Aikido World

(Jyushinkan Dojo members took a break from Saturday class to appreciate the set of musical chimes donated by the dojo.)

From wasteland to wonderland…

Members of Jyushinkan Dojo in Logan, Utah, worked alongside hundreds of other volunteers to tote, saw, drill, fasten, measure and level (well, we hope they measured and leveled) during the week of September 14-19. They were helping to build an enormous community-built adventure playground in the grounds of the 100-year old Whittier Community Center, home of the dojo. The playground is 100% disabled-inclusive and the design comes from the ideas and suggestions of children. (more…)

What Aikido & Shugyo Are To Me

In my life, Aikido has become a great (or perhaps, the most important) instrument in my journey to enlightenment. It serves as a roadmap to assessing whether the things I value in life are good and right. I believe that O Sensei’s description of Aikido as the “Art of Peace” is wholly accurate, because corrects any misconceptions of how we perceive other people and living things around us, by teaching us that we are part of the same universal family. It teaches the devoted students that the real enemy that we should overcome, lies within— the enemy of our desire to be right in all situations, our negative perceptions of people, the contention that follows such perceptions, etc. By applying the first lesson in Aikido (i.e. – to observe), we can analyze our behaviors and mental processes to see how deeply this enemy has infiltrated our lives. Then, through continuous and rigorous training, we can work toward ridding ourselves of this enemy. (more…)

Stephen Tatsuo Toyoda Sensei was recently in Dickinson, Texas for a seminar at Seishinkan Dojo.  The complete photo set is after the jump.  Many thanks to Seishinkan Dojo for their hospitality!

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Aikisur in Spain provides these videos of Aikido in Aldea del Fresno:

Open Hand Technique

Weapons Technique