Sensei’s Writings

Written by Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho The audience was on their feet. The clapping and cheering was thunderous, the stars above the town square seemed to tremble with the whistling and the shouts of encore, encore! On stage the drummers stood in a row facing the audience heads bowed deeply. They raised their heads in unison, all eyes glistening …

Reflections on the Anniversary of Japan’s Surrender to the US Coalition. By Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho August 15th, 2005 Forward I have written the following article for students not born in Japan or raised in the Japanese culture. For one raised in the Japanese culture, topics in this article that might be a source of controversy, are merely common …

A visit to Korea. by Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho You can always spot someone who has practiced Aikido for a long time from a distance; it is in their walk. We call it hakamaaruki (hakama walk) in Japanese and it describes the gate of someone who has worn a hakama for a long time. It can be a badge …

Nippon Kan and Homma Kancho receive many letters, phone calls and emails every week. Most are questions about Aikido such as; When do beginners’ classes start?, Where can I buy a keiko gi(practice uniform)?, What is a kototama?, How do I learn ukemi?, or my personal favorite; How long does it take to get a black belt?… Some of the …

Written by Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho March 25, 2005 About twenty years ago, I remember a visiting student who came one day to Nippon Kan to practice. This student practiced at about a sankyu or brown belt, hakama level of experience. What I remember most about this student was that by the way he practiced I could easily tell …

Written by Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho 3-24-05 *Ronin is the Japanese term for master less samurai. In my travels to teach in countries around the world, I have been surprised to see how many different kinds of membership cards or “passports” are carried by practicing Aikidoka. Membership cards these days are not just a simple card with the organizations …

by Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho February 15th, 2005 Twenty minutes before landing at the Tribhaun airport in Kathmandu, I looked out of the window of the plane as the Himalaya Mountains appeared; rising from the blanket of clouds with such majesty I caught my breath. A man, seated in front of me, stood up excitedly when he saw the …

One of the operating philosophies of Nippon Kan is “activities beyond style or organization.”I believe that for one’s own shugyo, or martial art’s practice, the biggest danger can be losing oneself in politics, affiliations and power. I remind myself of this danger regularly in my own practice, and it is also a part of Nippon Kan philosophy. Too much today, …

This special column was taken from excerpts of Homma Kancho’s New Year speech given at Keiko Hajime (opening ceremony) at Nippon Kan on January 3rd, 2005. Between the Steps. Setting the Direction for Nippon Kan AHAN Activities for 2005. Facing one another, like statues of Rodin’s “The Thinker”, the hallowed threesome sat together reflecting deeply. Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha, each …

AHAN garden project crew 11-04. Marco Bernardete It was an emotional experience, the land turned out, mud, rocks, people falling, like the Babel tower. And a new birth, the garden. Mario It was full of emotions. Juninho It was incredible. Doing a Japanese garden! Marcio Fontes Homma Sensei surprised me working, singing, and planning for next day. All this with …

By Gaku Homma Nippon Kan Kancho I had the chance this last year to talk to a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) volunteer after his return to Japan from the foreign country he had lived and worked in during his volunteer service. He spoke to me of the sense of disillusionment and displacement he felt upon his return. Honestly I …

We have a saying in Japan, “Cold sake and a father’s advice effect us later, not sooner.” In my case, it is “Cold sake and Sensei’s lessons effected me much later, not sooner.” For me, it is lessons learned from one of my teachers, Shudo Maruyama Sensei. I have written another article about Maruyama Sensei, titled “The Silent Pioneer: Shudo …

Oct 2004 Organized and Sponsored by AHAN. AHAN headquarters in Denver, Colorado sponsored the official IISA tour to Japan this past Oct/Nov 2004. The purpose of the trip was to truly experience Japan. It was my belief that this new understanding would make me a wiser instructor with a wider point of view. I am Fernando Roman, chief instructor of …

October 7-9, 2004 By Luc Leoni Sensei There are moments like this. It is all. You can think about literature, philosophy or sculpture, but being close to creation is something else. What is it? Maybe some moments you dream about, or perhaps are just flashes that came because somewhere a connection was made. The power makes it all, the force …

One Sunday evening, about five years ago, I and Nippon Kan member volunteers were serving our monthly dinner to the homeless at the rescue mission. This time was special in that very good friends of mine, Mr. and Mrs. Toshihiro Kizaki came down to volunteer their time. Their time is busy, how well I know, in that they are the …