Reigi Saho & Chicken Enchiladas:

09-21-04: Aloha Kakahiaka e Sensei! I am happy to report that my mom is visiting me here in Hawai'i, and although her stay this time is short -- only a week -- she managed to join our dojo for our weekend seminar/camp, and she even managed to make chicken enchiladas for everyone! It has truly been a joyful time, and it has been a double blessing to share aikido with my mom, and my mom with aikido. Recently, I have had similarly intense experiences with visiting aikidoka from Japan, who have brought their relatives to Hawaii . . . Even though we shared less than a full day together, by the time we departed each other's company, it felt as if we were truly family. Perhaps these types of interactions should not be so rare, but it seems that in today's world, they truly are.

Anyway, it has occured to me that my daily practice and observance of reigi have contributed greatly to these joyous and wonderful interactions. Thank you for your constant reminders regarding the importance of reigi and your helpful clarifications of its finer points! Happily training (and eating!), mon - Heraldo Farrington

Sensei's Reply:

Such a tasty story! This is exactly right. Many people do not understand that Reigi Saho is how we can all conect with each other and create a harmonious and friendly relationship. The relationship between the teacher and student is very difficult to understand and appreciate but from a long tradition of 2,000 years, it has always been the most profound way to pass on the teachings.

This relationship must be very formal but at the same time friendly. Many of us do not understand this. We either think in terms of very formal and, on the other hand, very friendly and informal but it is hard for us to udnerstand how both must work together in unison. Reigi Saho gives us this skill to always create a very polite but amicable relationship and environment.

Most people break this relationship by breaking or abusing these rule of etiquette.

As an example, one time I was having dinner with some friends on a rare occasion and several people I did not know. One guest kept hitting the dish with his fork very hard - loudly tapping and we all thought that he was going to break the dish. Although it is such a small silly thing - tap, tap, tap - all through dinner - it actually ruined the dinner for many of us. How could we eat when we were all focused on when the dish would break. And no one could understand why it was necessary to hit the dish so hard!

Of course, in the dojo all day seven days a week, maybe I am too critical. Many new student who come to the dojo, even though they have background in martial arts, always like to address every one as, "hey, you guys!" Somehow, I always automatically become uncomfortable although the other person doesn't even realize what is going on.

I returned a call the other day and got, "Is this THE Rev. Furuya, do you mean I am talking to the "main" man?" I was actually quite shocked at this. . . even outside of martial arts, I never heard of such an address. . . . Probably this is nothing, and I need to get out more - but I am always surprised at how people talk to each other. No wonder there is always so much fighting and misunderstanding!

Homemade chicken enchiladas - mmmmmm!

My Opinion:

09-21-04: Hello Sensei & Tom Thank you for your replies and please accept my apologies for being so tardy in my reply.

I have always struggled to be pliant and to have freedom of movement. Progress has been made and I am now much better than I was. Randori always seems to be a good test for me. I used to be so tense and rigid and utterly exhausted in no time. Now my Sensei is pleased that I am more relaxed and blending with the attack.

Obviously I have a long long way to go. I must confess that I am still left a little unsure how I should behave in some techniques where I am uke. For example irimi nage, I trained with a beginner who was not taking my balance and so was struggling to throw me. I didn't want to just collapse, I didn't weant to seem awkward, I didn't want to start talking and trying to teach. In the end Sensei came across and corrected her technique.

Anyway, I will just continue training and and trying to to be the best uke I can. Thank you Ambrose

Sensei's Reply:

Yamaoka Tesshu wrote: "The great essense of swordsmanship is the willow blowing in the gentle breeze."

My Zen master was a Kendo 5th Dan in Japan and practiced in the same dojo with Nakayama Hakudo Sensei who is one of the pioneers of modern Iaido and Kendo. My teacher said that in all the years that he practiced with Hakudo Sensei not once did he ever take a point. He said that Hakudo Sensei always looked totally open and relaxed and always an easy target. Yet, at the moment of the attack, he would seem to casually fade away and take his own point almost whenever he felt like it. My Zen teacher said that engagin with Hakudo Sensei was like fighting with air. Every time I remember this story I think of Tesshu's words. . . .

More than the willow blowing the gentle breeze, we are all taught from the first day we are born to be like brick walls and great immovable stones. . . . .

Online Course In Budo?

