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WAKA
SENSEI (Shinichi Tohei Sensei)
Waka Sensei, what do
you see as your biggest challenges ahead in carrying on your father's work?
Waka Sensei: I think one of my biggest challenges is to develop the
strong initiative that my generation lacks because we were everything was
done for us. It is true that the path has been cleared, but because we did
not do the clearing ourselves we tend to lack the motivation needed to
actually travel down the path. My generation is the generation that will
carry Japan
through the first half of the 21st Century. Yet we have grown lazy and
dependent on machines and electronic devices. We have many choices, but
little focus. Like my father, I have to find ways to get people interested in
training, to teach them to unify mind and body and face the challenges ahead.
We have a saying, ''Fueki Ryuko,'' which means that life is changeless in the
fundamentals but always changing on the surface. How we deal with this, to
preserve the fundamental truths while living in a changing world, this is the
same challenge we face in teaching. Because of its roots in Japanese culture,
Ki-Aikido gives us a chance to rediscover the meaning of important Japanese
customs that are being lost, and to keep what is worth preserving.
You say that many
traditional words and concepts in Japan no longer make sense to the
younger generation. Language and values change, but how do you bridge the
generation gap in teaching Ki?
Waka Sensei: My father was born in Japan in 1920. It was a very
different world from today, and many of the words and expressions used by the
generation born before the war are no longer taught or understood today. Our
language itself has changed. Many of the younger generation have never heard
of ideas that come from the Chinese classics, and this sometimes makes it
difficult to teach. For this reason I am working with my father to find new
ways of expressing these ideas, new words and examples that make sense to my
generation, but are still consistent with the fundamental truths.
Computers have
helped create a boom in the martial arts for two reasons: the rapid spread of
information and communication over the Internet; and what is called
techno-stress, the need to balance mind and body. What would you hope this
website can do to help people in the martial arts?
Waka Sensei: Electronic devices have made our lives more convenient,
but also caused us to be more sedentary and dependent on convenience.
Ki-Aikido can help us restore the balance of mind and body, and remain fit
and healthy our whole life. The Internet makes it possible for us to communicate
instantly with people all over the world. This is a good thing, and we hope
that it can bring the benefits of Ki-Aikido to people who otherwise might
never hear of them. The Ki Society is still developing information for our
own website in English, but in addition to Tohei Sensei's books, many of the
Ki Society member dojos overseas also have websites in English where you can
find more information.
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INTERVIEW
with Master Koichi Tohei & Waka Sensei
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Page
9 of 9
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