aikido gleason
TRANSCRIPT
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Contents
SHOBU GOHO: THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF AIKIDO
AAMATSU SYLLABARIES
FOREWORD BY HIROSHI IKEDA SHIHAN
INTRODUCTION
1. AIKITAMA: THE SPIRIT OF UNIVERSAL HARMONY
One Spirit Four Souls
Classification of the Vowel Dimensions
The Eight Powers
2. SANGEN: THE UNIQUE PRINCIPLE OF
DYNAMIC MONISM
Dynamic Monism
The Function of Ki
The Spirit and Form of Principle
Tate-Yoko of Hachiriki
3. IKI: THE BREATH OF LIFE
The Breath of Heaven, Earth, and Man
Three Stages of Kokyu
Kokyu as Power and TimingWhat Is Ki?
Buddhist vs. Taoist Breathing
Breath as Spiritual Purification: The Forms of Misogi
Aikido and Words of Po
By William Gle
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Fire, Water, and Earth Ki
Kokyu Ho
Kokyu Nage
4. SHUGYO: THE SPIRITUAL TRAINING OF TECHNIQUE
The Ranking System of Aikido
The Levels of Training
Body Movement
Ukemi
The Spirit of Ikkyo
The Spirit of Irimi Nage
The Spirit of Shiho NageRyote Tori Shiho Nage
Kote Gaeshi and Kaiten Nage
5. INOCHI: AIKIDO AS A SPIRITUAL PATH
Mechanical Judgment: Realm of the Insentient
First Three Instincts: The Animal World
Birth of the Islands: The Potential of Higher Judgment
Inochi: The Path of a Human Being
Returning to the Origin
APPENDIX. ITSURATHE FIFTY SOUNDS OF
THE KOTOTAMA
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY
INDEX
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BREATH AS SPIRITUAL PURIFICATION:THE FORMS OF MISOGI
Although many of the basic techniques of aikido have their rootsin older martial arts, some of the most important movements are
derived from the misogi exercises of Japanese Shinto. These exercises
are often used to warm up for practice, yet they were originally spiri-
tual practices in and of themselves. They were used for the purpose
of misogi,or spiritual purification. The first of these arefunakogi and
furitama.
Funakogi and Furutama
Deguchi Wanisaburo spoke of the significance of funakogi in this
way:
Within the great dryness of spiritual expanse, the mist of the ki of
Su reaching outward infinitely, extend both arms equally, the power
of contrast (tata no chikara) is born. Both arms reach out as one, yet
contrast each other. This is the mind of Makoto, extending through
and preserving the infinite space of the universe. At this moment
the six planes of meeting and the eight directions are establishedand the power of contrast expands to its limits.
Funakogi , or boat rowing, imitates the motion of rowing a boat
exactly. Standing in hanmi with the left foot forward, the hands are
placed against the body so that they conform perfectly to the hips (1).
Leaning the body forward, yet remaining naturally balanced, the
arms reach out and downward meeting in front of the body. This
movement is led with the index fingers and is accompanied by the ki-
ai of IEt. In order to finish in the proper position, both hands rotateinward as they extend (2).
Shifting the weight onto the back foot the arms rotate outward,
drawing in ki with the little fingers. It is important both in extending
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and drawing back to imagine actually moving something very heavy.
This creates a kind of dynamic tension. Pulling back is accompanied by
theki-ai of Sa. Shifting to the opposite side with the right foot forward
theki-ai becomes IEtand Ho (3).
Fig. 3.1. Funakogi, or
boat rowing, generates ki.
1 2
3
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Aikido Mudras: The Hand Forms of Aikido
Kokyu Undo
The palm is the hara, or heart, of the hand. It is called tanagokoro.
The thumb is the ruler of the fingers. It is also earth ki, the kototama
of U dimension. It comfortably closes into the center of the palm.
The palm should never be placed too firmly against your partners
body as this cuts off the source of earth ki and makes unity impos-sible. In most cases, therefore, the handblade precedes the palm in
making contact with the body of your opponent (uke).
The ki of the palm, when placed directly on your partners body,
should be given direction through the fingers rather than pushing
against your partners body. The middle finger is the center of the center.
Following the direction of this finger, go around direct contact with your
partners body such as in this kokyu osae movement (see fig. 3.3).
The ki of fire is most commonly seen in the use of the handblade when
cutting through ukes resistance (fig. 3.4). In this case your concentrationshould be on cutting through ukes hara rather than on moving his arm. If
your feeling is correct uke can be thrown without moving his arm at all.
Fig. 3.2 Handblade
against partners body in
yokomen kokyu nage
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Fig 3.3. Going around partners shoulder in kokyu osae
Fig 3.4. Handblade
cutting through ukes arm
defense
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Fig. 3.6. Squarebecomes two triang
Fig. 3.7. Circle ov
square
Kokyu Ho
Sitting in the formal position of seiza, your knees and those of your
partner form a square. In order to avoid the mindset of direct opposi-
tion the direction of your ki should cut diagonally through the square
(fig. 3.6). In other words the ki of your right hip should enter directly
into the ki of your partners right hip.The first relationship to consider in aikido is always the vertical con-
nection between uke and nage (fig. 3.5). When your wrists are grasped,
you should thrust forward straight into ukes center with the water mudra
as you draw breath inward (fire). This will cause ukes ki to rise upward
allowing your hands to gradually shift into the fire mudra.
Having established a vertical unity with uke it should then be
maintained and distributed horizontally as you move through the tech-
nique. Moving through ukes resistance is circular. In order to see this
clearly, connect the four corners of the square with a circle (fig. 3.7).This is the pattern that your body will follow as you move through
ukes resistance.
When your hips meet those of your partner the focus of your
Fig. 3.5.
Establishing the
vertical connection
between uke and
nage
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ki should be on entering your partners hips diagonally and passingthrough his one point to exit on the opposite side (fig. 3.8). In order
to see this more clearly, observe the shape of the pelvic cage. Seen from
above it is an incomplete circle (fig. 3.9).
Fig 3.8. Moving through
ukes resistance is circular.
Fig. 3.9. The pelvic
cage forms an incomplete
circle.