今日はホテルからの稽古レポート記載となった。今日は18時から広島県合気道連盟の夏季特別講習会があり、江田島の定期稽古を昼に時間変更してもらった。明日も朝から二部があるので、ホテルをとった。指導師範は入江嘉信師範。私が黒帯になってすぐぐらいだっただろうか、奈良県郡山市の特別講習会に指導に来られ、その時関西にいた私も参加した。その時、気さくに声をかけていただき、他師範の稽古にも律儀に参加され、我々に手に手をとって一緒に稽古していただける姿は私の合気道への憧れを一層強くした。他の師範の話が長くなって足が痺れている私に、全くびくともしていない入江師範は「大丈夫か？」と心配して声をかけていただいたことを覚えている。そんな長い正座も表情ひとつ変えず他の師範の稽古も黙々と稽古に打ち込まれているお姿は、私にとって憧れそのものだ。その時の気持ちは変わらない。先生の技を受けることは、技を盗むとかではない、私にとってアイドルとの握手会みたいなものだ。ただ一つ、その時見取りに呼んでもらった時よりも少し合気道をわかっている気がした、それが嬉しかった。合気道なんて形のないものを追いかけて１０年ほどだ、何が正解かわからない。しかし敢えていうなら、なぜか私は自分勝手な絶対音感ならぬ、絶対合気道感が私にはあって魅力的な師範に巡り会える力がある気がする。とてもありがたいと思った。
１合気体操
２足捌き
３受け身
４天地投げストレッチ
５両手取りループ
６両手取り一教裏
７両手取り四方投げ
８両手取り天地投げ裏
９両手取り回転投げ
１０両手取り二教裏
１１多人数取り両手取り呼吸投げ
昼の江田島での稽古にも何人か参加していただいた。身勝手な時間変更にもちゃんと応じていただけて、本当にありがたい。私は迷惑をかける人間だ。しかし迷惑には種類がある。やりたくないことでかける迷惑とやりたいことのための迷惑だ。ひとは誰しも迷惑をかけられるのが嫌だ。しかし、だれかが何かをしたくて努力しているための迷惑はなぜか応じてしまう、そんな動物だ。迷惑をかけていいと言っているのではない。やっぱり迷惑をかけることはいやなんだ、でも、やりたいことがあるなら、迷惑の一つや二つかけるかもしれない。私はそう思う。人間は迷惑を掛け合う生き物だ。でも、どうせかけるなら、迷惑を被ってくれてありがとうと言える迷惑をかけないといけない。そう思うんだ。
Today’s training report comes from a hotel room.
This evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m., the Hiroshima Prefecture Aikido Federation held its Summer Special Seminar. Because of that, we moved the regular Etajima practice to earlier in the day. Since there will be a second session starting tomorrow morning, I decided to stay overnight at a hotel.
The guest instructor was Yoshinobu Irie.
I believe it was shortly after I earned my black belt that he came to teach at a special seminar in Koriyama, Nara Prefecture. At the time, I was still living in the Kansai region and was able to attend. What left the deepest impression on me was not only his technique but also his character. He spoke to people warmly and casually, participated sincerely in other instructors’ classes, and trained directly with us, taking our hands and practicing alongside us.
That experience strengthened my admiration for Aikido.
I also remember sitting through a particularly long lecture by another instructor. My legs had long since gone numb from seiza, but Irie Sensei sat there completely unmoved. Seeing my discomfort, he quietly asked, “Are you alright?” That simple gesture stayed with me. His ability to endure the same long sitting without changing expression, and then continue training diligently in every session, embodied something I deeply respected.
My feelings have not changed since then.
Receiving a technique from Sensei is not, for me, about trying to “steal” techniques. It is more like attending a handshake event with someone you greatly admire. Yet there was one difference this time: compared to when I was first called up to observe and train with him years ago, I felt that I understood Aikido just a little more than I did then. That realization made me happy.
I have spent about ten years chasing something that has no tangible form. I still do not know what the “correct” answer is. But if I were forced to describe it, I would say that I seem to possess something like an “absolute Aikido sense,” much like absolute pitch in music. Somehow, I find myself drawn to instructors whose Aikido resonates deeply with me. For that, I feel very fortunate.
Training
- Aiki warm-up exercises
- Footwork
- Ukemi (breakfalls)
- Tenchi-nage stretch
- Ryote-dori loop movement
- Ryote-dori ikkyo ura
- Ryote-dori shiho-nage
- Ryote-dori tenchi-nage ura
- Ryote-dori kaiten-nage
- Ryote-dori nikyo ura
- Multiple-attacker ryote-dori kokyu-nage
Several members also attended the daytime practice in Etajima. I am genuinely grateful that they accommodated the schedule change without complaint.
I am the sort of person who inconveniences others from time to time.
Yet I think there are different kinds of inconvenience. There is the inconvenience caused by avoiding responsibility or neglecting what should be done. Then there is the inconvenience that arises because someone is sincerely pursuing something important to them.
No one enjoys being inconvenienced. But for some reason, when we see someone making a genuine effort toward something they care about, we often find ourselves willing to help.
That does not mean it is acceptable to inconvenience others carelessly. I dislike causing trouble for people. I always will. Still, if there is something truly worth pursuing, then perhaps one or two inconveniences along the way are unavoidable.
Human beings inconvenience one another. That is simply part of living together.
But if we are going to burden others at times, then we should do so with gratitude. We should be able to say, sincerely, “Thank you for bearing this inconvenience with me.”
To me, that makes all the difference.
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