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Essay about Aikido-Written papers for the yudansha exam

The Sensei in Aikido

The next essay that we invite you to read in this section belongs to our collegue Marius Roman from Musubi Dojo Cluj, which was promoted to nidan.

Myamoto Musashi was writing in his book Book of the Five Rings that "The sensei is the needle, and the student is the thread".
Translated from japanese, the word sensei means : wise sage, teacher, leader or professor. From all, in Aikido, the sensei is a path-leader. The one that guides his pupils in discovering a martial called Aikido.
When someone enters for the first time an Aikido dojo with the wish to discover this martial art, the first that really comes out from the picture is the sensei leading the dojo, the one that leaves the deepest mark.
A Sensei in Aikido besides the training and example he provides his pupils, is in a continuous own development of his own Aikido. To be a true Sensei, it's not enough to receive this "title" from someone who is higher in rank, but it must be aknowledged like that by his own students.
In any dojo, the highest honor and aknowledgement is given to the Sensei, being the one that has the authority in his own dojo. The Respect he receives is one of the main 5 respects that exist in a dojo : respect for the dojo, for the tatami, for the kamiza, for the sensei and respect between aikidokas.
A sensei is close and altough far from his students, keeping an etiquette distance with them. He is a raw model in the dojo, but also outside of it; he guides and leads his pupils, in the meantime leaving them the freedom to discover by themselves some of the aspects and details of Aikido and its Principles.
The qualities of a man and of a Sensei might overlap, but the modesty specific to the ones that practice martial arts has to be in his character, as same as the sincerity towards the ones surroinding him, and especially with himself.
A Sensei that is truly good, will always push you to surpass your own limits, to walk on the edge of the cliff, and when you are about to slip, he would reach you a hand. He is the one that criticises you and encourages you in the same time. The one that keeps you close so you can learn the techniques and his teachings, and lets you go when time comes.
Each Aikido has in time one or more teachers, judging each by his own perceptions, but just as a student chooses his Sensei, his Sensei also chooses his students. The question is, whom does he consider to be hi me, my first Sensei will be forever my Sensei and my raw model.
Roman Marius
 

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