The old bokken had many battle scars and was darkened from heavy use and sweat. The student who owned the sword looked down at the floor; the other half of his old sword just lay there. His face was both sad and...
Archive - September 2012
Josh GoldHere’s your Aikido study assignment straight from Penn State University!
We have recently welcomed a group of Penn State University students who are practicing aikido as part of their physical education studies. Their teacher is Jim Sullivan, a high-ranking aikidok. Jim has given his...
Wounded Warrior Expo 2012 a success
Our Wounded Warrior Expo 2012 event was a big success for 2012! In 2011 we had a total of forty-two people on the mat training. This year between the days training sessions, evening dinner, and the Sunday survival...
“How to find anything you want on Aikido Journal in seconds!” by Stanley Pranin
“We’ve just saved a ton of time to find exactly what we’re looking for!” Readers of Aikido Journal already know that the suite of websites we offer contain an incredible amount of information on aikido and related...
How War and Religion Shaped Modern Aikido, Part I by Stanley Pranin
Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) is known to most practitioners of Aikido as the art’s Founder. Who he was, and specifically what he did to create aikido, are little studied. Thus, aikidoka may have some vague notions...
Historical photo: Onisaburo Deguchi dictating his “Tales of the Spirit World”
“Morihei had a complete collection of “Reikai Monogatari” in his personal library and and is said to have read the entire text.” The Reikai Monogatari was considered a sacred text by Omoto believers...
“The Elusive Chinese Influence on Aikido,” by Stanley Pranin
I received an email this morning asking my opinion of the remarks of a gentleman who states that he trained with Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba in the late 1960s. He makes the claim that Morihei’s aikido was...
Welcome Penn State University Aikido Students!
“This is a fantastic resource for you to gain knowledge and appreciation for Aikido beyond the classroom…” Dr. Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., an instructor of kinesiology, at Penn State University has organized a...
“The Many Faces of Self-Victory,” by Nev Sagiba
“Victory has nothing to do with fighting per se and everything to do with understanding what we were previously blind to.” Sometimes the adage, “Learn to fight in order not to fight,” is not well...
“Wheat, Tares and Chaff,” by Nev Sagiba
“One a day a tough biker from one of the mean clubs with a reputation, very humbly approached me thinking I was going to ban him on sight.” I don’t set out to laboriously screen candidate students who apply...