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IS AIKIDO A MARTIAL ART?
Sensei Henry Ellis
Sensei Henry Ellis - 2001 This article originally
appeared in 3 parts on the Cyberkwoon website. It is here published
in its entirety.
PART 1
 At
first sight of the above title I am sure that a lot of Aikidoist's
will be angry, they will assume that this is yet another attack
on the credibility of Aikido by other martial artist's. On this
occasion they are totally wrong, I have been a student of Aikido
since 1956, In those early days I first started Judo in 1955 at
the Kenshiro Abbe School of Budo, I studied Karate with Harada
Sensei and Kendo with Tomio O'Tani Sensei, so with my background
I feel that I have something to offer to this debate.
First Impressions
The Aikido that I first saw being demonstrated by Abbe Sensei
in 1956 was without doubt a positive martial art. I was immediately
impressed by its positive techniques and power, and in those days
my fellow martial artists and I were in no doubt that we were witnessing
a devastating new form of self-defence as demonstrated by Kenshiro
Abbe Sensei. Abbe Sensei had begun his martial arts career at the
age of five and became a legend in his own lifetime. At eighteen
he was the youngest ever all Japan Judo champion and also the youngest
ever 5th Dan at the world renowned Kodokan. He later became the
oldest ever all Japan Judo champion at the age of thirty three.
When Abbe Sensei arrived in the UK in 1955 he was 8th Dan Judo,
6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kendo, 6th Dan Kyudo, 6th Dan Aikido, the
question must be asked; would this Budo master have studied Aikido
if he did not believe it to be a martial art? It is my opinion
that Abbe Sensei would not have studied Aikido as it is today.
Please Break My Finger
As a direct student of Abbe Sensei I asked one day whilst we were traveling
to a seminar "Sensei, how did you first become a student of O'Sensei
and Aikido"? He smiled as he reminisced for a few moments; then told
me the following story: He said that he was a young man at the time and the
Judo champion of all Japan and traveling on a crowded train across Japan
to yet another Judo competion. Sitting opposite him in the same carriage
was an old man who was trying to make some conversation with him, Abbe had
his eyes closed as he tried to sleep. The old man said to him " I know
who you are" Abbe Sensei replied rather modestly " everyone knows
who I am, I am Kenshiro Abbe champion of all Japan" he politely asked
the old man who he was, the old man replied "I am Morihei Ueshiba founder
of Aikido" Abbe Sensei nodded politely and suggested that they now try
to get some sleep, the old man suddenly stuck his hand forward and offered
the smallest digit to this powerfully built young man, Abbe was stunned as
the old man said " please break my finger" Abbe thought I will
break his neck if he doesn't go to sleep, he was now becoming irritated by
this old man, he immediately grasped the old mans finger in an attempt to
shut him up, he freely admitted that in his frustration it was his intention
to break the offending digit. To his total amazement he was suddenly slammed
onto the carriage floor. As he lay prostrate and unable to move he knew he
had to study with this master. He asked O'Sensei if he could study with him,
O'Sensei agreed and Abbe stayed with O'Sensei for ten years. O'Sensei had
spent many years studying various martial arts, I believe that the art of
Daito-ryu and Ju-jitsu had more influence on the development of Aikido than
anything else he had studied, and we know he went to Mongolia to fight and
this would be the perfect opportunity to test his many skills in a real situation,
so we can be in no doubt that this incredible man was a true warrior and
modern Samurai.
A Knife For My Enemy
It was this early positive style of Aikido that Abbe Sensei
brought to the UK
in 1955, at this time there was also the first Japanese master
to Europe, this was Tadashi Abe Sensei 6th Dan who was based in
France, he was a small man even by Japanese standards, but to my
mind he was the hardest man I have ever met. He was very similar
to Kazuo Chiba Sensei who I met with in London's West End last
week, When he traveled he always carried a knife with him, this
was not for his own protection but to hand to his shocked opponent,
he would say "please, this is for you". He said that
an opponent with his bare fists was no challenge, but a man with
a knife was "very interesting". I think we can safely
assume that as these teachers were so hard and positive then this
must have been the style of Aikido that was being taught at the
Hombu dojo in Japan, this was the Aikido of O'Sensei as a young
man, the Aikido being taught today is that of O'Sensei as an old
man, there is no doubt that as people get older they lose the spirit
of their youth and become more philosophical in their approach
to life. My father who was once regarded as the toughest man in
town later in life found his peace taking his dog for long walks.
I believe that we now have two aikido's, traditional aikido which
if truly traditional (this word is much abused) is the martial
side of Aikido, the soft fantasy and dancing style of Aikido should
simply be categorized as an "Art". Those who are true
traditional Aikidoists will take no offence at this article, yet
the dancers will probably be offended and I care little for their
feelings as I honestly believe that this soft Aikido has no more
right to call itself a martial art than has synchronized swimming
has a right to be in the Olympics.
PART 2 In my previous article, I attempted
to establish the hard style of Aikido that was first introduced
to the West in the 1950's. I would like to emphasize the fact that
I get no satisfaction from publicly criticizing Aikido and I get
a great deal less satisfaction when I see Aikido being brought
into ridicule.
