EXCEPTIONAL PARTICIPATION of Maître Alain GRASON, 8th Dan, a pioneer of French Aikido – The traditional knowledge of Aikido can only be preserved and passed on by small groups of individuals who are free from any particular allegiance.
In Aikido, there is no such thing as a linear ‘straight forward’ entry, just as there is no such thing as a linear ‘straight backwards’ throw.
Aikido is a martial ritual through which man embodies the transcendent and sacred ways of the Universe by physically reproducing them. The human body is a temple through which the miracle of technical creation is analogously accomplished.
The transition from hanmi to hito e mi is achieved by pivoting both feet on the spot. At the end of the transition, the foot that ends up at the front has necessarily pivoted on the heel, whilst the foot that ends up at the back has necessarily pivoted on the ball of the foot.
The complete system of movement in Aikido is revealed here for the first time. To say it is brilliant is an understatement; it is sacred, for it conforms to the archetype chosen by the Will of Heaven to manifest the forms of being.
The centre of the cross upon which the feet of the Aikido practitioner move is the Centre of the World, the point where all oppositions are reconciled and resolved. The Centre of the World is not in any given geographical location; it is wherever balance is achieved, and at all times.
There is no image, no metaphor; the Aikido practitioner stands physically upright on the Floating Bridge of Heaven. The cross formed by Takami musubi and Kami musubi defines the paths his feet must follow, showing him in concrete terms how he must walk.
