Zen and Aikido
(Extracted from Aikido-L)
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 13:14:26 +0200
From: Tara Star
Subject: zen and aikido
Hi,
I am doing a dissertation on japanese martial arts in the west.
I've narrowed down the subject to zen in judo and aikido. It is briefly
described here:
http://climbtothestars.org/pim/ZenJudoAikido
Any extra sources on the topic of zen and aikido will be welcome (be
they "general public" writings or academic). Those I have already
gathered are listed here:
http://climbtothestars.org/temp/mabiblio.doc
Of course, if anybody has something to say on the relationship of zen
and aikido (be it from a historical point of view, or from that of the
actual practice of aikido in the west), I'd be glad to hear it!
[but please have a peek at the page describing my research before you
dive in...]
Stephanie
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 14:56:36 +0200
From: Kjartan Clausen
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Here's a couple of websites you want to visit:
The Aikido FAQ http://www.aikidofaq.com/
Jun's AikiWeb http://www.aikiweb.com/
Aikido Journal
http://www.aikidojournal.com/
I'm sure you'll find useful stuff in all of them.
--
Kjartan Clausen Aikido is Origami with people instead of paper (tm)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 09:27:45 -0400
From: Aikido Penguin
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
If you haven't practiced either of them, you may want to consider _doing_
both aikido and zazen for a while and then resume the research. Thus, the
writing will come out from an albeit limited, but nonetheless personal
experience. 30 minutes of doing zazen throws a brand new light on
"awareness" and "concentration" :)
Philip Kapleau's book might be a useful reference on Zen
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385260938.
Hope this helps.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 16:34:52 +0200
From: "James R. Acker"
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
I think for those that are interested in zen, that it is in everything. The
exercises that one sees as manifestations of zen are "nothing special" really
and if you are on the path not strictly necessary.
Meditation for example is one tool, but only a tool. So a martial art also is a
tool, that gets you kind of "out of yourself" either because of fatigue or fear,
or concentration on being right here, in the moment.
It can happen with anything, seriously I think I have expereienced this somewhat
while playing guitar in a band, but only a few times so far.
But I think it is really against the nature of zen to try and divorce one
specific area and call it that. Zen is all the time really.
It's just my interpretation though...
Jim
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 07:18:39 -0700
From: Krystal Locke
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Do I recall an O-Sensei quote that zen and aikido were not associated
because zen pursued "mu" - the void, and aikido pursued "yu" - the fullness
of life? Of course, opposites are just as related as analogs...
Krystal
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 12:06:24 -0700
From: David Monahan-Lesseps
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Hello Tara
Here is my instructor's take on Aikido and Zen.
http://www.pacific-aikido.org/approach.html
As you can see, he doesn't think the two must go together, but that they can
go together. He ties the two together under the larger concept of shugyo.
Good luck with your research.
David M-L
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Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 15:37:27 -0400
From: Aikido Penguin
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
also found this book
http://www.aikidojournal.com/catalog/productdetails.asp?id=ZEN
Based on the description it's not clear, though, whether it's a book
covering the relationship between the two or merely two texts bound
together. Looks more like the latter to me but again, I haven't read it.
"This unusual book explores the impact of Zen Buddhism on the martial
culture of Japan. Tokyo University Professor Kamata offers a lucid essay of
the concepts and practices of Zen while Shimizu, one of the last students of
the Founder, contributes a technical explanation of O-Sensei's art through
photographs and anecdotes."
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 16:18:53 -0600
From: Jun Akiyama
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Here's Chiba sensei's thoughts about the two subjects:
http://aikidoonline.com/archive/feat_1000_tkc.html
Jun
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Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 19:40:17 -0400
From: Rebecca Nisley
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Dear Tara:
Actually, from what I remember being told by various older sensei, Aikido is
much more related to Shinto and perhaps Shingon Buddhism than Zen. At least
in the earlier Japanese origins. O-Sensei certainly was not particularly
into Zen. Many modern practioners particularly here in the USA want to or
try to relate aikido and zen together. So be careful and do your research
before you sign up for this topic!
