| Trip to Japan part 3: Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu |
 This article is the third part of our series on the Dublin Aikikai Aikido trip to Japan that took place in May 2008. After the arrival to Tokyo, the first class in the Hombu Dojo and the first strolls around Tokyo, I am about to do a very interesting encounter and to experience an art that is at the roots of Aikido. The more we spend time in Tokyo, the more we realize that the world of Aikido is indeed very small. The beauty of this is that it is during random encounters and acquaintances that we end up making the most crucial experiences for our personal development. Such an acquaintance happened once again on the tatami of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Today, I would like to take you for a journey through time, to the discovery of a discipline which is the ancestor of Aikido. Those of you a bit more erudite on the subject know of course that I am talking about the Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu.
It is the end of week one; I am training like a lunatic, trying to emulate the dedication of Philippe Gouttard now he has left Tokyo. While I am enjoying the 30 minutes break between the Doshu's and Yokota Sensei's class, I see approaching a tall, well built gentleman who looks kind of familiar. I must admit that this impression is quite common when you practice at the Aikikai because of the numerous famous individuals that roam the premises. Still, the man stepping on the mat that morning looks even more familiar than that... In fact, I will soon realize that the gentleman is in fact Olivier Gaurin, long time student at the Hombu Dojo, author of many books and true martial researcher with whom I had worked via email when he wrote a very interesting article for Aikidoka Magazine. After formally introducing myself to him and talking to him for a while, he proposes that we practice together the following day (traditionally, at the Aikikai, we practice with the same partner for the full hour of the class, even though things are changing a bit lately).
ˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍ To go further: The website othe Takumakai association The Finish branch of the Takumakai (the most active Daito-Ryu group outside of Japan). {flickr4jˍset id='72157607321400001'} |
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