Presenting Aikido Dojos - Aikido Dillingen

Aikido Dillingen ©

-Guest Post by Marcus

The Aikido division of the Budo club Dillingen e.V. is practicing Aikido accordingly to the principles and techniques of Nishio Sensei. The training courses are led by Kazuo Sato (4. Dan Aikido and 3. Dan Toho). Kazuo Sato met Nishio Sensei already in 1993 and was supporting him as translator during one of his seminars in Saarbrücken. Since 1999 Shishiya Sensei is the official representative and follower of Nishio Sensei in Germany. Shishiya was already well established and popular as assistant of Nishio Sensei, today he is continuing whose work and ideas. For the further establishment of the evolved principles of Nishio Sensei in Germany, Kazuo Sato founded in 2001 on recommendation of Nishio Sensei his own federation: the “Deutsche Aikido Renmei e.V.”. Therefore, Aikido dojo Dillingen became headquarter of the federation. Since the death of Nishio Sensei in 2005, Shishiya Sensei is visiting Germany and our dojo frequently to perform Aikido seminars and to teach the style of Nishio Sensei.

Aikido Dillingen ©

Shishiya Sensei demonstrates in his seminars the close relationship between the sword- and stick-techniques and the “empty-handed” forms of Aikido. Furthermore he is teaching Toho, which is a special form of Iaido developed by Nishio Sensei. The movements in Aikido also pointed-out by practicing the ´ken non tebiki´ or ´jo no tebiki´ forms (“ken and jo guide the movement”). Shishiya Sensei is paying a special attention to the attitude of the mind of Tori and advices consistently that Aikido is a forgiving martial art (“Yurusu Budo”, after the book of Nishio Sensei and Shishiya Sensei). Shishiya Sensei is also doing the next consequent step and modifies some of the Aikido techniques, e.g. Nikyo, Sankyo or Shiho nage, that these are free of pain for Uke, but showing the same efficiency. Even some of the sword techniques had been developed further in a way, that Uke is spared during his attack and gets several chances to think over his acting and to give up before hurting him. The sword is used only to control the movements of an aggressor, but not to hurt or kill him.

Shishiya Sensei is consequently following and developing further the leading thought of Toho of the “Sword, which is not for killing but to save lives.”

For the previous episode of presenting Aikido Dojos please head to Aikido in Oberhausen and New Orleans.

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