A Letter from the Editor

Fellow Aikido practitioners:

As we transition into the Spring of 2020, l wanted to take the opportunity to provide a few updates on Aikido Journal and to share a few personal thoughts.

First off, I’d like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone who has supported Aikido Journal,  and more importantly, the art of Aikido and its global community.  This is a challenging time for us on many levels. Interest in Aikido has been in steep decline, our population is aging with few young adults embracing the art, and most recently the developments with COVID-19 have impacted our seminars and events, and in many areas, our regularly scheduled aikido classes. Yesterday, I closed Ikazuchi Dojo for the remainder of the month of March. On this front, we can expect things to get worse before they get better.

Despite the challenges we all face together, I am more optimistic and excited about the future of Aikido than ever. We have a large number of incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable senior-level instructors, and a small kernel of passionate, talented, and dedicated young practitioners who embrace and embody diversity.

I’m increasingly seeing many of our senior instructors supporting, inspiring, and elevating our next generation of leaders, instructors, and practitioners. We’re starting to get smarter about how we think and communicate about our art, and I’m seeing a broad range of collaborative initiatives being created within the community. I am inspired by the spirit of collaboration and looking forward to the amazing results that these initiatives have and will continue to yield. We need to identify and put our support behind those things when we see them.

We have a lot of exciting things coming from Aikido Journal. Over the course of the next few months, we will be publishing interviews with Bill Witt (Aikido Silicon Valley), Kei Izawa and Wilko Vriesman (Chairman and General Secretary of the International Aikido Federation), Didier Boyet (a 40-year Hombu Dojo veteran), Malory Graham (Seattle Aikikai), Kayla Feder (Aikido of Berkeley) and others. We also have articles that highlight the story of an amazing aikido initiative in Africa, told by Richard Strozzi Heckler (of Two Rock Dojo and Founder of the Strozzi Institute), and with instructors and participants from a groundbreaking Aikido event for young adults held in February at Boulder Aikikai. There’s even more in our editorial pipeline so you can expect a steady stream of new content.

We’re also working on some products I’m very excited about. We’ll be breaking new ground in a number of ways with these new offerings. They will be products we can all be proud of.

Since taking over Aikido Journal in late 2017, my personal love for the art has grown tremendously and my understanding of it has, and continues to transform. I wholeheartedly believe not only that there is a place for Aikido in today’s world, but that Aikido can become the most important martial art of our age — valued by society not for its fighting prowess, but as a powerful educational and cultural asset that advances and elevates humanity.

To further this goal, I recently co-founded Budo Accelerator, a new non-profit with ambitious plans. There will be a place for each one of you to contribute to this movement if it resonates with you. We want and need your support.  In the near future, I’ll outline our vision, focus, team, and initial partners. I’m very much looking forward to sharing those updates with you.

Over the last year, I’ve had frank discussions with some of the most important leaders in the world of Aikido, including Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba, and every one of them has encouraged and empowered us to take our understanding of, and passion for, the art of Aikido and use it as a creative force for positive change — both on and off the mat. If we want a positive change, it’s up to us to make it happen.

As practitioners of The Way of Aikido, let’s make sure we have a clear personal understanding of what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and that we embody it authentically. The world needs Aikido more than ever and the future of the art lies in our hands.

Sincerely,

Josh Gold

Executive Editor, Aikido Journal
CEO, Budo Accelerator
Dojo Cho, Ikazuchi Dojo

Josh Gold

Executive Editor of Aikido Journal, CEO of Budo Accelerator, and Chief Instructor of Ikazuchi Dojo.

3 comments

  • Josh is absolutely correct regarding the importance of knowing What we are doing and Why. What is Aiki – More than recreation, it is the practice of becoming stronger and healthier every day physically – mentally – emotionally.

    The Why – Our training is a stabilizing force in the center of this frequently chaotic and stressful life. To that end I chose to INCREASE training hours rather than cancelling. Our training includes shugyo – breathing and deep meditation which has been proven to strengthen immune system.

    As usual, we wash our hands before and after class. No student is required to train – but it is important to me they know the dojo remains open and here them in this turbulent time.

    I remain – 68 years old and Unafraid !!

    Be Well All – Gambate!
    Tom C. LI Asian Studies Dojo

    • This an update on my comment of March 16th. By government directive our dojo closed last week. So, we follow a daily home training routine of: Meditation, suburi, tanren uchi, and solo training on one technique each week. One technique practiced slowly with concentration and focus becomes a fascinating kata.
      Next week we will begin non contact weapons training in a field, keeping a 10 foot distance. Training never stops – it just changes!

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