Aikido Gleason

8/13/2019 Aikido Gleason

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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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Iki: The Breath of Li

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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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Iki: The Breath of Life

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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.

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