【私の答え】 「そんな人、まずいません」

＜解説＞　当派の手刀攻め(添付写真参照)のように、両手を思いきり掴ませてから封じ崩し攻めるといった種の稽古法は、護身技の習得というよりも合気武道に不可欠な身体感覚の養成を主な目的としております。同時にこの稽古を受け掛け交互に繰り返し行うことで、身体の中心部が自然に鍛錬され、四肢も粘りある強靭なものへと変貌を遂げ、それは全ての技の質の変化向上にも繋がり、よって大切な鍛錬法として初心者から熟練者まで欠かさず毎回行う稽古法でもあります。また世間には合気武道は力はまったく必要ないので鍛錬の必要もなければ、ひ弱な婦女子でも子供でも護身の術が簡単に修得できますといった事を平気で言う御仁がおられるようだが、それは稽古相手の手加減や気遣いがあってはじめて成立する、言わばファンタジーの世界です。現実の攻防はそんなに甘くはありません。一に鍛錬、二に鍛錬。三も鍛錬、師も鍛錬が私の基本方針でございいます。

「両手首を掴んでくる敵なんて、今どきいるんですか？」

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ①

" When an enemy has grasped both wrists, what should we expect these days? "

【My answer】" Such a person isn't all that unappealing."

【私の答え】 「爆発力の鍵です」

＜解説＞　筋力もお金も同じです。無駄づかいは極力控え蓄えて、ここぞという時に一気に使う、それが策というものです。前にも述べました鍛錬に鍛錬を重ねるとは、ここぞの時の為の用意であり準備でもあります。そして何より敵の抵抗反応を止める意味でも、筋力は極力おさえて封じ崩し(ここが一番難しい)、極めの瞬間にすべてを爆発させてこそ柔術であります。最初からダラダラと力を出していては一呼吸での技も可能とはなりません。

　また「脱力と腑抜け」を同一視しておられる方が多くいるようです。腑抜けは全身がただ緩んでいる状態で、丹田の稼働も内部感覚もすべて静止した状態であり、武術的には仮死状態と同じです。それに対し脱力は、『入れるべき箇所は抜かずに常時稼働、必要ない箇所は極力抜き適度な緩みを保持した状態』を当派では言います。

「脱力って、いったい何ですか？」

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ②

" What does 脱力 (datsuryoku)  the draining of strength mean? "

【My answer】"It is the key to explosive power"

<Explanation> Having Strength (筋力 Kin ryoku  force from muscle) and having money (金) are the same. To the best of one's ability, one does not waste either instead you save them and keep as much on reserve as you can. Then at critical points when it counts, you use them without any hesitation at all. Yes well, it is like that, isn't it? It is preparing and preparing for the time of this time to repeatedly practice the training which I mentioned before. And, more than anything to stop the resistance reaction of the enemy, The muscle strength is kept as low as possible as you stop the resistance reaction of the enemy, and neutralize (封じ Fujiru) his power disturbing in same time is balance (崩しkuzushi ) (this is the most difficult), one explodes in a sudden flash and finishes it, that is Jujutsu. From from the beginning and in a flowing way, removing his strength by apply your technique in one breath, this will cause the fact that  he will not be able to resist it. 

Moreover, there seems to be many people understand “draining away his strength as making him total loss of energy", in a state where the whole body is relaxed . All the operation and internal feelings of Tanden are in a state of stillness, it is the same as a mortal state applied in martial arts.

On the contrary to this, in our school we are saying that ” draining of strength (脱力datsuryoku)  is 

”the point where we are never at rest or totally relaxed but always paying attention or working. 入れるべき箇所は抜かずに常時稼働、” (in other words not like a dead body state but a living body state)

【私の答え】 「気合の反対が “合気”です」

＜解説＞　合気武道家がもし１００人いたならば、１００通りの違った解釈と私論が存在するのが『合気』の世界です。これほど定義の不確定な武術用語は他にないように思えますが、私も独自の理論を展開する一人やも知れません。私が『合気』という言葉を聞いた時まず思ったことは、「単なる気合の逆さ読みではないか…」ということでした。そして十数年の稽古を経て抱いた率直の感想は、「合気の実体とは神秘性の類いとはかけ離れた、実に単純な原理で成り立っている」ということでもありました。仮に「気合」を剛としたならば、「合気」はその真逆の柔となります。またこの原理は合気武道という小さな世界だけに留まらず、実に広く多くの場で活用されているのではと私は思います。例えば野球なら豪腕投手のキメ球のひとつチャンジアップ、大相撲なら強烈なアタリと見せかけての叩き込み、闇金屋の常套手段でもある恫喝と宥めの妙技に至るまで、「気合と合気」の剛柔の原理は実に多方面で活用されているのが解ります。つまり当派における「合気技法」とは、場面々に応じた剛柔の切替えの連続により敵に虚を作り形勢を逆転する技術であり、よって当派における「合気柔術の定義」とは、『強靭な敵を瞬間的に弱体化する柔の武術』となります。

