Yoseikan Budo

[Seishin]

Dear All,

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who knows about the technical curriculum of the Yoseikan Budo/Aikido school. Has Mochizuki Sensei or any of his senior students written any books on the techniques of Yoseikan?

I know that Mochizuki Sensei had extensive experience in Katori Shinto Ryu as well as Shindo Muso Ryu Jo - are these arts still taught within the Yoseikan? and if so, are they now a part of the Yoseikan curriculum or are they still taught under their original names and forms?

Thanks and best regards,

Flemming Madsen

[Allan Pollock]

I have only been practicing for about 18 months, so am certainly not the most qualified person on this webboard to answer your questions. That said, I would like to point out that there are more than one organisations that practice Yoseikan and I am not completely familiar with the differences between practice styles for each of these groups (as I have only been exposed to one of them.)

As you are aware, Minoru Mochizuki developed Yoseikan Budo. He has since transferred the art to his son, Hiroo Mochizuki, who made some changes with which I am not completely familiar. My understanding is that many of these changes were not incorporated into the training of those affiliated with the International Yoseikan Budo Federation (IYBF, directed by Mr. Patrick Augé). (I am afraid that I am not familiar how this split occurred). I hope that anyone who is more familiar with the details will comment as I am also curious about this.

I am not familiar with the names and forms of the techniques in these ryu of which you speak, so I cannot comment, nor am I familiar with the arts themselves, so I do not know what techniques Yoseikan shares with them. That said, you have peaked a curiousity in me about these arts, and I hope to find some time during the holidays to research them. I will post whatever I learn in this thread over the next couple weeks.

What I can tell you is that we (in the IYBF) learn a vast number of throws from Aikido (such as Ikkyo which we call Robuse), ground work and throws from Judo, strikes (punches and kicks) from Karate, as well as work with various weapons (bokkan, club and wooden-knife.... sorry I forgot the Japanese words for these). I am not sure from what arts the weapons practice derives.

In the dojo in which I train, great emphasis is placed on both the martial aspect of the art as well as making it more than just as series of techniques. We enjoy our training, never try to injure one another, and understand that everyone benefits when one person learns (and therefore, do what we can to help one another learn more).


For more information, I suggest the following informative websites:

The first is for the the International Yoseikan Budo Federation, for whom Augé Sensei is technical director.
http://www.yoseikanbudo.com

The second is for the Yoseikan World Federation with which I am not familiar:
http://www.yoseikan-budo.org

Cheers,
Allan

[Robert Cheshire]

Originally posted by Allan Pollock

As you are aware, Minoru Mochizuki developed Yoseikan Budo. He has since transferred the art to his son, Hiroo Mochizuki, who made some changes with which I am not completely familiar. My understanding is that many of these changes were not incorporated into the training of those affiliated with the International Yoseikan Budo Federation (IYBF, directed by Mr. Patrick Augé). (I am afraid that I am not familiar how this split occurred). I hope that anyone who is more familiar with the details will comment as I am also curious about this.

What I can tell you is that we (in the IYBF) learn a vast number of throws from Aikido (such as Ikkyo which we call Robuse), ground work and throws from Judo, strikes (punches and kicks) from Karate, as well as work with various weapons (bokkan, club and wooden-knife.... sorry I forgot the Japanese words for these). I am not sure from what arts the weapons practice derives.


For more information, I suggest the following informative websites:

The first is for the the International Yoseikan Budo Federation, for whom Augé Sensei is technical director.
http://www.yoseikanbudo.com

The second is for the Yoseikan World Federation with which I am not familiar:
http://www.yoseikan-budo.org


Let's start with the changes Master Hiroo Mochizuki made. Well, he learned and taught his father's style at a very young age. He also studied directly with O-Sensei. He is a talented martial artist who, with his father's permission and encouragement, named his style of martial art Yoseikan Budo to honor Master Minoru Mochizuki. Master Minoru Mochizuki has made it public on several occasions that Hiroo is taking Yoseikan on the path he (Minoru) wishes for it to take. It was Hiroo that encouraged Auge Sensei to learn from his father and from I understand wrote him a letter of introduction. I will not comment on the split. I can and will say that all I have ever heard from other black belts in our national organization, United States Yoseikan Budo Association (USYBA), and from others from Japan and the YWF is praise on the abilities that Auge Sensei has as a martial artist.

