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To: The Parents and All Members of Westminster Aikikai Dojo
RE: O’Sensei Commemoration / Kyu Promotion A special event will be held at our dojo in commemorating of the 40th Anniversary of O’Sensei's Passing. The program will also include Kyu Promotion, Aikido Demonstration, Video/slide Show followed by a Potluck Lunch. Parents and students are cordially invited to this special event. Your participation is very much appreciated and is a great encouragement to all students in learning and promoting of Tenshinkai Aikido in our community. Date: Sunday April 26th, 2009 Time: 10 am to 1:30 pm Place: Westminster Aikikai Dojo Sincerely,  Dang Thong Phong Sensei Chief Instructor MY VISIT WITH THE FOUNDER OF AIKIDO
a memoir by Dang Thong Phong  The Founder of Aikido, O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, passed away on this date forty one years ago, but his example of absolute commitment to training, his superior martial art expertise and his philosophy of Budo in the service of peace, society and humankind will forever continue to shine in my heart and his students’.
It is a great honor for me to have had those days when I humbly visited with O’Sensei. On this anniversary of his passing, I am writing these short notes in his lovingly memory. In early November 1967, I had the opportunity to travel to Korea and Japan. As a student of Aikido, beside the wish to see Japan, visiting Hombu Dojo, the World Aikido Headquarters, to meet O’Sensei and the other Masters was for me a necessity. We all have our roots and the Vietnam chapter of Aikido is a member of the international Aikido community. Therefore, to me, the visit to Hombu Dojo was like a return to my roots. I arrived at Hombu Dojo at around 4 p.m. The country of Japan is situated on different longitudes and latitudes than Vietnam, and at 4 p.m. it was already dark. The streetlights were on, some extremely bright, some reddish in color. The weather in Japan was also cold, in contrast to my country’s, and I was having a hard time adjusting. However I could feel a sense of warmth as soon as I entered the office of Aikido Headquarters. The person who greeted me was a lady from Hawaii. I introduced myself and after a few minutes of conversation, I learned that she was in charge of the Aikido magazine that was published every trimester. She also trained there every day and held the rank of 3rd degree Black Belt. Half an hour later I had the honor to be granted audience with Kisshomaru Ueshiba, O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba’s son. Mr. Kisshomaru was very happy to learn of my wish to visit and train at the Dojo during the rest of my stay in Tokyo. My first training session
As students of Aikido we are supposed to train regularly, but not everyone gets a chance to train at the Central Dojo. December in Tokyo was very cold, and as soon as I got out of the taxi-cab, my feet felt like they had totally shrunk. The Dojo was undergoing interior renovation and the heating system had not yet been installed, so it was freezing in the changing-room. Something I could never have imagined was, when I took my Gi out of the bag, it was stiff as though it had just come out of a freezer. I took all of the courage I had for me to put it on and walk out onto the main training room, on the first floor. I immediately set out to exercise to warm myself up before the training session began. After 15 minutes of warm-up exercise a Black Belt came and bowed to me, and we began to train. I can clearly remember to this day the Shiho nage technique and the solidly built Black Belt who was my partner, whose wrist was so big my hand could only grab half of. Back at home the Uke, your training partner, would normally go along with the technique you were doing and fall. Here, on the contrary, if your technique was not executed correctly and your Ki not powerful enough, throwing your partner could be a real challenge. Getting to see O’Sensei in his flesh and witnessing his supreme talent
In the morning of my second day, everyone was training when my partner stopped and bowed. According to protocol, that would mean he was too tired or, for whatever reason, was unable to continue. I looked around and saw everyone sitting down, and was completely taken aback when I saw our venerable O’Sensei step onto the Tatami. Being over 80 years old, O’Sensei had all the outward signs of his age with his wrinkled skin and hollow cheeks. The difference lay not in his physique but the exhibition of his mental energy.  What was amazing was his extraordinary power only characters from ancient mythology were said to possess. You would never believe such power to exist unless you saw it with your own eyes. O’Sensei motioned to his right and a Black Belt immediately stood up and bowed. He began by explaining the theory in Japanese, which was totally lost to me. However, as he put it into action, I was able to fully understand, and from there speculate the theoretical part.
