Visiting Sensei’s History and our Future
Last weekend a group of us went to New York Aikikai (NYA) to visit the dojo of our teacher’s teacher. Brian Sensei was Uchideshi, or inner student, to Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei, who is the head of New York Aikikai and the US Aikido Federation. Yamada Sensei welcomed us to the dojo and invited us to come back and train, to be a part of his student body as often as we can. He said, “Welcome, come back and train again.”
The visit was amazing, and in many ways surreal. Brian Sensei has told us so many stories about being in New York. It was cool to see the places where those stories happened. He also told us the history of the building that the dojo lives in. It used to be a carriage house more than a hundred years ago, holding both the carriages and the horses themselves. The story brought a bit of history that was later emphasized by Steve Pimsler, the dojo cho of NYA. In a speech to the dojo he noted that their school has three pillars: the historic building that NYA owns, the entity of New York Aikikai itself, one of the oldest dojos in the United States, and the person of Yamada Sensei himself as an inner student of O’Sensei. The legacy and history of the dojo lends mystique and credibility to our training.
It was fun to see where our Sensei lived for nearly three years (or two years, eight and a half months as he says, but who is counting), and to get a sense of what his life had been like during his training. He showed us where he and the Uchideshi during his time slept in the dojo, bought their groceries and had special breakfasts when they had the money. He showed us the place where at his going away party Sugano Sensei had been hit by raw eggs, as well. The man who lived above the bar was angry at someone revving a motorcycle in front and as Sugano Sensei, Brian Sensei and the group were leaving the bar at 3 am the man pelted eggs down, one that hit Sensei on the shoulder and one directly on the head. Weeks later on a return visit to the dojo, Yamada Sensei called all the Uchideshi and Brian Sensei to his office and scolded them all, telling them that this was a dishonor to the dojo that Sensei was attacked while with them. And how after months of planning Brian Sensei took the bus to New York from where he was studying in Maryland, on a particular hot summer day when the man on the 3rd floor had his window open, he and the Uchideshi had their revenge. We saw the building where this occurred, well, what’s left of it. It is now being torn down (which was a cool thing to watch as well — how they tear down huge buildings in busy Manhattan).
We met many of the people Sensei knows, and reconnected with some Aikidoka we know. The current set of Uchideshi, for example, welcomed us with open arms into their home as we stayed in the dojo with them. We got to hang out with Andreis, Toshi, Marin, and Fluvio. They worked so hard to take care of the dojo and bring their training off the mat. They tirelessly gave to the dojo, and still found time to be friendly and welcoming to us, to help us learn and grow as Aikidoka and as people.
Some of the people Ed and I had met at summer camp showed up. I watched as Sam, one of the people that white belts want to be when they grow up, worked with both senior and junior students to help them get stronger, stretching both herself and them equally over the course of the classes.
One difference between NYA and our dojo is that they keep the same partner for an entire class. Working with that person continuously seemed to help both parties more deeply examine their own aikido in that pairing — the flow, the nuance — and allowed junior students to learn from their sempai in a real way. The problem seemed to be that when one has a bad partner you are stuck with them for the entire class. This too can be a learning experience, though.
Each of us took something different away from our time in New York. Ed, for example, experienced how amazing it is to train with so many Yudansha (black belts). The mat was crowded with experienced Aikidoka, and he had the opportunity to work with many of them. He even got some of Yamada Sensei’s attention, which is both amazing and a bit scary. He said, “I haven’t felt that exhausted after two days of Aikido since summer camp, and I technically took more classes then. The downside is how crowded it can feel and there is less time to really fine-tune a technique. At our dojo, since it is smaller, we can slow down and focus on a particular issue or problem one of us might have.”
Victor and Sensei got to play with people their own level, and go all out. Working hard and having fun at the same time. Victor, a nidan, even saw some techniques that he had not encountered before. Being there let him train with his sempai, pushing himself and refining his aikido.
Brian Sensei got to learn from his teacher again and practice with people he knows. He also got to experience Yamada Sensei’s joy at working with the children and seeing the next generation of Aikidoka begin their journey. It was quite amazing to see Yamada Sensei’s eyes light up when the long line of kids from the children’s class lined up to say hello. The kindness and love was palpable.
I was not able to train because of an injury, but still had a formative experience. I learned some new techniques, yes. But more importantly for me was the atmosphere of New York Aikikai. This was not my first trip there. My first time was two years ago. I was pretty new and was frankly afraid of being there. I was afraid of my own shadow, but they took care of me then, and they took care of me now. I was very disappointed that I could not train with them. The chance to learn from Yamada Sensei is fleeting. He is the last of a generation of Aikidoka that trained with O’Sensei, and I missed the chance to be on the mat with him and his students.
That being said, I learned so much more. Sitting and watching I started to see the energy flow as more senior students flowed around each other. I saw how Yamada Sensei mixes full steps and half steps to create the proper angles for a technique and how his extension gives him power. I watched how power comes from movement and extension rather than muscle. There was so much energy in the dojo. So many people with such love for our art. So much knowledge in one place.
And then at night, when the lights were out and I was alone on the mat, trying to sleep, I experienced the hidden energy of the dojo. The spirit of the dojo perhaps. The remnants of energy left behind by the thousands of people who have trained there. The energy of more than 50 years of training, contained in one place that will continue to be shared with thousands more.
The atmosphere in the dojo is driven by its leader, Yamada Sensei, and carried forward by the rest of the members. A sign in the front of the dojo illustrates how they hold their dojo sacred, calling out the five basic rules of the dojo, detailing respect and care for one another, the dojo, and the art.
The dedication of the students to the art was exemplified by the deshis. The four men who train tirelessly and take care of the dojo, their only payment the learning itself.
Being injured, I have struggled the last few months with my relationship with my art. I want to train hard, but cannot. So now, I will train with heart instead. Connecting to my dojo and my art as I saw these students do. When I am healed, I will return to New York to train hard again. For now, I am grateful for the lessons they have already shared.
If you want to come with me when I go back, you are welcome. Here are a few things to remember when arriving at New York Aikikai.
1. Don’t forget to bow when you enter the dojo. It is the second door, so I saw some forget.
2. Present a letter of introduction from your Sensei to the dojo.
3. Introduce yourself to Yamada Sensei when you see him. Mention your name, where you are from, who your teacher is, and how long you are staying.
4. Remember the space is not yours. Keep your things together and clean up after yourself. Help with cleaning: ask the other students, watch and copy them, help the Uchideshi any way you can.
5. Do not enter the mat from the opening at the back, but rather go through the door on the side.
6. Feed the Uchideshis. Get them groceries, buy them coffee, take them to dinner. Whatever you can. They don’t have much money and they are dedicated to our art.
Thank you to everyone who welcomed us. Thank you to everyone who trained with us. Thank you to everyone that has been there before us and helped make New York Aikikai what it is. Because Heaven and Earth (my dojo) was birthed from New York Aikikai. Thank you, Yamada Sensei, for your teaching. Without you, my dojo likely would not exist and I would not be on the path I am.
We will see you soon.
