One of two...

I thought what better way to start this "Women In Aikido" blog than an inaugural post dedicated to Takako Kunigoshi. For those of you who do not know, Kunigoshi Sensei was one of the first known female aikidoka, training under Ueshiba Sensei (O'Sensei) at the Kobukan Dojo (Hombu Dojo),  in the early 1930's when "Aikido" was known as "Daito Ryu." She often spoke of being only one of two women on the mat in those days. She spoke of O'Sensei not "changing techniques because she was a woman" and she provided interesting insight into training during the prewar era in Japan.

A few years ago when I started training, my 'minority status' on the mat (there are only a handful of women who train in my dojo, and of them only a select few who train regularly) led me to do a bit of research on the history of women in aikido-women bowing onto the mat, to train in the style I had so quickly grown to love. Of course there had to be a whole legacy of Japanese women, paving the way for the female aikidoka, in an art so graceful and beautiful, that women would naturally be drawn to it. Right? I quickly learned how wrong I was. Ok, maybe a slew of us didn't exist, but how about a handful? A couple? ONE?!!

During such said research I stumbled across Kuniogshi Sensei, standing out amongst the dogi-clad men and taking ukemi like the rest of 'em. She often spoke about how it was difficult to describe what you learned in training, that often times, you just tried to copy the teacher(s), and "do as you were told", but that she had a hard time remembering the techniques once she left the dojo. So she began drawing the techniques in hopes of understanding what she learned. She would have fellow aikidoka pose for the rough sketches and then go home and in order to finish the drawings, recreate the techniques while watching in a mirror. If only YouTube existed back then! All I can say is, thank Buddha, Allah and Oprah that my training doesn't rely on my ability to draw what I learned in class that day! I'd be trying to decipher shihonagi through damn stick figures.

Although many women such as Kuniogshi Sensei aren't in the aikido history books, she surely stands out for demonstrating that gender mattered little once you bowed onto the mat. I think there is something in her core that all female aikido share. She occupies a special place in the early years of the art due to her dedication and artistic talents. And although she probably didn't have her own locker room, or a hakama tailored to a 'woman's hip,' I'd be willing to bet she was happy as is..and might even be a follower of my blog. :)

Takako Kunigohi