The Ran Network

March 16, 2013March 19, 2013

36 Years on and it is Still Great Fun – Interview with S. Chierchini

Y. Fujimoto & S. Chierchini — Yoji Fujimoto & Simone Chierchini playing on the mats (Florence, 1987)

36 years since the beginning, as a little child in Tada Sensei’s class in Rome, passing next to Hosokawa Sensei’s years in Rome Aikido Central School as an adolescent, continuing to grow in Milan with his main mentor, Fujimoto Sensei, maturing the hard way in Ireland, starting up his own organisation, going his own way and receiving Hombu Dojo recognition… 36 years on and it is still great fun! Chierchini Sensei’s son, Luke, assisted by Grandma Carla, the first Italian woman to reach Nidan, asks his dad why

by LUKE CHIERCHINI & CARLA SIMONCINI

LUKE:
Hi Sensei, all my friends from the kids class would like to know where are you from.

SENSEI:
I am from Rome, Italy. I only came to Ireland 12 years ago.

LUKE:
Why did you decide to come to Ireland?

SENSEI:
Because it was lovely and green and crowded with happy leprechauns like you! Only kidding, I came here because at the time I liked it. What do you think about Ireland yourself?

LUKE:
I like it apart from the weather. I love to see all the green grass around and the view of the hills from my home. What age were you when you started Aikido?

SENSEI:
I was 8 years old and I used to go training with my dad.

LUKE:
Was your dad doing Aikido as well as you?

1969_Monopoli_Danilo Ch — Chierchini father & son in 1969 (Rome)

SENSEI:
Yes, my dad was one of the main teachers of Roma Aikido Central School. I don’t remember much about that time apart from the fact that I was a nuisance on the mats! I have a clear memory of one particular class when my father had to stop the seiza and say: “If I can manage to find that blackbird I’ll shoot him on the spot!”, because I was whistling along, all happy with myself… I remember enjoying being with the grown-ups and travelling to other places for courses.

LUKE:
What is the name of your Aikido teacher?

SENSEI:
I had more than one teacher. As a child I did my 10th Kyu with Tada Sensei, which is probably a world record! Then for a while I was in Hosokawa Sensei’s children’s class, always in Roma. He had just arrived from Japan and at the beginning had very little Italian. We used to drive him crazy! Once he thought that a boy had done his jobbies in his suit. Instead this boy had hidden a chocolate bar in its bottoms and it had melted during the warm-ups…

LUKE:
How did you understand what he was saying if he had little Italian?

S. We did not understand a word! Also we were too busy laughing all the time to notice what was going on. The poor Sensei eventually became more fluent and he made us pay for being brats by breaking our backs with tonnes of prison-style exercises…

LUKE:
You said that you had other teachers. Who were they? Were they Italian or Japanese?

SENSEI:
Both. Earlier on, as a teenager, I learned a lot from two Italian teachers of the Roma Dojo, Roberto Candido aka Bob Rock and Ivano Zintu or the Aikido Bulldozer. As their nicknames suggest, these were guys you didn’t want to mess with. Unfortunately I had to, all the time. I happened to be light and flexible and they always called me for taking ukemi during class or demonstrations. Hosokawa Sensei did too, adding up to that retroactive punishment that I mentioned with you before… When I was 20 and Shodan, I moved to Milan, where I quickly became very close to Fujimoto Sensei. He has been my role model as an Aikido teacher for a long time and even though I now follow my own path, I am very grateful to him for all his teachings and for the good time I had in my 10 Milano years.

LUKE:
What Dan are you now, Sensei?

SENSEI:
I have been recently promoted to 5th Dan by Tada Sensei, who was my mum and dad’s Aikido teacher a long time ago, even before you and most of the adult students of our dojo were born. I have been following him on and off for my entire Aikido life but only loosely, as my Aikido is more centred on building up a strong relationship with people than on some not too well identified spiritual research. I don’t like religion, especially on the Aikido mats. That’s maybe a touch too difficult for you, my dear baba. What grade are you, Luke?

Luke & Simone Chierchini — Second and third generation Chierchini in Aikido: Luke & Simone in Sligo (IRL), 2005

LUKE:
I am 7th/6th Kyu. I graded in June this year.

SENSEI:
That’s very good, congratulations! How long have you been training for?

LUKE:
I started when I was 3, so that means I have been training for 7 years now. How long have you been training?

S. I started in 1972 when I was 8. It took me 36 years to become 5th Dan!!! I would have been out of jail earlier if I had killed JFK…

LUKE:
Why did it get you so long to get to 5th Dan?

SENSEI:
Firstly because just like you I started very young, second because my dad being the chairman of the Italian Aikikai I got no discounts. My teachers always made it very hard for me and failed me a few times. Most of all, it depended on the fact that the Aikikai, our school, has a very unfair grading system. Most senior teachers are like those bully boys who never want to pass you the ball in a football match, no matter how good you are.

LUKE:
Apart from Aikido did you ever do any other martial art?

