In the exercise of our Aikido, the ultimate goal is of course to obtain the ability to perform under full control in a perfectly flowing manner without conflicting not only with the partner but particularly with oneself. This perfectly flowing motion could well be out of reach, but we must strive to master it, nevertheless.<\/p>\n
Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of Aikido, did master it and in one of his writings (Takemusu Aiki) <\/em>he explained that his true aiki<\/em> came to life when he realized that all that existed was his breathing, centered deep in his belly where the universe itself was centered. As he then became the center of the universe through the flow of his own breathing, aiki<\/em> started also to flow freely through his body.<\/p>\n A highly spiritual and a deeply religious person, O-Sensei, gifted with a legendary outstanding physical power, managed to harmonize these various aspects to free himself fully of all constraints. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to see O-Sensei in person since he had already passed away when I discovered Aikido and started to train. However, among the teachers I had the opportunity to train under, two of them always insisted on a similar form of training, a hard way on one part and a flowing, uninterrupted motion on the other.<\/p>\n Yamaguchi Seigo Sensei alternated between Tanren keiko<\/em> (\u935b\u932c\u7a3d\u53e4) and Nagare Geiko <\/em>(\u6d41\u308c\u7a3d\u53e4). Forming or forging oneself for one part, gaining full and flowing control for the other part.<\/p>\n Chiba Kazuo Sensei insisted at length on the concept of Shu Ha Ri<\/em> (\u5b88\u7834\u96e2) where Shu<\/em> (\u5b88) means to keep, to protect, but also to obey the rules, the fundamentals, Ha<\/em> (\u7834) means to break, to destroy, to rip apart and Ri<\/em> (\u96e2) means to separate, to detach, to digress.<\/p>\n The three steps of Shu Ha Ri<\/em> define the way martial arts students should follow, from the learning of the fundamentals to its questioning and to a final stage where the student masters his\/her art and reach higher levels of freedom in this art.<\/p>\n Japanese art teachers usually do not teach, at least not in the way westerners understand it. The Japanese art teacher will act as a model (shihan <\/em>\u5e2b\u7bc4) for the disciples he has chosen and guide them to the point where they will be able to free themselves from the physical\/technical aspects of the art they are studying. Whether these disciples will be able or not to enter that realm of free expression and start creating\/innovating is beyond the teacher\u2019s power. It is through their hard and endless work in Tanren keiko<\/em> (\u935b\u932c\u7a3d\u53e4) and Shu Ha<\/em> (\u5b88\u7834) that the disciples will be able to perform in Nagare Geiko <\/em>(\u6d41\u308c\u7a3d\u53e4) and to reach the stage of Ri<\/em> (\u96e2) performance.<\/p>\n Right now, my satisfaction in Aikido training lies on my inability to pass the Ha<\/em> (\u7834) which, predictably, takes me back to the Shu<\/em> (\u5b88) stage. I say satisfaction because I like to train, and I like to try to polish what I know in order to control it better. There seems to be a need to always start all over again until the3 last can be reached, but the Ri<\/em> (\u96e2) stage always appears so far away, almost out of reach. A few years ago, as I asked Chiba Sensei what one would feel when being thrown by O-Sensei, he answered that he would not know. He just felt air, a light flow of air, as if he had never been touched by O-Sensei\u2019s hands. He said he was still pondering what was happening during these moments. These made me understand that I might never be able to taste, even so superficially, that feeling of total freedom in my expression of Aikido. At the same time, as I recall my teachers behavior and their endless efforts in their own pursuit of perfection and their willingness to take me along, as they are now gone, I do not see other way of behaving than to keep training and to try to reach a stage of true Nagare Geiko.<\/em><\/p>\n The character \u5b88 (shu<\/em>) includes the radical \u5b80 meaning \u201ccrown\u201d and represents a roof, and the element\u5bf8 (sun<\/em>), a measure of about 1.2 inch.<\/p>\n The character\u7834 (ha) includes the radical \u77f3(ishi<\/em>) meaning \u201cstone\u201d, and the element \u76ae (kawa <\/em>or hi<\/em>) meaning \u201cskin\u201d or \u201canimal hide\u201d.<\/p>\n The character\u96e2 (ri) includes the radical \u96b9 (furutori<\/em>) which means \u201cshort-tailed bird\u201d or \u201cold bird\u201d and the elements \u4ea0 (nabebuta<\/em>) meaning \u201cpot top\u201d, \u51f5 (ukebako<\/em>) meaning \u201cbox, open mouth\u201d and \u79b8 (ashiato<\/em>) meaning \u201cfootprint\u201d.<\/p>\n The character \u6d41 (nagare<\/em>) includes the radical \u6c34\uff08\u3055\u3093\u3059\u3044\uff09(here simplified as\u6c35\/ water) and the elements \u4ea0<\/a> (\u3068\u3046) \/ pot top, \u30e0 (\u30b7)\/ myself and\u5ddd (\u304b\u308f) \/ river.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nagare-keiko In the exercise of our Aikido, the ultimate goal is of course to obtain the ability to perform under full control in a perfectly flowing manner without conflicting not only with the partner but particularly with oneself. This perfectly flowing motion could well be out of reach, but we must strive to master it, … Continue reading Nagare Keiko<\/span> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/aikidodidierboyet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ShuHaRi.jpg?resize=196%2C96&ssl=1\")
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