Rebecca "who will go and check out a few books on this to double check"
Nisley
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 20:27:09 -0500
From: Peter Claussen
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
>also found this book
>http://www.aikidojournal.com/catalog/productdetails.asp?id=ZEN
>
>Based on the description it's not clear, though, whether it's a book
>covering the relationship between the two or merely two texts bound
>together. Looks more like the latter to me but again, I haven't read it.
I would strongly suspect the latter. In his preface to "Aikido
The Heavenly Road", Shimizu says:
"Within Ueshiba's Aikido lies the spirit of Shintoism as delivered
from Ueshiba's faithful mind."
Peter Claussen--
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 19:58:12 -0700
From: Greg Jennings
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
The Founder was all about Omoto Kyo.
The effect of Zen Buddhism on Japanese is, according
to what I've read lately, extremely exagerated in
conventional Western thought.
Best,
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 23:41:52 -0400
From: Craig
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
On Sun, 14 Apr 2002 19:58:12 -0700, Greg Jennings wrote:
>The Founder was all about Omoto Kyo.
>
>The effect of Zen Buddhism on Japanese is, according
>to what I've read lately, extremely exagerated in
>conventional Western thought.
perhaps,
but there seems to be a great deal of Zen Buddhism flowing in
American Aikido history that comes partly from Japanese teachers that
moved here.
I've encountered some fairly senior Aikikai teachers that are also
Zen priests. I have been told that the second floor of the new Chicago
HQ of AAA has a Zen Hall on top of the Aikido traning hall.
****************
and Dave Lowry talks about the Ichikukai
(http://home.earthlink.net/~antoneg/misogi.html)
"At its foundation, misogi is a part of Shinto, the native religion of
Japan. Just as Christians came to use water in ceremony of baptism, Shinto
worshippers incorporated water in similar rites of purification. Priests
bathed at consecrated beaches before certain ceremonies, a custom that
continues today. Groups of Japanese immerse themselves in frigid rivers
during the New Year festivals, and ascetics meditate under mountain
waterfalls. All are part of the Shinto ritual of misogi. In current usage,
however, misogi has come to be a term used in describing a wide range of
purification rituals undertaken to strengthen or cleanse the spirit, to
instill fortitude in the soul.
The budoka's misogi, today practiced primarily by advanced students of
Aikido, is a version blending ancient Shinto rite with the discipline of
Zen. The budoka's misogi owes its form to Yamacka Tesshu (1837-88), founder
of the itto shoden muto ryu of swordsmanship. Tesshu took a deeply spiritual
approach to the martial arts. Along with severe training in swordsmanship,
he practiced Zazen, seated Zen meditation.
On July 19, 1888, Tesshu wrote a final poem in his superb calligraphy, and
died. His senior student was Ogura Isaburo, better known by his pen name,
Ogura Tetsuji. Like his master, Tetsuji maintained an intense interest in
Zen. In 1908, he moved to Kamakura to devote himself entirely to Zen
practice at the Kencho temple. Before leaving Tokyo, however, he founded the
Ichikukai, a dojo for Zen and meditation, in the Kurume-machi section of the
city. (Ichikukai means literally "19th Day Society," in commemoration of
Tesshu's death.
Eighty years later, as one approaches the Ichidukai dojo, the raucous clank
of bells and stentorian chants drift out from the windows; windows kept open
regardless of the weather -- the sounds of the misogi.
Modern misogi adherents are usually Zen devotees. Shinto clergymen, or
budoka. They are conducted through a three-day session beginning at dawn and
lasting until darkness. Dressed in hakama and uwagi jackets, participants
are led into a small dojo and given bells, suzu, that resemble heavy, copper
colored tin cans with a wooden handle at one end. Inside the suzu are two
marble-sized iron balls; when gripped with the bell protruding from the
bottom of the fist and swung sharply up and down, the bell gives out a
bright, brassy peal..."
*************
Koichi Tohei Sensei is supposed to have done over 60 of these 3 day sessions
at the Ichikukai. I recall reading something about many of the now senior
most teachers also did some training at the Ichikukai in 1950's and 1960's.
Craig
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 07:22:24 +0200
From: Tara Star
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Hi Rebecca,
This is exactly the whole reason why I chose this topic! One of the
things that interest me is the specificity of martial arts practiced in
the west, and particularly what is given to be "traditional" martial arts.
