preserves my freedom to give recogni-tion to my members beyond what iswritten.Promotion in Aikido can be given

through two different procedures:examination and recommendation.The most important rule for a teacherin conducting an examination is thatone must never compare the perform-ance and content of one student’sexamination with another. Each candi-date should be examined based onhis/her own human condition and asa complete individual, which requiresa close understanding betweenteacher and student. Without havingestablished this, the Aikido test is like-ly to be false. The overall principle andbackbone of any examination is thedegree of cultivation of the body –what I call an “Aikido body” – which isthe degree of cultivating one’s originalbody-consciousness. Objectively, an

Promotion isa naturalprocess in

the study ofAikido, in whichtiming as well ascontent vary onan individualbasis. Each student progresses in anindividual fashion, and how he or sheshould be given recognition can’t begeneralized. However, we can’t affordto be completely without form, butneed to have an overall guideline: testrequirements.Test requirements are a sensitive

issue. They are fundamentallymechanical, and flexibility is requiredin order to meet the diversity of thehuman condition and the individualreality. For this reason, I have adoptedthe test ‘guidelines’ and not ‘require-ments’ for the USAF Western Region.This system both ensures thatpromotion is not a matter of luck, and

CONTENTS

1 Timely promotion

2 Editorial

4 German-French seminar

7 Japan Matsuri 2014

8 Misogi 2013

10 BE Summer Camp 2014

12 A foreignerʼs view

BIRANKAI EUROPE NEWSLETTERBIRANKAI EUROPE NEWSLETTER

MM UU SS UU BB IIMM UU SS UU BB IIIssue 9Issue 9 November 2014November 2014

continued on page 3

Please send submissionsfor May 2015 issue by31 March 2015

Promotion tied to keen eye andrelationship of teacher saysShihan TK Chiba

Chiba Sensei

Polish Summer camp, Wroclaw, 11 August 2007

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Editorial

Aikido teaches us more than self defence. From our first class wehave to reacquaint ourselves with our body: how to coordinate themovements of our limbs and body with our brain. We are taught

to move in ways we have not done before and the brain becomes a bitmuddled initially. Once the pathway of each new movement has beenmastered with many repetitions, the movements in Aikido becomesecond nature.Learning the form of the techniques is only one aspect of the physical,

mental, spiritual and ethical disciplines in Aikido training.What better way to further the mastery of the art than learning respect

through mutual physical contact. In this way a means of communicationis established which transcend the barriers of lifestyle, language, cultureand race. From 2000 Alexander Broll, Aikido Dojo Gen Ei Kan, Landau and

Didier Hatton, Aikikai de Strasbourg have been conducting children andadolescent seminars and from 2008 this expanded into joint German-French seminars for children and adolescents. Venues for the seminarshave included Paris, France and in June this year 50 members gatheredin Annweiler, Germany for their camping seminar. Lars Ebsen and MaxJung share their experiences with us on page 5.At the other end of the scale, we see a close group of adults united in

their desire to strengthen their ties to Mother nature and freeing them-selves from the constraints of their daily lives to brave the elements topractise misogi. The misogi gives depth to their martial training whilstreminding them of their connection to the beauty of nature. Jean-LucBusmey describes the Misogi training in 2013 on page 8.Other activities around Europe include the BE Summer School held

this year 26 July-1 August 2014 in Wroclaw, Poland conducted byShihan Tsuruzo Miyamoto 7th Dan, Hombu dojo, Japan and theEuropean Shihans and shidoins. On 27 September London Aikikai onceagain took part in the Japan Matsuri Festival held in Trafalgar Square,London with two demonstrations which included children’s classes forthe first time. Shihan Etsuji Horii 7th Dan, Aikido Kobe Sanda Dojo,Japan, has been invited to conduct courses in London and Wroclaw thisyear, and Birankai Shihans and shidoins have been invited to conductcourses in other dojos throughout Europe.As the cold and dark nights of winter approach and another year ends,

we wish all the members the best for the coming year with the hope thatyour regular practice will bring a sense of well-being and self-confidencethat permeates all aspects of your daily life. ☯

