A Journey to Japan With Aikido — An Interview With Philosopher Coralie Camilli

Coralie Camilli is a French philosopher, a black belt in aikido, and a practitioner of Thai boxing. In late 2019, she decided to go to Japan to study aikido and Japanese sword fighting right in their country of origin. Resulting from this experience, in 2020, she published “L’art du combat” [“The Art of Fighting”], a book in which she deals with martial arts from a philosophical point of view. In this interview, she tells us about the basic principles of aikido, the differences between learning martial arts in France and Japan, and the philosophy behind the art of fighting.

What Makes Aikido Special

Aikido is an art without competition.

When did you start practicing aikido, and why did you choose this martial art?

I started practicing aikido four and a half years ago after I defended a doctorate in philosophy. I have always wanted to try a martial art. Aikido appealed to me because there was no difference between men and women, no weight categories, and beginners and more advanced students join the same lessons. We were all dressed the same, in the same classroom, doing the same thing. I was also attracted by the beauty of the moves and the use of weapons.