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Benjamin Peters
2nd May 2002, 12:53
Can someone please recommend some Tomiki Aikido videos? what are your thoughts on the Higashi video series?

Mark Barlow
2nd May 2002, 17:50
All of the tapes by Tetsuro Nariyama Shihan of Shodokan (Tomiki) Aikido, JAA, have been first rate and provide excellent reference and training sources.

PRehse
3rd May 2002, 08:15
Mark is right on the money - Nariyama IS the reference.

A reasonable start is the video on Tomiki Aikido done by AikidoJournal. Unfortuneately the randori clips chosen are not the best - plenty of better footage available and there is an absolutely horrible performance of kata by some non-Japanese lady (may she forgive me if she reads the forums). To make up for it there are some wonderful kata performances by the Japanese students and Nariyama gives a demo.

Good friend of mine was Higashi's student - they do their kata like Tomiki did when he was older but not like Tomiki demanded of his students. Again I would go to the source (Nariyama) but that said both of Higashi's books are great for introducing you to the katas so not having seen the videos I wont dismiss them. Even though Nariyama owns me (with respect to Aikido) I used Higashi's texts as reference material for my students in Quebec - the differences are slight and correctable.


My advice is go to Http://www.tomiki.org

The authors of the video's all know what they are about. I know and respect them all. Tanaka and Dziubla were students of Tomiki - the former being Tomiki's first Yondan at the Waseda club.



Originally posted by Mark Barlow
All of the tapes by Tetsuro Nariyama Shihan of Shodokan (Tomiki) Aikido, JAA, have been first rate and provide excellent reference and training sources.

Jack B
13th May 2002, 21:38
Since your bio indicates you are not specifically a JAA member, you may want to check out the videos from Karl Geis. He is head of a large Tomiki-based Aikido organization and specializes in Judo and Aikido randori. His videos explore the mechanics and strategy of the Tomiki katas, as developed for non-sport applications. These will not be of much help if you are studying for a JAA grading, but you may find them of value. They can be ordered at http://www.karlgeis.com/films.htm.

Jack Bieler
Denton, Texas

PRehse
14th May 2002, 01:31
Originally posted by Jack B
His videos explore the mechanics and strategy of the Tomiki katas, as developed for non-sport applications.
Hi Jack;

I'm sure its's not what you meant but for clarification - none of Kenji Tomiki's kata are developed or modified for a sport application within the JAA.

The randori (shiai or not, tanto or toshu) are restricted to the Junanhon and the inevitable variations generated but the kata themselves are not altered with this in mind. There are examples of changes brought about by observing weaknesses in randori which is of course a different thing. Best example is aigamae-ate in the junanahon where tori's arm goes over uke's arm as opposed to under where it has a tendency to get trapped.

Genghiskhan
15th May 2002, 04:25
Hey Benjamin,

It is a shame that when it comes to Tomiki Aikido, the availability is extremely limited. I think you can't go wrong with Sensei Karl Geis video on 17 @ big 10, it is very informative.

Johnathan Nguyen

Mark Barlow
19th May 2002, 21:28
I'll be honest and admit that I haven't seen Karl Geis Shihan's videos yet but I did have the opportunity to train with him several years ago and he is an outstanding instructor. If his videos are half as good as he is in person, they would be a good investment. Having said that, I'll stick with recommending Nariyama Shihan as being the best source for Tomiki training.

Nick Lowry
29th November 2008, 13:29
I'd reccomend both the Geis and Nariyama videos-- both are terrific resources

Eric Pearson
2nd December 2008, 23:58
Really you tube is becoming an amazing - free source of information. It is a slow treasure hunt though.

I think it is limiting saying Nariyama is THE source. He seems to be a fine teacher and good artist. His way is not the THE way, or the only way. There are many fine Tomiki artists and teachers who equal him, IMHO.


I am not sure if they are still selling them, but the Jiyushinkai's tapes on fundamentals and randori are the best I have seen on the topic of Tomiki Aikido. I give them a big thumbs up - every time I watch them I learn something new. You might try contacting Chuch Clark directly about them.

The Geis tapes are OK. I would suggest the older Fugakukai tapes over the newer Kihara videos, but that is a matter of artistic opinion. Geis' videos tend to be more speaking than demonstration. They give a well rounded view of techniques.

The Nobuyoshi Higashi tapes are dreadful, in my opinion. I did not find the tapes useful at all. They are just rough demos with little to no explainations.

Also the existing footage I have seen of Tomiki Sensei is average quality at best. It is nice to see the man move, and to see the historical basis of the art, but there is little teaching. All the video taken of him, that I have knowledge of anyhow, can be found with a you tube search.

Nick Lowry
8th December 2008, 15:14
Hi Eric-- I agree with much of your evaluations-- though I never got to see Clark's video work --hope to some day -- but they are no longer for sale from his webpage -- Geis's video work is uneven and i agree that the the older material is more consistent toward technical detail --though his more recent Kuzushi parts 1 and 2 are notable exceptions-- Also his teatment of Judo Ashiwaza-- particularly part 2 is uniquely masterful ---- I also haven't seen much of Higishi's work but what little i did concurs with your take -- Loi's Koryu tape is pretty nice and the Nariyama's JAA material is fine stuff too--

JAnstey
10th December 2008, 06:04
Ahoi Lee Sensei in my teacher (- Iaido and Jodo.)she now lives in Australia -

I know she has a series of 4 Aikido DVDs from a little while back. I don't do Aiki but can ask how much the DVDs are if you like.

