by Anthony Deen In his book, The Spirit and the Sword, the sword master Nakamura Taizaburo relates an epiphany he experienced while teaching in Northern China during the Great Pacific War. In his epiphany Nakamura sensei correlated sword study with the Eiji Happo of Japanese calligraphy (Shodo). Toyama-ryu Battodo is a modern sword art, developed in 1925 for Japan’s … [Read more...] about The Sword, The Brush, and The Principles of Eight
Aikido
Aikido is a non-competitive Japanese Martial Art founded by Morihei Ueshiba which pursues mental improvement and inner strength.
Training at Aikikai Hombu Dojo
Five minutes before class began everyone sat in seiza (a seated position with legs folded underneath). We faced the Kamiza (front wall of the dojo), and I contemplated the large scroll with the calligraphy of Aikido by Morihei Ueshiba, O'Sensei and founder of Aikido. I sat there, somewhat in disbelief, breathing and absorbing the energy of the space. The mat, packed with … [Read more...] about Training at Aikikai Hombu Dojo
Visiting the Aikikai Hombu Dojo
With the cameras off, we headed out to get something to eat. Every night, after we wrapped shooting, we went out for dinner often on our way to the next day's location. The cameraman, Tamura San, suggested yakiniku, a form of Japanese grilled meat. At a yakiniku restaurant, the table has a built-in grill. The server brings platters of raw, bite-size pieces of different types of … [Read more...] about Visiting the Aikikai Hombu Dojo
Resiliency
On September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico. The category four storm with winds of 155 mph entered the island through the southeast early in the morning and exited through the northwest in the afternoon. Total estimated damages are said to be in the billions, and they're still debating about the exact number of fatalities caused by the storm. The … [Read more...] about Resiliency
Connection through body movement
Tai Sabaki is a Japanese term used in martial arts commonly translated as “body movement.” If we look at the Kanji, the first one, TAI 体 means “body,” and the second SABA(KI) 捌き means “to handle, to deal with.” Therefore, Tai Sabaki can also mean “body management, or body control.” During training, we learn techniques by breaking them down into steps. Step one: step forward, … [Read more...] about Connection through body movement