soukenitouken01.jpg (53473 バイト)

soukenitouken02.gif (1890 バイト)


line01.gif (168 バイト)


Saigouha Daitouryu Aiki-bujutsu and identity as a Japanese

Saigouha Daitouryu Aikibujutu
 Nature is bery profound and unfathomable. The human being isn't perfeet and isn't always healthy nor is he necessarily happy.
 Stop and look at insects. They are born in the morning and die in the evening. That is their fate in the natural world. We human beings aren't immortal either. There is no difference in fragility between men and insects.

 In other words our death or life doesn't matter to natuure. Objectively,the life of a human being is nothing to nature. That is,human beings are little different from insects.
 We human beings are no more important than insects to nature. We are born like insects and die like insects. In other words,humans become old and die. We can't complain of this fate. This is an inevitable fact.

 The raison detre of human beings on earth or the process by which human beings came into being might be explained. But we will not be able to explain why we must live on the earth.
 Even if we can't explain the significance of human life,we still exist. It's an undeniable fact. At all times the way of human life shonld be pure.

 Purity will prosper,while what deviates from purity will perish. The austerity of life is nothing but a challenge for this purityor a fight against the perishment of human beings.
 That is;it depends on how man wolks along the way of truth. There are thousands of ways but only one path of truth.
 Aiki-jujutsu(=saigouha daitouryu aikibujutu) is included on this path leading to the goal,helping human nature to develop into eternal purity.

 The state of mind is revealed in techniques;the movements of mind will appear in the techniques. If it agrees with the law of nature,it is the best movement which a human being can make.
 When we reach this state of mind,it means we are united with Nature,and that we will get rid of petty life such as that of an insect.

 But Aiki-jujutsu is a military art and it originated in the fighting of human beings.
 Therefore,it came from fighting urged by brutish instincts deprived of human reason.
 If Aiki-jujutsu ends up as mere techniques of brutish fighting,it is a tragedy of militarism,and it will impede the development of human nature.

 Our seniors have overcome these difculties and have made a remarkahle proress in the daily training ways for many years.
 Aiki-jujutsu has been refined in this way.
 Thus,it has obtained its greatness and value. Hoping for the developments of human beings,we translete our high mental activities into techniques,thereby we can create unfathomable and profound techniques of Aiki-jujutsu.

 In order to practice these techniques and assimilate them,we must keep abreast with modern society.
 A man who wants to practice Aiki-jujutsu will join the family who will reveal their minds into techniques and aim to the perfect way of Aiki-jujutsu.

 A novice must practice wiht a firm resolution.
 The harder we train ourselves the better character we can build.
 We must not be afraid of the efforts needed for advancement. And we must not look at it as a hardship.
 It's a youth's privilege to go forward in defiavce of hardships and sufferings.

 There are thousands of ways for the spiritual improvement of human beings. Techniques will also make and endless developmet.

 If we stay at the same place and are satisfied with the present situation,we will never attain development and will perish.



山下芳衛先生の英論文の一部より。


 上記の英文は山下芳衛(ほうえい)先生が、自ら英訳された、昭和四十年頃に著わした「大東流合気柔術」に関する英訳論文で現宗家・曽川和翁先生に贈ったもの。


 写真は山下芳衛先生の満洲時代の写真。陸軍特殊軍属として、北満方面の調査に赴いた頃の乗馬時のもの。

line01.gif (168 バイト)