To Continue From Part One . . .
Hard training The training in and exercises in those early days were very hard
and physical, with karate style kicking and punching a very integral part
of our warm up, followed by 200 press ups on the backs of the wrists, with
fingers pointing both inwards and outwards, very often while you were in
the raised position Abbe Sensei would instruct another student to sit on
your back, as we were the only group of five Dan grades in the UK and all
in the same dojo then this was the training in all the Aikido dojos in the
UK and today we are the only organization in Aikido still doing these press
ups. The purists say "these press ups are bad for you" what they
really mean is they can't do them, this is all part of the watering down
of traditional Aikido.
Choreography
Aikidoists are often accused of practicing " Choreographed Aikido" and
to be honest I must admit that these claims are very often justified, with
Uke (attacker) preparing to break fall long before he makes his attack, and
most of them attack off balance , therefore making any multiples of techniques
possible with the minimum of effort and of course this makes Tori (defender)
look "fantastic". What is really sad is that these people believe
that this is good Aikido. Kenshiro Abbe Sensei would always say to us that "two" students
are training at the same time, one is Uke who is learning and improving his
attacking techniques and his opponent Tori is also learning and improving his
defensive techniques, whilst we were training with Abbe Sensei if Uke's foot
or heel came off the mat as he attacked Abbe Sensei would give the offending
leg a good whack with a shinai (bamboo sword) he would then say " My English
is very bad but my shinai speaks fluently!". If Uke attacks on balance
then it is obvious that Tori's technique must be good and strong to throw him,
and as Abbe Sensei said so many times " two students are training" .
Mark Eastman a strong young Dan grade with me went on a seminar recently where
there was a 6th Dan. The 6th Dan refused to use him as Uke stating " I
can not use you as you do not harmonize with me", he was not being awkward
or difficult just attacking on balance.
Diluted Training
Today all of these traditional exercises and training methods have now changed
to a simple warm up routine with jumping up and down on the spot and lots
of deep spiritual discussion. Hard exercise is now considered to be aggressive
and not in harmony with the true spirit of Aikido. Abbe Sensei said that
hard training developed the spirit, he also referred to Ki during those early
days as he demonstrated the power of his technique, when asked to explain
the meaning of Ki, he said not to worry about Ki as that would be a part
of our training and development. He then said "Only when you reach first
Dan will you be able to understand the true concept of Ki as a further extension
of your Aikido." I still believe that line of thought, and the instructors
in our dojo's very rarely speak of Ki although it is taught as a important
and integral part of our training and study.
Ki Aikido
Although Ki is generally recognized as the spirit and breathing during the
application of technique, every teacher and student will offer a very wide
and varied and sometimes bizarre interpretation of the meaning of this much
abused word. The main problems arise and are created by the teachers themselves,
who very often mislead their students to the extent that they almost believe
that Ki is a form of magic. The following is one prime example from a very
prominent Aikido magazines letters section. Title: The Spirit of Protection
I am a carpenter and 2nd kyu in Aikido. I was working in a large new home
doing repair work, I had finished my job and was heading for a long staircase
when I noticed the owners two year old son was heading for the same stairs
from the opposite direction. As he approached the top of the stair he was
watching me and not where he was going. I was too far away to grab him, so
I shot to him (irimi) and stuck my arm straight out to him, my "Ki" went
through the little boys' face and out the back of his head, he fell backwards
and started crying. His mother heard the crying and came up the stairs, when
I told her what had happened, she thanked me, I said "Don't thank me,
Thank Aikido". That poor child may well now be as disturbed as the writer.
Harry Potter Ryu
There are many such misguided examples which I will refer to in future articles,
it is this kind of nonsense that brings Aikidos credibility into doubt I
am fully aware that every martial art has its own version of " Harry
Potter" in their ranks, what I fail to understand is that there are
more of them in Aikido than all the other martial arts combined. The reason
that I am so critical and vociferous about Aikido is that every day I see
these people watering down this great martial art that I have spent most
of my life studying, teaching and promoting for the past 46 years. I am often
asked "Sensei, which do you think is the best and worst martial art".
I always make the same reply " All the martial arts are good, if there
is a problem with any martial art, then it can only be the people who represent
that particular art who misrepresent their art
PART 3
The Converted
In articles parts one and two I have covered the introduction of Aikido to
the West, and the impact on other Martial Artists, Aikido progressed and developed
in the UK by visiting existing dojos of all the various Martial Arts and offering
to demonstrate and teach for free in the hope of starting a small class in
the more receptive dojos, as one can imagine this was no easy task as more
often than not our efforts were not an open invitation to most dojos. In the
end the positive style of the early Aikido won through, and this is a very
important point to make in the early development of Western Aikido was that
most of the new students of Aikido were from other Martial Arts. I do not believe
that we could have converted other Martial Artists to Aikido had it not been
so strong and effective.
Kenshiro Abbe Sensei
8th Dan Judo, 6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kendo, 6th Dan Aikido.
Bad Breath!
