Rendezvous with Adventure

Rendezvous with Adventure is maybe one of the first clips I ever saw of O Sensei.  The filming was done before I was born, but within my Dad's lifetime.  I have had friends who were at the Tokyo tower more recently, and apparently the view has really changed.  There are some changes to Aikido to my eye.

When they actually start to practice (1433) the only exercise I recognize is Funakogi Undo.  I don't know what these exercises are for, but this class is taught to these cameramen by both Koichi Tohei and Kisshomaru Ueshiba - and I have trained in both of their lineages.  

The cameramen talk about taking ten days, practicing seven hours a day before being allowed to train in techniques.  It looks like they had to learn to fall along the way.  Not many beginners would agree to a seventy hour introduction before being allowed to be introduced to a technique.  I would love to know what that seventy hours entailed.

A student challenging the teacher (Koichi Tohei, at 1928) to a match seldom happens anymore.  

I had also expected to be a little more...impressed.  The head instructor of the Hombu Dojo, an eventual tenth Dan against someone who trained for less than two weeks.  Not saying I would do better or that I would be any prettier.

I never saw a Sensei get challenged like this, but I saw Kawahara Sensei agree to "answer questions" from his own students outside of class time when he was a good mood.  I remember asking him about a Nikyo reversal in my living room once, which had him roar and put me on my knees in Nikyo and yell, "REVERSE!"  (I did not.  I could not.)

The pin by Koichi Tohei - not something I see happening much in Aikido dojo now.  I know Ki Society people who who say it wasn't Aikido.  It is not classical Aikido as it was taught to me, but more resembles Daito Ryu - speaking as not a Daito Ryu person.  The very cool pin by O Sensei himself leading into the closing credits is something I never saw anywhere else either.    

At the time, I had only practiced very rudimentary Tsuki and Shomenuchi with a Jo.  Seeing O Sensei with a Jo (2113):  "Well, that's different."  After seeing YouTube of Koichi Tohei's Jo kata, Rinjiro's Misogi no Jo, Saito's Aikijo, Shodokan Jo kata, as well as Birankai and Nishio Jo work, the demo is still unique.  I can recognize individual movements, but the overall flavor is very different.

An interesting piece of history, enjoy.