When folks think of Kenji Tomiki, they probably think of his connections. His main two connections with the human world were Kano and Youshiba. A lot of folks see Tomiki Aikido is a mix up of the things he learned via his connections. This is judo, mixed with aikido, they say. Its really the principles of kito ryu and the principles of daito ryu applied to that narrow sliver of territory where judo and aikido mechanically meet.
Educators know this as a venn diagram. A one time interesting way of looking things that has totally been calcified into standard way of thinking by educational corporations and the educrats who serve them.That fish shape is where Tomiki aikido exists. My particular Branch of Aikido tends to bulge a little more towards the Judo Bubble. Which is frustrating for a Non-Judo player, until you can figure out enough of what is going on in Judo, and the Judo mind set. A lot of my criticism of my particular branch stems from my personal lack of understanding of all things Judo, which I think can be remedied for future students if we put koshiki no kata into the Aikido curriculum where it belongs.
I would take Judo classes, but I spent the last five years practicing certain Tomiki aikido movement patterns. Ive become more interested in seeing the permutations of these movement patterns instead learning something else new. I wont pick up a Jo stick for the same reason. I reserve the right to change my mind at anytime in the future. My son is getting closer and closer to Judo age, and Pops might have to go with him.
Folks who can learn several things at once, are pretty good at learning rules, and organizing. Its the same thing as remembering that silverware belongs in the kitchen and not the sock drawer. There are folks that will stop me when I start putting socks in a drawer in the kitchen, even though its closer to the place where I actually put on my shoes.
I have found that when you allow your self to be an observer, sometimes you gain more than you would by being a participant. You aren't burdened with how to bow, and how to hold a stick, or how to curl your foot to trip somebody. If you look at what you observe and try to look for the overlaps, the fish shapes. then you will be better off for it. If you look at it like a beauty contest judge, or practicality then you'll rob yourself of some insight.
If I was really in control of my learning I could go into Jodo class and say I really dont want to learn anything that doesnt have to do with footwork and pushing with a stick All I want to see is the footwork and pushing. Then I could go to a judo class and say I want to see all the ways you guys grab folks, then come grab me an show me what you do when you grab. The I could go to iaido class and say I dont give a shit about how to fold my dress under my knees, just show me the cutting angles. Then I could go to karate class and tell em all im interested in is the stretching and cardio and sparring.
But I'm not rich enough to get away with that kind of thing and surround myself with people who would put up with me. It should sound familiar to you. Its pretty much the story of Aikido.
Tomiki was just as influenced by the educratic philosophy of Waseda University as he was Kano and Youshiba. I read that when he wanted to do aikido he had to make a system that was measurable and objective. Basically students, and the bureaucrats at Waseda needed a format to see progress, and show progress. That means competition.
This picture tells a big story. Its not so much for students, as it is to for a long dead bureaucrat somewhere. Tomiki dresses the part, he uses big dumb motions, and uses the latest in edunology: a photo with an arrow drawn on it. Here is what I'm teaching boys. Trust me. I aint over here reading the newspaper, and flirting with the Co-eds.
I dont want to mix my business with pleasure here. But anything you hear about standardized education, high stakes testing, test scores, "failing schools" falling behind other countries that you probably dont give a crap about, then you understand the waseda plan.
It was just a philosophy back then, a guide post of sorts. Now its become a crippling reality. We have in effect become post -war Japanese in our educational system. I dont know who came up with it, Us or Them, or our Lizard Alien Overlord puppet masters. But its here.
Imagine a competition only Judo class. Most folks would quit. Because they can't demonstrate and actualize the standards. Here in Texas we are going to see a tsunami of highschool drop outs in the next few years. And they aren't your standard drop out. They tried, but in a standardized based society there is no "A" for effort.
Look at the Kyogi film again. Except look at it as a film to justify yourself to an educrat. Its basically a list of Tomiki standards. The measureable and objective building blocks. Its not for the students so much as a show case for the Educrats. But unlike standards in public school they can actually be fun to do, until they become the only thing you are allowed to do.
I have never been to Japan, and I really dont want to go, but I heard that there are Tomiki University Clubs over there that graduate 3rd and 4th dans who never do Aikido again. There is probably a guy over there who can blow Morty Youshiba out of the water, sitting in a cube doing TPS reports for the Nintendo corporation. He probably got tired of being someones actualized standard.
But really the real check on the system is the spiritual underpinnings that lay in these two odd ball judo katas. I came to the not so brilliant conclusion the other night that Judo katas express the Japanese connection to their environment, to their reality more than actual fighting techniques. There is a lot of wave actions. Like ocean waves.
1. It is impossible to beat something in its true form.
2. you can win without resisting.
3. when two things turning meet, they continue turning and then naturally separate.
4. A big wave comes in, and when it goes back it washes away and filters everything in its path.
5. When two big objects collide they destroy each other, but when they never meet they will continue to exist stress free.
Koshiki kata as far as my non-judo self is concerned holds these principles in action.
If you look real close at the Kyogi video you wont see a whole lot of this going on. Because the principles in these katas can't be objectified or demonstrated. They are natural products. You may have to sit in a duck blind and wait for them to creep out of the tree line. In the Shodokan world there is an attempt to objectify highly subjective things like off balance and Kuzushi.
There are good lessons for doing kata in this way. Where a guy just puts his arm out. If slow is the best way to learn, then there is no slower than "hold still". objects hold still. Subjects are relative.
The thing is that the Shodokan 17 have to look the same so they can be judged by independent observers. There has to be good ones out there, so you can pick out the bad ones. When two guys dance around with a foam tanto the guy who make something "look" like this is going to win. In terms of movement the kata reflects a human idea imposing its view on the world. How things should be instead of how things really are. Two folks that agree to what ever standard, agreed upon idea, needs to be actuallized.
It becomes more natural in its ura waza state, where the wave actually comes in and goes back. I'm going to have to learn those ura waza.
Yon Kata has become my favorite koryu kata. I think this kata is an aikidoized version of those two odd ball judo katas. I think it reflects reality the more Artificial it becomes. The less it models actual human response in human conflict the better it actually shows how to handle conflict. You can see the waves, and people need to see the waves. I dont think that you can learn the deeper nature of martial arts if you get stuck on self defense and competition.
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