Aikido (合氣道)

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I believe that aikido has the power to help us achieve great things and it is something I want to share, so I will attempt to explain what I think aikido is.

 

When an observer sees an aikido technique, there are certain things that come as a surprise. The body movement is fluid and the attacker is effectively dealt with, but the technique is not violent and the person playing the attacking role will be seen to get up smiling, ready to practice again. When violence is met with more violence it breeds hate, but aikido offers another solution to break this vicious cycle, based on principles of love, harmony and peace. The founder O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba called the system of aikido the “Art of Peace”. Although aikido was initially developed as a martial means to end conflict in an era of world wars, Morihei Ueshiba extended the art in all spiritual dimensions to include love, tolerance and compassion to other human beings. Ueshiba took Aikido beyond a one-dimensional body discipline and created a rounded system of mind, body and spirit coordination. Whereas traditional martial arts may focus on the destruction of the opponent, aikido aims to transcend physical conflict by meeting the attack with understanding and love, which neutralises the aggression. When we teach the mind and spirit to transcend physical conflict, we meet all attacks, both physical and verbal, with consideration and compassion towards the attacker, because the mind is not consumed by anger, or the desire for revenge.

 

Can the search for universal love and spiritual perfection be cultivated through a martial art? When we respond to hate with love, what happens to the nature of conflict? Once we devote time and effort in the art of aikido, we will learn to deal effectively with any kind of conflict and soon, all desire for violent response will give way to acceptance, harmony and peace. It is rare in normal life for an average person to be attacked physically, however, we do all have to deal with conflict situations in our daily lives. By applying aikido principles we can have a positive effect on our own lives and the people around us. Conflict often arises from within, so we need to apply the aikido principles to ourselves first, perhaps by recognizing negative feelings and turning them to positive ones, before we can apply them to others.

 

I believe that the path to universal love and peace is possible only when we realise that it is up to ourselves to use the tools that exist within us. Aikido is a manifestation of body, mind and spirit unification and, seeing how aikido has positively shaped my life, I would like to pass it on to others and help society grow. It is my hope that aikido will contribute towards a loftier goal and, as Ueshiba himself said “help reconcile the world”.

 

 

Shinkage-ryu Iaijutsu Yamamoto-ha (神影流 居合術 山本派)

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Iaijutsu is the Japanese martial art of drawing a katana (the famous razor-sharp Japanese sword), performing a series of precise cuts, and then resheathing it. Cambridge Budokai takes the safety of our members very seriously, so we train with either a bokuto (wooden training sword), or an iaito (blunt metal training sword). Although we can’t train with a shinken (live blade) in public spaces, our training still has the attitude and awareness required when using a live blade. Incidentally, our Japanese parent organization, the Shinkage-ryu Ichimon Sano Budokai (https://shinkageryu-sanobudokai.com/en/home-3/, 神影流 一門 佐野 武道会), only allows the use of either the bokuto or shinken!

 

This school, which is headed by Yoshio Yamamoto-soke (the founder of Sano Budokai), emphasises good etiquette and mannerisms, as well as efficient use of the sword. Each of our 41 core kata embody different practical elements and mental fortitude necessary for the practice.

In Budo (Martial Way), the phrase "Rei de Hajimaru, Rei de Owaru" (everything begins with respect and ends with respect) is widely known. The Japanese emphasise correct manners and etiquette in everything they do, from training to business and even social gatherings. Our training stays failthful to the practices of our parent school in Japan which will foster better patience, perseverance, resilience, mindfulness and staying calm under stress. 

 

I believe that Shinkage-ryu Iaijutsu Yamamoto-ha provides an excellent path to self-development and a way to refine and condition the body, mind and spirit.