「そもそも合気って何ですか？」

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ③

" What is 合気 (Aiki) in fact ? "

【My answer】 "Aiki is the opposite of Kiai"

<Explanation> Had there been 100 people that were practitioners of Aiki Budō, then there would have been 100 different ways of interpretation and private opinions in the world of aiki. It seems there isn't any besides it this uncertain definition in the terminology of the martial arts,. I developed a unique personal theory. The first thing I thought when I heard in my native language the word "aiki" was , and quite frankly I believe it. " it is merely reading the word Kiai backwards..." is something that was said about it.

At some ten years of practice , I had the ambition with a rather frank impression about it. "The subject of Aiki is a very simple principle that is far away from the mystical kind".. . If "Kiai" causes a condition of rigidity, "Aiki" is the true reverse so it causes a condition of flexibility (yawara).

Again, regarding this principle, moreover, I think that this principle is used not only in a small world of Aikibudo but in a wide variety of places indeed., but actually there are generally many places where one can make practical use of it, and those are my thoughts on it. For example, in such case as the game of baseball, the focused strong arm of the pitcher, the 'change up' readjustment of his fingers on the ball, and such as the intensity of collisions in Sumo wrestling and the poses of their slap-downs (hatakikomi). Namely the principles of hardness and softness ( 剛柔の原理 ) of both "Kiai and Aiki". Actually it must be understood that it is utilized in many ways indeed..

In other words, in Aiki Budō there is the "Techniques of harmonization (Aiki Gihō) 『合気技法』" that respond with a consecutive exchange of hardness and softness according to the various situation.

In other words aiki giho principle『合気技法』 means "When in confrontation, you must attack the enemy at the moment he is not guarding himself (kyo虚) and make it helpless in a so resistance state. This is the principle and technique of turning circumstances in your favor." And in our school, that is the definition.

【私の答え】 「合気は護身向けです。積極的実戦には不向きです」

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ④

" Is it really usable in aggressive fighting combat sports fights? " 

【My answer】"Aiki was intended to be Self-protection. But in combat sports, it isn't really suitable."

<Explanation> 　Since having established my dojos, I have received quite a lot of questions like this. Earlier on I would decline to answer, because in our school “self-defense” it is defined as " escaping during those more critical moments in daily life" and under special circumstances (Conflict area etc.),

In the game of controlling an opponent where sometimes they even compete together in the contest between the different schools, this is "aggressive combat sports" and it is again different from the close combat techniques (kakuto jutsu 格闘術 ) and the idea and the way of thinking from the fundamentals , the concepts of technique, even in that way of thinking, such things were always a source of disagreement.

Therefore, in our school, it is the majority of lessons to practice self-defense techniques created assuming various crises in everyday life as a virtual enemy and training. Practice against an actual opponent is then by comparison being limited to practice with imaginary opponents.

And the point that the questioner intends is that it is an uneasy factor as to whether the technique can really be used under the real crisis situation even though there is no uses full contact fights whereas the Jiyu kumite fighting patterns and sparring. Really in the actual danger it is a critical point and uneasy factor to know if whether skills can be used under real crisis conditions , I know it all too well myself. I've had episode or two with other individuals where I felt quite afraid, I think of it as my own introduction to the facts.

Some years back, up to the point of my enrollment I was at my post in a certain security firm, at this hour you're probably going numb and there's lots of them who live in the place, if you know what I mean. Really it was quite a valuable experience for me considering what it taught me. And when for the first time the fruits of practicing Aiki jujutsu finally came, even then I never forgot about it. We'd all heard all about the violence of the organized systems of the extreme left, so the company's employees were all on guard at the place when they came in. During the duties of the work day, about 20 people all members of the gang surrounded one man, after it happened I had a lot of filthy harsh jeering heaped on me, they were getting tired of waiting for an armed encounter with the members of a rival gang, one fellow of which was rather large, he came right up to me and attacked me. It was already too late, his stomach had tensed while he arched his back, the whole time, even though he had been ready for the attack he was making, it was surprising how how naturally my body had responded. Immediately I dropped my center of gravity, hooked the opponent's chest and in a single jump in the next moment, it was too late for him, my elbow strike hit the opponent in the suigetsu vital point水月 (the pit of the stomach), I got a result with it. It sent this man reeling three metres backwards and have been in trouble for a while.

