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Aikido, Mongolian
Style
By Debra Ragan
Click any photo to see a larger version.
The
bus pulled up in front of a faded light blue building in the heart
of Ulaanbaatar, crumbling in disrepair. We descended down a narrow
stairway, barely illuminated by the light from a single exposed
bulb dangling from a cord above us. The stairway twisted and turned
beneath us into the basement below. We stepped through a corridor
that was damp with water dripping from exposed pipes. In a corner
of the basement, walls had been removed to make enough room for
a dojo. The 20 foot by 40 foot mat was layered with aging tape in
an attempt to cover the many rips and tears. We had arrived at Mongolia
Aikido Kyokai.
Mongolia Aikido Kyokai began about eight years ago. Instructors are hard
to come by, and the dojo had seen years when no classes were taught as
the dojo sat empty. Currently the dojo is run by Kawakami Sensei, a Japanese
Peace Corps volunteer (Seinnin Kaigai Kyoryoku Tai) from Japan. Kawakami
Sensei has been teaching Aikido here in Ulaanbaatar for the past year
and a half.
Sponsored
by the Japanese government, Kawakami Sensei’s salary matches
the salary of a local Mongolian government employee. This amounts
to about $200 per month, barely enough for food and personal expenses.
Practice is held six times every week, and the monthly membership
dues of $3 per month is a luxury many students are not able to afford.
Student fees do not always cover dojo expenses such as rent and
electricity, and no money is left over for advertising or other
such extravagances. Kawakami Sensei took all of this in stride and
was actually quite light-hearted about his situation. For him, his
20 students are his treasures, not the money they bring.
Some of his students were quite proficient in their Aikido practice. A
few students had been practicing almost daily for the past four years.
Their rank was still ikkyu however, and they wore brown belts. This was
because they had not had the opportunity to be tested by Aikikai headquarters.
Even if they had the opportunity to be tested, they would not have been
able to afford promotion or testing fees. On a Japanese scale these fees
would amount to two to three months of salary in Ulaanbaatar.
Kawakami
Sensei expressed his concerns for his students to Homma Sensei and
asked for support from Aikido Nippon Kan, which Homma Sensei agreed
to. Byambajav Tsagaankhuu, the Division Chairman of the Mongolian
General Intelligence Agency also asked Homma Sensei to teach Aikido
to elite divisions of the Mongolian Secret Service as part of their
bodyguard training. Nippon Kan sponsored instructors will return
to Mongolia to support the growth of Aikido in this country.
All of the students we met were educated, diligent, and possessed an innocence
and honesty that is hard to find in an American world of World Wide Web
access and incessant Aikido chat rooms. Their lack of information was
made up for with a refreshing and joyful enthusiasm.
Kawakami
Sensei is now 24 years old. While attending college in Japan to
obtain his teaching credentials in primary education, he practiced
Aikido for four years with his University Aikido club. Kawakami
Sensei joined the Japanese Peace Corp, with a two-year assignment
in Mongolia. Upon his return, he will prepare for his teaching license
examination. Listening to him speak, I was impressed by his concern
for his dojo and his students. I respected the way he handled the
hard conditions with a good heart and positive attitude. He definitely
taught good technique, not only on the mat, but also through his
own actions and attitude.
One of AHAN’s ongoing projects has been the Third
World Keiko Gi Drive, and we were able to bring 30 keiko gi and 20
hakama donated by students from across the United States.
After
changing in a locker room defined by old doors and plywood, we entered
the dojo for practice. Homma Sensei taught as guest instructor,
assisted by a Mongolian interpreter. It was interesting to listen
to Homma Sensei’s jokes translated into Mongolian. After a
bit of warming up, everyone did laugh at Homma Sensei’s jokes.
Homma Sensei focused on katate dori waza, munetori waza and also
defending against kicks. The two-hour practice was stimulating and
enjoyable and ended with smiles all around. Practicing Aikido was
a wonderful way of knocking down all communication and language
barriers.
After practice, about twenty of our new Mongolian friends, including Kawakami
Sensei, a Karate instructor and a Judo instructor gathered at a Japanese
restaurant for a farewell party. We had a wonderful time together. All
of the Japanese instructors teaching in Mongolia agreed that teaching
their arts was not difficult at all, but that dealing with the local customs,
language, food and the elements was difficult on a day-to-day basis. Watching
them clean their plates, not leaving one crumb of food on the table, I
could understand how hard it was for them. Some day the efforts of these
pioneer instructors will bloom into flowering Mongolian gardens.
We
all took turns singing songs. The Japanese instructors sang, our
Mongolian hosts sang, and our American contingent sang. It was a
night of merriment that was brought to us through our practice of
Aikido. I can’t wait until next year to visit Mongolia for
the third time.
Debra Ragan