O’Sensei was undoubtedly a person motivated by his spiritual ideals, and he spent a good deal of time engaging in meditation and prayer in addition to martial arts training. This has influenced countless Aikidoka ever...
Archive - July 2012
Josh Gold“Trolls not allowed here!,” by Stanley Pranin
Once upon a time many years ago, Aikido Journal had a bulletin board or forum that attracted a great deal of participation and discussion. Together with the forum of aikiweb.com, which still exists, I believe we were at...
“33 Years in the Art — a Current View,” by Charles A. McCarty
“While I held him pinned into a corner with one hand and searched his pockets with the other, he cried out; “Where is that old man? I’m going to kick his ass!'” In 1980, as a callow youth (as it were) I was...
“Randori, an Aiki perspective,” by Francis Takahashi
“I have a serious bone to pick with certain Neanderthal type “purists” who insist that certain risk elements be incorporated into their training to ensure authenticity and martial integrity.” Ran (chaos) + dori (taking...
“More on Aikido & Weapons from a solo training perspective,” by Charles Warren
The answer to the question of whether weapons should be a part of aikido training is pretty obvious on my part. After all, I’m an Iwama style student. What would have become of my aikido without the style and the...
Review: Alister Gillies’ “Tenchi: Building a Bridge between Heaven and Earth” by Ken Jeremiah
“Tenchi: Building a Bridge between Heaven and Earth” is written by a longtime practitioner of Aikido, Alister Gillies. In this text, he relates some of the things he has learned throughout the years. These include some...
Rinjiro Shirata Bio: “The Kobukan Prodigy” Wreaks Havoc!” by Kaku Kozo
The prewar golden era had just arrived for the Kobukan, which was nicknamed the “Hell Dojo.” A Biography of Rinjiro Shirata – Part 2, by Kozo Kaku is available to our readers on the Aikido Journal Members Site. “I want...
A Statue for Morihiro Saito Shihan in Iwama
“All over the world we are ready and willing to contribute for a full size statue of Morihiro Saito Shihan in Iwama…” The powers-that-be have decided that Morihiro Saito, 9th dan, did not exist in Iwama. It...
“Harmonize and Keep on Harmonizing, No Matter What!” by Nev Sagiba
“The best skill is to arrange the environment, your relationship to it and whatever else necessary in advance so that no violence can occur. This is the true and ultimate Aikido.” Algorithmic Distillation Long...
“My Adventure in France,” by Stanley Pranin
On June 21, 2012, I departed from Las Vegas bound for Paris, France. I was invited by Christian Tissier Sensei and the FFAAA organization to give a lecture on aikido history. This trip proved to be a grand adventure and...