Alain,

We met in Iwama in 1987, almost forty years ago. I find it hard to believe that four decades have passed since we first met. But those years have flown by because they were so full. Together we sought to understand Aikido, and I can count on one hand the men with whom I have done this, and you are one of them.

First, we questioned everything we had done before, thinking we were practising Aikido: learning Saito Sensei's method was a shock. And to be honest, it probably took us twenty years to truly embrace it. It was a long journey, but we reached the end, a bit like walking step by step through a dense, dark forest and finally seeing the light again when you reach the edge. Then, as we looked out over the horizon, we discovered that there was now a mountain ahead of us and that we were far from the end of the road.

After the surprise had passed, we began to climb together. We then understood, at this second stage of our progress, that all the years of learning the method had served no other purpose than to prepare us for this new challenge. Because, of course, we didn't know this at the time, convinced that we had finally found Takemusu Aiki with Master Saito, when in reality we were simply gathering all the material and equipment necessary for the climb that was to follow. And yet Saito said this, and Saito explained that everything we were doing with him and calling Aikido was only preparation for Aiki, a kind of warm-up, but we couldn't hear him.

This new adventure began, as is normal at the foot of a mountain, with the basis, with kamae. It took us a lot of effort to understand the unique and fundamental nature of hanmi. But if hanmi was unique, what then was hito e mi? And here too, it took us a lot of work to understand that it was not a position as we had long believed, but the fleeting moment of a movement of body opening. It was only then that we were able to understand the admirable workings of the irimi-tenkan movement and recognise, with wonder, the principle of action of Aiki.

We were then halfway up the mountain, Alain, and the view was already quite beautiful. But we still had to relate these fundamentals of Aikido to the elements of the method we had learned from Master Saito... a vast programme. Patiently, we pulled this thread through all the techniques and understood how they were all connected. We understood the deep meaning of riai. It was only at this point that we were able to decipher the brilliant laws of O Sensei's movement... roppo, the kajos, and for the first time truly see how the old man moved, even though we had been watching his videos for so many years. We finally had eyes to see and ears to hear everything we had been blind and deaf to for so long.

Together, Alain, we knocked on the door, and it was opened to us. We have done our part of the journey to reach the top of the mountain, but thick clouds hang over it, and now we must wait for the view to clear so that we can contemplate what must be contemplated. We are not masters of the fog that still surrounds us, and it may not dissipate. But we have done what was in our power, putting our best will into it, on the path laid out by O Sensei. I do not know what the rest depends on, but I do not believe that it depends on us. Grace, perhaps.

With my brotherly friendship, for Alain Grason's sixty years of practising Aikido.

Philippe, 14 June 2025