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BIRANKAI EUROPE

Technical DirectorShihan TK Chiba 8th Dan

European Birankai ShihankaiNorberto Chiesa 6th Dan, Birankai France

Gabriel Valibouze 6th Dan, BirankaiFrance

Dee Chen 6th Dan, British BirankaiTony Cassells 6th Dan, BritishBirankai

Chris Mooney 6th Dan, BritishBirankai

MIke Flynn 6th Dan, Scottish andBorders Birankai

Daniel Brunner 6th Dan, Birankai Switzerland

Patrick Barthélémy 6th Dan, Birankai France

Joe Curran 6th Dan, British Birankai

Member CountriesBirankai AustriaBirankai FranceBirankai GermanyHellenic Birankai Birankai IsraelBirankai PolandBirankai PortugalBirankai SwitzerlandBritish Birankai

BE Musubi is published twicea year in May and November.English edition available onwww.britishbirankai.com andthe French edition onwww.birankai.eu/shiun_fr.html

Individual article reflects the author’sown views. All submissions may beedited due to space constraints andshould be sent to the Editor.

Editor: Dee Chendeechen626@gmail.comAssistant Editor: Didier Boyetdboyet@gol.comSub-editor: Wellington Tsang wellington.tsang@googlemail.comDesign Consultant: Franco Chen

© Copyright 2014All rights reserved. Reproduction is prohibited without expresswritten permission.11112014

Aikido body manifests as centredness,connectedness, wholeness, aware-ness, liveliness, flow, sharpness,clarity, orderliness, and spontaneity.Certainly there are important physicaland technical principles in Aikido whichmake the art what it is, and theyshould never be taken lightly.However, as long as the body-consciousness has been progressivelyactivated, individual differences inperforming the forms are acceptable.The important thing is to see the alive-ness of the body, not the forms.Whenever the body is alive in its origi-nal mind, the forms come to life also.Promotion through recommendation

is only possible when there existsa close teacher-student relationship,which is the core of the martial disci-plines. Individual advancement mustand should vary, and must never betreated mechanically. It is always aneye-opening experience to see astudent make a major breakthrough –a leap to a higher dimension of physi-cal awareness – in a short period oftime. It is the responsibility, or rather,it is a required ability of the teacher, tobe able to observe that breakthroughwhen it happens, and to give recogni-tion of it promptly. When a student failsto receive recognition for progress,either through the teacher’s negli-gence, or for some other reason, suchdevelopment can fade away or go tosleep. The absence or recognition onthe part of a teacher is as much amistake as the granting of a premature

promotion. When the fruit is pickedbefore it is ripe, it has the same bittertaste as fruit that remains on the treelong after it has ripened. The keen-ness of the teacher’s eyes is vital tothe progressive advancement of hisor her students.Another element that needs to be

taken into consideration when promot-ing through recommendation is whatI call “big” Aikido and “small” Aikido.Big Aikido is how one deals with one’slife beyond Aikido training in the dojo.Small Aikido is Aikido practised insidethe dojo. I know many individualswhose learning inside the dojo hasbeen relatively slow, but who, by con-ducting their lives in accordance withAikido principles, I consider exemplary

Aikidoists, and appropriate candidatesfor promotion. What I look for and howI judge when promoting either throughexamination or through recommenda-tion is whether a student’s Aikidocarries something substantial, or is itsuperficial. On the other hand, how-ever clumsy or incompetent a studentappears, he/she may still hold some-thing in his/her body that is truly sub-stantial. A student’s Aikido is substan-tial, regardless of the degree of techni-cal advancement, when that studentcomes in contact with his/her true self,and comes to accept his/her originalface, devoid of artificial decoration orjudgment. A student’s Aikido is superficial when

that student tried to be someone otherthan who he/she really is. This personhas not yet come to experience his/heroriginal face through the training. Morebroadly, this person’s values in life arebased on an accumulation of valuescopied from others. It is certainlyimportant to copy one’s teacher inlearning the art. But remaining a copyis a different story. Having a teacherand copying from him or her is thecorrect path for most people andindeed is the core of the martial disci-pline. But the teacher’s job is to primethe pump – to prepare the student todiscard imitation and superficiality, sothat he/she may come in contact withhis/her true self, and accept his/heroriginal face.

This original body-consciousness,awakened through training, is in factthe very foundation of human life. Itis martial - as is every living being onthe earth from their first moment ofexistence - and at the same time itgoes beyond the martial, to encom-pass mind, that is, spirit, soul, senseand intellect. ☯

Shihan TK Chiba 8th DanBirankai FounderSan Diego, California

This article was originally published inthe Summer 1997 issue of Sansho -the Aikido Journal of the USAFWestern Region and precursor ofBiran.

