Yoshimitsu Yamada: On Freedom and Responsibility

In Spring 2022, Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei sat down with Josh Gold at San Francisco Aikikai to discuss his time as an uchi-deshi, his perspective on aikido’s growth and evolution over his almost 70 years of experience in the art, and his thoughts on the student-teacher relationship in aikido.

Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei (8th dan shihan) was accepted into the Hombu Dojo uchi-deshi program (live-in apprentice) in 1955 to study directly with the Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. While in the program, Yamada also studied under Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Koichi Tohei and Kisaburo Osawa. An invitation to demonstrate aikido at the 1964 World’s Fair brought Yamada to New York City. He stayed on to become Chief Instructor at the New York Aikikai and has since become one of the most important figures in the introduction and spread of aikido in the United States. In addition to holding the role of Chief Instructor at NY Aikikai, Yoshimitsu Yamada is the Chairman of the United States Aikido Federation, the largest aikido organization in the United States with over 200 member dojos.

Yoshimitsu Yamada at San Francisco Aikikai in 2022

 

Josh Gold: What was it like at Hombu Dojo when you trained there as a young man? Do you still have clear memories of those times? 

Yoshimitsu Yamada: Well, that was a long time ago but I do still remember many things from that part of my life. I started aikido when I was 18 years old. My situation was quite unique because my first day as an uchi-deshi was my first day of aikido. I had never practiced aikido before but made a commitment to a long period of hard training. I knew of aikido through my uncle, which is why I was accepted as uchi-deshi. I felt really fortunate because at that time very few people were accepted into that kind of training program, and those who were had to practice regularly at the dojo for a while before they were able to apply as an uchi-deshi.  I was so happy to be able to take advantage of that opportunity. 

How many hours a day were you practicing back then?

Usually about 5 classes a day. There was a class at 6:30am, 8:00am, 3:00pm, 5:00pm and 6:30pm. And whenever O-Sensei and Doshu had a private lesson for a VIP, it was our responsibility to be there to take ukemi for the student. Sometimes those students were not my favorite to practice with, but since they were VIPs, I always had to be polite. It was a tough job.  

When you started aikido as uchi deshi, did you have any idea that you’d make a career out of teaching aikido?

Not at all. I went into my training just being happy to have the opportunity to learn aikido. We uchi-deshi never even thought about it in those days.  Aikido was very small then, even in Tokyo. The only people who could make a living teaching aikido was the Ueshiba family. 

A young Yoshimitsu Yamada

What was your relationship like with the Ueshiba family at that time? 

Kisshomaru Doshu and his wife were very nice to me. I’ll never forget the kindness and hospitality they showed me. I was only 18 years old and as an uchi-deshi had to cook for myself. Kisshomaru Doshu’s wife let me use her personal kitchen to prepare my breakfast. Unbelievable! As I get older, I appreciate the Ueshiba family more and more. 

Did people get injured often in those days?

I never had any terrible injuries myself, but it was hard to tell how often others were injured. Back then, if someone was injured, they would be ashamed to say anything or show that they were hurt. It would be revealing your weakness to others. You’d just deal with it quietly on your own. Most of us felt that if we were injured, it was our fault. Perhaps we hesitated or made a mistake taking ukemi. Now that I think back, accidents and injuries probably happened many times. 

The mentality around injuries is much different these days. Nowadays, people have no hesitation to acknowledge injuries. We’re in a different time and a different place now, so I can’t criticize the way we did it back then, nor the way things are now. It was just a different world. What worked for us back then is probably not a good approach for us today. 

Yoshimitsu Yamada with Peter Bernath at SF Aikikai

What are the main differences you see in aikido between then and now?

I’m a teacher now, so my mentality is different. As a teacher and someone leading an organization, it makes me happy to see so many people involved. It’s good that aikido is so inclusive, that everyone can practice equally, and that aikido has no competitions. But because of this, people can take advantage of the system – and some do.  Especially people who become teachers. Some teachers will say, “There shouldn’t be koshinage in aikido, it’s brutal.” That’s just one example but there are all kinds of mentalities. Aikido is very free, but sometimes too free. That’s dangerous. People can take advantage of the goodness of aikido. It’s so easy to become a teacher nowadays, probably too easy. 

“Aikido is very free, but sometimes too free. That’s dangerous. People can take advantage of the goodness of aikido.”

Another thing I’ve seen is that many people nowadays start aikido in a club at college. I see this in America, but even more in Japan. It’s a good way to introduce people to aikido but it creates a different mentality for the student, right from the beginning. It’s a school activity, a club. It’s not budo. The circumstance and environment create a very different level of commitment. It changes the student-teacher relationship. And since aikido has become more popular and commercial, there’s nothing you can do. So from a teacher’s point of view, I’m very happy to see everybody training, but on the other hand, it makes it much harder to maintain quality levels in aikido. In Japan, most people who start aikido in college automatically get their nidan after four years when they graduate. This doesn’t make sense to me. In a way, I feel sorry for them because they don’t have the same kind of opportunity and experience we had. 

I began aikido almost 40 years after you did, but I started at a dojo and trained hard, 5-6 days a week. I’m very grateful for that experience. One thing I notice about some of the young people coming into the art today is they think they can train once a week and they’re going to make meaningful progress. 

