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is strongly self-developmental andallows itself to develop harmoniouslywith the environment and varioushuman conditions. Idealistically andhopefully, we have to rely on the con-science and sincerity of the individualteacher. In other words, whoever isinvolved in teaching has to be compe-tent, with a strong foundation andresponsible in their teaching.Furthermore, I believe it is importantto have a historical sense of thisprofound art left to us by the genera-tions before us, supported by deepconviction and respect.There is a Japanese expression

‘mixture of diamonds and rocks’.Of course I see that in the Aikidoworld today. So what does it matter?A diamond as a precious stone carriesits own value and beauty. At the sametime, a rock also carries a value anduse. If Aikido is the path that trulyreveals the principles of nature, weshould be able to live with the contra-diction between order and freedom.

Travelingextensively,I have seenmany styles ofAikido in theworld. Someof them werebeyond myimagination to be called Aikido. I usedto worry about this, and think aboutwhat I should do about it. But gradual-ly I became less and less worried, andin fact I am no longer worried about itat all.First of all, there is nothing you can

do about it - you can’t be responsiblefor it. Secondly, I came to the realiza-tion that as long as the people practis-ing enjoyed it, and as long as Aikidoenriches their lives or is meaningful intheir lives, I should be pleased andhappy regardless of its physical form.Of course we should not be blind to

what’s going on in the Aikido worldtoday. We should strive hard to main-tain and preserve the quality as bestwe can. However, the nature of Aikido

CONTENTS

BIRANKAI EUROPE NEWSLETTERBIRANKAI EUROPE NEWSLETTER

MM UU SS UU BB IIMM UU SS UU BB IIIssue 7Issue 7 July 2013July 2013

continued on page 3

11 Birankai France officially recognised

12 Jo-Ha-Kyu13 Birankai Europe Youth

Seminar 2013

14 5th JAC course

4 Kan Zen In Dojo inZurich

6 Encounter with a warrior 8 Teacher student

relationship

1 Aikido should enrichlives

Chiba Sensei

Chiba Sensei believes Aikido regardlessof style should always enrich lives

10 Sesshin

16 Notice-board

Chiba Sensei, Polish Summer Camp, August 2006

2 Editorial

Please send submissionsfor January 2014 issue by1 December 2013 Ph

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�� BEBE MUSUBIMUSUBI July 2013 July 2013

BIRANKAI EUROPE

Technical DirectorShihan TK Chiba 8th Dan

European Birankai ShihankaiNorberto Chiesa 6th Dan, Birankai France

Gabriel Valibouze 6th Dan, BirankaiFrance

Dee Chen 6th Dan, British BirankaiTony Cassells 6th Dan, BritishBirankai

Chris Mooney 6th Dan, BritishBirankai

MIke Flynn 6th Dan, Scottish andBorders Birankai

Daniel Brunner 6th Dan, Birankai Switzerland

Patrick Barthélémy 6th Dan, Birankai France

Joe Curran 6th Dan, British Birankai

Member CountriesBirankai AustriaBirankai FranceBirankai GermanyHellenic Birankai Birankai IsraelBirankai PolandBirankai PortugalBirankai SwitzerlandBritish Birankai

BE Musubi is published twicea year in January and July.English edition available onwww.britishbirankai.com andthe French edition onwww.birankai.eu/shiun_fr.html

Individual article reflects the author’sown views. All submissions may beedited due to space constraints andshould be sent to the Editorr.

Editor: Dee [email protected]

Assistant Editor: Didier [email protected]

Sub Editor: Chris Howlin [email protected]

Design Consultant: Franco Chen

© Copyright 2013All rights reserved. Reproduction is prohibited without expresswritten permission.300713

Editorial

Last year at the BE summer school in July Chiba Sensei informedus that Birankai France under the leadership of Shihan PatrickBarthélémy, President and Anne Ducouret, Vice President wasgranted Aikikai Hombu full recognition in line with the other EuropeanBirankai organizations. In June this year Anne Ducouret organizeda course in Paris when the Hombu certificate was presented by ShihanDidier Boyet - see article on page 11. We are also pleased to announcethat Birankai Israel under Amnon Tzechovoy, Chairman, has alsoreceived Aikikai Hombu full recognition.

This year the Birankai Europe Teachers’ Course and Aikido SummerSchool will be held at University of Worcester, England. Chiba Senseihad agreed that for economic reason the Teachers’ course should becombined with summer school. The Teachers’ course 26-27 July is opento Birankai certified teachers and head of dojos only and this year therewill be no course fee charged for this extra day of classes for thoseattending the full week of Summer School.

Shihan Etsuji Horii 7th Dan from Aikido Kobe Sanda Dojo, Japan willbe our special instructor and he will be assisted by Birankai EuropeShihan and Shidoin. We will miss Chiba Sensei who is unable to be withus this year as he has taken an official leave of absence until May 2014while he sorts out his health issues. We all send him our best wishes fora speedy recovery.