09-21-04: Furuya Sensei, I was wondering if you might ever consider offering some sort of online course on the topics of Budo and Art of Sword? I'm not sure if an online forum would be suitable to cover such topics but I am curious enough to ask. Thank you, Sandi in Seattle

Sensei's Reply:

I really like this idea very much but I wonder what is the best way to go about it?

There are several reasons why I hesitate to do this and I wonder if these are real or imagined obstacles in my mind. I do feel I have a solid background in martial arts accumulated from a lifetime of study and research which I would like to share with everyone, especially nowadays, as I am getting older and because I see so much distorted and false information circulating on the internet these days. In the early days, it was bad enough with so many ill-researched books and so many unqualified martial arts bandied about. But, with the internet, it has magnified these problems unimaginably. In addition, from the many inquiries I receive each day, I have come to realize that there is a terrible lack of solid information on the traditional practice of martial arts and there has been so much free interprepation, mix and matching and blatant unqualified remarks that many people really do not know what is what.

Two reasons why I fear entering into such a project is that one: It seems that on the internet, people do not know how to discuss a topic without quickly dissolving into people bashing, bad-mouthing and arguing about the most petty and trivial aspects of martial arts that even ten years ago, I would be embarrassed to even mention. . . .

Secondly, I conduct a open-discussion, Budo Study Class in my dojo in which everyone is welcome to attend and any subject regarding Aikido, practice or martial arts can be asked and discussed openly. I even try to introduce an interesting topic of discussion each class, once a month when we do this, but almost without fail, I get zero response from my students. No interest at all. It either means that they know everyting already and don't need me, or I must be the most boring person to listen to in the world. I suspect the later! It is very discouraging to me (and I admit this honestly) that I get questions from all over the world everyday and yet, my own students have no interest in what I have to say. Even my discovery of a very important early portrait of Miyamoto Musashi, two years ago, which caused a small commotion among Japanese experts, brought hardly a stir in my own group of students. . . . Perhaps, there is no interest in the background history, tradition and culture of martial arts today. Perhaps, this knowledge is too old and not valid today?

I think I go on and on here in my website and probably get more people's goats than I care to know about. . . . "Get people's goats?" Do we still use this expression anymore? See what I mean?

I do have a yahoo group which I hope we can start some types of discussions. Please join this group: Aikido-Iaido-KODO.yahoo.

Many thanks!

Bits & Pieces - History of Aikido In Southern California:

Today, someone directed me to another website on martial arts and I was quite surprised at some of the discussion going on. It is all rather embarrassing what people can say about each other and it makes me ashamed. So sad. However, I see that in many cases all of the facts are very inaccurately stated. I think this is because much of these topics start from gossip and heresay and there are very few records of the recent history of Aikido. In my later years, I am more nostalgic, so for prosperity, I am going to account some episodes in the history of Aikido in this country which I experienced first hand. Having been around since the very early days of Aikido in California, I was witness to much of this. I was very young at the time and very naive and much of what I saw really shocked and surprised me at the time so I do have a clear memory of it. Not because they were pleasant memories but because they were so disturbing to me. I have not discussed a lot of this - only with my most trusted assistants because it is not information which I thought good for the positive growth of Aikido. But nowadays I see this information circulating in the internet but much of it is very inaccurate. For the sake of accuracy of historical record - if this may serve any good purpose, I will record certain events here in my own website. I really hate to go onto other websites. . . . . . .

I saw a discussion about James Mitose and Aikido today and I was very disturbed about this. I was also surprised that such a topic was evn brought up. There is a discussion of some documents that Mitose received from O'Sensei which state that Mitose is awarded a 10th Dan and "responsibility" of the United States and on and on. . . . and this is followed by a long endless discussion. . . .

I was at the first several meetings attended by James Mitose when he first met Tohei Koichi in Los Angeles. Tohei was still Shihan Bucho or Chief Instructor of the Teaching Department at Hombu Dojo and still in control of the United States as his own teaching territory. This was in 1970 sometime after I returned from Hombu Dojo. In Southern California, there were only two professional instructors of Aikido, myself and the late Rod Kobayashi.

At this time, O'Sensei had just passed away and Tohei was weilding considerable political power both here and in Japan. He had great popularity in Hawaii and the West Coast at this time and visited Los Angeles quite often.

Although I was very young at the time, because I never drank, I always always assigned by Tohei as his driver. It was a custom then, after every practice and seminar, to drink. I don't drink and was the only one sober to drive him back safely from wherever he was partying. I was about 20 years old at the time. But I followed Tohei everywhere he went.