Every technique O’Sensei taught required the use of Ki. To prove the correlation between theory and technique, every time the Black Belt stepped forward to catch his hand O’Sensei would promptly throw him backward. The student hung on close and continued with his repeated attacks, only to be thrown again and again. Although I knew O’Sensei to be very good, perhaps the very best, but to watch such a young and powerful man go after an old person caused me quite a bit of anxiety. While watching O’Sensei I thought of his father, a wealthy landowner who, every so often, would be targeted for bully by thugs coming from the big city. That angered O’Sensei, who was determined to learn martial arts to protect his elderly father. From that point on he traveled all over the country, looking for the best teachers to study from. Eventually he mastered several Japanese martial arts before he founded Aikido. Once he had become the best there was, O’Sensei began to wonder about the futility of victory. He had won over every opponent he met, but what was next to come? Suddenly, O’Sensei discovered it was Winning over One’s Self that was essential. As I watched O’Sensei I was able to understand many things. I also saw something I had never seen before: there were techniques O’Sensei used that would cause his attackers to fall without his even touching them. It was hard to believe the power of his Ki. Our body has to obey the laws of Nature, and life is always followed by death. Only the power exerted by O’Sensei before his passing was truly a supernatural power. O’Sensei and the Vietnamese chapter of Aikido
My role in coming to the Central Dojo was dual: first, as an individual returning to his roots to train and take the examination for 3rd degree Black Belt; next, as a representative of the Vietnam chapter of Aikido bringing to O’Sensei a group photo showing its members. O’Sensei received the photograph and examined it passionately, like an old father looking at his offsprings. In his eyes I caught a glimpse of the pride one would feel when watching his children mature and be certain they would embark on a mission to bring Peace to society. A touch of anxiety mixed with a lot of hope. O’Sensei hoisted the photograph over his head and slowly spun around for everyone to see. Keeping the photo up high with both hands, he spoke for a long time, eyes closed, and although I could not understand the words, I could sense that he was praying for Peace to come to Vietnam and to the world in the spirit of Aikido; for universal love to descend on the people of the earth; for there to be no war and therefore, no defeat; and for the humankind to learn to win over one’s self in order to build a small universe within a greater universe of One. I test for Third degree
Ten days quickly went by. I was allowed to test for 3rd Dan at Hombu Dojo, the cradle of the world’s Aikido. Dan examination was a regular occurrence here, but for me it was a day of utmost importance. I tested to assess my own level of technical ability. The examination took place at the Central Dojo, in the presence of O’Sensei—an honor he had granted the Vietnam chapter of Aikido. Other great Aikido masters teaching at the Central Dojo were also present. Master Kisshomaru Ueshiba was in charge, and I underwent an extremely tough examination. Twenty minutes went by and, at times, I thought I was going to faint from emotion and having to wrestle against several Uke who were stronger and several times my size. One of them was the son of Master Mutsuro Nakazono, who once instructed me in Vietnam. I successfully completed my examination. I was given a tour of the Center, which was still under construction. Master Kisshomaru Ueshiba explained to me that this center had three floors, the 2 upper ones serving as training areas while the 1st floor housed the office, the living-room, and O’Sensei’s bedroom. The building was not very big, but it was equipped with all the amenities for comfort. After that the Black Belts treated me to lunch. Throughout the repast we chatted a lot and became friends. For the most part, they asked me questions about the expansion of our school in Vietnam and what my thoughts were about Aikido. Before leaving for Vietnam I was also invited to watch a demonstration given by about 200 black belt students from the University of Tokyo. The students and I were honored with the presence of O’Sensei and the famous Masters from Hombu Dojo. During the session O’Sensei showed how, with just a fan, he could defend himself against opponents armed with knives and swords... O’Sensei gave ample explanations on the theories of Aikido. The demonstration lasted from 1 to 4 p.m. Every faculty of the university took turn to come out and show off their prowess. Afterwards I went to O’Sensei’s room to say good-bye to him. He thoughtfully instructed me to use all my energy to, along with my Vietnamese Aikido students, work towards the expansion of the school in the spirit of peace and mutual assistance. Remembering O’Sensei’s teachings
One could say those days training at Hombu Dojo have deeply engraved in my mind the images of O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, Master Kisshomaru Ueshiba, and the local masters, who had helped me find my own way. It was unfortunate for Aikido students throughout the world that, 41 years ago on this date, O’Sensei had to leave us in accordance with the laws of Nature. But he left us the power of Aikido, and as we continue on his path, we have the responsibility to build on it. As I remember O’Sensei, I also remember his precious teachings from years past. As I remember him, I am reminded of the duties I had promised myself to carry out for the sake of Aikido. Those thoughts and memories are going through my mind as I write this memoir. I pray for the spirit of O’Sensei to enter the Pure Land, and I pledge I will carry on his legacy. Dang Thong Phong Annotation
It was my first time ever visiting Japan and I was totally unfamiliar with its underground metro system so I took a taxi-cab to Hombu Dojo, which was a 15 minute-ride. Using the metro system would have been much faster and more economical, but in 1967 all the street signs in Japan were in Japanese, making it very difficult for a foreigner to find his way around. In contrast, nowadays street names carry phonetic transcriptions in Latin alphabet underneath (in later years, when I returned to Hombu Dojo, I learned how to use the metro and found it to be the best means of transportation). On this particular day, I got off a cab and reached for my wallet to pay the fare and found that, alas, I had left it in my hotel room. Good thing I had enough change left in my coat pocket to cover it. Being overly careful, each night before going to bed I always hid my wallet and passport under the pillow. Upon discovering I had forgotten my wallet, I was torn between whether I should immediately backtrack or go on to my practice and return later. But not wanting to miss any class while in Japan, I decided to go to practice first. On the way back afterwards I thought to myself I had taken too big a risk: if all my money went missing, how would I be able to survive the rest of my stay in Japan? Back then I knew no one over there whom I could ask for a loan. When I returned to my room at 11 a.m. and opened the door, I knew it had been cleaned. Luckily, all my money and my passport were still there. The hotel maid had found and carefully placed them on top of my pillow. I was extremely happy as now I’d be able to stay in Tokyo to continue my training as I had always dreamed. From then on I have nothing but admiration for the Japanese educational system, and respect for their nation for having formed such a self-respecting and responsible generation.  |
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