Thanks to all the contributors who submitted articles and photos forthis issue. A reminder that Dojos should send in a list of Dan/Shidoin/Fukushidoin promotions and any new development in their organization/Dojo together with articles for the next issue due in January 2014. ☯

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This world is so interesting. It is sodynamic and beautiful in its as-it-is-ness, because there are things likediamonds and rocks coexisting withoutconflicting against one another, andeverything is in its place in its ownright. Needless to say, this should notbe our excuse to avoid responsibility.The law of nature, of cause and effect,is evident and inescapable, and there-fore what is to perish will perish in itsnatural course. ☯

Shihan TK Chiba 8th DanBirankai FounderSan Diego, California

Article originally published inSummer/Fall 1994 issue of Sansho -the Aikido Journal of the USAFWestern Region and precursor ofBiran.

July 2013July 2013 BE MUSUBI BE MUSUBI 3333

. . . Aikido enrich livescontinued from page 1

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Chiba Sensei, Austrian Summer Camp, Dornbirn, July 2008



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4444 BE MUSUBIBE MUSUBI July 2013 July 2013

Switzerlandhad twoBirankaiDojos, one inLausanne and onein Bern thoughthere was a smallgroup of Birankaimembers in Zurich without anyBirankai Dojo close by. These peopletrained in several Aikikai Dojos. Quitea few of them stopped training forsome time, maybe because theycouldn’t practise what they were com-mitted to. In 2005 Stephan Corstenwas allowed to teach once a week inthe Aiki-Kai Zurich Dojo. Finally thegroup had a platform to practise ChibaSensei’s Aikido. Since we had thespace only for one evening (Fridaytraining) everybody was depending onadditionally training in the Aiki-Kaistyle. We quickly realized it’s veryconfusing to train one day in this styleand then on another day in a differentone. We have to admit though, it doesopen the mind. But it is very difficult toembody the movements. In additionour agreement with the Aiki-Kaiforeclosed any recruiting or gradingof students. There was quite a gapto Sensei’s vision of the practiceof Aikido. In 2009 Chiba Sensei and Daniel

Brunner Sensei suggested finding ourown Dojo. In Zurich that’s not an easy

task. Real estate prices as well astheir rents are at the level of Londonor Manhattan. Of course we were alsothinking of a gymnastic hall or anyroom we could lay out our mats forthe training. But the longer we weresearching the clearer it became thatwe should find our own Dojo. We

wanted a real and permanent Dojo.The identification with a compact placewhere you train, sweat and bleed in isa strong bearer of the spirit of Budo.For three years Stephan has beenlooking for a place big enough fortraining and small enough to finance.In 2012 he was not able to join

The birth of Kan Zen In Dojo in ZurichStephan Corstenʼs dream comes true with help from the villagers

Stephan Corsten

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summer school in Worcester, UK.And as if it was destiny in exactly thesame week he found a room whichhad been used as a Dojo before.Everything was there - except for aceiling high enough… We took it! On22 September 2012, the exact daywhen Daniel Brunner Sensei wascelebrating 50 years of teaching,Aikido Birankai Zurich was founded.Finally we had a room and eightmembers. Philippe Baur, MatteoLaffranchi, Stefan Wegmann, ChristianSchwarzer, Rahel Buchter, AnastasiaStamatiou, Daniel Isele and StephanCorsten. Of course Daniel BrunnerSensei became our honorary member.So actually we were nine, two morethan Akira Kurosawa’s ‘SevenSamurai’. And as a matter of fact wewere many more, because we alsohad many villagers that helped usbuilding up our ‘castle’. A big thankyou goes to the Ryu Seki Kai (DanielBrunner Sensei’s Dojo) and to thepartners and friends of our members! We started regular training in

October the same year. At the sametime we cleaned, tore down, rebuild,painted and installed the new Dojo.We like to call it Misogi. We also setup all administration work and ourbrand new website, which we proudlypresent as www.aikido-birankai.ch.23 and 24 February 2013 was our

big moment: the first seminar - theinauguration seminar. Shihan DanielBrunner and Shihan Norberto Chiesahonoured this remarkable weekendwith their excellent teaching. BrunnerSensei named our Dojo Kan Zen In(place were excellence is advanced).We were presented a wonderfulCalligraphy by his friend PascalKrieger, Swordmaster and 10th Dan inShodo. This was a wonderful week-end. A weekend with lots of emotionsand a weekend a dream came true.

For us, members of the Kan Zen In,a new part of the journey has started.We want to meet the meaning of ournew name and we will fill our Dojowith the spirit of Birankai Aikido! Thisis already visible and people enteringthe Dojo realize right away - thisis a special place and everyone iswelcome!