James Mitose first met Tohei Koichi at the Eigiku Restaurant in Little Tokyo. The dinner meeting was arranged by Mitose to meet Tohei whom he had heard was in Los Angeles at the time and had admired him from his reputation. This first meeting was attended by Tohei, Mitose, Rod and myself.

This was Mitose's first contact with Aikido. He had never met O'Sensei in his life and I think that Mitose had never been to Japan. I am sure that he never met O'Sensei. This was Mitose's first contact with Aikido - with Tohei at this dinner, one year after O'Sensei's passing.

Mitose wanted to meet Tohei because I think Mitose was very celebrity conscious. He introduced himself as a Methodist minister who did a great deal of fund raising and social work in the community. He had many photos he brought with him to show himself with many celebrities. This is how he impressed people and he used this tattered photo album as his credentials. Mitose was Hawaii-born and raised and his grandfather and father were kempo-karate teachers in Hawaii. He introduced himself as the 3rd generation "grandmaster of Hawaiian Kempo."

Tohei was very interested to meet Mitose because he thought that Mitose could be a source of funding for his separation from Hombu he had been planning for a long time now. After various talks and hearing of Tohei's plan, Mitose promised that he would build a five-story building on land he owned next to Disneyland in Anaheim and this could be the "new headquarters' for Aikido and Tohei's new organization. It seemed a pretty fantastic offer.

What was disturbing was that Mitose was often out of control during this meeting. He jumped up at several intervals and started to do kempo, punching and kicking in the air in the middle of the crowded restaurant between the tables. It was really surprising and appalling to me. The restaurant brought out three big plates of food which everyone was to eat from, one had tempura, one had beef teriyaki and one had something which I can't remember. Mitose rather drooled and spit on the food while he was talking so none of us could eat the food. At the time, everyone was drinking anyways, so I was the only one concerned with the condition of the comenstibles.

There were several more meetings after this at Rod's apartment which I attended. But I am sure there were other meetings which I did not attend. Because of Mitose's "generous" offer of financial aid and also the promise of this new headquarters in Amaheim, Tohei sped up his plans to separate from Hombu and it was at this time, that I announced that I was staying with Hombu and could not have any further part of this conspiracy. I dropped all contact with Tohei and Rod and do not know what happened after this. Shortly after in 1972, Tohei separated from Hombu and this was a very chaotic and sad time for the West Coast for whom Tohei was the only contact with Hombu.

Tohei had asked me my impression of Mitose after that first meeting and I told Tohei that I did not really trust him. Tohei replied to me that although he did not know him well at all, he offered so much money to his cause that he would have to treat him very well. Whatever documents Mitose had were generated by Tohei himself and not O'Sensei, I am quite sure of this.

Soon after Tohei's split, one of the biggest scandals to ever happen in the till then quiet Japanese American community was a murder of a elderly Japanese American and the attempted murder of his wife. They lived the the Crenshaw area only two blocks from Rod's apartment but one night while they were asleep, someone had broken in and tried to kill both of them in their sleep in bed with a screwdriver and a lead pipe. The husband was stabbed and knifed but fell over the body of his wife and although the wife was stabbed and beaten repeatedly, she survived.

Later, it was discovered the Mitose was embezzling monies from them in the amount of over $60,000.00 and when the daughter found out and was about to report Mitose to the police, Mitose with two of his students went to the victim's house. Mitose and one student, the driver, stayed in the car and the other student broke through the window and tried to kill them.

For the next 9 months, the murder trial was covered in the daily Japanese American newspaper, the Rafu Shimpo, so everyday I read about Mitose and it sickened me that he had such a relationship with Tohei. I should say that he never had a relationship with Hombu or O'Sensei, I must repeat again. I think anyone can tell that Mitose was a little imbalanced, I think manty were just blinded by all the money he offered. . . .not knowing that it was all stolen monies.

This trial was very shocking because no such murder had ever taken place in the Japanese-American community in Los Angeles like this and the news played up the fact the a "martial arts grandmaster" was involved in such embezzlement and murder of elderly seniors. The trial was made even more "spectacular" because the driver was also a prominent martial artist in the country (not Aikido).

Secondly, Mitose cursed and swore so much during the court proceedings, he was one of the first in a Los Angeles courtroom to ever have his mouth taped during the trial and later he was confined to a separate room separated by a glass partition because iof his bad behavior and antics during trial. Later in the proceedings, he was handcuffed because he made several attempts to smuggle in his own urine in a small bottle which he tried to dose the prosecuting attorney. He threw his urine all over the court.

