From http://www.guillaumeerard.com/daito-ryu-aiki-jujutsu/articles/why-do-yudansha-wear-hakama
By Guillaum Erard
Origin of the association between Confucian values and hakama pleats
Although the adoption of the Confucian values by the warrior class is well documented, the precise point at which the pleats of the hakama were ascribed these values is unclear and some scholars argue that it is actually as recent as the Meiji era.
Remembering that the origin of hakama lies partly in nobility, partly in shinto, the association of the Confucian (buddhist) values with the shinto piece of clothing provides an interesting illustration of the syncretism that occurred in Japan between the two thought systems.
Regardless of the origin of the association, some prominent contemporary instructors have extensively written on the topic, with for example Saotome Mitsugi who, in his book: The Principles of Aikido, lists them as:
Jin (仁): benevolence
Gi (義): honor or justice
Rei (礼): courtesy and etiquette
Chi (智): wisdom, intelligence
Shin (信): sincerity
Chu (忠): loyalty
Koh (孝): piety
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
1st kyu
Oh, and big news that I forgot to update, since I've been neglecting this blog and reading lately, we had a successful shochugeiko, with about 10 people participating toward a goal of 10 hours.
The previous couple of months, I'd been arranging twice-weekly kyu testing classes, led by Daniel, for the 1st kyu candidates, Matt and Wini. This made for a 6-day a week schedule, which was great, but I was focused mostly on taking ukemi for them so they could get a head start on the testing, since I was 99% sure I wouldn't be testing this time around, and was going to prep for December. Well, 1% wrong, since Malory Sensei surprise-tested me. I should have been studying more, because I flubbed a couple things, but on the whole, she said she liked the test, and my koshinage was good, and randori felt very good. I passed, so I am finally 1st kyu and can start working toward my Shodan. I'm super excited.
This week, I'm nursing a pulled muscle in my hip, doing a lot of clerical work at the dojo, and taking care of things while everyone is on vacation.
The previous couple of months, I'd been arranging twice-weekly kyu testing classes, led by Daniel, for the 1st kyu candidates, Matt and Wini. This made for a 6-day a week schedule, which was great, but I was focused mostly on taking ukemi for them so they could get a head start on the testing, since I was 99% sure I wouldn't be testing this time around, and was going to prep for December. Well, 1% wrong, since Malory Sensei surprise-tested me. I should have been studying more, because I flubbed a couple things, but on the whole, she said she liked the test, and my koshinage was good, and randori felt very good. I passed, so I am finally 1st kyu and can start working toward my Shodan. I'm super excited.
This week, I'm nursing a pulled muscle in my hip, doing a lot of clerical work at the dojo, and taking care of things while everyone is on vacation.
Internal power
“You have to relax and still hold the shape of the exercise
properly. It has to have rigidity to it, but it can’t be stiff.”
By Tim Fong with Robert John, from an interview with Minoru Akuzawa
What do you consider to be the most important basic exercise? And does this exercise give you conditioning to do the skill, or is it the other way round?
It’s not really conditioning. The way I see it, I think it’s more about deepening your understanding (awareness) of the body and how it works. This includes asking questions such as “how do you place a load on the body, how do you handle it and how do you control it?”
… doing solo training is only half the work. They’re important, but you still need feedback, which is where a partner comes in. If he/she pushes… where do you feel the load? Is it the back? Is it the middle? Is it the feet? Do I feel it catch in the shoulder? These questions are hard to answer by yourself – well with a little ingenuity you could use a wall to get feedback, but still the feedback provided by something static is completely different from feedback provided by a person. This process is absolutely critical if you want to understand how to load the joints, use the spine and subsequently connect the body as one unit.
By Tim Fong with Robert John, from an interview with Minoru Akuzawa
What do you consider to be the most important basic exercise? And does this exercise give you conditioning to do the skill, or is it the other way round?
It’s not really conditioning. The way I see it, I think it’s more about deepening your understanding (awareness) of the body and how it works. This includes asking questions such as “how do you place a load on the body, how do you handle it and how do you control it?”
… doing solo training is only half the work. They’re important, but you still need feedback, which is where a partner comes in. If he/she pushes… where do you feel the load? Is it the back? Is it the middle? Is it the feet? Do I feel it catch in the shoulder? These questions are hard to answer by yourself – well with a little ingenuity you could use a wall to get feedback, but still the feedback provided by something static is completely different from feedback provided by a person. This process is absolutely critical if you want to understand how to load the joints, use the spine and subsequently connect the body as one unit.
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