Keep looking for your own Dojo! ☯

Stephan Corsten 4th DanAikido Birankai Zürich - Kan Zen In DojoLimmattalstrasse 354, 8049 Zü[email protected] May 2013


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Shihan Norberto Chiesa with Philippe Baur (uke)

Shihan Daniel Brunner with Stephan Corsten (uke)


Ihave, over thelast few years,had the in-estimable honourof meeting andknowing some ofthis country’smost renownedwarriors, most notably that mostdelightful gentleman Dick Annand ofthe Durham Light Infantry, who wasthe Army’s first Victoria Cross recipientof World War II; Harry Errington of theLondon Auxiliary Fire Service who wasawarded a George Cross for savingtwo of his comrades from an infernoraging in a collapsing building duringan ongoing air raid, and John Bridge,a Royal Navy mine disposal officer,who was one of only two men ever tobe awarded a George Cross and twoGeorge Medals. Knowing these greatand iconic heroes, being acquaintedwith the detail of their gallant stories,and indeed counting them as friends,has most certainly enriched my life,and given substance and directionto my endeavours. However, it hasto be said that the warrior who hasinfluenced me most deeply and inerad-icably, is a hero of a quite different ilk,my teacher in Aikido – the renownedKazuo Chiba Sensei. I first met Chiba Sensei in

September of 1969 when as a young,

skinny, long-haired Karate-ka, I visitedthe Sunderland Martial Arts Academyto watch a seminar taught by him.Although Sensei had been resident inthe UK for quite a short time, a littleunder three years, his reputation inthe north-east and, I am sure, otherparts of Great Britain, was legendary.He elicited the maximum degree ofrespect from Karate teachers at a timewhen even the most open-minded

practitioners were partisan to say thevery least. That first meeting was akey moment in my life, and I shouldlike to recount it for those readers whomay be interested. The venue was the old martial arts

academy which was situated in therather less than salubrious setting ofSunderland’s east-end, where a walkto the Dojo could easily result in a spotimprovised ‘kumite’. I had heard thatChiba Sensei was teaching there ona particular weekend in September1969, and so I decided to see what allthe fuss was about. As I pushed open-ing the heavy, paint peeled woodendoor, and entered the old dank build-ing which housed the Dojo, I couldhear, the now familiar swish of feetbrushing canvas, and the loud ‘report’of hand greeting mat in breakfall. Witheach step I took ascending the wide,cold, stone steps that led from thestreet to the Dojo, my curiosity intensi-fied, building to a crescendo of gutchurning expectation - it was almost asif I knew, instinctively, that somethingunique was about to take place.Knowing that Chiba Sensei held the

rank of 5th Dan I, as teenager, natural-ly assumed that he must be an elderlygentleman, possibly even as old as

A tumultuous encounter with a warrior which hasinspired Arthur Lockyear for over 40 years

Arthur Lockyear

Chiba Sensei with Pat Butler (uke), South Shields Judo Club circa 1967

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Chiba Sensei in white hakama with John Hamilton (uke on left) and Stuart Appleby (onright), at a martial arts festival, Newcastle upon Tyne City Hall circa 1968

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forty!! So as I stood in the doorwayof the Dojo, having raised my headfrom a respectful standing Rei (bow),I slowly cast my gaze over the expan-sive area of tatami (mat), which wasbrimming with people working at animpressive rate, and looked for my firstsight of this famous, and presumablygreying, avuncular, old warrior! A care-ful and thorough scan of the proceed-ings brought no result, as the onlynon-European to be seen was a youngJapanese man, who was seatedcomfortably, but almost paradoxicallypowerfully, in seiza (traditional kneel-ing/sitting position). Despite his verymartial mien, he looked a figurativeoasis of calm amid the tumult of theclass, clad in what to me looked likea velvet hakama (traditional split skirtworn by the Japanese warrior class)(it was wool actually, but that’s anotherstory), and a dark blue gi jacket.I thought: “Oh, it must be ChibaSensei’s assistant.” This misconception was soon

dispelled as I carefully observed himwalking about the Dojo with all thenatural command of a warrior king,and the stealth of a panther. As hemoved, his posture, although com-posed, seemed to allow no opening foran attack, and he seemed to me to befully aware of all that was happeningaround him, every nuance of thepractice. His Zanshin, his martialperceptivity and consciousness, wasalmost tangible. More particularly,the imposing and dignified martialpresence exuded by Sensei was sopotent, that it seemed to fill the room,and imbue his students with anintensely powerful sense of inspiration

and purpose – in my case it haslasted more than forty years.Looking back over four decadesI can see that the potentiality ofhis Budo (martial art) was likea deep-flowing river, tranquil andfluid on the surface, but withtremendous power hidden in itsdepths. If I was impressed by watching

