[Feature: Sports and Science] Shinichi Tohei: Development in the Modern Era—Universality and Reproducibility

My mentor and father, Koichi Tohei, was born in 1920. While studying at the Keio University Faculty of Economics, he was drafted for World War II and went to the front lines after graduating six months early. After returning from the war in 1953, a time when Japanese people were not yet able to travel abroad freely, he began spreading Aikido to the world and was later awarded the 10th dan, the highest rank. He met Master Tetsuju Ogura, who taught the "Teachings of Tesshu Yamaoka," Master Morihei Ueshiba, the "Founder of Aikido," and Master Tempu Nakamura, who taught the "Relationship between Mind and Body." Through his experiences on the battlefield and rigorous training, he mastered "Ki" and systematized it into "Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido" as a path that anyone could follow. I began my training under my father at the age of one and a half.

My grandfather was also a graduate of Keio University, so there seemed to be expectations for me, but I went on to the Tokyo Institute of Technology. After graduation, I aimed to become the successor of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido and began training as an uchi-deshi (live-in disciple) under Koichi Tohei. Later, I served as an instructor for the Keio University Athletic Association Aikido Club and also began teaching Aikido as a part-time lecturer at Keio University in weekly classes at the Mita and Hiyoshi campuses. I have interacted with many students for 27 years at the Aikido Club and 25 years in the weekly classes up to the present day. Upon recommendation from those involved with the Aikido Club, I was honored as a Special Keio University alumni by then-President Atsushi Seike in 2014. Koichi Tohei passed away in 2011 at the age of 91, but I am sure he would be truly happy.

The purpose of training in Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido is to "maximize (draw out) the power that humans inherently possess." No matter how much ability or skill you have, it is meaningless if you cannot demonstrate it when it counts. Furthermore, you cannot demonstrate your power if you cannot believe in yourself. By cultivating a rock-solid foundation for both mind and body through training, you become able to fully demonstrate your strength in important situations.

For this reason, it is studied not only by those interested in Aikido but also by people in various fields, such as athletes, actors, musicians, and organizational leaders.

Sadaharu Oh, the famous baseball player known for his "one-legged" batting style, also trained under Koichi Tohei every year during his active career. Personally, upon the recommendation of Tatsuro Hirooka, I was involved in the development of top young prospects at the Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training camp for three years starting in 2010.

Uchi-deshi training was difficult in every aspect, but for me, it is an irreplaceable asset. Upon becoming an uchi-deshi, our parent-child relationship was dissolved and we entered a master-disciple relationship; we did not return to a parent-child relationship until my mentor passed away.

During the uchi-deshi period, you accompany your mentor everywhere, so training takes place not only inside the dojo but also outside of it; there is no so-called break time. Once a week, about half a day is given to handle personal matters, but other than that, there is no free time. However, if I wanted to study something, that time was granted if I requested it.

Looking back on my uchi-deshi training, I think the most significant part was understanding "what he valued" by always being with him. For example, I was able to experience how to interact with people, how to handle objects, and how to overcome difficulties through concrete actions rather than through knowledge or information.

Above all, he valued trust. He taught, "Do not seek praise by doing something special; gain trust by doing the obvious things obviously," and he lived exactly that way. He treated everyone politely without discrimination, and even for his own disciples, he did not use their names without an honorific, instead using "-kun." He viewed the relationship between master and disciple not as a "vertical hierarchy" but as a "human-to-human relationship." He always handled objects with care, not just people. Even in situations that looked like nothing but hardship to me, my mentor sometimes saw them as opportunities. These were things that could not be gained through learning in the dojo alone.

The way an organization exists and its methods of guidance change with the times, but if "what is valued" is altered, it cannot be said that the tradition has been passed down. This is the most important aspect of succession.

