Shoji Seki

A video of one of my favorite masters: Shoji SEKI, 7 Dan Aikido Aikikai, Hombu Shihan.
Shoji Seki is presently Chief Instructor (“Shihan Bucho”) at Hombu Dojo.
The video is filmed at the 44th Annual All-Japan Aikido Demonstration, organized by Aikikai in Tokyo, in 2006.

This is a demonstration where Seki shihan is performing slower, didactically, having a lot of care for the Uke.
Nevertheless, one can tell that he is sharp as a katana, crystal clear, precise, exact.


and from another angle:


From the Encyclopedia of Aikido offered by Aikido Journal:
“SEKI, SHOJI
(b. 6 March 1950).
7th dan Aikikai.
Aikikai Shihan.
B. Yamagata Prefecture.
First practiced aikido in 1969 in Tokyo.
Became professional instructor at AIKIKAI HOMBU DOJO in 1973.
Has traveled to numerous countries conducting aikido seminars.”

He was a disciple of Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu.

Master Seki has traveled to Romania twice, in 1996 and 1997, when he conducted memorable seminars, organized by George Raicu sensei.
I still remember Seki sensei taking ukemi for some (lucky) participants to the seminar.

And a story from Hombu Dojo:
I was there a few years ago, training one class each day and watching/studying from aside one or two more classes.
During the late master Arikawa’s class, the respect that the practitioners showed him was exceptional. Everybody strictly aligned, perfect silence. Me, in the back, on the wooden floor surrounding the tatami, sitting in seiza. It’s not too pleasant to sit on your knees, on wood, for several minutes.
After the beginning ceremony, training begins, and I sit with my legs crossed. Wrong !
The young instructor Teijyu Sasaki comes to me and indicates that I should sit on my knees during training too. Oops!
After minutes of sitting on my knees, Sasaki comes back and says “Ok, you should sit in seiza only when shihan is demonstrating the techniques and everybody else sits down. For the rest, you can sit with the legs crossed.”

Another day, I was watching master Seki’s class.
To avoid repeating the mistake, I was sitting bravely in seiza, on the wooden floor.
Master Seki saw me from the beginning, and on the first occasion came to me and asked me to not sit on my knees, but to sit down. (What a relief !)
This is one more reason for which I like master Seki. :)

Searching additional information on Seki shihan, I found this topic on the Aikido Journal Forum, from which I extract two suggestive snippets about the Japanese master:

“Very fast, very precise, very polite, very technical, very circular.”
Tony Rodrigues, Sao Paulo (Brazil)

“Very fast and sharp, with no messing about or surplus movement.
Along with Mr Hayato Osawa, Mr. Seki is really 'mainstream' Hombu, in the sense that the main influences on their training came from the late Kisshomaru Doshu and Kisaburo Osawa.”
Peter Goldsbury, Hiroshima (Japan)

The most important persons in the Romanian Aikido

For my fellow Romanians that are newer in the field of Aikido, I would like to mention here some of our conationals who have contributed during the years to the introduction and development of Aikido in Romania.
I chose them according to the following criteria: they were either pioneers that introduced Aikido, or they were (or presently are) leaders of important Aikido organizations, through which Aikido has been massively diffused to the practitioners.
I was limited by my own knowledge, therefore I apologize to those who have been omitted, even though they might be of the same caliber with those listed below.

In a somehow chronological order:

Nicolae Gothard Bialokur
(63 years old, Lausanne – Switzerland)
One of the pioneers of martial arts in Romania.
Formed the first Aikido study group 30 years ago, in 1977, in Bucharest.
Published a book on Aikido.
Presently lives in Switzerland and continues practicing Budo.

Serban Derlogea
(70 years old, Bucharest)
Started to study Aikido in 1977, under Nicolae Gothard Bialokur.
Together with Dan C. Ionescu and George Raicu, he is one of the Aikido promoters in Romania before and after 1989. (1989 is the year of the comunism collapse.)
Published two books on Aikido.
Presently continues to teach Aikido and Taijiquan at a dojo belonging to the Bucharest University.
He is ranked 5 Dan Aikido.
Website: www.derlogea.ro

George Raicu
(46 years old, Bucharest)
Started to study Aikido in 1977, under Nicolae Gothard Bialokur.
Distinguished himself as an Aikido promotor in Romania after 1989.
He is the president of the organization “Aikikai Romania”.
He is ranked 5 Dan Aikido Aikikai by shihan M. Fujita.
Website: www.aikikairomania.ro