him walk around the Dojo,then I was astounded by thedynamism of his technique. Thecadence of Sensei’s movement,although flowing and expansive,was also concise and focused.In opening each techniqueSensei presented an over-whelming, and awesome explo-sion of energy that, far fromdetracting from the poise andfortitude of his posture, gaveemphasis and definition to it.The devastating martial integrityof his Budo was clearly andunequivocally evidenced, as heentering through his partner’s attack,showing the potentiality of his strike.His demonstration was not, though,in any way fear-provoking, it was how-ever intensely stimulating - physically,intellectually, and spiritually. His Aikidoseemed to energise his uke (partner),and allowed that student to fulfil hispotential in that moment, on that knifeedge. Chiba Sensei’s control wasabsolute, and his good humourdecidedly reassuring. His quite singular approach to Aikido

was, I now see, the embodiment ofswordsmanship without a sword - witheach engagement between Senseiand his partner being almost Tameshi-

giri - a test-cutting - not of flesh orstraw, but of the human spirit.Had it been any other Aikido Sensei,

I may well have been impressed, butnot I think inspired, and certainly notmotivated to put aside my study ofKarate for Aikido. I was profoundly andindelibly impressed by Chiba Sensei,who seemed to me to have been bornfor the warrior arts. The outcome of this meeting was, for

me, much more than an overwhelmingadolescent desire to be able to defendmyself, or even the genesis of deter-mined and undiluted ambition, it wasa consensus ad idem - a meetingof minds. This was one of the greatseminal moments in my life, andI knew from that day, that this waswhat I wanted in terms of Budo. So itwas that I made my first unsteady footfall on the path I still tread - that ofChiba Sensei’s Aikido. I really cannotimagine how my life would havedeveloped without meeting this greatand charismatic warrior. WhetherChiba Sensei had any similar feelingsabout meeting me that day is, I regretto say, unrecorded!! ☯

Arthur Lockyear 5th DanFounder & Chief Instructor of theformer Shi Sei Kan Aikido Dojo,North East Aikikai, Durham CityBritish Birankai


Arthur Lockyear with Chiba Sensei at a Weapons course at Shinmei-kan, London Aikikaiin 1990

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Chiba Sensei and Arthur Lockyear (uke), 1971Summer School held at the Chiswick Dojo, London

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Ten years agoI made a lifechangingdecision. I met myteacher in DornbirnAustria and heoffered me thechance to becomehis student. For me, the saying: ‘Whenthe student is ready the teacher willappear’ was suddenly fulfilled. In 2003,Tony Cassells, one of the best martialartists I know, accepted me as hisstudent. This decision has changedquite a lot in my life. The journey wehave been walking together over thelast ten years has been beautiful,challenging, inspirational and mostimportant, has always been based oncare and respect for one other. Wehave always had a real teacherstudent relationship, which in myopinion, is one of the most importantthings in the Aikido we practise.Aikido has become a great journey

to me. Aikido has the ability to wake usup. Just think for a moment about howoften you are absent-minded? Howoften do you daydream about certainthings? How often are we asleep spiri-tually and mentally? Aikido is able toteach us how to open our inner eyes

to the alivenesssurrounding us.I believe that Aikidois a wonderful toolthat O-Sensei hasgiven to us.Aikido has

become a compan-ion in my daily lifeand is with me mostof the time. I amvery happy to bepart of ChibaSensei’s Aikidoschool calledBirankai. Also, I feelvery privileged andhonoured that he named my school in2008. He has given me a very specialname and I still dwell on that nameand very often ask myself why hehas given me such a name. However,I haven’t found the correct answer yet.I am doing the best I can to honour

the name given to my Dojo. O SenKan has become my heart and mysoul and I hope that one day, I will bea true guardian of Aikido like myteacher Tony Cassells. I believe that through hard and fully

committed work and through a truthfulteacher student relationship, we are

able to achievemany things wedidn’t believein before. I alsothink thatthrough thisprocess wehave a goodchance totransmit theart to the nextgeneration.However,Aikido will onlybe able tosurvive if weget committedstudents. Chiba Sensei

once told astory how hesees his rela-tionship withAikido. In that

interview he said that he had fallen inlove with a beautiful princess whom hecan’t reach or touch. She is far awaybehind a silk curtain and unreachablefor him but his love for her is pure andforever. So he decided to be theCaptain of her Royal Guard. He prom-ised to protect her and that’s what hedid for the last 50 years. In otherwords, Aikido for him doesn’t haveits own means to protect itself. It isfragile, noble, sensitive and precious. I think that the teachers have to

provide protection for this noble artand make sure that Aikido doesn’t getbastardized. Therefore every instructorof any Dojo has a big responsibilitytowards Aikido. The chief instructorshould be the centre of the Dojo. Heis the example everybody will follow. I am fully aware of it and for me,

my Dojo is like a beautiful circle. Inorder to create a circle you must havea strong centre. Just think of manyAikido techniques and how circularthey are in motion and how importantit is to have a strong centre whileexecuting them. O-Sensei called that‘true’ centre ‘SUMIKIRI’, which meanstotal clarity of mind and body. I thinkthis state is not easily achieved at allby anybody, but it is definitely worthtrying. We all know that O-Senseiachieved this through his daily hardpractice of the body, mind and soul. I have never done any other martial

arts other than Aikido. Therefore, mynext statement is probably question-able to many people but I still dare to

