May, 2025

[Live-in practice at Igarashi Dojo from overseas]

　In 1983, with the opening of the Igarashi Dojo, I began to have more opportunities to teach overseas. At the same time, I began to receive more requests from people who wanted to live at the Hashimoto Dojo and practice intensively.
　This year, Mr. Juha Airaksinen, 3rd dan and chief instructor of the Finland Aikikai Ryuki-kai Dojo, lived at the Hashimoto Dojo for a month from April 1st to 30th and practiced diligently. I had been responsible for his Shodan and Sandan examinations during my last stay in Finland. He was promoted to 3rd dan 13 years ago, and he had a strong desire to take the 4th dan examination under my supervision in Japan, which led to this live-in practice.
  On the 27th (Sun), just before his return to Finland, he took the 4th dan examination at Hashimoto Dojo. With the results of his month of enthusiastic practice, he passed with great success. Then, on the evening of April 30th (Wed), he left the dojo for Haneda Airport.
  Machiko and I are now elderly. We have decided that Juha-san will be our last residential uchideshi from overseas. In the future, no one will be able to live in and practice at the Hashimoto Dojo, but we welcome anyone from overseas who wishes to practice.
  Please feel free to participate in the practice at our dojo. I am looking forward to seeing you.
  I received a report from Yuha about his residential uchideshi period. I have translated his article into Japanese and posted it here.

My month as an uchideshi

Ryuki-kai Dojo, Iisalmi, Finland

Juha Airaksinen

Last summer I had a chance to visit Igarashi-Sensei’s seminars in Turku and Stockholm. These seminars woke me up and I started again to think, that how long I have had a dream to visit in Japan and even more as an uchideshi. 

So I send email to Sensei and asked if it would be possible to go to Hashimoto-Dojo for a month in April 2025. Sensei kindly answered that it would be possible. We send few emails more to settle dates and there it was: From 1st of April to 30th of April. 

It felt incredible! Now it is finally happening, I thought. In October it felt to be far in the future, but suddenly I realised that it is only few weeks before taking off from Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Then Sensei send me email that he would conduct my 4th Dan examination 27th of April. That made my heart taking few extra beats. This would make coming month more different. By the Sensei’s order, I first asked Petteri Silenius Sensei’s permission to go examination. After having a permission, Sensei gave me detailed instructions about the promotion examination at Igarashi Dojo.I asked also if it would be possible to order new hakama and few new keikogi. Sensei helped me and replied that order will be waiting me at the dojo.

I arrived to Japan 31st of March and stayed overnight at Nagoya airport. On 1st of April I arrived to Narita airport and from there by train to Hashimoto. Sensei and Machiko-san were already waiting for me. Sensei gave me advices where I can keep my personal items and luggage and introduced the dojo. After a cup of warm tea I had a time to unpack my luggage. Then Sensei came and told me how to start cleaning dojo before practice.

Waiting for first practice was exiting, but when dojo members started to come and join I felt myself welcomed. From that day on, weekly rhythm started to keep going on: practicing, doing daily dojo’s works, resting and eating. Sensei kindly gave me to chance to visit also in Hombu-Dojo, Yuwakai-Dojo, Shinjuku and Seisho Aikido-Dojo, Hiratsuka-city. Even I had a goal to go Dan-examination, there was free time too. I had time to visit in Shinjuku, Asakusa and Kamakura. Sensei and Machiko-san took me to a hot spring, so nice Onsen-experience. Thank you very much.

Days went really fast by. Sensei taught me strictly and dojo members helped me too. Finally, it was the examination day and many members stayed to watch. After the sweaty 30 minutes it was time to hear result. I felt relieved when I heard that I did pass. Sensei gave me a new black belt as a gift. Thank you very much once more.

In 29th of April I visited with Sensei and few dojo members at Aiki Shrine in Iwama. That was very impressive experience too.

During the month, I was thinking what is really to be uchideshi one month. What I had already at home been thinking came to reality: Concentrating to practice, forgetting your own ego, helping Sensei and Machiko-san my best way and trying my best.

Many people asked me before I travelled to Japan, why I want to make practicing so hard. Wouldn’t it be easier to go hotel and have some vacation too? I tried to explain that it is not only practicing or doing dojo’s work and waking up early. This month has given me time to concentrate to Aikido and forget my daily work. Living in dojo, listening a silence when going to sleep, helping Sensei and get familiar with Japanese culture have been really detergent experience. Sometimes I noticed that I wasn’t even sure what weekday it was. Only remembering that today is morning or evening practice or both.