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Polish Summer camp, Wroclaw, 11 August 2007

Polish Summer camp, Wroclaw, August 07

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In February2000, we start-ed teaching

children andadolescents in theAikido Dojo inLandau and sincethe venue of ourDojo is located near the Frenchborder, we held our first children andadolescent seminar already inNovember 2000 in conjunction withDidier Hatton, Shidoin, Aikikai deStrasbourg. Children, adolescents andparents were thrilled and since thenwe offer German-French children andadolescent seminars twice or eventhree times a year, being held inStrasbourg, Colmar or Landau.Instructors keep meeting and

exchanging information amongst eachother on both seminars as well asinternational summer schools whichare held in France, the UK andPoland. This developed the idea ofoffering children’s and adolescent’sAikido seminars over several days.The Dojo in Paris, led by AnneDucouret, Shidoin, was added andsince 2008 children’s and adolescent’sAikido seminars are held every year,whereas locations and programmesdiffer with the prevailing aim to practiseAikido intensively, including Jo,Bokken and Tanto for approximately

six hours a day. Seminars in Parisincluded ‘sightseeing’ tours andColmar and Landau focused on expe-riences in nature such as outdoorcamping with barbecues and camp-fires. Thus more and more not onlythe intensive Aikido practice was vitalbut also communicating across theborders and the mutual respect. Asense of community and acceptanceis very important for children and oftenmeans wrestling between doing whatyou want and sticking to the rules, ieto experience commitment and beinginvolved.Feeling secure and confident, meet-

ing different nationalities is alwaysexciting and creates a fantastic atmos-phere. Children and adolescents withvarious disabilities are equally partici-pating at such seminars. You are likeyou are, a particle of the whole, and

Aikido gives you the chance to con-front both yourself and the environ-ment you are in and develop it (mymeaning of Ai).The instructors are also different

despite the fact that they have knowneach other for a relatively long timeand are teaching together on semi-nars, the individual aspect being amarvellous addition. Whenever theymeet, new discoveries, new experi-ences are made, there is no standstillbut every new encounter, be it adults,children or adolescents, means anadvance in development which bringsback new energy to your own Dojo. ☯

Alexander Broll 5th DanGen Ei Kan, LandauBirankai Deutschland

Alexander Broll, Gen Ei Kan Aikido Dojo LandauGerman-French friendship seminar for children andadolescents focuses on personal development

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All in all 50 children andteenagers participated in theBirankai Europe Children

Seminar from 7-9 June 2014 inAnnweiler (Germany). The participantscame from the dojos in Paris, Colmar,Strasbourg and Landau. The leadingSenseis were Anne Ducouret, 5th Danfrom Paris, Didier Hatton, 5th Dan fromColmar, Dr Daniel Wiedemann, 4thDan from Strasbourg and AlexanderBroll, 5th Dan from Landau.When the French participants arrived

on the sunny Saturday afternoon, wehad already laid out the Tatami in the‘Turnerheim’ in Annweiler (Germany),because soon the first training tookplace. After three hours of training inwhich we practised different throwingtechniques, we ate dinner. The ‘SmallOnes’ still had remarkably much ener-gy and played rugby until it was dark,while we ‘Big Ones’ sat together com-fortably. After a too short night in ourtents the next training started. After again three hours of Aikido

and Jo exercises, a hike to the‘Jungpfalz-Hütte’ was planned fornoon. For the pleasure of all there wasa spring on the way, where we couldrefresh ourselves to make the temper-ature of nearly 35°C (95°F) bearable.Shortly after our return to the camping-site, we trained again for three hourswith both ‘funny’ exercises, in whichthe ‘Big Ones’ represented rocks andwere piled up to represent a mountain

by the ‘Small Ones’ and the ‘Very BigOnes’ and ‘normal’ Aikido and Bokkenexercises. In the evening we barbe-cued together. The ‘Small Ones’ wentinto their sleeping bags early, exhaust-ed from the long day, while some ‘BigOnes’ stayed up until the early morn-ing hours. On Monday the last trainingtook place, where the Senseisreceived gifts for the training and thegroup photo was taken. Then ourFrench friends had to leave for theirjourney home and we had to transportthe Tatami back to Landau.Finally, we want to use this space

to again thank all participants,helpers and organizers (specialthanks to family Heinen), withoutwhom the course would not havebeen possible.☯

Written byLars Ebsen 5th KyuMax Jung 6th KyuGen Ei Kan, LandauBirankai Deutschland