Jürgen SchwendingeTeacher student relationship is key to Aikido survival

Jürgen Schwendinger

Chiba Sensei with Jürgen Schwendinger (uke) Austrian SummerCamp, Dornbirn, July 2008

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Chiba Sensei, Austrian Summer Camp, Dornbirn, July 2008

say that Aikido, in my opinion, is prob-ably the most difficult martial art tolearn. We have no contests and there-fore we cannot measure ourselves,we cannot win medals and cannotparticipate in the Olympic Games. Thatis one of the reasons why Aikido isBudo, a martial art and not a sport. Forme Aikido is much more than winningagainst someone. I believe thatthrough Aikido we are able to connectbody, mind and soul. Aikido helps us to defeat and also

challenge our worst enemy. Myteacher always says: “You step on themat and therefore it has already beena victory!” The easiest way is not to doAikido, but then we might not be ableto learn how to defeat our worstenemy. Some of you will ask yourselfwho is this worst enemy? Ten yearsago we chose a Dojo slogan thatperfectly fits with this ‘worst’ enemy.On our Dojo pass, you will readMasakatsu Agatsu, which means‘true victory is self-victory’. Aikido asks for constant and total

awareness. This continuing awarenessis very important for every Aikidoka.In Japanese it is called Zanshin.Zanshin helps us to care for theattacker and we learn to have compas-sion for him. In Aikido, we learn toneutralize any attack and therefore weare able to show any attacker that hisattack is useless. On the highest levelwe put every attacker down withouthurting him but showing him that hisaggression leads to nowhere.However, as I said, that is the highestform taught by the master teacherscalled Shihans. My teacher alwaystells me that in order to give a life back

we have to know how to take a life.This is a frightening statement.However, if you think about it deeplyyou can feel the truth in it. The highestform in Aikido was expressed throughO-Sensei, of course, who said: “I amthe universe and if you want to defeatme you have to defeat the universe.”O-Sensei was never defeated by any-body, but how could anybody defeatthe universe? Often we hear the question: “Have

you ever really used Aikido? I meanreally used it …”This is a fair question. My answer

is a clear yes. I use it every day. I useit all the time. I use it at home, I useit at work, I use it while I am talkingand while I am walking. Some willnow say: “No, I mean used it to fightanother person.” Then it is very hardto explain that the true purpose ofAikido is not to fight, even though welearn how to fight. Just lately I read in a book that

Aikido was given to us from O-Senseiin order to make the world a betterplace where fighting is unnecessary.I also believe that Aikido can make us‘better’ human beings, that Aikido isable to bring out the best in ourselves. As a skilful Aikidoka one is able to

prevent an outbreak of violence in thefirst place or one knows how to stopviolence, which is on its way. Whenwe were able to do Aikido on that levelI think we become a much betterperson than someone who is not ableto control the outbreak of violenceand therefore has to hurt the attacker.How we use and practise Aikido is upto us, and it is always our own choiceto injure or not injure somebody.

I always try not tohurt or injure my stu-dents. Nevertheless,I often challengethem above theirnormal limits. AsAikido teachers wehave a big responsi-bility towards ourstudents. They comeon that mat and givetheir bodies, theirspirit, their attention,their full awarenessand only through thatcommitment we areable to connect withthem. At the moment,this contact means

a lot to me in my Dojo. I createda formula for myself and my students.It is an easy one to read but a verydifficult one to practise.

AIKIDO = CONTACTNO CONTACT ≠ AIKIDO

More and more I realize that all thebasic techniques we practise in theDojo only work through contact.Actually they can only be done ifthere’s contact. Both uke and nagehave to work on that contact in orderto understand those basic techniques. Here we realize that we both depend

and need one another. Without uke,tori cannot do Aikido. Withoutstudents, a teacher cannot teach. Thatis why we should connect with ourstudents. Through that connection wehave a relationship with each other,which is totally alive and somethingbeautiful can be created. What wouldAikido be without committed students?I think it would be lost. The art ofAikido can only survive if a teacherhas at least one student who is able totransmit his art to the next generation.Chiba Sensei’s school has given usthis possibility through the teacherstudent relationship, which is one ofthe core principles within our school. In the relationship with our students,

we feel what Ai-Ki-Do can be. Theteacher and the student feel the love(Ai) and harmony between each other.They feel each other’s energy (Ki) onand off the mat and through a commit-ment to each other they can walk theirpath (Do). Last but not least, we shouldn’t

forget one more important thing. ChibaSensei often emphasised that Shoshinis one of the most important thingsin our Aikido practice. Shoshin –beginner’s mind - has become anhonest companion and clear mirror inmy Aikido practice. I must admit that at the moment,