From the point of view of the religious studies scholar, the question
is not so much "right and wrong", but more the transformations and
mechanisms at hand when a practice such as martial arts travels from one
culture to another.
Best regards,
Stephanie aka Tara
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 10:32:11 +0300
From: Tuomas Martikainen
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Dear Tara Star,
My name is Tuomas Martikainen. I am an aikidoka as well as a religious
studies post-graduate student in Finland. I have doing Aikikai aikido
for some 7 years and my rank is 1st dan. In my studies, I am just about
to finish my PhD on immigrant religions in Finland.
You may see my home page for more details:
http://www.abo.fi/~tmartika/english/english.html
I have had an research interest in Asian martial arts for many years and
read quite extensively on the topic. Later I will propably write on
topic, when I have finished my PhD. I am mostly interested in which ways
the practise of Asian martial arts has furthered an interest in Asian
spirituality in the West. The topic I would like to study is western
aikido practitioners' study trips to Japan and see them as kind of
postmodern pilgrimage.
There are indeed many people who have approached the topic od martial
arts and religion from the same viewpoint as you, that is the
relationship between some Japanese arts and Zen Buddhism. However, in
many of those studies I have felt that the authors have been too
preoccupied to find evidence for their implicit expectations.
If you are familiar with contemporary theory in sociology of religion,
you may find other approaches how to study *spirituality* among students
of aikido and judo. For example, David Lyon's "Jesus in Disneyland:
Religion in Postmodern Times" (2000, Cambridge: Polity).
The difference in the religious studies view one between a 'classical
world religions' vs. 'New age type religion' approach. The first
presupposes and looks for traditional religious forms and quite easily
makes jumpy conclusions about the religious nature of ma practise. The
latter would open the view for a more elaborate and contemporary view,
which would see the field as much less definite and heterogenous.
Well, these some quick reflections.
Is your background in religious studies?
Yours,
Tuomas Martikainen
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 18:29:58 +0930
From: David
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
What an interesting study Tara. I'd like to see the results when you are
done!
My main intuition is that you may find that the practice of zen, and
aikido
have some common aspects, even if you do find little formal recorded
information about the *influence* of zen on aikido's formation. Thus you
may find correlation of the concepts or practice even if not evidence of
causation (there has to be a better word for that). i.e. be careful not
to confuse correlation with causation.
At a recent aikido camp in Canberra (Australia) Endo shihan mentioned
that
when the zen master Suzuki saw aikido he said it was zen in motion. I
can
chase up a reference if you don't already have it.
There are also as many ways of practicing aikido as there are aikidoka.
We
often ask students to demonstrate "their" aikido. Some practice in a
physical way, others with more concern on developing an open mind and
just
moving - becoming the movement.
Using judo and aikido as opposite ends of the spectrum is also
interesting
- both ju-arts (blending) but one a competaative art and the other one
where
the intention is to harmonise with the partner, where competition
doesn't
make sense. I have done both arts (judo for years as a teenager, and
aikido for 15 as an adult) and know that both work better when you have
integrated the techniques, and then in application let go and trust your
body to do the right thing. In combat and competition, things happen too
fast to think things through. If you think, you are gone ( I have also
done
7 years of Wing Chun Kung Fu, also a ju- style of kung fu).
My best aikido experience (to date) happened during a grading at the
end
of an exhausting 3 days of a training camp.The grading panel announced
each
technique - uke started with the appropriate atemi, and my mind was
empty.
I hadn't the energy to think. My mind was quiet and movement occurred. I
knew (not thought) that I should have been afraid that I wouldn't
remember the
correct technique, but I felt confident and still, and knew that I
would
either do the right thing or not, and it didn't matter.
This is my closest to my understanding of a good experience of zen.
Good luck, and feel free to follow up - we need more depth in our
practice!
David.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 18:37:14 +0900
From: Peter Rehse
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Did you read the posted Master's dissertation of Peter Boylan - very
similar topic but of course there is lots of room for more. I think it
can be found at EJMA or Aikiweb.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 07:18:12 -0700
From: Jim Baker
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
I didn't see it on your list, but you might try and get a copy of "Zen
and Aikido" by Shigeo Kamata and Kenji Shimizu.