German-French seminar, Annweiler, June 2014Children enjoy camping together as fun and gamesunderline hard training weekend

My name isLars

Ebsen (18 yrs).I am training inAikido for near-ly nine yearsnow and I tookpart in everyGerman-French ‘PentecostSeminar’ (two times in Paris,Labaroche and Landau each).These courses have always beensomething special for me and Ialways found it interesting to alsospeak with the French participants.Through this I met some people,who, like me, participated in allthese courses and I could clearlysee their development. I found itvery interesting when we camped asone big community and did not stayin hotels, like this year in Annweiler,too. I have many fantastic memoriesof these courses and I am sure thatI will miss them when I am gone tostudy in Aachen, even though I amsure I will stay loyal to Aikido there,too. ☯Lars Ebsen 5th KyuGen Ei Kan, Landau

My name isMax Jung

(15 yrs). I amtraining inAikido for morethan one and ahalf years nowand this was thefirst course I participated in whichtook place on several days. I found itvery interesting to train with so manypeople under four Senseis. The liv-ing together on these three dayswas very harmonious and exciting.The training was very hard, butinformative and I think, it will helpme with my further training. Also thecamping was a highlight for me justas much as the fantastic hike onSunday. ☯

Max Jung 6th KyuGen Ei Kan, Landau

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Birankai EuropeChildren Seminar

AnnweilerGermany

7-9 June 2014

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JAPAN MATSURI 27 September 2014, Trafalgar Square, LondonLondon Aikikai performs for the sixth consecutive year

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Tomas Litvin (left) and Rinaldo Rustico

Randori (freestyle) practice with Davinder Bath (right)

Davinder Bath oversees children demonstration

8888 BE MUSUBIBE MUSUBI November 2014 November 2014

Isolation andclose contactwith the natural

elements: earth,air, water and fire,allow us to walkaway from every-day’s life andwash our spirit of the commonthoughts that can burden it. Free fromuseless thoughts, we can do the workto make our spirit stronger in hardliving and practice conditions, so asto keep it open and moving in anycircumstances.Base camp life is organized around

the fire and timed by the succession ofday and night. No contact with the out-side world is allowed and soon ourmobile phone is considered as a merealarm clock. No order is given aseveryone is expected to remain con-nected with the group and know intime what has to be done and how.The hours following arrival are light

and pleasant, while bodies and spiritare still warm and snug, busy with thecamp set up. Misogi really starts whenfeet are cold and wet in damp shoesfrom the snow. Thoughts then come infrom all sides focusing on things thathurt or dearly missing the comfort leftbehind.

The first zazen classes can then bedifficult to stand while the spirit is stillsubjected to the sensations of thebody and tries to satisfy it in move-ment or slumber. How particular thelesson given by this little water drophanging onto the nostril and asking ustremendous will not to sweep it away,when the spirit is stuck on it. And whata feeling when we succeed at movingour thought away from it.Weapons classes are welcomed for

they allow body and spirit to renewwith well-known sensations despitedifficult ground and bad weather. Newsensations are quickly found in orderto be able to move and act on suchuneven and slippery grounds. Withthe cold that bites the flesh even theweapons seem to have anotherdensity and behave in other ways.But dojo practice is not enough and

we need to go beyond our usual limits.We need to draw energy from deepinside to get these powerful kiaï thatallow us to bear the cold wind on bareskin and punctuate the physicalassaults that we direct on each otheror inflict on the trees.Misogi uses the body sufferings to

reach the spirit. The relationship weexperiment with fire and earth in a hutmade out of branches and leaves,

gives us the opportunity to explore thevarious dimensions of our existence;from the physical to the spiritualsphere. The dark hole in the middlereminds us where we come from andwhere we are heading to, while vaporrises and twist up like a life and disap-pear at last. Introspection widens thenotion of connection from the physicalto the temporal plan, considering whatand who came before us to make uswhat we are now. A final snow bathmake the energy burst out and scatterthe melancholy that can fall uponsome of us.In the course of time our anchoring

in the present moment becomesstronger. Connected to the place andto the natural elements, we becomepart of it without noticing anymore.Time is reaping for the self over-reaching. Forest and monoliths fieldsare then witnesses of unusual nightevents. Such weapons shoden exami-nation are standing out for excellenceand have that much value as they areperformed in harsh conditions.Considering Thierry’s and Fabrice’sperformance in night cold and swirlingwinds, a question comes in mind: howwould I have performed? No answer tothis before submitting to the samething.