I have the feeling that the more I learnin Aikido, the more I realize how muchI am a beginner. ☯

Jürgen Schwendinger 4th DanO Sen KanDornbirnBirankai AustriaMay 2013

Essay submitted for yondan grading


Shihan Tony Cassells, Austrian Summer Camp, DornbirnAugust 2007

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Iarrived at theSesshin atI Shin Juku inBurton on Trenton the morning ofSaturday 1 June2013 with sometrepidation. I hadarranged to arrive late, after the coursehad started on the Friday, due to workcommitments. I did not want to inter-rupt so waited in the car until breakfasthad finished.I am reasonably flexible and sitting

is not overly uncomfortable for singlesessions, but the last Sesshin thatI had attended was over four yearsbefore, and I did not have pleasantmemories of it. I had left on that occa-sion in the knowledge that I had givenit a try for a second time but vowingthat I would not do it again. I remem-bered that the cold had gone right tomy core as we sat in February withwindows open. During the last sit ofthe second day I had shivered uncon-trollably dressed in T-shirt, Gi andblack jumper which seemed to giveno comfort or warmth. I was mentallyfighting the urge to get up and walk outat that moment never to return, letalone sleep on the mat and then sit


again for another half day. I thoughtit strange that the person who hadsat next to me throughout had laterthanked me for sitting so well andsupported him in his sit.Yet here I was, persuaded by the

fact that Zazen is one of ChibaSensei’s three pillars; part of our train-ing to understand our own body andmental state. As one of the seniorinstructors I felt duty bound to supportthe cause for which numbers havealways been in short supply. Anyway,at least it would be warmer this timesince the Sesshin was in June!As I walked in I was warmly

welcomed with quiet smiles and hand-shakes while people moved aroundpreparing to clean the Dojo andprepare for the next sit. I placed mysleeping bag in the hall with all of theothers, arranged my zabuton, zafu,teacup, food bowls and chant sheets inthe manner that all of the others wereneatly arranged and mentally preparedmyself for what was to come, whileeveryone else quietly bustled abouttheir chores. While I knew that therewould not be many people there I wasdisappointed to see that there wasonly twelve other sets of cushions setaround the mat. At the last Sesshin,

previously blocked from my memory,there had been over twenty I was sure,or perhaps this was my mind playingtricks on me.The first session of the morning was

kin-hin, walking meditation whereeveryone stands close behind theperson in front. Led by Genjo Osshothe zen priest we walked in step witheach other; sometimes slowly, some-times quickly, sometimes almost ata stop, all dressed in our dark clothingnot speaking, hands held togetheracross our front. A pleasant start. As we prepared for the first sit

I quickly scanned the chant sheet tosee what was on it and try to famil-iarise myself with what was there sothat I knew where to read from whenwe had to chant. Having arrived late,I had missed the introductions andinstructions on the order of events,I was just going to have to wing it andhope for the best. Since this was mythird Sesshin I was aware of most ofthe chants and what to look for whenthe Genjo announced what we were tochant at the various parts of the sit.Still I had to hum in time to the chantsat times as I desperately scoured the

Through the haze and pain of Sesshin Ian Grubbwaits for the bell and vows to return for more

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On theoccasionof itsrecognition bythe AikikaiFoundation,Aikido WorldHeadquarters,Tokyo, Birankai France invited DidierBoyet Shihan, 6th Dan to teach aseminar. This seminar, open to allAikidoka, took place on 1-2 June 2013at Ann Jyou Kan Dojo in Paris. About40 people from various French Dojostook part in the seminar which wasdedicated to Chiba Shihan. We sendChiba Sensei our deepest gratitude forhis teaching and his dedication to our

art. The training during this seminarwas fueled by the energy of its partici-pants. Their obvious and continuousinvolvement during the whole durationof the seminar will remain a preciousmemory. Several of the participantsalso prepared the Saturday nightdinner. The Hombu Certificate presen-tation gave us the opportunity to thankthe document messenger, Didier BoyetShihan, and all of those who havebeen working hard all these years onbehalf of Birankai France. Such recog-nition of our French organization,Birankai France, shows an acknowl-edgement of the work done and alsostrengthens our connection with theAikikai Foundation. Let’s hope that this

important recognition by theInternational Aikido Organization willencourage teachers and students ofBirankai France Dojos to be morediligent when training. ☯

Anne Ducouret 5th DanBirankai France Vice-PresidentAnn Jyou Kan, ParisBirankai FranceJune 2013

