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As a young man, Koichi
Tohei was very weak. However, he practiced Zen, Misogi,Judo and
Aikido. Through this training, he discovered the universal principles
of Ki.
"
Ki is not a special ability for only very talented people. Anyone
can extend Ki easily."by Koichi Tohei
Koichi Tohei went all over the world by himself and proved the power of
Ki to all he met. Since then he has continued to spread Ki principles and
Ki-Aikido all over the world. |
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Koichi Tohei was sickly as a child.
Koichi Tohei was born in Shitaya, Tokyo, in 1920. When he was three
years old, he went back to his home town located in Tochigi prefecture. He was
very weak when he was young. He always needed the doctor. His father worried
about him. So his father started to teach Judo to Koichi Tohei when he was 9
years old. He was awarded black belt in Judo when he was 14 years old.
He came across a book
about Mr. Tesshu Yamaoka
When he was 16 years old, he entered Keio University. He practiced Judo very
sincerely. But he practiced it so intensely that he contracted pleurisy. As a
result, he had to take a year off from the University. During recuperation, he
read a lot of books. He then began a serious self examination period, which concluded
with the understanding that his mind was too weak. At the same time, he came
across a book about Mr. Tesshu Yamaoka, which was written by his high ranking
student, Mr. Tetsuju Ogura. Koichi Tohei was impressed by the book and before
he recovered from his illness, he began visiting the Ichikukai dojo, which is
Mr. Tetsuju Ogura's dojo. There he practiced Zen and Misogi breathing.
Encounte
with Master Tenpu Nakamura
After the war, he returned to practicing Zen, Misogi and Aikido. He also became
a disciple of Master Tenpu Nakamura and mastered the principle "Mind moves
body" through Master Tenpu's teaching. This then became the center of his
own teaching. After that, Master Tenpu trusted Koichi Tohei very much.
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Become a disciple
of Master Morihei Ueshiba
When Koichi Tohei was 19 years old, he became a disciple of Master Morihei Ueshiba
and started to practice Aikido.
Knowing the power
of Ki on the battle field
Koichi Tohei entered the army soon after graduating Keio University. He was 23
years old at the time. He became a platoon leader in the army and was sent to
China for four years. He discovered that if, on the battle field, one's defenses
are down for just a moment, this could mean death. Considering this circumstance,
he decided to do Ki breathing 200 times a day. By doing Ki breathing on the battle
field, he mastered keeping one point.
Sometimes he could not calm his breath even though he did Ki breathing. When
he felt like this, he noticed that it was because the enemy was hidden somewhere
nearby. As a result of Koichi Tohei's vigilant awareness, not a single member
of his platoon was killed or injured during the war. |
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