The weekend began with a quick demo and class for our audience from the Superior School of Martial Arts.  The kids and participants were enthralled with Kancho’s techniques and humor.

Saturday started the actual seminar with movements and techniques flowing from the original Aikijujitsu to Aikido.  We trained in the classic aikido weapons of bokken, tanto and jo developing genuine insights concentrating on timing, correct distance,extension of ki and balance.

That evening after dinner we returned to Sensei’s home to watch “13 Assassins”.  Besides being an outstanding movie in the tradition of Seven Samurai, the film dealt with the concept of “The Life Giving Sword”.  The concept has several meanings but this plot reflects:

“It is missing the point to think that the martial art is solely in cutting a man down. It is not in cutting people down; it is in killing evil. It is the stratagem of killing the evil of one man and giving life to ten thousand”  – Yagyu Munenori

My thoughts were how aikido is an amazingly evolved art, not just the idea of sophisticated technique from its samurai past,  but in its aim to develop harmony within ourselves, our fellow man, with nature and the Divine.