Translation: Didier Boyet

Anne Ducouret, Birankai France Vice-PresidentParis Seminar follows recognition by Aikikai Foundation

Anne Ducouret

sheets for what I was looking for.Either no one noticed or were kindenough not to look disapproving, eventhough I was sat right in front of Genjowho, naturally, did not need a sheet toread from and seemed to be watchingeveryone, all of the time through halfclosed eyes.Some sits were comfortable, some

very painful. Sometimes in my knees,but mostly in my neck and shoulders.The tension from the stress at workwas certainly making itself manifest.Sometimes I counted my breaths,sometimes I did not think of anything.Throughout there were times thatI willed for the bell to ring and thenwhen it did thought “well I could havelasted a bit longer after all”, thenstretched and sat again only to find

that I was again willing for the bell. I left Sesshin this year having

worked through the issues of the lastone, and sat in the pub next door talk-ing to Genjo and everyone else, drinkin hand feeling grateful that it wasover. On reflection I am glad thatI attended. The experience was muchthe same but my frame of mind at theend and throughout was more positive.I still had the times where I wanted toget up and leave but I knew that eachsit would end. It would be followed byanother sit, but that would end too andI relaxed into it trying to sink into thesit without trying. There was evena fleeting moment when I thought ofChiba Sensei talking about dying onyour cushion.I do believe that there are benefits in

sitting. It grounds me and improves myposture. The intensive nature ofSesshin has helped me to understand

and overcome discomfort throughknowing that it will come to an end.It is like kneading the body, much aswe do on the mat in body art, but thereis nothing to distract me except myown body and mind.Thank you to Chris Mooney Shihan

for his continued drive to organize andhold Sesshin each year despite thesmall number of attendees and theexpense, both monetary and personal.Thank you also to Richard Edmundsfor hosting again, and to everyonewho attended without whom therewould be no Sesshin. I will be backagain. ☯

Ian Grubb 6th DanMei Jyu Kan, Central AikikaiBritish Birankai

. . . Sesshincontinued from page 10

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Jo-Ha-Kyu isa prescriptiveprinciplecharacterized bya sense of inten-sifying action. The phrase

Jo-Ha-Kyudescribes an idealised dynamic patternpopularised as a key pacing principleby the Noh master Zeami. He viewedit as a universal concept applicableto the pattern of movement of allthings. It may be realised in anymartial or performance art, includingmusic, flower arranging and the teaceremony.Zeami likened Jo-Ha-Kyu to a moun-

tain stream, becoming a river, endingas a waterfall. Picture a leaf floatingto the crest of a waterfall, steadilyaccelerating and then hurtling down.Jo-Ha-Kyu application imposes

a continuous augmentation to a kataor technique. It imposes a pattern intoour movement. The Jo-Ha-Kyu patternis essentially tripartite. In its broadestsense Jo may be given as introduction;

Ha as intensification; and Kyu asfinale. More subtly, Jo might be whilein motion approaching an attacker.Ha, changes in speed and/or position.Kyu, decisive (fast) resolution.

This can better be visualised bylooking at the structure of a simplifiedKatate Dori Ai-hanme Ikkyo attack/response. Here as uke grabs tori’swrist. Tori responds, by (1) absorbing

the attack, (2) redirecting the attackand (3) cutting uke to the ground.The above sequence is not a staccato1-2-3. Nor is it a flat out linear rush.Tori’s response is as and throughcontact being made (1) Jo. This inten-sifies, Ha, through (2) and concludesthrough (3), Kyu. There is a raising ofawareness and tension towards theencounter (introduction). This tensionbecomes action (intensification). Thisaction is resolved (finale). Jo-Ha-Kyu.Delving deeper is possible for those

so disposed: Individual actions whichmake up a given technique or katacan also have this sense of intensify-ing action. The concept is applicableto each sub division of a technique.Complex techniques and kata can bedissected into a number of Jo-Ha-Kyusequences. For example, an Iaidokata could involve Jo-Ha-Kyu for thedraw, for each cut, for the chiburi andfor the noto.For those readers still with me

I can only ask that the next time youpractise examine your technique whilstthinking to yourself Jo-Ha-Kyu, and letthe pattern be with you. ☯

Malcolm Blackwood 4th Dan Abbey Aikido DurhamScottish & Borders Birankai

Jo-Ha-Kyu - The three dynamic steps to completionas seen by Malcolm Blackwood

Malcolm Blackwood

Malcolm Blackwood and Anthony Fairbairn (uke) at the annual open day demonstration atTeikyo University of Japan based at the University of Durham, October 2012

