Autumn Is Here with Its Flamboyance
Autumn is here with its flamboyance. We all know the tradition of hanami, gathering to observe the beauty of spring during the cherry blossom season. Some Westerners also know about tsukimi. Tsuki means “moon,” mi from miru, “to look.” Tsukimi, the moon-viewing festival, is a very ancient tradition that takes place between mid-September and early October.
Summer is over. In quietness and calm, the arrival of autumn is celebrated by reciting or writing poems and by enjoying nihonshu. Japan is the land of delicacy and poetry, and it has no shortage of words to speak about the beauty of the seasons. Each season is a renewal, and autumn is not associated with melancholy.
Kōyō refers to the changing of the leaves’ colors. In particular, the maples, momiji, turn spectacular shades of red, while the ginkgo trees dress themselves in brilliant, vibrant yellow. It is a sort of second “blossoming,” nature’s response to the springtime explosion of the cherry trees’ white petals.
Returning to the Hombu Dojo
When I returned from Japan last week, I expected the garden of the Hombu dojo to be in its winter attire, stripped bare of its foliage. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to see the kōyō expressing itself so intensely. The momiji and the ginkgo were radiant—radiant with the beauty of time that has passed over beings and things without altering them, without stripping them of the deep meaning of what they are, without diminishing the being within them.
A Sign and Interdependence
I saw it as a good omen—not out of superstition, but because I know that interdependence underpins the coherence of this world, and that it manifests itself in shared pulsation and also in shared resonance. To depend on one another—Is this not the seed of solidarity and friendship among human beings? The aikidoka understands that this interdependence forms the tensegrity of our human groups and reassures each individual about their ainsity and ipseity.
Since I am bound, I can change without fear of becoming someone other than myself; I do not need to shout to be heard, for my voice is carried by our voice—by all of us together.
A Decisive Step for Our School
A decisive step has just been taken. We have signed the sales agreement for the dojo in Japan. This project to restore my master’s aikido in Japan had already made considerable progress, and the seminars I have been giving there for several years have met with great success. All that remained was to establish a place that would symbolize the presence of our school, the presence of Kobayashi Hirokazu Sensei, and rekindle the fire of his precious teaching.
This project, bearing the ideal of the Way and the enduring bond between master and disciple, is close to fruition. Here are a few images. We are located in the southern suburbs of Osaka, on the road leading from Kansai Airport to the city, in a lively neighborhood with great potential for practitioners.
Front view of the future Japanese dojo, located in the southern suburbs of Osaka
Thanks and Call for Support
I thank all those who have shown generosity in helping bring this project to life. I would like to remind you that 3AKH has become an association of general interest, which allows donations made to it to be tax-deductible.
We have planned an initial phase of work to make this dojo a dignified and functional space, followed by a second phase to transform it into the jewel that will match the treasure of aikido that Kobayashi Sensei left us. Need I say that we still rely on the generosity of those who feel concerned by this project?
If you are considering making a donation, please do so before the end of this year in order to benefit from tax deductions next year.
Thank you so much
Side entrance of the building that will house the future dojo in Kumatori, in the Osaka region.
Upcoming Inauguration and Seminars
We will organize a major inauguration celebration next autumn. It will be framed by two seminars, one in aikishintaiso and one in aikiken, which will of course take place in our Japanese shibu dojo. You are all welcome. Information on this will follow at the beginning of the coming year.
Interior room of the future dojo, a bright and airy space.
Don’t Miss the Opportunity. You Are Expected in Kumatori Between Tsukimi and Kōyō!