I will refrain from the description of how to do here but It is important when practicing alone to use our kokyūhō breathing method. When the Tanden make and keep fullness constantly (make a state where the center of gravity also drops and the mind and body are stable and calmness). We're virtually doing this with the purposeful sense of hitting the opponent, this is the case each time we practice, bearing in mind and remembering that the valuable techniques we know are accumulating more and more from the training. So from the experiences of this moment, later I founded the Kishin Juku CHO-FU principle 『張封』 stop aggression with tension , it is also an undeniable fact that this principle became one of the representative techniques of our school.

【私の答え】 「当派では全階梯で３０種程、総数８０手程です」

＜解説＞「総数で８０手って、かなり少ないのでは…」と思った方に逆に問います。例えば毎回の稽古を２時間とした場合、仮に高伝取得者が全ての技を稽古すると１手につき１分３０秒しか時間が取れない計算となります。果たしてそれで質の高い本当の稽古ができたと言えるでしょうか？　私は寧ろ８０手でも多過ぎるので、できれば削りたいとさえ思っております。３０種というのは技の理合いの数であり、そこにバリエーションが加わるので総数８０手となります。弊塾では稽古日によって課題を決め、それを集中的に修練するスタイルです。よって良いところ毎回１０種２５手くらいで時間終了となります。それを週２回で２０種５０手、残りは月一度の『合気技法修練会』という４時間の特別稽古で補う形になります。これはあくまでも高伝取得者を想定しての時間割りですので、現時点では初心者と中堅どころが大半を占める弊塾では、合気技法の根幹『四主術理』の修得と基本技の反復に稽古のほとんどを割く形を取っております。

　また敢えて他流批判をする積もりもないのですが、時折り莫大な技の数とその多さを「当派は３００手ある」「いや当派は”千”を超す」などと豪語される流派を時折り見かけます。合気武道を修行する理由も目標もその道筋さえも、すべて各流派で異なることくらい私とて理解はできます。しかし本当にそれらすべてが必要な技で、しかも愛弟子たちの為に本当になることなのか…。合気修得に人生を懸けまだ１５年目(皇紀２６７７年現在)の若輩者ではありますが、どう考えてもいまだ理解できない私でございます。

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ⑤

" How many techniques do you have? " 

【My answer】"As I wrote before the total number of our curriculum is 80 but these techniques are basically developed from 30 fundamental techniques."

<Explanation> 　In the contrary , i ask the person who thought "Total number of 80 techniques is quite small ...".

For example, supposing that each lesson takes 2 hours, if you acquire all techniques, you can calculate that only one minute and thirty seconds are available for each hand. Could it be said that it was possible to have real high-quality practicing in this way ? I am rather too much with 80 techniques, so even if I would like to reduce them if possible. 30 is the number of technical competency, and since there are some variations, the total number is 80.

In our school, we decide the technical task by practice day, in a intensively training way . Therefore good training will end with about 10 variety of 25 techniques each time. It will be supplemented with 4 hours of special training called "Aiki gihō shūren-kai"『合気技法修練会』once a month, twice a week with 20 variety of 50 techniques.

Since this is a time allocation assuming with koden (高伝) acquisition in the end , at our school in this moment beginners and middle-class students are the majority, so it is necessary to repeat all basics techniques and acquire the fundamentals of the aiki technique (Aiki Gi-ho 合気技法 ) and the "Four principles 『四主術理』" , this takes most of practice.

There is also no intention to criticize others schools, but I sometimes see in some schools that there are some huge numbers of techniques "our school has 300 techniques ! ", "our school has over 1000 techniques ! " . .. but honestly i can understand that i have different way of thinking with these school s, goals and even the way to practice Aiki budo are very different . But is it really all that is necessary skills? and this is really to be done for the disciples benefit .... ? Although I am a young person but it is still the 15th year (in 2017) who I devote my life to acquire the aiki skills, even though I think about the reason for collecting so much techniques , i cannot understand the benefit of that…

【私の答え】 「現時点ではありません」

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ⑥

" Do you participate or planning to participate to demonstration performance (Embu-kai) ? "

【My answer】"No I do not plan to participate at demonstration performance for now."

