Training with Kondo Katsuyuki Sensei / Daito-ryu Shinbukan

[Kendoguy9]

I know this would probably be better posted in the seminar board, but I don't know how many of you will see it there so I thought I'd post it here.

Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu Seminar
Katsuyuki Kondo, Sensei
November 11th and 12th, 2000
On November 11th and 12th, Aikido Martial Arts Institute, in cooperation with Stanley Pranin and Aikido Journal, will host the third North American Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu seminar featuring Katsuyuki Kondo, Sensei. By popular request, registration will be accepted at the door.

Due to unforseen circumstances, the venue for the seminar has changed. We apologize for any inconvenience. The two-day seminar will take place at:

Perry Hall High School
4601 Ebenezer Road
Perry Hall, Maryland


Seminar Schedule
Saturday and Sunday morning sessions - 10 AM to Noon

Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions - 2 PM to 4 PM

Hotels
We have reserved a block of rooms at a special convention rate at the following hotel:

Hampton Inn
8225 Town Center Drive, Baltimore MD 21236
For reservation call: 1-800-HAMPTON

Directions

Registration
The cost for the entire weekend of training with Katsuyuki Kondo, Sensei will be $200.00. Please note that the registration covers both days for all morning and afternoon sessions. There will be no split sessions available.

Due to the anticipated demand for this seminar, and the fact that we expect to sell out early, we recommend participants register as soon as possible. You may register for the seminar by calling Aikido Martial Arts Institute at 410-529-5222. Please make cashiers' check, certified checks or money orders made payable to Aikido Martial Arts Institute. Personal checks cannot be accepted. Our e-mail address is aikido@charm.net. Participants have the right to cancel reservations and refunds issued within 3 business days after the receipt of payment. No refunds will be made after the third business day after the receipt of payment. No spectators, photos or videos will be permitted.

Due to circumstance beyond our control Aikido Martial Arts Institute has temporarily suspended accepting Visa and Master Card credit cards for those wishing to registration for the Daito-Ryu Seminar. We apologies for any inconvenience. Those wishing to register may send a certified check or money order, made payable to our Seminar Coordinator - Ms. Pat Collins. If there are any questions please feel free to call John Stump at 410-529-5222 or 410-893-4231.

Biography of Katsuyuki Kondo, Sensei
Born in Tokyo in 1945, Katsuyuki Kondo, Sensei first learned Daito-ryu while still a child from Tsunejiro Hosono of the Shineikan dojo. He began studying under Tokimune Takeda Soke in 1961 and under Kotaro Yoshida in Hitachi in 1963. He became a direct student of Tokimune Takeda in March 1966, and was appointed soke kyoju dairi in November 1974 and soke dairi as well as menkyo kaiden in May 1988. At the national branch managers' meeting in September 1994 he was made headquarters' chief and executive division chief for Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu. He is also a researcher of Tesshu Yamoaka. (Aikido Journal, Vol. 24 No. 2 1997, p. 23. © Copyright 1997 Aiki News.)

Thank you,

[Roger Lake]

I was wondering if anyone wanted to talk about attending the Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu seminar given by Kondo sensei this year. It seemed to me that the previous two seminars had a noticeable absence of "big wigs" of this country's Aiki community. I attended the first two seminars and they were absolutely incredible. We finally have the chance to experience authentic Daito-ryu from the mainline tradition, and there doesn't seem to be a large amount of enthusiasm about it. As little as five years ago, this type of training was not available in this country.
Sincerely,
Roger Lake

[Kendoguy9]

I am a member of the study group Kondo sensei set up and I will of course be there. It seems that Daito-ryu here in the states is very political. It also seems that a few people from various organizations (some not even Daito-ryu) claimed that Kondo sensei has no aiki, even though they have only been traing a few years or a decade (a bit less then his 40 years in the art). They of course did not realize that Kondo sensei does not give away/teach techniques and principles as easily as some other teachers do. The previous seminars were to be a true introduction to Daito-ryu, starting from the ground up. And regardless of rank in another branch or system I don't think Kondo is going to teach higher level techniques until he feels we are ready. To be fair they also have their own organizations and affiliations that they are, i'm sure, very happy with.

