My Experience of Uchideshi Life
By Jeffrey Bayliss
Assistant Professor, Trinity College
Formerly a member of Kodaira Dojo and now employed as an assistantprofessor of Japanese history at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Jeffrey
Bayliss recently returned to Japan and underwent training as an “uchideshi”(live-intrainee). Here are his thoughts on his experience:
This was my first trip to Japan in three years. My plans
were to stay in Japan for a month and a half, and since I wascoming all the way back after such a long time, it seemed only
natural to catch up with so many people all over Japan whom I
hadn’t seen in such a long time. First and foremost amongsuch people came all my friends at Aikido Kobayashi Dojo.
So many of the techniques and “points”of Aikido that I
learned from Kobayashi-sensei, Hiroaki-sensei, and all of theinstructors and members of Kobayashi Dojo have come togreatly influence my approach to Aikido, and are now reflectedin the way I practice and teach Aikido in America. Furthermore, my memories of thewarm friendship that everyone showed me had not faded even after nearly four years
away. In order to try to relive and drink in the warm feelings of those “old days”asmuch as possible during the short time of my stay, I decided to spend two weeks
living and training intensively at Tokorozawa Dojo.
“Live-in training? There’s a lot of cleaning to do, you know…”Such was
Hiroaki-sensei’s initial reaction to my query. In spite of that, I made up my mind toundertake the rigors of uchideshi life, however briefly. And once I did, I realized that
it was just as Hiroaki-sensei had warned.
At first I had a hard time grasping the complexities of the daily schedule andthe process involved in cleaning the dojo before each practice, but thanks to the kindand patient guidance of Kasahara-san, I gradually came to learn them. By the end of
my stay, I had at least managed to move through the daily round of duties in such as
way that I was not just “in the way.”Through my experience of uchideshi life, I have come to view the importanceof cleaning in a new light. I came to realize that it is not just the simple act ofcleaning a room, but actually a form of spiritual training of one’s attention to detail in
its own right. Attention to such details that are often overlooked in our daily lives has
the remarkable effect of focusing one, and prepares the mind to be attentive to thedetails of Aikido training as well.
Of course, live-in training involves more than just cleaning. It should go
without saying that - more than anything else –it is about absorbing oneself inpractice throughout the day. And this was where my problems began. At first I wasfine, but as my knees came into contact with the incomparably hard tatami of Kodaira
Dojo more and more, they gradually began to put up a fuss. Eventually, I found it
almost unbearable even to sit in seiza position. On top of this, there was a generallack of sleep. When I considered that the instructors put up with many long years ofsuch a lifestyle during their training, I couldn’t help but admire them for their
unbending determination and tireless effort.
Despite the lack of sleep and persistent pain in the knees, practice times weretruly fun. Perhaps it was because of being tired all the time, but as I trained
intensively it seemed to me that my body had become lighter, and my execution ofthe techniques more fluid than before. I found that I was suddenly able to appreciatetechniques I had done hundreds or thousands of times from a new perspective, andmy hips and limbs moved in a rounder, more coordinated way as I did them. I wasalso fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work intensively on many of the jotechniques that I’ve always had a hard time with (such as the paired exercise for the31-jo series). All in all, I enjoyed a very fulfilling and thorough training atKobayashi Dojo.
In my “career”in Aikido thus far, I have had the opportunity to train innumerous dojos in both Japan and America. I believe that among all of these
Kobayashi Dojo stands out as unique. As I’
ve gone around from dojo to dojo, I’
ve
come across places in which there is an atmosphere of arrogance, or an unwelcoming
feeling projected toward “outsiders.”Such is certainly not the case at KobayashiDojo.
The two characteristics in which Kobayashi Dojo can take great pride in are thethoroughness of the instruction it offers and the fact that, beginners and experienced
Aikidoka alike, everyone who comes to practice is welcome and treated withkindness and generosity. It is my heartfelt wish that such a treasured place neverdisappear. I would like to thank everyone at Kobayashi Dojo for making a wonderful
two weeks’stay possible. We’ll meet again –hopefully before another three years
passes.