The Uchideshi Life
Magnus Reusch
At the 20th of September, I took the plane down fromNorway, pit-stopping in Vienna, and from there flying directly toJapan for 11 and a half hour. My belly was filled with butterflies
and my head was set on practice.
To fly off to a country on the other side of the world for thefirst time was kind of an interesting experience, as well as a tad
frightening one. What does one expect when arriving at the otherside of the world, living in a completely different country, with immense
cultural differences, behavior, norms and rules? Nothing? Or maybe you expect
too much? Personally I believe that you, as a first time traveler to a foreigncountry, can never prepare entirely for what you are going to experience in thecoming time. And I was indeed proven right.
Once I arrived in Japan I took the bus to Saitama, Tokorozawa, where I
also met my Norwegian friend and sempai, Lars Peder Fjelldal. We had heardthat during autumn, Tokyo was in fact quite chilly, not exactly warm. However,when we arrived, there was an intense heatwave, lasting for almost a week, with nearly, if
not more than, 35 degrees Celsius. Luckily I
had summer clothes on because a Japanese
friend tipped me. Lars Peder on the other hand;“Walking around in mountain boots, jacket anda sweater surely must be immensely warm” I
remember myself thinking.
The first meeting with Hiroaki Sensei
was a humble yet casual one. I have been to several of both Kobayashi Yasuo’sand Hiroaki’s seminars, but coming to their own dojos in Japan is an incrediblyspecial feeling. The atmosphere was calm and welcoming, and I easily felt atpeace. I never thought I would be able to feel so at home in a completely new
dojo in a country I had never visited before.
After the slightly confusing arrival with abnormally warm weather and theexplanation of new tasks and what needed to be done, the practice started
quickly in the evening. With jet-lag and far too little sleep on the airplane, thepractice was hard and difficult, it was like walking in a blur! But the training
itself helped me more than I thought. My body was more at ease and I felt thejet-lag disappearing already. Sleep that first day came very early.
The morning the next day, cleaning duties started. Sweeping the tatami,
collecting leaves on the street outside, brushing off dust on the Bokken and Joracks, the edges on the doors, tables, computers, sinks and whatnot, even thetoilet got a thorough cleansing. At first I saw it as a task, a thing that had to bedone because I was told to, but later it became “keiko”, practice. You took honor

in your cleaning; you took pride in
making it shine like it never had before.
The cleaning itself became a mirror,
reflecting yourself and your dedication towhat you were doing. Because of that, wealways persuaded perfection, for nothingelse was acceptable! In the end I actuallyfound myself enjoying the cleaning andsweeping. It was calming, yet still
sharpening my senses. It truly became apart of Aikido, as everything else came to be in the coming weeks and months.
Something truly changed in me while I was an uchideshi.
The Uchideshi stay was, one can say, a spiritual one for me, and I did notunderstand how important it was until many months after it ended. The purposeof the training, and the stay itself became a question that asked me "Why are
you practicing Aikido? What do you want to Achieve? Do you do this for theright reasons?” At first, I must say that my goal and my "mission" with being anuchideshi was to practice, practice, practice, practice... and practice a little more,until I became a lot better. Later, however, a few weeks thereafter, I realized thatfor me this was not the case, and that there was something else that wasimportant. It became an experience that was about maturity, behavior, respect,attitude, friendliness and an inner calm, the question always protruding mythoughts, asking me "why?" In a sense, everything in an aikidoka's life ispractice. The way you interact with other people, the way you literally behave
and speak! To truly reach an inner peace, you will have to implement Aikido
into all aspects of your life. This is one of the most important things I’ve learned
in my life. Aikido is not necessarily about the practice itself, it is about
everything else too.
The way I practice Aikido has changed drastically because of this, anddefinitely for the better.
To quickly discuss the way we practice aikido today; we practice kata, a
set technique with a set attack, with a set pair of movements that connect into
each other and create a fluid, liquid motion when you have practiced it enough.
What I learned was that no technique necessarily needs a form. What you dodepends on the situation, and no ikkyo is alike, because it all depends on thepartner’s (uke’s) height, weight, connection, center, ki and everything else. NoIkkyo is alike. To exemplify this: I could do shomenuchi Ikkyo on Lars, we havea very strong connection, but I never managed on Yamawaki sensei. After muchpractice, acceptance, relaxation and more, I finally managed to do an ikkyo, inslow motion. Looking at it afterwards I realized that these two Ikkyo’s werevery different, not necessarily in form, but in feeling. When I say that “notechnique necessarily needs a set form”, I also mean the way it “feels”. Youcould say there is a “form” in the way a technique is supposed to feel as well,but this might not actually be possible, for every
aikidoka have his/her own connection.
Conclusively, this is something I came torealize while I was in Kobayashi dojo, the ability toaccept your partner. To not do it your own way, butlisten to your partner, connect to him/her and do yourtechnique while, at all times, listening to your uké
and moving in harmony with him. You do thetechnique “together”. You create the “way” together.
There are things in Aikido that cannot be realizedunless you practice for many hours, for many years,
and I feel like I have just scratched the surface of it.
The stay in Kobayashi dojo included a lot more than just a spiritualexperience of course. I was taken along on many interesting trips, social eventsand a seminar in Iwai as well. The weekly Wednesday breakfasts at Hiroaki
Sensei`s house were something I always looked forward to a week in advance!
Miyoko-san’s amazingly good food, with pumpkin soup, nattó, homemade
Wasabi and much much more, plus the lovely coffees Hiroaki sensei made withthe coffee-machine after each meal, was truly unforgettable. The joyous andpositive mood around the table is something I will remember for the rest of mylife.
The honor of experiencing a true, traditional tea ceremony, with also
being allowed to try and make my own cup of tea was a great moment for me
too!
The trip to Tsumagoi was also an unforgettable experience, with many
trips to different onsens (bath-houses), as well as deliciously cooked food by
Yamawaki sensei's wife.
Kanda Sensei invited me and Lars for a trip to an onsen bath up in themountains where he used to live. The place radiated a very special feeling, asimilar feeling to the one I felt when I visited Yamawaki sensei up in themountains in Tsumagoi. There was an immense feeling of peace and calmness
over the place, despite of the many people who visited this famous onsen.
Hiroaki sensei's birthday was one I will hardly forget. Lars, myself and Afef
were invited to go on a trip to Nikko together with sensei's family, visiting ahotel with a lot of history, seeing the temples at Nikko, the first emperor's grave
and more, made a huge impact on me, and changed how I perceive Japan and itsculture. Sadly I caught a cold the same day, and was unable to join for the sushi
meal after we came back to the dojo. While I was sick with high fever and soar
throat, I was allowed to sleep in sensei's own apartment, and I was taken
extremely well care of. I truly felt like a member of the family. I cannot possibly
begin to explain how grateful I am for your care, and I am eternally grateful foryour hospitality.

I went together to Kobayashi dojo as an uchideshi with my fellow student
and sempai, Lars Fjelldal. Together we embarked on a journey that cannot beexperienced nor properly expressed through this essay. To be integrated into theJapanese society to the extent we did, if only for two months, do intensive
training, cleaning and feel the satisfaction and peace of focusing on only one
thing, leaves me amazed, and longing for more!
I thank you, Kobayashi sensei, Hiroaki sensei and your families, and allthe members of kobayashi dojo, for giving me the most wonderful gift I haveever received in my life. Domo arigato gozaimashita!