Have you registered yet with Goss sensei? if not here is the site:
http://www.charm.net/%7Eaikido/daitoryu.shtml

hope to see you this Nov.

[Roger Lake]

Yes I have registered. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Ridiculous is the only way to describe the political situation. People can buy into the anti Kondo rhetoric all they want. As far as I am concerned, Kondo sensei's seminars are the only ones I will attend as far as the aiki arts are concerned. I have seen the techniques of some of these other groups(Seishinkai,Saigo-ha,Bokuyokan,etc.), and all I can say is "whatever,man". See you there. I'm sure it will be even better than the first two. I don't care if we do Ikkajo series forever, I'm just glad to be a part of it.
Roger

[Nathan Scott]

[Post deleted by user]

[Roger Lake]

Mr. Scott,
I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to attend this year's seminar. Your remarks are right on the money about Kondo sensei, and especially about Aikido practitioners exploring the technical roots of their art. I'm sure that the Ikkajo training will be excellent.
Roger Lake

[Roger Lake]

Ikkajo training manual, that is(sorry folks).

[J. Ribot]

Nice one Roger,

I sicerely hope that your thread has rattled a few cages, especially those belongiing to those self-proclaimed aiki gods we constantly hear about. As you know I'm looking foward to being there and training with my old friends again.

I ,like you was shocked to hear about the lack of attendence and intrest in such a valuable semminar. I guess thats what happens when egos and self rightousness cloud the mind and interfere with learning and enlightenment. Of course, there are those who have legitimate reasons for not attending,( your spirits will be felt. )

See you on the tatami Roger.

Regards,

Juan

[Dan Harden]

I believe you will find Kondo Sensei's candor delightfully refreshing. He is willing to answer many direct, even difficult, questions with openness and honesty. If you like his movement, train with him. Don’t worry about comparisons or what the other groups are doing.
The general lack of interest isn't really that surprising to me.
1. Someone mentioned Aikido folk. Aikido folk have a wealth of their own sensei they would like to train with. Their time and funds (like all of ours) is limited. So they choose to spend it in their own arts.
2. They may be entirely happy with their Aikido. Why should they WANT to train in Daito Ryu?(yes we all have opinions on this, but it is their opinion that counts isn't it?)

Others mentioned the Daito ryu groups who exist in the U.S. and why they are not there.

There are few legitimate groups and one or two shadow groups out there. The legitimate ones have their own Sensei and their own sense of what Aiki is.
SO………………
3. Why would they need or want to go elsewhere? They are happy where they are

You should realize that of the few legitimate groups of Daito ryu and one other group of legitimate Aiki-jujutsu; they do not agree as to what constitutes Aiki in the first place. One group may think another Aikijujutsu group is "lacking", is overly technical in minutia, and essentially clueless. That same group may think the OTHER group is clueless. Going so far as to say they do not understand Aiki and really only doing jujutsu!
Still another, may say that the execution of technique that one school does is more in line with the movements of Aikido then with those of Jujutsu. And they may all be Legit!
There are different ways to execute Aiki. With different goals in mind. "One" may not fit into "the others" version of what "IT" is. Therefore, when they see an exponent move or execute technique they are "LOOKING" for telltale signs of what they consider Aiki to be, in accordance with their training experiences...........
When they don't see IT.
or feel IT.
They say that guy or that school doesn't have IT.
Guess what? The other group says the same thing.
BUT! to the public, (meaning, I guess, other Martial artists) they are effective, use minimal motion and MOVE the opponent into locks, chokes, freezing up or dropping.
Completely different techniques.
Effective results.
Go figure!

4. There are also people who have trained with Kondo and trained with other arts. They have made their choice of whom to train with.
5. Still others, are not allowed to train elsewhere while in one group.