The terms you forgot are Ne Waza for ground/mat work, Atemi for strikes/kicks, and Emono waza for weapons (tambo for club, tanto for knife). Don't worry about forgetting the names they will come in time.;)

Those are good web-sites for information. You can also look at www.yoseikan.info

Minoru DID write a book on what you asked for. The problems are it's out of print and written in Japanese (however, the pictures are good to go by). The YWF have put out some books and video that might be of help. I think your best bet is to see if there is a YWF affliated school near you to either train with or obtain some of this information.

If you want more information I'd be glad to help where and when I can. You can also ask docphil (Phil Farmer) who also is on this board. He is the President of the USYBA.

Hope this helps!

[Allan Pollock]

Thank you very much for your reply, Mr. Cheshire.

"Those are good web-sites for information. You can also look at www.yoseikan.info "

Thank you! I was looking for that link. It's a good website (the .info is applicable!)

Happy holidays!
Allan

[Mark Barlow]

Is David Orange, Jr. still afilliated with Yoseikan? I've known him since the late 70s but lost touch after he returned from the uchideshi program.

[Phil Farmer]

Thanks so much for a discussion of Yoseikan. We are always ready to answer questions about our style. In the early 1930's, Minoru Mochizuki wanted to maintain the martial spirit in aikido and judo and other arts and started his own school in Shizuoka, Japan. He was well ahead of his time, combining aiki, jiujitsu,iaido,kenjutsu (a variation of katori shinto ryu),judo,shotokan into a single art that can deal with every situation, literally from the ground up. He has passed the style to his son, Hiroo Mochizuki, who has added elements of boxing, tai chi,and even the art of bajutsu - sword, lance, and bow and arrow from horseback. It is an interesting style that can cover a broad range of interests and yet you can never learn it all. It is truly an art that covers birth to death. Just two years ago, O Sensei Mochizuki took to the mat, at age 93, to demonstrate a few techniques. He is still living with his son in France and has, as Robert indicated in another post, given the complete control and name and all things Yoseikan to Master Hiroo.

I like what the other person, I presume in California, since he trains with Auge Sensei, said - Yoseikan is about so much more than what goes on while on the mat. I am glad that Auge Sensei continues, as do all of us, to teach that the lessons learned on the mat apply to every place and experience in life. I do not mean to imply that other arts don't do the same thing, it is just that I get rather passionate about my style, for which I make no appologies. We have clinics in several states during the year and everyone, regardless of style, is welcome to attend. A listing of those clinics can be found on the Yoseikan.info website.

Peace and good training to all,


Phil Farmer
President
United States Yoseikan Budo Association

[Allan Pollock]

Onegaishimas!

"I presume in California, since he trains with Auge Sensei"

Actually, I do not train regularly with Augé Sensei as I am in Ottawa, Canada (I train at the RA Centre Dojo in Ottawa). That said (and to our great benefit), Augé Sensei comes to visit, lead clinics, and oversee ranking exams a few times every year.

At these clinics, we benefit not only from Augé Sensei's vast technical abilities, but also from his insight on how to apply budo in all parts of life.

Happy holidays!
Allan

[Phil Farmer]

Sorry,Allen, for assuming you were in California. That might be a real insult to a Canadian. I completely forgot that Auge Sensei has a number of students in Canada, and has for a long time. I have copies of the tapes called "KI AI" that were done by Canadian television about Auge Sensei and Yoseikan. I show them to my students on a regular basis. I think it is important to stay as connected as possible to people who practice the same art. I also got to see the demonstration done by Auge Sensei and his students at the Aiki Expo. It was good to see tai sabaki no kata and the students demonstrating sutemi.

Phil Farmer

[John J. Montes]

Hey guys...Happy Holidays to my fellow budoka...my question is simple, is there any expansion in New York or the northeast in general? I didn't know much about Yoseikan but it sounds great. Any further info available?

[Allan Pollock]

No need to apologise. I took no offense, whatsoever. But, yeah we Canadians are a bit sensitive about being mistaken for U.S. citizens, eh? :)

It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Farmer.

Until next time,
Allan

[Phil Farmer]

John,

The closest instructors we have are either in Portland, Maine with Sensei Helen August or in Pittsburgh with Sensei Bill Gooding. If you would like to know where our schools are or when a clinic might be close to you, go to Yoseikan.info. Also, there are Canadian clubs in the Ottawa area and in the Tres Rivieres (I know I got the French name wrong) area near Quebec. And, as a reminder, Canada does have its own, very fine country and great Canadian citizens, like others who post on this thread!

Cheers for the new year.

Phil Farmer