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We were recently asked by the International Aikido Federation (IAF) to join its team of experts to present Aikido during the 2019 World Martial Arts Masterships to be held in Chungju, Korea. 

The event included tournaments, international conferences and symposiums, and cultural performances. Its principal ambition was to become one of the most important martial arts gatherings in the world and the Honorary President of the 2019 event was former General Secretary of the United Nation, Mr Ban Ki-moon.

Ban Ki-Moon giving a welcome speech as the Honorary President of the 2019 Chungju World Martial Art Masterships.

Chungju welcomed 4,000 athletes from 100 countries in order to represent 20 disciplines. As a member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations, the IAF was invited to send some of its representatives to perform demonstrations and take part in a special seminar placed under the direction of one of the IAF senior council members, Christian Tissier Shihan from France. The rest of the IAF delegation was composed of 35 practitioners ranked from 2nd to 7th Dan, appointed by their respective national federations.

The IAF officials and practitioners who participated in the event.

We were greeted at Gimpo International Airport and driven to the Bohun Recreation Center, where all the Aikidoka would stay for the weekend. This was the opportunity to reunite with old friends, as well as making new ones. For the evening, the Korea Aikido Federation organized a welcome party at a nearby hotel. The officers of the Korean federation would actually interface between us and the organizers throughout the weekend and they spared no effort to make us feel at ease in spite of the language barrier. 

Bohun Recreation Center, our accommodation for the weekend.

I must take a moment to particularly thank Nak Joon Yoon, the director of the Korea Aikido Federation, who was there pretty much full time to support us, as well as Sung Juhwan, who did most of the translation into English.

Myhali Dobroka and Guillaume Erard with Sung Juhwan

The event carried a particular meaning because it took place at a time when the relations between Japan and Korea had been considerably strained. IAF Chairman Kei Izawa addressed this issue during the welcome party speech when he said to us:

You are going to be representing Aikido during demonstrations and a seminar. Please also take this opportunity to support and offer guidance to fellow Korean practitioners, for their position as enthusiasts of a Japanese tradition is not an easy one to uphold right now.

The event’s official slogan was indeed: “Connecting the World beyond the times”. We all felt that a peaceful and non-competitive art like Aikido was particularly relevant in such a context.

Kei Izawa giving his welcome speech.

The next day, we woke up early in order to rehearse the demonstration in the recreation center’s dojo. We were joined by the team of officials from the IAF, led by chairman Kei Izawa, general secretary Wilko Vriesman, and directing committee member Dorin Marchis. 

Christian Tissier Shihan was here to provide us with technical guidance. The demonstration program would be articulated into six parts. The members of the Korea Aikido Federation would give the opening demonstration under the direction of its president, Daehyun Yoon Sensei. Then, the representatives of the IAF would demonstrate basic, advanced, and weapons techniques, followed by individual demonstrations by experts, and finally, a demonstration by Christian Tissier Shihan.

Daehyun Yoon Sensei, the technical director of the Korean federation, demonstrating with his students.

The first thing that we needed to work on that day out was: who would demonstrate what, and with which uke. Many of us had no idea who we would end up being paired with!

Working out the demonstration teams with Christian Tissier and Dorin Marchis.

My main uke would be fellow Yokohama AikiDojo instructor Mihaly Dobroka. I was also asked to work with Anne-Claire Versailles from Belgium, Iulian Perpelici from Romania, whom I had never met before. Given the extensiveness of the program and the limited time we had to prepare, we got very limited opportunities to get to practice with each other, which made those demonstrations a little stressful but also wonderful opportunities to cooperate and discover each other. Aikido is actually about establishing communication and mutual understanding, and that is what we did.

Morning preparations for the demonstrations.

Once the morning preparations were over, we were driven to the Konkuk University Gymnasium for a two-hour seminar with Christian Tissier Shihan. This gave us the opportunity to practice with the Korean Aikidoka and I was really impressed by their technical proficiency and engagement in the practice. This was for sure one of the best seminars I had attended in a long time. 

Christian Tissier Shihan teaching in Chungju (uke: Guillaume Erard)

After the class, we promptly returned to the recreation center and after a light dinner, everyone went to bed early in order to be in the best shape. After a quick but solid breakfast the next day, we headed once again for Konkuk University Gymnasium. Dorin Marchis had prepared a very efficient schedule. It was wonderful to see everyone taking care and encouraging each other. Everyone cooperated very well and each demonstration went very smoothly. We were all part of a team and I realized that beyond the personal motivations that lead us to the practice of a budo like Aikido, there could be a sense of group work, and a striving for something that is ultimately larger than us. 

My “expert” demonstration was scheduled just before Christian Tissier Shihan’s final demonstration. Tissier Shihan has been a model to me since my childhood in France when I watched his demonstrations on TV as a child. I was incredibly nervous to now demonstrate in front of him but before I stepped on the tatami, he told me that he trusted me and that I should enjoy the moment, which gave me great confidence.

My final demonstration with Mihaly Dobroka, and Iulian Perpelici.

Back in my room for my last night in Korea, we reflected upon the event and our participation. We were a small group of men and women with various degrees of experience and from very diverse backgrounds, but we all offered a snapshot of what we consider to be good Aikido practice, and in some cases, we had to work through some of our differences in order to show something coherent to the uninitiated. Now more than ever, I feel that Aikido has something to offer to society, including in a sports environment, as long as it is done on its own terms, and while keeping true to the core principles that underlie it.

Forging cross-cultural bonds through practice.

Many thanks to the International Aikido Federation for allowing us to participate in this event, and to all officials and practitioners that made it such a wonderful experience.