Aikido, My Way : The Story of Kobayashi Dojos.

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Aikido, My Way.

Part 4 The Senior Instructors Section 1 Morihiro Saito Sensei

While he was working for the former Japan National Railways, Morihiro Saito Sensei lived in the Iwama Dojo compound, taking care of O Sensei and the Aiki Shrine and teaching in the Iwama Dojo. Sensei was devoted to O Sensei and for this I respect him. I often met Saito Sensei when I accompanied O Sensei to Iwama and during preparations for the Aiki festival. O Sensei was always there, so I don’t have any memories of taking any of Saito Sensei’s classes.

O Sensei was more than 75, so his techniques and movements had fully matured. Kisshomaru Sensei wasn’t around, and the techniques and movements changed. In one direction, Saito Sensei absorbed completely the movements and techniques that O Sensei had taught when he was healthy and strong. Since O Sensei lived in Iwama which had the Aiki Shrine as well, I think in that context it is proper to speak of “preserving the traditional Aikido of Iwama.” The Iwama Dojo was located in a large garden-like compound which was needed to practice ken and jo. O Sensei would teach ken and jo however he felt inclined, and then the next day would do something completely different. It was owing to the genius of Saito Sensei that an easy to understand system of teaching jo and ken was established. My dojo’s Igarashi Sensei cooperated with Saito Sensei’s publication of his book on jo and ken. When I was shown the first edition of the book, I noticed there was no photograph of O Sensei. I said something about this to Saito Sensei and he replied that he had no good photographs of O Sensei. Good photographic equipment wasn’t so readily available in those days. In the second edition appears photographs of O Sensei which I gave to Saito Sensei.

With this kind of connection, Aikido Kobayashi Dojos have incorporated regular ken and jo practice. Saito Sensei highly praised us for this. Today, in overseas seminars, everyone has their own jo and ken; this is Saito Sensei’s legacy.

• Forward.

• Part 1 Birth in Kudan.
• Part 2 End of the war and the Black Market.
• Part 3 I Begin Judo.
• Part 4 My Mother’s Death.
• Part 5 I Begin Aikido.
• Part 6 I Enter College and Begin Aikido.

• Part 1 The Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
• Part 2 Kisshomaru Ueshiba Dojocho.
• Part 3 Koichi Tohei Shihan.
• Part 4 The Senior Instructors.
• Part 5 Unforgettable Folks.

• Part 1 Practice, Days of Tempering.
• Part 2 The Founding of the Aikido Club.
• Part 3 I Become an Aikido Pro.
• Part 4 Life in Hombu Dojo.
• Part 5 Ueshiba Sensei and Mifune Sensei.

• Part 1 The Pilgrimage to Ise Shrine.
• Part 2 Dojo Management.
• Part 3 What an Uchideshi Needs is Management Skill.
• Part 4 Kobayashi Dojos’ Test.
• Part 5 The Need for Children’s Class.
• Part 6 To Train Good Instructors Takes the Understanding and Cooperation of the Members.
• Part 7 Kobayashi Dojos Teaching Policy.
• Part 8 My Ebullient Life from Here.
• Part 9 My Family’s Cooperation in Building Kobayashi Dojo’s Future.
• Part 10 It is Worth the Sweat and Tears.