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: Kati

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The 5thBirankaiEuropeYouth Seminarbased on thetheme of ‘Livingin a TraditionalDojo and IntenseTraining’ was held from 30 March to1 April 2013 at Ann Jyou Kan Dojo inParis. The 2nd and 4th Seminars tookour young members camping inLabaroche, Alsace, while the 3rdSeminar took place in Landau,Germany, where the 65 plus partici-pants were hosted by local families.This year more than 50 young

members from Dojos in Colmar,Strasbourg, Landau and Paris cametogether for intense training, visitsand seeing the sights in Paris andof course exchanging and sharingsessions in the Dojo.The training sessions were conduct-

ed by instructors from various Dojos:Didier Hatton Shidoin, Colmar andStrasbourg; Alexander Broll Shidoin,Landau; Anne Ducouret Shidoin, Paris;Daniel Wiedmann Fukushidoin,Strasbourg; and Irene Cambeis,Landau. The group was divided intodifferent groups according to age and

proficiency in body art and weaponspractice, the young members wereable to train for 13 hours, sometimescollectively, sometimes in a moreintense manner with the older ones.About 10 of these participants havebeen attending this annual event forthe last five years.During tours around the city and in

order not to lose anyone in the crowd,all members were split into threegroups of mixed age and differentdojos, with each group carrying its ownflag. Each group was also responsiblefor the Dojo cleaning on alternatedays.On the day before the seminar, the

Colmar and Landau groups went tovisit Versailles. On Saturday, afterpractice, we sailed up the Seine ina Riverbus from Notre Dame to theEiffel Tower. The next day, we went tothe Parc de la Villette, to the Géode,Europe biggest movie theater, onboard the T3 streetcar which circlesthe Eastern part of Paris. Some ofthe members, exhausted by all theseactivities took the opportunity totake a nap during the screening ofa documentary on elephant andorangutan care.Everyone was able to eat to their

hearts’ content as there was a hugepicnic prepared by the adult Dojomembers and those who accompaniedthe children. Then everyone joined invarious games before the lights wereturned off and eyes were closed forthe night.Careful management is necessary to

take care of such a large group andthe help of parents, adults and youngpeople is crucial. We avoided a fewdisasters: lack of food on Sunday dueto the time change, cancellation of themovie session at the Géode as thereservations were on the wrong dayand the disappearance of a rice cookerwhich ended in the garbage can!However all when well, and everyonein a happy and joyful spirit boarded hisor her returning train on time. Later on,back on the mat, we were all, onceagain, able to appreciate the dynamicsthat holding such a seminar andtraining bring to our Dojo. ☯

Anne Ducouret 5th DanAnn Jyou Kan, Paris,Birankai FranceJune 2013

Translation: Didier Boyet


Despite setbacks Paris hosted a successful Youth Seminarin Paris. Anne Ducouret reports

Anne Ducouret

Junior class, Cocks Moors Woods, Central Aikikai, British Birankai, July 2013

Mark Pickering and Jake (uke) Katie (right) with Jamie-Luke and Jake (ukes)

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: Ama

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: Ama

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On 12 May2013 BritishBirankaihosted the JACcourse at TudorGrange in Solihull. For those not

aware the JAC,or Joint Aikikai Council to give it its fullname, encompasses all the AikikaiHombu recognised organizations in theUK. Since its formation in 2009 themember organizations take it in turn tohost a national JAC course each year.British Birankai also hosted the firstJAC national course in 2009. The JACwas also instrumental in bringingAikido Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba toCardiff, Wales, UK in May 2010. I had the great privilege of organiz-

ing the 2013 course. It was a wonder-ful day, seeing several organizationspractising so well together and enjoy-ing each other’s company on and offthe mat, continuing the work O-Senseiand his disciples set out to do all thoseyears ago. The course was opened by Caroline

Smith Sensei of the British AikidoFederation who was followed by NeilBlacknell Sensei of Azami-kai. SteveBeecham Sensei representing BritishBirankai, took the last class of the firsthalf of the course.Shihan Peter Brady of the United

Kingdom Aikikai continued aftera lunch break. Last but not leastShihan Terry Ezra of Komyokan AikidoAssociation ended the course witha weapons class.I take this opportunity to thank every-

one for supporting the course and forbeing a part of a great day. ☯

Stuart Lovering 4th DanTudor Grange Dojo, Central AikikaiBritish Birankai


Stuart Loveringʼs Tudor Grange Dojo continuestradition by hosting 5th Joint Aikikai Course

Shihan Terry Ezra (right), Komyokan Aikido Association

Stuart Lovering

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Shihan Peter Brady (right), United Kingdom Aikikai


Caroline Smith Sensei (left), BAF

All photos on this page by Tomasz Jopek

Neil Blacknell Sensei (left), Azami-kai

Steve Beecham Sensei (right), British Birankai


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Shihan Patrick Barthélémy. Polish Summer School, August 2009 Chiba Sensei, Polish Summer School, August 2009

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Chiba Sensei, Polish Summer School, August 2009

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