<Explanation> 　At our school there is no idea to host or participate in the demonstration performance at present to present our techniques ., in the old age where there was no high-tech equipment like cameras and videos, I think that the demonstration performance was effective and indispensable as means of handling "kata and techniques" to the future generations. However, as described above, as convenient recording media have become popular in recent years, if it is asked whether or not it is necessary to have demonstration performance excluding the idea of cultural succession, it is my personally opinion that it is unnecessary.

Of course, it is natural that there are different views depending on different schools. In addition, supplementing so as not to misunderstand, in order to show perfection of demonstration performances in front of people, there is a reality that we have to spend considerable time and effort in preparation. Once you stop the most important practice for acquiring the aiki techniques as we are always doing at our school, one month before the performance demonstration we will have to concentrate on practicing to raise the quality of the demonstration performance.

In other words, it is totally different goal to make training for beautiful appearance for the demonstration performance and to make training for apply the technique of self-defense in the real situation. Even if it seems to be doing the same kind of training at the side, its real that it is quite different, It is imperative to take time in your current training for making training for the demonstration performance.

If you do not hold a demonstration performance or if you ask me “why you do not participate in demonstration performance? I will answer "I do not have that time !"

Even those who have seriously trained are in need of ten years until the skill works. I would like to obtain as soon as possible high level of skill as possible for my disciples who make time, between their work and their family, for coming to my dojo, so it is the conclusion that I thought so.

【私の答え】 「一般修行者の方には取得義務はありません」

Aiki Budō Frequently Asked Question ⑦

" Is there an obligation to acquire Menkyo Kaiden license (license of total transmission) in your school ? " 

【My answer】" It is not necessary for the general practitioner "

<Explanation> there is an obligation to acquire Menkyo Kaiden licencse only for those who are supervisor of Kishin Juku Shibu Dojo ( Branch dojo) . Therefore it is unnecessary for other general practitioners. If you acquire up to "Koden" (High transmission) who is the level just below “Kaiden” you should have retained enough skills. So in principle, we will refuse all proposals from general practitioners.

In addition to more advanced things, unless you don’t have an ascetic practice (Shugyo 修行) which goes beyond the simple teaching at the dojo , even if you went to training in the dojo for decades, you could never reach high level skills.

There seems to be some budo schools that sell certificates at expensive high price for all those who wish to start training as easily as possible, only for the sake of money. Such a dojo is called as "McDojo" and it is completely stupid attitude.

Both schools that sell Kaiden Shihan certificates (Total transmission certificate) and practitioners that buy it have no merit. Selling a Menkyo Kaiden certificate is like rice cakes drawn in pictures (means that something is totally useless), the reason for refusing is right there.

Note : 絵に描いた餅 Enikaitamochi This Japanese expression comes from the fact that even if you can draw mochi (rice cake) in a picture very well, you can't eat it, and it is not useful.

The essence of martial arts is to train mind and body through training to acquire skills and to have a meaningful life. "Menkyo kaiden certificate" must be given only to those who are teaching and for the students this is certain proof of their instructor‘s competency.

People who do not know believe in the title of teacher and its testimonials and it is a criteria of judgment for choosing one among a number of dojos. These certificates should never be issued with absolutely irresponsible reason like money making purpose. Menkyo Kaiden it is a proof that only students with skills and trust of their teacher can hold.

【私の答え】 「特別合同稽古の修練会には参加できます。しかし正式な本部道場生にはなれません」

＜解説＞ フルコンタクト空手などの打撃系や、柔道や剣道などの競技武道を経験された後に、合氣武道の門を叩く方は非常に多いという現実があります。過去の稽古や試合で後遺症が残ったり、加齢が原因で激しい稽古はもう無理だけども武道の世界からは離れたくはない、そういう方が非常に多いという現実でございます。

　率直に申し上げれば、膨大な時間を要す上に習得も困難を極める『合気技法』にも関わらず、他流の稽古と同時進行するのは、仕事や家庭の維持という側面をも考慮すれば、とても無理ではないかと言わざる得ません。本部道場の門下生として正式に迎え氣慎塾の一員として受け入れる以上、指導者の立場である私としましてもある程度の技量を身につけさせる義務と責任がございます。二足の草鞋での武術修行は学ぶ側も教える側も非常に難しく、双方にとりましても様々な弊害が出ることも案じた上で、他団体に所属しながらの本部道場入門は最初からお断りさせて頂きます。（平成２９年８月１日より）