During the month, in practice Sensei taught many same basic themes. He showed how to do, told how to do, even gave advices by touching those muscles what I should use, what circles I should use. Why it is so hard to make my body understand that, what my mind maybe understand? Using wrong kind of power is useless. Sensei said one day to me: “You can do it from here, but here and here and here it is your mind which won’t let you do it!” That is true, how my mind will block so simple movement and then tells to my body use wrong muscles and power. That is why I like so much practicing Aikido: How to find answer in your mind, not just a using body’s power. 

In this month I have had many new friends, chance to practice Aikido with many new people and many dojos, and see Japan. This has been really incredible experience. Like I said after the last practice, I have bought many kinds of souvenir from shops, but the most important souvenirs are in my mind: Sensei’s teachings, dojo’s members and all the time in Japan.

There are no words enough to say thank you for you Sensei. All the teaching in practice time and also outside of practice, chance to live your dojo, yours and Machiko-san’s hospitality and finally the Dan-examination have made this month memorable. Time, which I will be thinking in Finland again and again. Kiitos paljon!!!

April 2025

“Does hard work bring results?”

  It is often said that “there is no talent that can overcome hard work” and “hard work never fails. Does hard work and effort really bring results?
  In martial arts and sports, champions often say, ”My hard work was rewarded.’ Those who fail to become champions often say, ‘My hard work was not rewarded.’
　Is it possible to say with certainty how much effort is enough? Unfortunately, it seems that hard work does not always bring results for everyone. It seems that the principles of nature, such as the principles of heaven, earth, and time, play a large role. It also seems that a person's luck is important. A famous person once said that talent, hard work, and a spirit of inquiry are necessary for success.
　In January last year, there was an earthquake in Noto. In September, when recovery from the earthquake damage was finally beginning to show, record-breaking heavy rains struck and washed away houses that had just been repaired.
In February this year, a large-scale forest fire broke out in Iwate Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Houses were washed away by the tsunami, and people evacuated to higher ground. Now, the houses they worked so hard to rebuild were destroyed by a forest fire. Nature is so merciless and cruel. Can we really dismiss this as just good luck or bad luck?
Every day, television news reports on natural disasters such as major earthquakes, large-scale forest fires, heavy rains causing flooding, droughts, and tornadoes occurring around the world.
　And then there is war. War is a man-made disaster. It is the result of the lust for power and self-aggrandisement of individuals at the top of the government, and is truly a manifestation of human pride. I would like to express my sympathy and gratitude to those who have suffered damage and are working hard towards recovery and resolution.
Today's quote on my daily calendar is from the German novelist Goethe: ‘As long as humans strive, they will worry. 'What should we do if we work hard and worry, but it does not bring results? This is also a difficult question.
Aikido is not a martial art for champions, nor is it a sport. Of course, hard work is necessary in practice. If you practice hard while cherishing the teachings of the spirit of Aikido, “Masakatsu” and “Agatsu”, you will never disappoint yourself.
  One of my favourite sayings is, ‘Doing ordinary things with an ordinary spirit every day is extraordinary!’
  I think Aikido-Doshu's words, ‘Cherish your daily practice’ and ‘Continuity is the key to success’, refer precisely to this ‘extraordinary in the ordinary’. I turned 79 in March. With the warm support of our members, I will continue to practice every day, cherishing the ‘extraordinary in the ordinary,’ and I will work hard and practice diligently for another ten or twenty years so as not to disappoint the expectations of the people.
  Even now, I still read books, magazines, and newspapers, watch television, and write down comments on words and writing that catch my attention so that I can remember and record them. Here are some of them.
1. Enjoy your old age
　The leading cause of death in Japan is cancer. Stress is said to be one of the causes. Stress is said to destroy immune cells. The best way to deal with stress is to smile and laugh. Last time, I saw a poster in the waiting room of a hospital where I had been treated that said, ‘Laughter is the best medicine!’ Enjoyable and fun practice relieves stress. Incidentally, the leading causes of death in Western countries are heart disease and vascular disorders.
2. Exercise
　Exercise secretes a rejuvenating hormone called ‘myokain,’ which is said to help prevent high blood pressure and dementia. Aikido practice is important for the elderly!
3. Ichiro (retired baseball player)

　Ichiro, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In an interview, he mentioned that he was one vote short of being selected and said, ‘I think it's good to be imperfect. In life, it is because we are imperfect that we can move forward.' He also said, “The only way to get to a place you never imagined is to keep doing small things over and over again.”Ichiro is an athlete who can be described as a “seeker.” His philosophy, “I practice because I am imperfect. Practice starts with small things (the basics),” is similar to that of Aikido.

January, 2025

[Impressions of Residential Uchideshi Practice at Hashimoto Dojo]　

I have received the ‘Impressions of Residential Uchideshi Practice’ from Joon Tervakari, the Dojo- cho of the Finland Kizuna no Kai, who practised at Hashimoto Dojo for two weeks from 18th November to 1st December 2024.

