Patrick Augé May 30, 2003 Mochizuki Minoru Kancho Sensei passed away. My friend and former Uchi-deshi Gérard Olivier called immediately to inform me. He was near the master when he passed away. I had a dream a few nights earlier. Sensei was lying down on a hospital bed. It seemed that he was in a private house. He looked very sad and did not want to talk.
My relationship with Mochizuki Sensei was based on a daily exposure between 1970 and 1977, then on a summer yearly basis between 1978 and 2000. I asked him many questions while having breakfast in front of the sunrise at the Dojo or while traveling in Canada and the United States.
There has been misleading opinions and rumors as to the meaning of Budo Yoseikan and Yoseikan Budo.
Yoseikan (養正館), founded in 1931 is made of three Kanji (Chinese ideograms) and means “Place to Cultivate Righteousness”.
I asked Sensei how he defined ‘Right’. Here is what I retained from our conversations:
“Will to do what benefits society. See clearly through our deluded thoughts. Find a flexible way of working with those two factors”. A comment Sensei made in one of his writings stayed with me: “A bad decision taken with the right motivation can always be corrected and turned into a positive outcome. A bad decision taken with the wrong motivation will spell disaster for everyone”.
As a direct student of Judo founder Kano Jigoro Sensei, Aikido founder Ueshiba Morihei and modern Karatedo founder Funakoshi Gichin, Mochizuki Sensei had direct exposure to those masters whose daily lives were compatible with their teachings. To Sensei, in order to be a teacher, one has to live according to one’s teachings. That comprises managing daily difficulties such as family opposition, running a Dojo, relationships, etc., while practicing generosity and making oneself available to students and others.
“A teacher is a student who teaches in order to continue his study” was Sensei’s definition of a teacher.
That meant:
- Don’t just repeat what you were taught! You learned one thing, develop ten from there.
- Focus on the similarities between the various forms of Budo, not on the differences.
- Don’t believe blindly what a teacher tells you, no matter how great he may be. Take it as a guideline in order to develop your own understanding.
- Train your mind as well as your techniques and body. It will give you the courage and strength necessary to overcome all difficulties and continue your Shugyo as long as you are alive.
- Budoka are educators on the street. Use the self-confidence you acquired through years of practice to inspire and guide the youth toward a higher purpose than just making a living.
- Teachers, open your teaching to all, encourage girls and women to become leaders and inspire other females.
Concerning this last item, contrarily to most Budo teachers of his generation, Mochizuki Sensei was paying particular attention to female students, teaching them variations of techniques that better fit their nature. Many would drop out as soon as they finished school or got married but his policy was to make his teaching available to those who were able to see the value and opportunity that were offered to them.
Mochizuki Sensei explained the differences between Jutsu and Do: Jutsu (術) which we find in Bujutsu and Jujutsu means “Art” while Do (道) which we find in Budo and Judo, means “Path”. At first Jutsu systems were designed only for the purpose of winning and ensuring total victory by permanently crippling or terminating the enemy. However, some masters such as Yagyu Munenori (1571-1646) developed wisdom as a result of their experience and study. They knew the importance of winning but had also realized that ethics had to be included in the strategy in order to maintain stability after the conflict is over. When we train both in techniques and ethics, Jutsu evolves into a Path.
For that reason, Mochizuki Sensei was opposed to organized martial sports which focus only on winning and referred to those as Bujutsu. According to him, during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Baron de Coubertin had offered Kano Sensei to include Judo in the next Tokyo Olympics (which were canceled due to the war). Kano Sensei, who had lost hope in the Olympic spirit after witnessing the influence of politics and propaganda — not only in Japan and Germany — replied that Judo wasn’t a sport and wouldn’t be part of the Olympics.
However, Mochizuki Sensei encouraged us to enter Shiai (matches) as a means of building character. “It’s the motivation behind the intention that makes the whole difference”.
Now we have a better understanding of the meaning of Yoseikan and Mochizuki Sensei’s motivation behind the choice of the name, which was – according to Sensei, suggested by a philosopher monk.
What is the meaning of Budo Yoseikan? The Place to Cultivate Righteousness Through the Study of the Martial Path.
What is the meaning of Yoseikan Budo? The Martial Path of the Place to Cultivate Righteousness.
The Yoseikan system is called a Sogo Budo (総合武道), or Total Martial Path. While being based on the old Aiki-jujutsu taught by Ueshiba Sensei, it comprises training in attacks based on Karatedo, on grappling and ground work based on Judo, on weapons based on Kenjutsu, Bojutsu and Jojutsu. Techniques are organized in a logical progression according to their common bio-mechanical principles.Through Kenkyu (Research), it is also possible to develop specific applications according to the needs of the moment. For example, general and/or specific self-defense, close combat, arresting techniques, etc.
During the pre-war era, in order to be accepted as Ueshiba Sensei’s student, it was required to have a solid background in Kendo or Judo—Karate wasn’t well known at that time. Consequently, training in attacks wasn’t included in practice. After the war, instruction was open to the public but the absence of training in attacks remained the policy, which explains the sad state of today’s mainstream Aikido.In Yoseikan Budo, one never finishes a partner (we do not use the word “opponent”) with an Atemi (strike). Punching, kicking and other strikes are used as attacks in order to develop effective defenses. Mochizuki Sensei had hired an excellent Karate specialist in the person of Sano Teruo Sensei. Aikido students were encouraged to join his classes.
Throwing, pinning, strangling and locking are the defensive techniques that true Budoka should focus on developing while maintaining a stable mind and causing no or minimum damage. Mochizuki Sensei was strict about that.
Mochizuki Sensei’s Yoseikan Budo is definitively the Path Less Traveled. It is not commercialize-able and is unlikely to gain popularity in a consumer’s society. However, there will be a time — in a future that I may not see, when demand for authenticity will arise. Those who will have remained loyal to their roots will be ready to take on the task.
Who wants to be part of the adventure?
Patrick Augé
Los Angeles, May 29, 2020