A lot of old school MMA fighters have said they would rather die than tap out in the ring.” Stan, the attached email articulates as well as can be stated, something I’ve felt strongly about all my life...
Greetings from Bernie Lau, the first “haole” to learn aikido in Hawaii
The comments below from Bernie Lau have been retrieved from our Facebook page. Bernies is, quite probably the first Caucasian to have studied aikido in Hawaii back in 1955. Bernie is a well-known figure on the martial...
Safety Tips for Aikido Training: The collected wisdom of Aikido Journal readers
We recently published an article by Stanley Pranin titled “Constant Alertness Needed to Avoid Dojo Injuries.” The article contains a number of hints for preventing injuries during training. The article generated many...
Interview with Hiroshi Tada, 9th dan, by Stanley Pranin
From Aikido Journal #101 (1994) AJ: Sensei, I understand that you began aikido after entering Waseda University? Tada Sensei: Yes, but because of the war I was unable to enroll in the dojo until March of 1950. I also...
Aikido Comes to Hawaii by Francis Takahashi
About the year 1953, a representative of Aikikai, and of the Founder, Morihei Ueshiba, was invited to introduce this nascent art of aikido to Hawaii. The vehicle was the Nishi System of Health Engineering, called the...