This time, I looked at the scene of people getting into formation for the after-party at the 32nd National Aikido Tournament and Training Session, and it made me think.
Still going strong even at that advanced age.
He’s the one who, whether at an old dojang or a newcomer’s dojang, always made people laugh and created a fun atmosphere at every after-party,
Even though nearly 15 years have passed and he’s now middle-aged, once he picks up the camera, he still shamelessly puts on a straight face and clowns around.
It’s not easy to strike a pose in front of the camera like that either.
Although his three-way squat is laughable, one comment from the last training session, “This is the Kobayashi-style dojang style,” left a particularly strong impression. No, more than an impression, it was actually quite moving.
Rather than being tied down by central connections or authority, and simply thinking, “If you exercise happily and drink happily, that’s enough” — I found myself thinking that this kind of consistency might be exactly what has led to today’s boundaries.
Aikido rules!!