Aiki Stories

There is a current “debate” as to the value/need for weapon training in Aikido and its importance. Our dojo follows the training curriculum from O’sensei’s personal dojo in Iwama, Japan as laid out by his longest serving student, the late Morihiro Saito Sensei, and as taught and continued by Saito’s student, Saburo Takayasu Sensei, 7th […]

The departure of Frédéric and his family back to France occasioned the need for a party and a sayonara-nikkyo. David Alexander Sensei tells the story of this practice from the Ibaraki Iwama Dojo at his Iwama Monogatari website: Introduction To Iwama I first went to Iwama and met Saito-sensei in the spring of 1972. I was training at the Aikikai

David Alexander Sensei was a foundation student at the Iwama Ibaraki Dojo and his stories are legendary. Here is one of my favourites from his Iwama Monogatari website: Introduction To Iwama I first went to Iwama and met Saito-sensei in the spring of 1972. I was training at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo at

David Alexander Sensei spent over 10 years training in Iwama under Saito Sensei, in the old days when understanding was obtained from vigorous and rigorous practice. In an article he explains the four levels of technique in Aikido training: 1. KATAI (rigid) Also known as Kihon (basic) it is what builds the foundation of tai-sabaki

David Alexander Sensei was my sempai when I trained at Iwama in 1980. He had the rare experience of spending over 10 years training under Saito Sensei, in Iwama while Saito Sensei was in his prime. He also gave me my “sayonara nikkyo”, when I returned home. He explains his idea of elegance in Aikido

Aikido is difficult to learn – the path is long and winding. As with many endeavours one constantly struggles with levels of understanding. Each achievement leads to further questioning and uncertainty.

When entering or turning which move first, the hips or the feet? O’Sensei’s Kuden (Saito, M., Traditional Aikido, Vol 1, p. 4) says: The rotation of the hips determines the movement of both feet, The movement of the head determines the movement of both hands. Saito Sensei’s comment on the Kuden adds: “However, the hips move

Students often say, “why is it important to do the technique ‘precisely’ surely everyone is different – we can do it in our own way”,  or particularly for westerens “near-enough is good enough”. Saito Sensei commented in his “Dos and Don’ts while training” (Volume 5 – Training Works Wonders page 41): Perform Exercises Accurately There

In 1974 Saito Sensei wrote in his forward to Volume 3 of his book Traditional Aikido Sword Stick and Body Arts that he had quoted “the words bequeathed by Founder Morihei Ueshiba  which represent the heart of techniques”. Sensei Derek Minus has asked that these secret oral teachings or Kudan be recorded for those students without