Shukan News 21st November

Griffith Aikido Brisbane – learn Aikido – beginners welcome

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1. Paying fees in December – January

The Nathan dojo will be closing for 3 weeks over Christmas. The last classes for children and adults will be held on Saturday 10th December and the dojo will reopen on Tuesday evening 3rd January 2012.

Adult students at Nathan dojo are requested to pay your normal fees (unlimited, lite, concession etc.) for December and this will entitle you to train through all of January as well. In other words, you will get 6 weeks of training for the price of 4 weeks. This doesn’t apply to Aikikids who will continue to use their 12-class passes on a class by class basis.

2. Aikido the Warrior School

As part of a martial arts documentary, Discovery Channel produced an episode which filmed the legendary Furuya Sensei and his students inside his dojo.

The late Rev. Kensho Furuya was a 6th Dan in Hombu Aikido (The Aikikai Foundation) and 6th Dan Kyoshi in Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido, with over 47 years experience in martial artists. He trained at the Aikido World Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan in 1969, under the late Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu and established his Dojo in 1974.

Harvard educated, Furuya Sensei was ordained as a Zen priest in 1988. He was the Chief Instructor at the Aikido Center of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Sword & Swordsmanship Society Kenshinkai.

Furuya Sensei authored the book Kodo: Ancient Ways, (copy in our library) and the acclaimed video series, The Art of Aikido which is in nine volumes.

His ‘old dojo’ was located in a secluded corner of the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles. At the corner of Vignes and Second Streets is a private lane leading to artist loft studio #7, which was the Dojo. There was not much walk-by traffic nor were there major thoroughfares. It was very quiet and private, excellent for training.

The Dojo’s entrance-way was a traditionally-designed Japanese style garden which lead to a handcrafted dojo built in the style of a 16th century samurai mansion. Most of its furnishings were antiques direct from Japan. Many of its guests from Japan declared that it was “more Japanese than Japan”. Some considered it to be one of the most beautiful and most traditionally styled dojos in the world.

Follow this link to view the entire clip of Discovery Channel’s Aikido the Warrior School:

Meanwhile here is an excerpt on You Tube:

3. Thought for the week

“Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don’t have to do anything else. We don’t have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen.” Margaret J Wheatley