In development, both "teaching" and "coaching" are necessary. Neither is one-way; both are two-way interactions (communication). It is precisely because you observe and understand the other person's state that you can guide them appropriately. Being "other-oriented" is the basis, but when one becomes "self-oriented," they fall into a way of interacting that relies solely on experience and intuition, or one that is biased toward knowledge and information alone. The basics of development are to carefully show "why we are doing this now" and "why it is necessary for you," and then to have them execute it, encourage them, and lead them to achievement.

Koichi Tohei emphasized "universality" and "reproducibility." Universality means being able to do something regardless of the person or place, and reproducibility means being able to do it the same way under the same conditions. If universality or reproducibility is lacking, it is too early to claim that something is correct.

Scientific knowledge is important in development, but I believe a scientific attitude is just as important. Some books published recently claim to have scientific knowledge but arbitrarily use only results that are convenient for their own claims, leading to criticisms regarding a lack of reproducibility. For those involved in development, it is important not to take things at face value just because they are called scientific knowledge, but to think for themselves, practice them, and then incorporate them, maintaining an attitude of conveying "certainties" based on reproducibility.

To increase universality, I continue to challenge myself to achieve the same results in different fields, with different subjects, and in different languages. The development at the Los Angeles Dodgers mentioned earlier is one example. To begin with, there was no reason for American professional sports players to listen obediently to what an Aikido practitioner from Japan had to say. During the first training session, the gathered players had an atmosphere of "What are you here for?"

Of course, the forms, movements, and techniques differ in each field, but there is something that connects them universally at the root. One of those is a "rock-solid foundation" for demonstrating the power one possesses. After briefly explaining the purpose of the training, I first gave a demonstration of "how to stand." I chose the two strongest players from among them, had them stand on either side of me, and had each place both hands on my shoulders to apply their weight. If there is even a little tension in the body, you feel the load, but with a balanced posture free of tension, you can support it without strain. Eventually, the two were hanging off me, and they were surprised that I didn't budge with my rock-solid foundation. The players started saying, "I want to try that too!" Everyone there became able to do it and immediately tried it out in practice.

After a relationship of trust was built, the players began to learn earnestly, and the coaches who saw the change also became serious. From there, the results became certain.

The Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido Kai, of which I am the president, has about 10,000 members and about 500 instructors in Japan alone. Therefore, I am involved in the development of instructors every day.

The most troubling issue in modern development is likely "harassment." To train someone, basic physical strength is necessary, and that strength is cultivated through the repetition of basics, but forcing that can lead to harassment. Also, if there is an error in thinking, it needs to be corrected, but stepping into the other person's inner self can lead to harassment. Now that "strictness = evil" is a common perception, people fear harassment so much that interactions become superficial, and they are unable to convey what needs to be conveyed. As a result, they weaken and results stop improving. Isn't this a problem occurring in all fields in modern Japan? I am also working on various things to overcome this.

To delve deeper into this issue, I had the opportunity to have a three-way conversation with Kimiyasu Kudo, the former manager of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Ryuji Kokonoe, the 14th Kokonoe-oyakata (former Ozeki Chiyotaihai). Mr. Kudo won the Japan Series five times during his seven years as manager. To achieve such results, strictness must have been required; how did he realize this in modern development? Mr. Kokonoe has a strictness in development, such as making the wrestlers in his stable perform shiko (sumo leg stomps) 1,000 times a day. However, the atmosphere in the stable is good, and there are many positive wrestlers; how is such an environment constructed? In both cases, "other-oriented development" was deeply involved.

This three-way conversation was turned into a book titled "Katsu no Irekata" (Gentosha). In Japanese, there is the phrase "katsu o ireru." Originally, it meant "to bring someone who has lost consciousness back to life," and from there, it changed to be used in the sense of "to encourage (bring to life) a person." Recently, the expression using the character for "shout" (喝) is often used, but it is actually a misuse. That "katsu" refers to a loud voice, which would mean intimidating someone with a loud voice. The theme of this book is precisely the modern "way to give a katsu (invigorate)." I hope it will be of help to leaders and instructors struggling with modern development.