I have referred to the many changes in Aikido over the past 46 years from its
history to training and choreography and Ki Aikido and also the many Harry
Potters of the Aikido world, as a direct result of these articles I was contacted
by a Aikido student in the UK to tell me that she had now stopped training
in Aikido because her teacher stated that he was now going to teach the students "To
breath through their toes".
Lets Dance
The most important of all the changes that have taken place in the past 46
years have to be the changes in technique and its application, the early
style of Aikido was very compact and powerful. From the day of its introduction
to the UK, Aikido was always taught as a circular moving Martial Art with
Tori at the centre of all movement. As Uke (the attacker) made his attack,
Tori would turn within his own circle making it possible to carry out the
technique in a very small area of maybe four square feet. Today the fantasy
aikidoist need a football pitch. I have seen some so called "masters" twirling
Uke around on the end of one finger and pirouetting several times before
being thrown the full length of the mat.
Harmonising
Kenshiro Abbe Sensei always taught that Uke would only "go" if the
technique was effective. I often hear and have seen some of these people who
say they can throw an opponent without touching them and sometimes by breathing
and projecting their "Ki". You cannot do that if someone is attacking
on balance, I have never seen anyone do that to a student of mine. Of course
if you do attack on balance you will then be accused of "Not harmonizing".
Aikido For Real
I have read various accounts of the first Americans to practice Aikido in the
early 60's. There were Americans practicing Aikido in the UK in the late
1950's at "The Hut" The Abbe School of Budo. The Americans were
members of the USAF stationed in the UK. they were always questioning " How
would that work in the street?" and we would often finish up in the
car park of The Hut after class and engage in some real Aikido. Afterwards
everyone would be in good spirits and have a few beers. Sunday mornings were
always the best practice sessions with the dojo doors being locked to all
but the Dan grades. It was then that the Dan grades would fight each other
for real. This was the only way to truly evaluate your technique. On one
occasion I was fighting with Sensei Ken Williams (The British National Coach)
he hit me hard and I went down clutching my chest and moaning loudly in agony.
It was known that I didn't go down and I never made a fuss, so now everyone
was concerned for me and as Sensei Williams leaned over me asking "Harry,
are you OK" I lashed out with my fist at his head, just making a glancing
contact, he then stepped back and kicked me in the head putting an end to
my cunning. The smallest of all the Dan grades was Eric Dollimore, he was
only about 5ft-6in in height and around 130 lbs. I always felt that Eric
was avoiding me on these Sunday morning sessions, as he was about to leave
the mat I said to him "Eric, would you like to try against me" he
just turned and said "Sorry Harry, I have to be at my girlfriends home
for lunch". As he left the mat I smiled to myself and thought "That's
what I expected" the smugness did not last long as I heard a voice behind
me say "OK then Harry, can we make it quick as I must get away".
It was Eric; for a moment I was surprised then I thought to myself if you
want it quick I will accommodate you. I moved in to take him out with the
one punch and the next thing I knew I had gone through the dojo office partition
wall and I was still lying stunned the office floor when I heard Eric's voice
call out "See you Monday Harry, gotta go". That was a very important
lesson to me, I have never underestimated anyone since the little guy taught
me a lesson.
The Grading Lottery
If in the 1950's and 60's you saw a 5th or 6th Dan you would be in awe of him.
I now see so many multi grades and to be honest they would not be graded
first Dan in the old days. They make these claims knowing that if they are
ever challenged and prove their mettle they know they can claim that this
is against the principals of Aikido. Another favourite of these people is
to juggle around with their grades and come up with multiples of matching
grades, for a prime example of this abuse check out the article "British
Aikido - The Controversy" on the web-site http://www.geocities.com/BritishAikido
Mitsusuke Harada Sensei "5th Dan" Harada Sensei was my Karate teacher
in the 1960's, he was then and still is a 5th Dan at the Shotokan dojo in
Tokyo. he was graded by the founder of modern day Karate Gichin Funakoshi
Sensei. He taught Karate to the USAF at the Kodokan dojo after the second
world war. He was graded 5th Dan by Funakoshi Sensei in 1957 and is still
5th Dan after 45 years, stating that "Any grade above 5th Dan is totally
pointless". This is exactly the feeling of Sensei Derek Eastman and
myself, although we are two of the only remaining four of the original group
left of Kenshiro Abbe Sensei's group from the 1950's, we both agreed that
there were too many "Harry Potter" grades around, we then decided
that like Harada Sensei we would make 5th Dan the highest level in our organization.
   
Serious Study
I will take a break now that these articles are complete and do some serious "Toe
breathing". This will be my last article for CyberKwoon for a while, I
would like to thank Master Fabien Sena for allowing me to air my views on a
subject most would try to avoid. I do not know what direction the Martial Arts
will take when all the "Old Timers " are gone. As one of the comments
(to the Cyberkwoon site forum) said "We can still make a difference".
To the one who asked after my father, he was not a martial artist, just a hard
man who started working at the age of 13 years two miles underground in the
South Yorkshire coal mines. Sensei Henry Ellis. http://www.EllisAikido.org
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