Kawaraban No. 70

06/2007

by the editors of the Kawaraban

This year Mr. Akira Asaga (he was the private secretary of the former prime minister Kakuei Tanaka, and he is presently lecturer for graduates at the Waseda university) was inaugurated as advisor for the Tendokan. For more than 40 years he has a friendly teacher-pupil relationship with the Kanshou Kenji Shimizu. He knows the issues of Shimizu Sensei quite well, and as an advisor he will contribute a lot to the positive development of the Tendokan.

During practice together with his grand child as well as together with the young people he experienced perspiring Tendoryu Aikido daily by bodily sensation. In the following we introduce to all of you the inaugural speech (summary) of the advisor Asaga in front of the newly built ‘Tendokan Steering Committee’:

When I was seeking some kind of self-contradiction, somehow I got an allergy. In the saying “A Samurai controls his posture” we are reminded of the hearts of the Samurai, who said, “I want to be like that and I have to be like that”, and to their difficulties with the daily livelihood.

Our Shimizu Sensei is an internationally recognized Budoka, he is independent for more than 38 years, and it is a great question whether he would have been able to continue until today if he were an average Budoka. Whatever society we are looking at, once somebody becomes independent, it more often than once happens that the future is nipped in the bud by superior authorities. Shimizu Sensei’s brilliant talent and his incomparable character, which is respected and aimed at by all students, is the reason that he was able to continue until today. Both, pursuing the final truth in Budo and stabilizing the management of the Dojo, were necessary at the same time. By continuously accepting one member after the other today’s Tendokan developed, and regarding any trouble for Shimizu Sensei from now on, we as his students should have as well the mental attitude to bear a part.

For the future development of the Tendokan it will be our task from now on, to consider how we will be able to inform the residents of our area and the people in the surrounding of our students in whatever way about the quality of our branding Tendokan. If Aikido is in practical use for education and health there will be nothing more pleasant.

We have identified today’s big social problems as the ruinous education and the longevity of an aging society, and in Aikido, as an art of Budo, where is said “All starts with a bow and all ends with a bow”, the body is moved aiming at youthful fresh health. And it is the best, if women and men of any age use Aikido continuously.

(discussion with Mr. Asaga)

© translated by Ichiro Murata and Peter Nawrot 12/2007