New England Aikikai's Spring Seminar 2006

By Mary C. Fuller (New England Aikikai)

This March, New England Aikikai welcomed Chiba Sensei, Claude Berthiaume Sensei, and our own David Farrell Sensei, along with many participants from far and wide, for three days of vigorous practice at Simmons College. It's always a real pleasure to see friends from elsewhere and to train with partners from other dojos. We also appreciated everyoneÕs help with tasks from moving mats to arranging flowers.

The Spring Seminar brings the chance to practice familiar techniques with different people, to refine them with the perspective of different instructors, as well as to try new things and new approaches. One of the things that stood out for me at this seminar was the generosity of the instructors. Chiba Sensei made a point of working with students individually throughout the class to make sure that they understood the fundamentals of the technique. Berthiaume Sensei and Farrell Sensei also worked their way around the mat, throwing and taking ukemi as well as demonstrating and giving instruction. It was an opportunity not just to see but also to feel technique from three great instructors.

Saturday night, the dojo was transformed by a dedicated crew who set up tables, draped hangings over the weapons racks, placed flower arrangements everywhere, and even set up a light show. Yuki Kanai celebrated her 16th birthday along with a group of her friends at the party. They provided our DJ, Octavian Boca, with a playlist of titles which may have been a little different than what we are used to from parties in the past. Chiba Sensei encouraged her as she blew out the candles on a big cake, and after a resounding chorus of "Happy Birthday" everyone had some for dessert.

Chiba Sensei concluded the last class of the seminar by talking about etiquette and the importance of demonstrating not only powerful technique, but also respectful actions toward and in the places where we practice. He reminded us that we inherit a great tradition: it is our responsibility to understand it, and to translate that understanding into practice.

As he also said, this spring seminar has really become a memorial for Kanai Sensei. Certainly it was a great opportunity to practice his aikido, learn from his top students, and have the kind of vigorous practice that used to put a smile on Sensei's face whenever he saw it. In that way, it really felt as if he were there.

Over the last couple of years since Kanai Sensei passed away, work has taken me to a lot of different places in North America and overseas, and I've heard so many people's memories of Kanai Sensei: what his aikido looked like, what it felt like, how he was with them. At the USAF yudansha seminar in Chicago last week, there were also many moments of feeling his aikido. All of us who remember Kanai Sensei have the task now of trying to digest and assimilate what we learned from him, as we work to reach a deeper understanding of aikido for ourselves. It is a collaborative effort, if there ever was one! So if you can, please join us this summer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Kanai Sensei's arrival, and the founding of New England Aikikai, at East Coast Summer Camp from July 29th to August 5th at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY.