Martial Arts Magazine Australia

By Attila Halasz

Welcome to my third story in this magazine.

Apparently it is hot in Budapest at the end of August.

I took public transportation to the large sports centre on the outskirts.

Being 1996 and no mobile phones and widely available internet, all I knew about aikido grandmaster Yasuo Kobayashi that he was 50 years old and an 8th dan aikido black belt.

He started training in 1955 and was a direct student of the founder, Morihei Ueshiba and the great, Koichi Tohei. He spent 10 years training with the latter, Tohei was also my own teacher’s major influence.

When I walked through the grounds, there was a leafy, outdoor area littered with a great number of participants. I was looking for Kobayashi Shihan with great excitement. I imagined a towering personality, surrounded by his own black belts, and I thought, as a very important teacher, he’d be wearing a fine business suit with a tie.

I suddenly noticed a larger-than-normal gathering around a table. I could hear someone laughing. The man sitting and laughing looked Japanese and fifty. He wore a green bucket hat, a yellow T-shirt, and green cargo pants with brown sandals on his bare feet..

That somewhat eccentrically dressed person can’t be Kobayashi! – I thought to myself, but it was him!

Chatting in English, relaxed and casual, he was charming, friendly and accessible.

In comparison, I’ve seen plenty of pompous teachers on my European aikido journey.

Later the training hall was totally packed with international aikido students from all over. I stopped counting at one hundred.

Every young black belt’s dream is to get closer to the grandmaster but in this massive crowd, I resigned myself to the fact that I’ll just have to watch him from the back.

But that afternoon, during the wooden staff training class, an unexpected opportunity presented itself!

Kobayashi was showing various techniques on what happens when someone would grab and take the jo (staff) from him. However, during these advanced techniques, his ukes just couldn’t take proper, safe falls when thrown fast and dynamically by him.

Seeing that, I quickly moved forward to the front row. Kobayashi, as so far he couldn’t bring his point across, looked around for another, hopefully better uke. When our eyes locked, I bowed to him quickly.

He signaled for me to go out. I grabbed his jo strongly and he threw me fast and hard. I was back up immediately and ready to go again!

I wasn’t fazed, even when he swept my feet from under me with the hard wooden stick. He was indeed satisfied at the end of the demo.

From then on, I sat in the first row, always close and paying attention.

Every time his uke didn’t respond the way it was expected for the demo, he glanced at me, and I was up and ready. For five days, I assisted him continuously.

I thought back to my white belt years (Shin Sen Dojo in Sydney), taking so much ukemi. I really didn’t like it at the beginning, as throwing people was much more fun than being thrown, but master Ken was right. I had the time of my life in Budapest now.

The skin came off my toes, and my entire body was hurting, but it was kind of a beautiful and worthwhile feeling.

During the nights, I slept on the mats on the dojo floor like many others, and coffee never tasted better than at 6 am at the nearby petrol station.

In the following days, I became a popular figure at this seminar because of my daring falls. I made many new friends. During a break, Kobayashi shihan asked me if I was going to stay in Europe and join his organisation! I couldn’t hide my happiness…and my sadness as my travels were coming to an end and I had to leave.

Everyone would get tired after a five day long intensive.

I clearly saw that Kobayashi was also tired and I was spent too.

After the last class, I walked up to him:

I have been practicing Ki Shiatsu massage…if you’d like one, I said to the grandmaster. He responded with a big smile.

I’ve done many massages over the years, but I really tried my best now.

I really thought that my aikido learning had finished for the day, but it wasn’t so.

To my great surprise, the relaxed and elegantly throwing Kobayashi had a massive back, forged like steel. His arms and legs were like iron, too! He had powerful muscles, and the long decades of hard training were clearly showing. He was massively strong!

There was much talk in the aikido community about being gentle and smooth but I also read in a martial arts magazine that Ueshiba’s disciples were strong and powerful. It was so astonishing to confirm that now!

Kobayashi sat up refreshed after the massage. He complimented my effort. I was over the moon.

What would you like to ask? – he turned to me as we sat together.

During our lunch break earlier I enquired if I could ask him about aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba who died in 1969. My only chance!

I took a big breath and I was ready. At that moment, I saw a local TV crew arriving with camera and a microphone, ready for an official interview but Kobayashi didn’t look at them at all.

Even more humbled now, I asked about the old ways of training, the so-called “secret techniques” and other masters like Koichi Tohei, and what Ueshiba was like as a day-to-day person.

I also asked him about his own relationship with the founder of aikido.

Hahaha…he liked me, especially because I made him laugh- Kobayashi remembered the old days with a smile.

There was one more question I originally didn’t want to ask…but now I had to.

How come you were so informal and nice to us and not strict at all during this intensive?- I asked. I thought Japanese etiquette was tough?

Kobayashi laughed again.

“We are not in Japan. When I’m back home, there is a very strict code for me indeed. But aikido is for the world and for people to love it everywhere, we have to consider where we are,” he added. It was the most inspiring conversation.

Other than the five magnificent days training intensely with the amazing Yasuo Kobayashi, there was one other moment I will never forget.

On the last day of training, I suddenly came face to face with a somewhat skinny person with black hair.

The moment he gripped my arm, I felt that he was a black belt to reckon with! Not only couldn’t I throw him, but as the star assistant to Kobayashi, I couldn’t even move. He was incredibly powerful! His name was Robert, and he was from the Nakajima group, Germany.

Never mind me…or this situation. Mind that if I am able to stop you, then someone else will stop you too, or worse, a real person of danger…- he said before changing partners, and he disappeared in the crowds. I took note. Decided to train even harder and made the promise to myself to become mighty and unstoppable.

Two weeks later, my flight took off from Vienna. After a year in Europe I was heading home to Sydney. I was so excited to see master Ken and my fellow student friends at our Paddlington dojo! I couldn’t wait to share everything that I learned and experienced in Europe.

Unknown to me and all of us in the dojo that soon a devastating shadow, the ultimate foe, death itself, will soon pay a visit to our community. Unfairly and so brutally would take a life that would leave all of us speechless and in tears. The grief will be felt for years. I had to realise then that no amount of training or black belts will save me when it comes to my last stand facing death. Ultimately, we all will be alone at the gate.

I cried and you will too. But that’s another story to tell.