Cheers

Jason

shinkei
11th March 2009, 19:50
As an Aikido student of Dr Lee Ah Loi I have always used her video's for reference.

JAnstey
12th March 2009, 05:24
... boy, I must have been tired when I wrote my post - spelt my own teacher's name wrong! (smacks head - must read own posts before pressing submit!)

shinkei
15th March 2009, 10:41
Jason, you are so lucky to have Loi as an instructor. I studied Aikido under her instruction for many years. I try to teach in the way that she taught us, although in some quarters that is regarded as old style, but then there is more than one way to climb a mountain.

A thought, how many Tomiki/Shodan Aikidoka does it take to change a light bulb? Six, one to change the bulb and the other five saying thats not how we do that in our Dojo.

JAnstey
16th March 2009, 00:26
Jason, you are so lucky to have Loi as an instructor. I studied Aikido under her instruction for many years. I try to teach in the way that she taught us, although in some quarters that is regarded as old style, but then there is more than one way to climb a mountain.

A thought, how many Tomiki/Shodan Aikidoka does it take to change a light bulb? Six, one to change the bulb and the other five saying thats not how we do that in our Dojo.

Yes we are very lucky to have Loi over here - she is now an official Aussie Sheila (citizen)!!! :laugh: Had private Iai training on Saturday - left with my body tired and my mind overflowing with so many small polish details for me to work on.

I mentioned your name from this brief conversation - she spoke highly of you and passed on her regards.

Cheers

Jason

Aiki_Ninja
9th April 2009, 10:29
The earlier posts gave some good options for Tomiki Aikido videos.

From the J.A.A. side of things there have been some new DVDs recently released that are based on the ongoing research of Tomiki's direct students in Japan such as Tadayuki Sato and Fumiaki Shishida.

The Video is in Japanese but gives a very good technical core of some of the finer points of Tomiki's original Aikido.

Check out "Aikido of Kenji Tomiki Vol 1 and 2 "DVDs by Tadayuki Sato - here. (http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer/home.php?cat=574)

Just one more option.

LC

Eric Pearson
15th April 2009, 22:42
The Video is in Japanese but gives a very good technical core of some of the finer points of Tomiki's original Aikido.

LC

I hate to split hairs on this statement, but "Tomiki's original Aikido" has some interesting connotations to it.

Unless it is Tomiki Sensei himself on the tapes, everyone else is doing their own version and their own art. Really none of us should be practicing Tomiki's original Aikido. He handed down a method a system to learn the concept of Aiki. Aiki itself already exists. We have to find it through science, artistry and training.

From what I have seen - Nariyama's and Tomiki Sensei's Aiki look incredibly different. What does this mean? even though they used the same system to explore Aiki, each person ends up with a unique expression of the art.

Aiki_Ninja
16th April 2009, 13:05
Really none of us should be practicing Tomiki's original Aikido. He handed down a method a system to learn the concept of Aiki.Actually, he developed a method of training in partnership with a few very skilled Aikidoka who played a crucial role in what is seen as being "handed down" today. The good thing is that some of these co-developers are still alive and are still updating and critiquing their original work with Tomiki to ensure that the "handed down" system does in fact achieve what Tomiki (in their opinion of course) intended it to. It is interesting that you make reference to the concept of Aiki since this word has many many meanings depending on your sources of information and the time period in Japanese history you are referring to. Which definition of Aiki are you referring to exactly?


Aiki itself already exists. We have to find it through science, artistry and training.Imho if Tomiki gave us a system that does what you day above - a means to "learn the concept of Aiki" then we would not need to find it, it would be everywhere in our training, just like the Daito Ryu that Tomiki learned from Ueshiba M. Also, from my own research and conversations with Japanese researchers of Aikido and Daito Ryu history, Aiki is one of a series of strict technical terms regarding application of technique, it has nothing to do with "artistry" as you say above (unless our definition of artistry is very liberal) but is grounded in science, easily tested and verifiable if one understands it. So imho ones ability to execute aiki is a good measure of ones understanding of the system, if the system is effective in teaching what you say it is supposed to, and of course, if the student has the required aptitude to learn it.


From what I have seen - Nariyama's and Tomiki Sensei's Aiki look incredibly different. What does this mean? even though they used the same system to explore Aiki, each person ends up with a unique expression of the art.Well looks can be very deceiving. I think a true system would teach common principles that will be expressed differently given the vagaries of physical ability, body type, mental states and other factors. Tomiki and Nariyama have distinctly different body types and they did not study the same system (i.e. Daito Ryu from Ueshiba M.) so the comparison here would imo obviously result in a large difference in how things "look". Imho if the sense of sight was all we needed to be able to appreciate aiki then we could all learn aiki from the videos presented in this thread with no help from an instructor. :)

These are just my thoughts.

Best.

LC