Josh Gold“This dynamic action photo of Aikido Founder
Morihei Ueshiba belongs in your personal collection!”
This photo of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba was taken by French aikido pioneer André Nocquet in 1957 at a demonstration in Tokyo. Nocquet Sensei kindly gifted to Aiki News some 30 images from this collection that we have carefully preserved.
O-Sensei’s uke here is Nobuyoshi Tamura, one of the most important figures in French aikido history. During his days as an uchideshi at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in the 1950s and 60s, Tamura Sensei was one of the Founder’s favorite students.
This high-resolution photo contains the following inscription: “I am never defeated however fast the enemy may attack. It is not because my technique is faster than that of the enemy. It is not a question of speed. The fight is finished before it is begun.” – Morihei Ueshiba.
Feel free to add this rare high-resolution image to your personal collection. Kindly fill in your name and email address in the form below and you will be taken to our download page. Access is immediate. Consider this as part of your education as you learn about the fascinating history of aikido.
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Dear Pranin-Sensei,
Last night on the popular TV program The Walking Dead, which is the most popular drama on cable television, Aikido was prominently mentioned. The Walking Dead of course is a horror-drama set in a zombie apocalypse currently in it’s sixth season. One of the recurring characters, Morgan, recently re-emerged on the show having undergone a fundamental change in beliefs. Where he was once full of rage and burdened with PSD, he suddenly became peaceable and mesmerizingly skillful with a jo staff. The writers (led by Scott Gimble) left the fan-base in suspense about what brought about the changes in this character until last night.
Morgan meets Eastman, a traumatologist, who tosses him The Art of Peace book of O-Sensei quotes by John Stevens (probably all the rage on Amazon.com today!) and explains to him that learning to live at peace is the only way to live through a world of madness and violence. Eastman had taken Aikido classes before the apocalypse and begun to apply these principles in his own life. At one point, Morgan attacks him and Eastman throws him with Kokyunage, and explains: “Aikido…that’s how I handled your ass, er, redirected your ass.” As the show moves forward, he begins to teach Morgan the art of the jo and Morgan begins to heal. The show ends with a new commitment from Morgan to protect all life, but confronting the challenge that this commitment entails in the face of devastating violence.
Many of us who love Aikido will be quick to point out the problems with the show. Performance artists and writers always take creative license and have done so long before Shakespeare’s measured alterations of history in his plays. Last night was no different. The jo katas were not from Iwama or Saotome-shihan or any other Aikido form and we’ll all certainly wonder why the 13 jo awase couldn’t have been referenced by the fight coordinators. We were dying for some “hasso” or “nagare” moves—especially those of us who have used suburi and kata practice for our own self-healing! Also, the writing seemed to emphasize “peace” as “pacifism,” which is a somewhat strict interpretation of the teachings of the Founder. In previous episodes, Morgan goes to great lengths to avoid extreme violence even when “muteiko” seems to lead him to be more forceful, because of his desire to avoid revisiting his trauma and pain. Fighting and killing are certainly a last resort and the Founder’s emphasis on deep learning encourages the wisest and truest warriors to explore all other resorts for their appropriate use instead. Collings-sensei has shown us examples in this very forum. SO FAR, Morgan seems to be showing fighting to the death as no resort at all (and this may change in subsequent episodes).
That said, Aikido was magnified last night as a genuine martial art and a guiding force to living in a gentle state of being. In the coming weeks, dojos around the world will be receiving new visitors and potential students whose interest was sparked by their favorite program last night! In this age of MMR and sport fighting arts, Aikido will have a renewed chance to offer an alternative that fosters the cultivation of a loving spirit instead of an aggressive heart. As the character Eastman said last night: “We’re not meant to be killers. We don’t have claws and fangs!” Those words will reach many and this week scores of curious people will see what we all saw the first time we stepped into an Aikido dojo. We saw an art of blending and nonresistance that forges the spirit into an answer for a sick and violent world.
Onegaishimasu, to all of you Walking Dead fans out there!
Post-note—-Any of you who have unwanted copies of The Art of Peace, congratulations on your newfound wealth!! 🙂