SENSEI:
Yes, I have been practicing Ken-jitsu of the Katori Shinto Ryu style for quite a while; that is one of the most famous sword schools in Japan. I have a Shodan of the Sugino Ryu even though I don’t follow the school anymore. Ken-jitsu has greatly helped me to develop my Aikido in the last 12 years, more than following any Aikido Sensei. When I was a young child I did a bit of Judo too.

LUKE: Why did you decide to stop Judo and do Aikido instead?

SENSEI:
My dad used to be a very good Judo teacher. One day he heard of Aikido but there was no Aikido teacher in Italy yet at the time. Then he got lucky when a Judo friend introduced him with a young Japanese named Kawamukai who was a 3rd Dan of Aikido. They started together the first Italian Aikido Dojo in my father’s Monopoli Judo Club in Rome.

Chierchini Kisshomaru Ueshiba Fujimoto 1989 — With Kisshomaru Ueshiba & Yoji Fujimoto in Karlsrue (D), World Games 1989

A few months later they called Tada Sensei to teach in Italy. My dad became Aikido mad and Judo was gone for both of us.

LUKE:
Were you ever badly injured doing Aikido?

SENSEI:
I had a couple of injuries all right but that is part of the business if you are on the mats for 36 years, isn’t it? Do you think that Aikido is dangerous?

LUKE:
No, but it can be if you are not very careful and don’t follow the instructions.

SENSEI:
That’s it, very well said Luke.

LUKE:
What is the most important thing about Aikido?

SENSEI:
Uuuuuuuh! Now, that’s a question… What is the most important thing about ice cream? What do you think?

LUKE:
I think the way you breathe and soft movements are the most important things in Aikido.

SENSEI:
That’s a good point. Remember though that for each Aikido student the most important thing is a different one. So that must be the most important thing about Aikido…

First published on the Aikido Organisation of Ireland Newsletter, Issue 15 – Summer 2008

Copyright Simone Chierchini ©2008-2011
Per le norme relative alla riproduzione consultare
http://simonechierchini.wordpress.com/copyright/

March 15, 2013March 19, 2013

The 1990 Morihiro Saito’s Turin Speech

MSaito_wp — "Io non distinguo le persone in base all'organizzazione a cui appartengono"

Le parole pronunciate da Morihiro Saito Sensei in occasione del suo Koshukai di Torino del 1990 costituiscono un documento storico di valore inestimabile per la storia dell’Aikido. Abbiamo il piacere di riproporle in versione italiana e inglese, corredate dal video originale

There is a large stone in front of the Aiki Jinja, on which O-Sensei had these words carved: “All human beings must live in friendship like a big family”. I follow these teachings as well.
I belong to the Aikikai, but I do not care: all men are equal, all equal. I do not distinguish people by the organization to which they belong. There is no difference.
Paolo (Corallini), came to Iwama many many times to study Iwama style. He also invited me to Italy seven times and every time I come to Europe, he is always with me. This time he even followed me in Scotland and Germany.
Thanks to his qualities, his technical level has grown up so much that I have decided to allow Paolo to conduct Buki Waza examinations in Europe. So even if I am not here, I do not worry. Many of you teachers will receive the Shodan license to teach Buki Waza, this is not a problem, but only Paolo will conduct the examinations.
These are wonderful techniques from O’Sensei, therefore, please, study them well and preserve them.
I will do my best to lead a good seminar this time as well. I will put my best efforts for you to enjoy this event.
The techniques of Iwama constitute the original Aikido, please do not forget!
Frenchmen Nocquet is a student of Ueshiba Kisshomaru, but I am a direct student of O-Sensei. So, please, teach your students the real Aikido. In this way it will become much more fun, because Aikido is rational 100%, so everyone can do it and appreciate it.

Thank you.

Turin, Italy 1990

Morihiro Saito Paolo Corallini — Morihiro Saito with Paolo Corallini

Davanti all’Aiki Jinja c’e’ una grande pietra su cui O’Sensei ha fatto incidere queste parole: “Tutti gli esseri umani devono vivere in amicizia come una grande famiglia”. Anche io seguo questi insegnamenti.
Io appartengo all’Aikikai, ma non mi importa: tutti gli uomini sono uguali, tutti uguali. Io non distinguo le persone in base all’organizzazione a cui appartengono. Non c’e’ nessuna differenza.
Paolo (Corallini) e’ venuto a Iwama tantissime volte a studiare Iwama style. Inoltre mi ha invitato in Italia sette volte ed ogni volta che vengo in Europa, lui e’ sempre con me. Questa volta mi ha seguito persino in Scozia e Germania.
Grazie alle sue qualita’, il suo livello tecnico e’ cresciuto a tal punto che ho deciso di autorizzare Paolo a condurre esami di Buki Waza in Europa. Quindi, anche se non vengo qui, non mi preoccupo. Molti di voi insegnanti riceveranno la licenza di Primo Dan per insegnare Buki Waza, questo non e’ un problema, ma solo Paolo condurra’ le sessioni di esami.
Queste sono le meravigliose tecniche di O’Sensei, quindi, per cortesia, studiatele bene e conservatele.
Faro’ del mio meglio per condurre anche questa volta un buon seminario. Mettero’ il mio massimo impegno per farvi godere questo evento.
Le tecniche di Iwama sono l’Aikido originale, per favore non dimenticatelo!
Il francese Nocquet e’ allievo di Kisshomaru Ueshiba, ma io sono un allievo diretto di O’Sensei. Pertanto, per favore, insegnate ai vostri allievi il vero Aikido. In questo modo diventera’ molto piu’ divertente: perche’ l’Aikido e’ razionale al 100%, quindi ognuno puo’ praticarlo e apprezzarlo.