In the Igarashi Dojo 40th Anniversary Commemorative Book, he wrote, ‘I first met Sensei in 1994 when he was teaching in Tampere, Finland. At the time, I was a 14-year-old junior high school student. After practice, Sensei came to the tatami to encourage me and my friends to jump tobikoshi ukemi over Sensei. It’s been 29 years now.’

This means that our relationship has spanned over 30 years. He has also been very active as the person in charge of international relations at the Igarashi Dojo since the 35th anniversary celebration in 2018. He has helped me a great deal as the person in charge of international relations at the 35th anniversary, the 8th dan promotion ceremony in 2019, and the 40th anniversary celebration and training camp in 2013. He has already served several long-term residential uchideshi periods at the Hashimoto Dojo. He is one of my proudest students.
  In 2017, Machiko and I attended the dojo opening ceremony for the Kizuna no Kai, of which I am godparent. And of course we will attend the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Kizuna no Kai, which is scheduled to be held in the summer of 2027.

「The peace of living in a dojo gives space for thoughtful practice」

Kizuna-no-kai, Karjaa, Finland

Dojo-cho Joon Tervakari

One of the main reasons to go on a training trip to Japan is that you can concentrate on your training in peace and quiet, without being distracted by other everyday things in your normal life. For me, however, the biggest reason is to get into the teachings of Igarashi-sensei and to meet sensei and Machiko-san at regular intervals. I feel privileged that this form of practice is possible for me and I am extremely grateful for it.

My training trip to Igarashi Dojo in November (2024) was the shortest of all my training trips. Even so, Igarashi-sensei had planned things so that my training would be as effective as possible during those two weeks. On days when there was no regular training at Hashimoto Dojo, I was able to visit other places to train and the result was a total of 14 exercises over those two weeks.

Thanks to Takagi-sensei, I was welcomed to her dojo near Hashimoto Station for late night practice. Before Aikido, there was a yoga class at the dojo, which worked very well as a body-care-practice and also to relax the mind before starting Aikido. The Aikido practice had a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere at Takagi-sensei's dojo, but still focused on correcting techniques very carefully. I would like to thank Takagi-sensei and her students for a very pleasant evening I had.

On Wednesdays, I was able to go to the Shinjuku Cosmic Sports Center to practice instucted by Hashimoto-sensei. The group consisted mostly of seniors, and I think that the coolest part was the senior beginners in the group. Hashimoto-sensei's strong and solid technique and challenging ukemi did not seem to discourage the enthusiasm of an older trainees. After each training session, we went together for an unhurried lunch across the street at an Indian restaurant where the regular weekly table reservation was waiting for us to arrive. I am grateful that I was included in this special group.

In addition to these, I also went to Hombu Dojo to practices insturcted by Dojo-cho Ueshiba Mitsuteru Sensei and Irie Sensei. I was practicing with a fit Finnish Konstamikko-san who is currently living in Japan, so there was plenty of speed and sweat. Staying at Hashimoto, I rarely go to Hombu Dojo due to travelling. If I want to make it to the first practice in the morning, I have to leave Hashimoto Dojo for the train station after 4am. So this time I only trained at Hombu Dojo for one day. In the future I must try to be more upbeat.

However, most of my training at Hashimoto Dojo was in the form of regular exercises where together with my training buddies who had become familiar over the years, we tried to learn and refine our movements under the guidance of Igarashi Sensei. These exercises allowed me to physically try out, concretize and repeat things that I had learned in private lessons with Igarashi Sensei between training days. Igarashi-sensei made a huge effort to try to teach me as much as possible. He showed me knowledge from Saito Sensei's and O-Sensei's books and concretized and explained both mental and physical techniques. Sensei also comforted me, when I couldn't do do something, that the most important thing is to remember how the technique feels. He explained to me that it will come back to me when I am are older, as I learn more. So I look forward to those future moments with my memories! 

I am also grateful to Machiko-san, who sometimes came to dojo practice with me and tried to help me learn despite her everyday business. Machiko-san also made sure I had everything I needed for living, provided breakfast and spent time with me, including with Christmas decorations.

Living in a dojo allows the mind to stay focused only on the training. When you wake up from the tatami in the morning and start your day by taking care of the daily routine of the dojo you stay mentally tuned into the training mindset. It's something special that you can only do if you live in a dojo. So I am very grateful for this opportunity to Igarashi Sensei and Machiko-san. That state of mind, the feeling of training and Igarashi Sensei's words were the most important souvenirs I brought home to my Kizunanokai Dojo when I returned. Although my trip was the shortest training trip I have ever taken, the end result is that it feels like perhaps the most important trip ever. 

A big thank you to Igarashi Sensei, Machiko-san and all the members of Igarashi Dojo. Happy New Year 2025 and hope to see you and train together again soon!