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Hundreds of aikido practitioners descended this last week on the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium as opening act for the Scottish Fiddlers and bookend for Cheech and Chong. Under the leadership of Linda Holiday Sensei, Aikido of Santa Cruz has presented a Summer camp for 17 years. This year includes, for the second and possibly final time, Motomichi Anno Shihan, 8th Dan, Chief Instructor, Aikido Kumano Juku, Shingu, Japan, the successor to the late Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei, 10th dan.

 

 

Anno Sensei is one of the few direct students of the founder of aikido still teaching, and is particularly notable for what I would call (cultural paroxysms aside) Whole Enchilada Aikido.

He not only trains all the time to reinforce the somatic learning of peace that aikido represents, he also makes explicit and takes just as seriously the poetic, philosophical, mystical teaching offered by the Founder and calls for aikido to be culturally transformative through its mythology and not be limitted to personal physical practice in the dojo. He makes clear that arts of peace are learned through the body but that they are not limited to the personal realm but are cultural interventions.

It was a great pleasure to take falls for him, briefly, and receive a piece of his original calligraphy (as did EVERYONE else who participated).

Anno Sensei shared the teaching responsibilities with Senseis Mary Heiny, Linda Holiday, and Jack Wada.

 

 

 

 

Contra and Square Dancing was had not by all but by many...

and in the end, everyone had the opportunity to receive just their desserts.