Grazie.

Torino, Italia 1990

March 15, 2013October 15, 2013

Gradings Yes, Gradings Not

Go Dan Chierchini Aiello — Receiving a Dan Grade Certificate

The Training Syllabus of every martial arts organisation is a bare list of grades and techniques. Each syllabus also indicates minimum training times required between a test and the following one, but no further explanation is supplied. That’s not a big help, especially if we consider how delicate this matter is

di SIMONE CHIERCHINI

The Dreamers & the Lazy Bunch
Some of students read the training syllabus nearly every day, mostly focusing their attention on the minimum training times required between tests. These practitioners are in love with themselves and usually dream of wearing a black belt after a few weeks from picking up the art – and actually give up training after a few months, when they throw their uniform in the attic of the house.
Other Martial arts students ignore their training syllabus all together. They consider the syllabus book to be an obscure tangle of weird foreign words and are resigned not to be able to learn their awkward pronunciation – not even over ten years of practice.

The Examiner
The training syllabus doesn’t bind the examiner in his job. He is not obliged to follow it technique by technique if he feels right to do so. When appointed the examiner receives the training syllabus as a guideline. Its purpose is to create a common basic standard in every dojo of the organisation.
Examiners are required to stay as close as possible to the syllabus. However, the only duty for the examiner is to make sure that students respect the specific training times required for their grade.

Training Times
If you add the minimum training times required for all grades up to black belt, in most of best Budo organisation it is possible to reach the Shodan after about 3-4 years and 700-800 hours of continuous training. That is less than two hours of practice a day, every day of the year, Christmas and St. Patrick’s day included. University courses are definitely more demanding.
It is obvious that the minimum times are suitable for nobody. Being realistic, it would be all right if you put in 50% of that time. That way it is possible to reach the black belt grade within about five or six years of steady practice.

Aurora Jochem — If you have practiced hard, grade!

Should I apply?
If you seriously commit yourself to Aikido practice, if you are regularly training and you feel that you are making progress, once you are beyond the minimum training times required, it makes no sense not to apply for the following grading test.
The Technical Board of each organisation has determined the necessary waiting times between tests. These times are not be multiplied by ten in the name of a full technical mastership which a Mudansha (a non-black belt grade) will never obviously have.

What is a Kyu Grade
In Japanese language the words for “black belt” don’t exist. In the old martial styles there was a grading system totally different from today.
Basically, to obtain a Menkyo Kaiden, the final certificate of a school (Ryu), would have meant the mastership of the Art. Lower level certificates were Shoden, Chuden and Okuden, Initial, Median and Deep Transmission of the Art.
When a trainee earned a certificate of a Ryu, he would have been a kind of initiated person of such a school. Roughly speaking, the traditional grading system can be related to the Dan grades system, started up by the Judo founder, Jigoro Kano, at the beginning of this century.
In the old martial styles grading system like the modern Kyu grades and belts of different colours did not exist. Kyu grades are an invention of the 20th century, when, with the huge diffusion of several of these arts, in Japan and then elsewhere, the need was felt to have grades for non experienced people.
Why wasn’t this need felt before? We must remember that in the feudal Japan a new follower of a warrior school would have been already an initiate. Since childhood the Samurai was educated for that purpose. In that manner the whole old Japanese nation for many centuries was in power of the caste of the warriors, namely the Samurai, a chaste closed and not so numerous.
At the end of last century feudal Japan collapsed and there were no more Samurai. The Japanese lost their condition of being ‘initiated people’, becoming similar to those Westerns to who, in a few years, Martial Arts were going to be taught.

The Objective: to become an “Initiate”
Going back to our subject, we could say that the Kyu grades are the ones of the non-initiated people, those who are learning the seven notes willing at some stage to compose their own music.
From this point of view, Kyu level is the equivalent of the Primary and Secondary school for those who aspire to degree, master degree and profession. It will be better to remember that a person needing twelve years to cover the six years course in the National School would be universally considered a sort of half-wit.
Therefore be careful, do not wear yourself out waiting to leave the condition of the ‘non-initiated’, from where most of the Aikido students never come out. That is very sad, because normally, if you commit yourself to whatever activity, you are not supposed to do so to enjoy its surface only, but to catch its essence.
One must practice moderately, keep unbroken continuity, foster a sincere mind while learning orthography, grammar and syntax of his favorite martial art, going through the relevant tests.
This is the work that everyone has to face during the Kyu period and the examinations will be as frequent and continuous as the wish for learning increases.
When this stage is over, one will master the basics and become an ‘initiated’ person. Standing on your own feet, finally, you can make a new start.

In this sense, the real martial art practice is the one starting when you get your Shodan, not to be translated as ‘Black Belt’, but as the ‘Grade of the Beginning’.