Dan Corneliu Ionescu
(65 years old, Bucharest)
Started to study Aikido in 1979, under Nicolae Gothard Bialokur.
He is one of the Aikido promoters in Romania before 1989 and especially after 1989.
Published two books on Aikido.
He is the president of the “Romanian Aikido Federation” and the president of the “European Aikido Confederation”.
He is ranked 8 Dan Aikido.
Website: www.aikido.ro

Dorin Marchis
(39 years old, Cluj-Napoca)
An old time student of shihan Masatake Fujita and George Raicu.
Studies Aikido since the early ’90s.
He is the president of the “Romanian Aikido Aikikai Foundation”.
He is ranked 4 Dan Aikido Aikikai by shihan M. Fujita.
Website: www.aikikai.ro


I would also mention Ioan Grigorescu, Viorel Dan, Iulian Perpelici, Adrian Bunea, who have a long time activity through which they have contributed both didactically and organizationally to the improvement of Aikido in Romania.


If I have mistaken any data, please forgive and correct me.

My first grading examination in Aikido

It happened in April, 1994.
I was studying Aikido for 6 months already, at the Cluj University club. My instructor was Ioan Barbos, a 2nd Kyu by then. Training was held in the Judo hall at the Faculty of Chemistry, near the Central Park.
The club was affiliated to the Romanian Aikido Union (URA), headed by Mr. Dan Ionescu.

URA regularly held week-end national seminars in Bucharest, every 3 months.
At the April 1994 seminar, from Cluj participated a group of 10-12 practitioners.
Before the seminar, I remember that we were pre-tested for the grading exam by our instructor, Nelutu Barbos, to be sure we won’t be a disgrace.

Everything fine, we arrived in Bucharest after an 8 hours trip by train and we checked in in a worn-out one star hotel near the Northern Railway Station. After that, we got to the training sessions that took place at Ecran Club. The training was conducted by sensei Dan Ionescu, 4th Dan by then, assisted by sensei Ioan Grigorescu, 2nd Dan. I still remember I was impressed by Mr. Grigorescu’s Ukemi (rolling or breakfalls), very smooth and silent.

At the end there were the grading examinations, where the majority of our group from Cluj was tested for 5th Kyu, as we were beginners.
However, something happened that day or the days before the examination, there were some disputes related to the Cluj group, possibly some frictions between Mr. Ionescu and Nelutu Barbos, I don’t know exactly, since I was not involved.
Fact is that during the examination Mr. Ionescu was very irritated. From my performance I only remember demonstrating Ukemi and Katate-Dori Shiho-Nage. It must have been something else also, maybe Ikkyo, but I don’t remember.

The verdict was drastical: all people from Cluj were failed, except for Mihai A., who was promoted from 5th Kyu to 4th Kyu. It was unpleasant for us, then, because we didn’t think that we did something so wrong for that minimal level that we were tested for. I am convinced that Mr. Ionescu was too intransigent with us because the negative background that has been developed for reasons that I still don’t know. He wanted to teach somebody a lesson, but in the end I don’t know who learned what lesson.

Afterwards, I have been graded twice by Mr. Ionescu, no problem whatsoever: 5th Kyu in November 1994 and 4th Kyu in April 1995.

When you are “young” in Aikido, you give a greater importance to grades. That’s why any failure to promote is felt harder then. Now I understand that grades are not so important as practice and experience.
And if you practice Aikido for a lifetime, there is time enough for grades.

Where are they now ?

Dan Ionescu is still the head of the ex Romanian Aikido Union, now called the Romanian Aikido Federation (FRA).
He is also the president of the European Aikido Confederation (CEA), an independent organization not very big, grouping clubs from France, Romania and Great Britain. CEA was formed around the French master Daniel Brun, a former student of Tadashi Abe.
In CEA, Daniel Brun is ranked 9th Dan, and Dan Ionescu 8th Dan.
FRA has 15 dojos, while CEA has a total of 43 dojos (France 25, Romania 15, Great Britain 3).

Ioan Grigorescu separated from Mr. Ionescu’s organization some years ago and keeps a small independent organization with a few dojos. He is ranked 5th Dan by Dan Ionescu.

Ioan Barbos gave up on Aikido a few years ago, and is teaching Judo, his first love. As far as I know, he is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sports from the “Babes-Bolyai” University in Cluj.

Mihai A. was, between 1994 and 1995, the first instructor in our dojo, nowadays known as the “Musubi” Dojo Cluj. Mihai doesn’t practice Aikido anymore since sometime around 1997-2000, if I remember well.