<http://www.aikidojournal.com/catalog/productdetails.asp?id=ZEN>
Also, read "Zen at War" by Brian A. Victoria for a an interesting take on
how the various Zen Monastaries acted in support of the Japanese war
effort during WW II.
JIM, the wolves set up their reading lamp beneath my window in Norfolk
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 09:18:53 -0600
From: Jun Akiyama
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Larry Novick wrote:
> If you're interested, I wrote a short piece on Zen and Aikido that
> was published by Aiki-Extensions. It's on their web site, Jun would
> know where. It's the middle piece of three in the "publication."
Probably here, huh?
http://www.aiki-extensions.org/newsletters/
Jun
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 09:20:41 -0600
From: Jun Akiyama
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
Peter Rehse wrote:
> Did you read the posted Master's dissertation of Peter Boylan - very
> similar topic but of course there is lots of room for more. I think it
> can be found at EJMA or Aikiweb.
It's here:
http://www.aikiweb.com/spiritual/boylan2.html
Jun
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 23:48:55 -0400
From: Junko Gillespie
Subject: zen and aikido
That's quite an impressive bibliography you've compiled on
your attached link. I don't par-lay-voo Fran-cay so I couldn't decipher all of
them. A few books that would greatly enhance your project, not to mention your
personal budo library are:
"Zen and Japanese Culture" by DT Suzuki. Recently
criticized by some high flyin western budoka, but I can't see why. It's a
monumental work by a renown zen scholar and you should make up your own
mind.
"Zen and The Ways" by Trevor Leggett. We lost him last
year, one of the highest ranking non-Japanese judoka, a scholar and gentleman
rarely equalled.
"Zen and the Martial Arts" by Kishomaru (sp?). A book by
the same name by Joe Hyams is merely an unabashed hero worship of Bruce Lee,
which as deserved as it may be, does nothing to illuminate its title.
Kishomaru's the real deal. A great little
book!
"Zen Art for Meditation" by Holmes and Horioka. I little
gem. 15 zen tenets illustrated by 31 masterpieces of classic Chinese and
Japanese sumi-e brushwork (including Musashi's "Shrike"). Though the authorsdidn't intend it, this one plugs DIRECTLY into aikido.
While these books are not specific to your topic of zen
and aikido, their lasting depth and value will be readily apparent to you.
O'Sensei's adherence to omoto kyo may have ruled out zen's application to aikido
in his eyes, but the art has evolved and branched so dramatically in the ensuing
30+ years that the topic certainly bears study, such as yours. He was a bona
fide mystic, which makes most of his poetry and lectures abstruse and
impenetrable to the uninitiated. Consequently he suffered the myopia and
inflexibility inherent in any fundamentalism. His legacy is not his religion;
it's aikido.
Good luck in your project. I would love to read your
finished paper.
Gil Gillespie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 01:54:59 -0700
From: Peter Boylan
Subject: Re: zen and aikido
--- Tara Star wrote:
> David wrote:> > At a recent aikido camp in Canberra (Australia)
> Endo shihan mentioned
> > that
> > when the zen master Suzuki saw aikido he said it
> was zen in motion. I
> > can
> > chase up a reference if you don't already have it.
Which Zen Master Suzuki? Suzuki is the most common
name in Japan.
> Please! (I'm going to have to dive into Suzuki
> seriously - one can't
> really speak of Zen in the West without doing it...)
The problem with this, if you're speaking of Daisetsu
Suzuki of "Zen and Japanese Culture" fame, is that he
didn't know very much about Zen, and knew nothing
about Japanese budo. Go read the article on
Marishiten in "Koryu Bujutsu" by Diane Skoss for a
start on the real relationship between budo and
Buddhism. I'm currently away from all of my reference
material, but this is a good start. Also contact
William Bodiford at UCLA. His academic specialty is
Japanese Zen, and he is Menkyo Kaiden/Shihan in
Kashima Shinryu, arguable the oldest martial art in
Japan with Katori Shinto Ryu.
Peter Boylan
------------------------------
Last updated on 13 Sep 2002