In Ikenobo, a flower arrangement school, there is a famous saying "Aritsuki Kanau You-ni Ikeyo". According to an article written in the newspaper “Ikemoto”, this saying means that the form of plants and trees and the way of placing leaves and flowers within an arrangement must be in accordance with the principles of nature.
It seems that the flowers and leaves within arrangements that are created following the laws of nature can be more alive. The head of this flower arrangement school says that this concept of " Aritstuki-Kanau" is important not only in Ikebana, but also in our daily lives, and I thought that this concept also applies to the martial arts as well.
We are all different. People may share similarities in terms of their age, gender, height and weight, muscle build, hand size, and body shape, but they have different personalities. Some people can move in the same way, but others can't because of differences that they may have in the flexibility of their joints. In such cases, the teacher must innovate new ways of approaching their martial arts practice that allows people with different capabilities to perform the same techniques.
The late martial arts master Minoru Mochizuki said, "The martial arts (he used the word “do” as in Aiki-"do", or Ju-"do") must provide a path that everyone can walk on with peace of mind." According to our sensei, Master Kinefuchi, we should create "a path that not only special people can walk on, but one that everyone can walk on".
To do so, leaders must always tear down existing stereotypes or set ideas. By giving guidance that matches each person's characteristics and capabilities, you can develop their abilities and even bring out their hidden potential. It's true that there are some people who can perform skills quickly even with the same teaching method, but there are also people who can't do these unless they approach them differently. It is important to teach with an open and innovative approach so that anyone can practice and learn.
In flower arrangement, by changing the height, direction and combination of plants and leaves just a little bit, the charm of the original arrangement itself can be brought out more beautifully.
Following this way of thinking, I would like to continue to teach martial arts in a way that respects the individuality and characteristics of each student to make them shine in their own unique way, so that they "aritsuki kanau” or become more true to their own underlying nature.