Misogi gives density tomartial practice. It teachesone how to keep a non-committed mind facing hard-ship without ignoring it andkeeping even in the courseof action. Perhaps, is it thestate of mind we have to lookfor if we had to walk on theedge between life anddeath? ☯

Jean-Luc Busmey 4th DanDaï jyo kan Aikikaï deBagnols sur CèzeBirankai France

MISOGI 2013, Borée Ardèche mountain Misogi allows us to draw energy from deep within -Jean-Luc Busmey discovers

Jean-Luc Busmey (right) and Brunno Russo

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Sleeping quarters/Zendo

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(L-r) Thierry Moulinet, Jean-Luc Busmey & Fabrice Mahieux

Master chef Jean-Luc Fire for the Sweat Lodge ceremonyShower tent in the backgroundJean-Luc collecting wood

Sleeping quarters/Zendo

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BE SUMMER CAMP 26 JULY-1 AUGUST 2014, WROCLAW, POLAND

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Being aforeigner isnot easy.

Being a foreignAikido student isa real challenge.But sometimesthe challenge isreally worth it.I have recently started training at the

London Birankai dojo, London Aikikai,with Davinder Bath Sensei and whileit is becoming quite an enrichingexperience in itself I was also able tograb the opportunity to take part in theBritish Birankai Autumn Course on 11-12 October 2014, instructed by ChrisMooney Shihan, Ian Grubb Sensei andPiotr Masztalerz Sensei at Bilberry HillCentre, Birmingham.Basic, but cheap, accommodation

was available for students in the build-ing complex with food served in thelounge during the major breaks. Thesefood breaks enabled closer andpersonal contact with other participantsand discussion of experiences andtechniques practised during class.The course also provided an

excellent on-the-mat opportunity totrain and share experiences withnational and international Aikidostudents. I found the training systemin Birankai complete and on par withinternational Aikido practice I am usedto. Zazen and Iaido were included inthe training schedule, giving greater

understanding of the techniquespractised in body-art.Watching Ian Grubb Sensei perform

sword sequences during Iaido classeswas a real feast for the eyes.Precision, effectiveness and eleganceof Katana and body movements werereplicated by the class. Hearing thekatana split the air in every cut madeby Ian Grubb Sensei was not easy toreplicate but all the students doing itat the same time in coordinated cutswas amazing. I almost wished I couldstop training just to watch the groupcoordinated beauty.Piotr Masztalerz Sensei’s weapons

class was impressive to watch. Therelaxed Jo movements seemed to flowwith self-motion around the sensei’sbody. It was truly hard work to keepup with the demand for speed withcontrol of your weapon and of theopponents. It was also interesting tolearn different locks for classic Aikidotechniques such as Shiho-nage. Theimposing figure of Piotr MasztalerzSensei induces respect on the tatami,but is softened by his sympathy andgood sense of humour in the breaksbetween classes.Zazen meditation before sunrise with

Chris Mooney Shihan woke the bodyof the students to awareness of theday’s practice. Correct breathing anda strong hara were emphasised in thebody class. Knowledge of breathingcontrol and methodology were

demonstrated for the class to replicateand embrace in their practice and dailylife. All techniques demanded a strongposition to perform the technique andthe practice was full of energeticprojections.For a student like me joining a

different line of thought such as ChibaSensei’s, who has been practisingAikido his whole adult life, is reallytesting for my body has absorbedtechniques as reflexes and changingthem requires a mental effort thatslows my tatami practice.Although it is not easy to fight

against our body memory, it’s anexercise that enriches my perspectiveof Aikido, opening my mind to differentapproaches to body movementsand energy flow. After each trainingsession the feeling of pushing yourselffurther is always there. ☯

Jörge Vieira 1st DanLondon AikikaiBritish Birankai

British Birankai Autumn Course 2014 - A foreignerʼs viewby Jörge Vieira

Jörge Vieira

Piotr Masztalerz (left) with Pierre-Alexis Mouthuy (uke )

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Japan Matsuri 2014, London: Jörge Vieira (left) and Rinaldo Rustico (uke)

Japan Matsuri 2014, London: Davinder Bath (right) and Tomas Litvin (uke)

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From the archivesShihan TK Chiba at United States Aikido Federation WesternRegion 7th Summer Camp In San Diego, California7-14 July 1990

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