A date with the warriors -2

Even though it was a demonstration and not an actual combat, the hall was packed to capacity and there was cheer and applause on each fall and counter attack.There were many foreigners like me among the spectators and the atmosphere was that of any big sporting event. Aikido is a relatively modern Japanese martial art practised in several countries .Hollywood star Steven Seagal is said to be an expert and has employed the techniques in combat scenes in his films like Under the Siege and Above the Law. Derived from traditional Ju-Jitsu its emphasis is on using the attacker's force against him using very little force of defender . Applying this basic principle even kids can make a grown up attacker run for his life . Unlike Karate, the use of kicks and punches is very minimal or restricted to an extent. Practitioners do not make any sounds like war-cries and they simply twist and turn the arm of the attacker using his energy against him. So enjoy the video and pics as i did the live performance and please answer a simple question . If you are the lucky first u can have a Japanese hand -held fan as a gift from me. The question is-- Name the Indian gentleman who introduced Ju-Jitsu or say Judo in India ? The clue is-- He had a long white beard !

A date with the warriors !

It had been raining since last night so definitely not an ideal day for outing ...but, then there was that poster on my office wall coaxing me for many days to witness the event and here it was! So, if one has to go ; one has to go ! I didn't anticipate,however, that it would be this big an event...almost like some festival. The young and dashing, the bald and bespectacled, kids and parents and grandparents were all there waiting in a long queue for their turn to enter Budokan.

Now, Budokan is a huge indoor arena near the Emperor's palace and just bang opposite Indian embassy in Tokyo. Basically meant for martial art competitions, this place has also been witness to many historical music concerts Beatles and all ! Today, however, the occasion was 49th All Japan Aikido demonstration. Teams from all over Japan were there in their traditional gear . Many shops outside the arena were selling books, videos, dresses and mementos related to Aikido. Aikido is a martial art like Judo and Karate , but very different in spirit than the two which i would like to touch upon in my next post .The event started with silence observed in the memory of victims of recent tragedy in Japan and then there was national anthem followed by big drum beat and then the action started .......(to be continued)