I see that too, but I don’t blame them if they think that way. Circumstances are different now, but I hope as time goes on, things will change. This is one of the advantages of starting aikido in a dojo. Automatically, it’s budo. The atmosphere is based in budo from the very beginning. But honestly, I don’t see many young people in aikido now anyway. Sometimes when I go to lead seminars, I only see older people. No young people on the mat.

Arturo Peal, Chief Instructor: Aikido of New Orleans

You mentioned the student-teacher relationship. What are your thoughts on the student-teacher relationship in aikido now, after so many decades of teaching? 

Teachers should create an atmosphere of honesty and respect. I don’t like a student who only says “yes” to the teacher or agrees with everything they say. If a student has something to say- if something’s wrong, say it. That’s a more honest relationship. But do that with respect. I know it’s difficult to be honest and respectful at the same time, but it’s the kind of relationship I want to see. It’s something I learned from Doshu Kisshomaru and saw in his personality. That’s why I respect him so much.

“Teachers should create an atmosphere of honesty and respect. I don’t like a student who only says “yes” to the teacher or agrees with everything they say. If a student has something to say, if something’s wrong, say it.”

You run the United States Aikido Federation, the largest aikido organization in the United States. What’s your vision for the future of the USAF and what do you think are the most important things you’d like to see carry forward?

That’s a good question and one of the reasons I have a hard time sleeping every night. I think about this a lot. Once, I was discussing this with Tamura Sensei and, I asked, “Have you prepared some kind of directive for your organization after you pass away?” He said, “Forget about it. Even if I tell them what to do, once I’m gone, they’ll have their own ideas anyway.” Now I understand what he meant. (laughs)

I’m very glad that many people say the USAF is good, and I think so too. But there will always be problems, And the bigger you are, the more people and activities there are going on, the more problems will show up. That’s just how it is. I hope we can keep improving and I hope that after I’m gone, others can continue the tradition. Of course, there are always people who have different ideas and it can be difficult to work together. Everybody has their own ego and opinion – we’re all human beings. But people can disagree and still work together. We can’t force people to think a certain way. You don’t have to be friends. You don’t even have to like each other, but that doesn’t mean you should be destructive or be disrespectful to each other.

From a technical perspective, I like to see very pure technique and strong basics. Nothing fancy. Today, some aikido looks very fancy, especially on social media, but people who know can tell that kind of aikido has nothing inside. It looks fancy, but it’s empty and lacks fundamentals. Unfortunately, some instructors are like this. They look fancy and have bad technique – you can tell the uke is not even having their balance broken.  It’s part of what I meant when I say that aikido today is too free. It’s important to be responsible with that freedom and remember the basics – irimi, connecting, harmonizing. And if you have those basics and they are strong, then you can be fancy. 

Yoshimitsu Yamada with Penny Bernath

How does it feel to get out again and do seminars after the pandemic? How’s the community?

It was very difficult in the beginning, but now I’m getting back in shape. I didn’t realize how physically weak one can become after two years with almost no training. I really missed seeing people and their experiencing their kindness and their devotion to aikido and the dojo they belong to. I missed having a normal time. So now, I really appreciate this moment. I think we’re strong when we’re together. That’s why I say at the beginning of class that I appreciate everybody’s support and devotion to the dojo they belong to. 

Yamada Sensei teaching at SF Aikikai

It’s wonderful to see the huge gathering of people from many dojos who gathered for your seminar here in San Francisco. The aikido community here is strong and people seem very supportive of each other. Is it the same way in New York?

Well, that’s the history of aikido in California, isn’t it? Yes, it’s great to see people like Patricia Hendricks, Jimmy (Friedman) and all these people from different dojos and teachers show up. In New York, it’s not really like this. People get together, but it’s not like the community here in California.

What do you think it is about you that draws so many people together? 

I don’t really know. I don’t think I do anything special. Maybe it’s my personality (laughs).

Josh Gold

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

6 comments

  • Can we please stop with this label “Direct student of Morihei Ueshiba O’sensei”? These men from Tokyo barely met O’sensei.
    Compare that to someone like Shioda? Or Isoyama Hiroshi Shihan?
    Sorry that’s the point that I picked from this article but it has be said.

  • I am grateful to be part of Yamada’s legacy here in New York State. We have a wonderful community of Aikidoka here in the Albany area- dedicated to excellence, full of enthusiasm and love for budo! Excellent interview, looking forward to Part 2.

  • I would like to see more questions on what he thinks the solution is to improving the integrity of Aikido dojos and Senseis.

  • I started two dojos in the 1970s, one in the Washington DC area and the other in Niagara Falls.

    Yamada Sensei could not have been more supportive and helpful.

    I feel the respect for him as he described his respect for Nidai Doshu.

    Bob Noha

  • Totally awesome interview. I’m so thrilled that we have this forum to read and understand the experience and History of Yamada Sensei. I started my training in NYC with Yamada sensei 45 years ago. I later moved to Syracuse NY, Albany NY and Florida Aikikai under Peter and Penny Bernath. I am now the chief instructor of the Fairfield Iowa dojo in Fairfield Iowa. It was an eye opener for me to learn that my early training under Sensei’s Luqman Hakeem, Arif and Yousef Mehter, Irv Faust and Peter and Penny Bernath has shaped my own training and teaching. The common denominator with all of these experiences was Yamada Sensei who taught all of the above Aikidoist. Bravo Josh for sharing this interview.

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