I remember that the entire Japanese American community was so enraged and embarrassed and ashamed. I was angered that I had to read about this every day in our newspapers.

It was proven that he was not a Methodist priest and that much of the fund raising he did was bogus and that he had been involved in the embzzlement of monies of senior citizens for many years. Unfortunately, at this time, none of the other victims would show their faces. I think everyone was so ashamed.

I read the newspaper very carefully to make sure nothing was mentoned of his relationship with Aikido. There was even a rumour that came up in trial that he worked as an agent for the Japanese during the war while he was in Hawaii and much of the monies he embezzled from his victims in Hawaii went to the enemy. It was all very scandalous and sensationalized.

Anyways, he was convicted and spent his life in jail. He had several session to discuss his early release but these were always opposed by a community group who never wanted to see him free again.

While I was working as a book editor for a martial arts publishing company, Mitose's student wanted to republish Mitose's book on Hawaiian Kempo but I chased him out of my office.

This is such a horrible story but I set it down here just to keep the records straight for now and sometime in the future.

I want to make it very clear for the record that James Mitose never met O'Sensei. His first meeting was with Tohei and he was involved in Tohei's plan to separate from Hombu. Mitose never had anything to do with Hombu Dojo. I think the documents given to Mitose were written by Tohei, not O'Sensei, to Mitose and I think Mitose could not tell if they were geniune or not.

I deeply apologize to my readers if they are offended by such a story but I hope this will clear up many misunderstandings regarding this incident in local Aikido. I do want to see O'Sensei's name dirtied by this person. - In the website, several people expressed dismay that O'Sensei would have contact with such a person. Please know that this is untrue.

I was very saddend at this split from Hombu by Tohei. Many bad things happened which really disturbed me, but, in many ways, this firmly resolved my own conviction not to get involved in such ditry money politics and power pushing. Please learn from this very sad incident in our history.

Master Class, Pain In the A**

I was watching a Japanese program the other day and they were interviewing a cook who was famous for making "te-uchi soba" or hand-made buckwheat noodles which is a great specialty and very popular in Japan. Although this is a simple dish, making the perfect buckwheat noodle is considered an art. Every location in Japan has their own special style and flavour although it may be too subtle of the beginner to understand, many Japanese go all over the country just to try to local specialties of buckwheat noodles.

Suddenly, this cook took all of the dough and threw it away. "Sorry," he said, "this is no good, I have to start over again."

The tv interviewer was surprised and asked his wife, "This seems so unusual and such a waste."

The wife replied that her husband-cook did this all of the time. If it wasn't just perfect or even didn't "feel" perfect, he would start over. He only makes enough for 110 bowls of noodles a day so this only feeds 110 customers. They say his noodles are so good, they line up before he even opens his shop. They open at 10am but before noon, they are already sold out for the day.

They asked why he doesn't make 10,000 bowls a day if it sells so well, he can be so rich and famous. But the cook replied, "I only have energy to make 110 bowls of perfect noodles a day so that is all I make. If I try to make more, they will not be perfect!"

If you visit the kitchen of a master chef, it is probably the same. Even if it seems very good to everyone else, if the master cook says, "No!" - out the dish goes into the garbage. It seems very wasteful but the chief cook has this priviledge - of course, this is why hsi cooking is probably so wonderful and popular and considered first class.

Art and great, 1st class quality is always very uncompromising and too strict or too demanding - but this is one of the ingredients of such a high level of quality. We often make one too many compromises and settle for much less. . .

In martial arts, you cannot do this. If the master chef starts to produce bad ,mediocre dishes or lowers his level of quality, he will lose all of this customers. If a martial artist settles for 2nd best or becomes too mediocre, he loses his life!

In a Dojo, it is also the same. Many times, students complain that the teacher is too demanding or too strict and rebel or run away. They think it is just abuse or narrow-mindedness. In a 1st class kitchen with a master chef, no one would call him "narrow-minded" or "too demanding," if he was trying to produce 1st class quality dishes. I don't know why it is so in the Dojo.

If you look at painting, music, performing, and any other art, - at the highest level, you will see such demands which are all par for the course. Only at the base or mediocre level, can we easily make such compromises. Of course, at this level, nobody cares and there is no aspiration here, just a desire for self-satisfaction and self indulgence.

This is something to think about in your own practice. Always lookinfg for easy or always feeling sorry for yourselves. Barely scratching the surface with your finger, and already complaining about the pain in your knuckle!