Someone made comments about Aiki-gods.
There aren’t any. There are VERY few who are simply amazing. A few more who are good, the rest of us are struggling along.
Go and train.Decide for yourself. Once you have decided, very little will change your mind anyway. When you see people dropping, locking, freezing, being redirected,, etc. while you are relaxed and flowing, you will probably be happy with where you are. When the "other guys" don't move like you do? You will probably consider THEM clueless too.
In any event. It explains why people in legit Aiki-jujutsu arts are uninterested in what Kondo has to offer. They are happy where they are! Others, are simply not interested......period. It has nothing to do with elitism. Or the inverse; that Kondo somehow has superior technique that will challenge them. It is, I believe, far more pedestrian than that. They are simply content in the arts their already in, Aiki related or not!

Dan


[Edited by Dan Harden on 10-12-2000 at 07:47 AM]

[Carlos Estrella]

I can understand the hesitation of many who SHOULD go to this seminar but won't (or can't). Many legitimate Daito Ryu organizations have members who KNOW they could possibly offend the leaders of those organizations if they went. Also, people in my position (along with Nathan Scott and many others) have business or personal obligations that prevent attending.

I KNOW that if I could be there, I would (and if anyone wants to donate a plane ticket, I do GREAT computer work and web design :-) )

For those who DO go, training with Kondo Sensei, like training with the leaders of ALL the legitimate Daito Ryu schools and associations, is a special privilege that if possible for you, should be taken advantage of. If you can go - GO!!!

Just my humble opinion and comment -

Sayonara!

Carlos

[Nathan Scott]

[Post deleted by user]

[Roger Lake]

Hey Juan,
Good to hear from you boychik. How is my fellow tadpole?
Probably still tanned and chasing thongs as far south as you live. I look forward to tossing you around like the girlie man that you are. For those that wish to attend the Kondo seminar, but cannot, I sympathize and understand, I hope that there will be many more future seminars.
Thank you for your response,Mr.Harden, I remember you from the first seminar, will you be attending this year?
Yes there are Aiki gods!! I have been to many seminars, seen many different things. Sensei dressed in saintly white uniforms, obi outside the hakama, trying to "wax on,wax off" punches to their face, very short instructors throwing the largest uke they can find to satisfy their Napoleonic complexes. Dubious claims about their backgrounds, and so much "oss"ing, you'd think it was a Japanese dialect.
Believe it or not, I really don't worry about what other groups are doing, but when you have people north of the border with hundred page websites, claiming to be the only true Daito-ryu group,it starts to get a little frustrating.
But, that is just my humble opinion. Whoever is attending, see you there.
Roger Lake

[Richard A Tolson]

Roger,
I would love to attend and had thought long and hard about it. It sounds like an excellent opportunity and a good chance to compare styles. Besides, I haven't gotten my butt properly kicked in a while. I kind of miss it.
Unfortunately, I work for a living! Usually 58 hrs/week, so time is of a premium.
Good luck on your event!

[Edited by Richard A Tolson on 10-12-2000 at 11:40 PM]

[Rob]

Kinda wondering off the topic slightly.

But if you're having trouble filling spaces over there in the U.S. of A - move the seminar to the UK.

A quick straw poll amongst just the 20 or so martial artists I know here had a 100% attendence. I'd guess we could get a 100 or so - If that's how big you want the seminar !

Just a thought ?

[Neil Yamamoto]

Since Nathan referred to me as king of seminars in another thread for some reason, I thought I would toss in my 2 yen.

As much as I would like to attend, I have the choice of making a living like Richard, or taking a day to travel there, 2 days for the seminar, and another day for travel or maybe a redeye back to Seattle. Add in the cost of airfare, hotel, rental car and meals to the cost of the seminar, well, I can't drop that much time and money.

But if I get rich in this weekends lotto, $26 million, I'll see you guys on the mats!