Reports

Arrival

As every year, the train from Brussels with Doshu Yoshigasaki arrived in Stuttgart late. An express train to Tübingen was waiting to depart right on the next track, so the Doshu joked that he could just continue on that train; we didn't even need to pick him up.
After a stop for lunch at Bernhard's in Tübingen, where Yvette prepared a delicious meal, we headed to the Witthauhalle in Haigerloch in the late afternoon. There, the hard-working aikidoka from Haigerloch and Balingen had already laid the huge tatami area.
Everything was well prepared, and Sensei was able to begin the first lesson. The main topic of the seminar were once again the lines, which serve as a theoretical introduction to help with the correct implementation of Aikido techniques. Detailed exercises were already practised on Friday evening.

Points and lines

Most people are influenced by the concepts of points and point coordinates from their school math lessons. This easily leads to the theories based on these points from physics, or more specifically from mechanics, being unreflectively adopted into Aikido. The catch is that points are an abstraction that doesn't exist in real life. In life, there are more lines.
In physics, points are closely linked to the concept of forces and counterforces acting at these points. This is a good theory for building machines, but in Aikido it leads to poor movements and ultimately to inhumane behavior.
Explaining Aikido with common scientific theories became fashionable in the 1950s and 1960s, when the first Japanese Aikido teachers came to the USA and Europe. They attempted to bring the principles of Aikido closer to Western students.

Science

Nowadays, everything that is scientifically proven is considered true. Unfortunately, the usual strict scientific logic only works in closed systems or scenarios that are narrowly defined prior to research. Afterwards, the results are often simply extrapolated to other areas, which is actually completely unscientific.
To understand life, however, we need theories other than physical mechanics or point geometry. These are only suitable for material objects and machines.
Here, the expert can clearly see how line theory manifests itself in the techniques. Interestingly, this doesn't remain a theoretical discourse, but can be easily understood using Aikido techniques. The imagination of what one is doing has a significant impact on the way it is performed.
Sensei Yoshigasaki was able to convey this convincingly in all his examples. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to break free from rigid ideas and open one's horizons. But that's what the seminar was designed for, and that's why we continue to practise.

Two Traditions

Another misunderstanding regarding martial arts stems from the fact that there are two currents in Japan that seek to preserve the Budo tradition. One is the military one, which continues the tradition of the samurai soldiers from the battlefield. The other is that of the masterless samurai (ronin), who had to find their unemployed. During the long period of peace during the Tokugawa period (1645–1851), they developed their own special way of resolving conflicts peacefully: including peaceful action with the sword. Aikido originates from this tradition.
The first teachers who introduced Aikido to the West had served in the Japanese army during World War II and were trained there in the military version. As a result, they later tended to teach more jagged gymnastics, brutal techniques, or demonstrations "in step." Only much later did people return to the traditional contents of the Budo of the Ronin; more precisely, Yoshigasaki Sensei propagates these and also describes it in his new book "ALL of AIKIDO".

Jo 1 and Bokken

On Saturday evening, most of us went as usual to the pizzeria in Haigerloch.
The lesson for all participants on Saturday morning continued with the program for 2nd Kyu, including all the aspects described above.
In the lesson for Aikido teachers and advanced students, Yoshigasaki Sensei studied Tsuzukiwaza No. 25. This is an interplay between one partner with a jo (wooden stick, 127 cm) and a second with a bokken (wooden sword, 102 cm). There are mutual threats and control options, and numerous counterattack opportunities.
This fixed sequence of techniques, originally 22, now expanded to include many variations, was originally compiled by Tohei Sensei. As with almost all Aikido techniques, the variations are challenging and offer a broad scope for studying the intricacies of Aikido and developing further.

Saturday

At lunch, there was a delicious meal (risotto, among other things) prepared by our two Italian friends, Fabio and Massimo. They had brought all the ingredients and even the huge cooking pots from Italy by car and had to cook for hours on Saturday morning until everything was ready. Many thanks for their hard work and the delicious food. Their teacher, Bruno Maule, who initiated this event, only arrived by plane late Friday evening.
After the lunch break, the topic continued, first in a lesson for all Aikidoka and later in a lesson just for Dan holders and instructors.
Afterward, our friends from France (Belfort, Ronchamp, Beaufort) drove home, and most of the others went to the restaurant Krone in Haigerloch for dinner.
In the hall, there was a projector and a screen on which the Champions League final could be watched after dinner. Bayern Munich played against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Chelsea won on penalties. Joy and disappointment were mixed. On the one hand there were the Munich fans, and on the other hand our Aikido friend from England, Ryan, who practises in the Dojo Hechingen.

Sunday

On Sunday morning, the teachers and Dan began their training and were finally able to complete the demanding extended version of Tsuzukiwaza 25.
In the following class, Yoshigasaki Sensei reviewed the topics of the previous two days so that all aikidoka could consolidate their experiences.
Overall, it was another very educational weekend with many participants from Haigerloch, Hechingen, and Balingen, the three dojos that regularly host this seminar as part of the Aikido Solidarity Fund.
Other participants, as already mentioned, came from France, Switzerland, Stuttgart, and Heidelberg. The seminar concluded with a light snack at the Haigerloch pizzeria. Then Bernhard took Yoshigasaki Sensei back to the train to Stuttgart.
We look forward to the Haigerloch seminar with Yoshigasaki Sensei next year !

Text: Bernhard Boll
Photos: Ronny Engelke, Jean-Paul Lett