Aikido Dichotomies: Water - Fire, Kon - Haku

There are quite some dichotomies to be discovered in aikido. Here are two of them that stared interesting me. The left and the right how they symbolize the male and female side, but at the same time a lot more dualities can be listed under this one. I was really glad to discover this table in The Essence of Aikido by Morihei Ueshiba, John Stevens and decided to share it with you:

The Essence of Aikido (1993) p. 26

It is easy to relate to this one, as a westerner also, because the water - fire duality is an archetype that we are also familiar with. Seeing this table, makes me think of myself in terms of these oppositions. The practice itself is also done in the symmetry of the two sides, each technique having not only a left and a right but also an omote and an ura application. 

Another set of opposite terms that rose my interest was the Kon vs. Haku, conscious soul vs. corporeal soul. Kon is all that is noble in human nature like inteligence, sensitivity and intuition that is not common to each and every individual. Haku is the more immediate, disruptive and sometimes even aggressive set of human characteristics that can be found in anyone: fear, love, hate, desire. In my understanding there is no Kon without Haku, unless we are able to banish Haku, but there can be Haku without Kon. Furthermore, O'Sensei considered Aikido to be a martial art based on the Kon, while other martial arts are based on Haku.

I started really liking the Kon and Haku opposition, because just now as I write, I realize that it stays at the very basis of the concept of this blog I am writing.

Thoughts from French Female Aikidoka: Sandra Aikidoka

I have found some interviews with French female Aikidoka on  the Youtube channel of AikidoFFAAA: Sylvia, Sandra, Florence and Jacqueline. These fit really well into my series revealing thoughts from female aikidoka. In this post I am sharing the interview with Sandra. She is a French aikidoka, so I am trying my best to translate her thoughts from the interview into English hereunder. She has an interesting way of formulating her thoughts that is quite difficult to render into Enlgish, but I tried my best. What I did to make the phrases more understandable was to split them into sentences. Her way of rendering her thoughts is much more cascading and continuous, but it could have lead to funny phrases in English. So here it is:

At the first training I saw the first technique. The next day I bought a kimono and I assiduously began to follow the aikido  courses. 

We would always make use of the power of the partner without using our own force. In comparison with men, I have the feeling that women have an advantage because aikido requests suppleness, agility, rapidity. We are not using the muscles of the arms and of the shoulders but the hips. It is true that a woman has a natural advantage at that level because they are built up to be able to bare a child so there is a natural endowment and power. 

It is not about learning a technique but learning the placement, the steps and how to put yourself in a safe position when facing another person. We always have stressful days, we run all day long and are irritated but when the aikido course starts it is as if we would evacuate all that, as if a really positive and serene energy that would flow all through our body, putting you to calm and ease. One has an incredible energy after the course. As for myself I know that I am more productive at work after the training then before. I am aware of the fact that the people who knew me before I started practicing aikido and who see me now five years later don´t recognize me. I used to be really anxious and stressed out I was afraid I would be late or not able to finish this or that task. It is true that I am a much more balanced person. I used to be really timid and reserved, used to have difficulty to relate to others, but aikido has helped me a lot. In fact practicing aikido is working with someone; we cannot practice alone. I have accquired a lot of serenity and confidence in myself, something I did not have before. It is true that the way one practices aikido is a question of existing in the world. With my weight I could not imagine how I would be able to face someone who has 90 to 95 kgs. But then I realized there was a possibility to lead him without being confronted with him, something that I also verified in my daily life. It is true that it is a martial art, but it educates me to have a certain lifestyle also.

Interview with Lia Suzuki Sensei

Lia Suzuki began training aikido in 1982. Through her first teacher, the renowned William Gleason Sensei, 6th dan, she was introduced to the distinctive aikido of the late Yamaguchi Seigo Shihan, 9th dan and one of his most accomplished students,Takeda Yoshinobu Shihan, 8th dan. At present she is 6th dan aikidoka and the Executive Director for an Aikido Nonprofit: Aikido Kenkyukai Santa Barbara. She is a really charismatic personality with a lot of experience to share. I think this interview is really inspiring to listen to. This is the list of question that I used as guideline for the interview:

First of all the name betrays that you have a Japanese husband. Is that right? 

When did you start aikido and why?

Tell us about your time in Japan. Did you go through any cultural shock?

Tell us about the dojo in Santa Barbara.

Does non-profit mean that  the aikidoka do not pay any fees?

What is aikido for you?

What is the benefit of aikido?

How can the non-aikido public be educated? 

How could one make people understand that we are not just slaming each other?

Help aikido throughout the world, tell us more about this vision.

Do you consider it is important to show female aikidoka other female role models or you don’t care about gender in aikido?

And it goes on with Part 2

And the final Part 3

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For 2011

For 2012

*Technical tip for those who want to record a similar interview 

I recorded it with a VodBurner trial which created huge files. A one hour conversation occupied in raw 25 giga (this side and other side). The converted media file version is 14 giga, which I later had to compress and edit with AVS Video Editor because I did not like the VodBurner editing features.