by Régis Soavi In our relationship with the dojo, we often deal with Reishiki (etiquette). From our first contact with martial arts, as soon as we enter a dojo, we see people bowing very respectfully at the entrance and then greeting each other, or sometimes heading towards the kamiza after picking up a weapon. Every … Continue reading Reishiki: A Musical Score
by Manon Soavi Tsuda Itsuo sensei said, ‘There is no black belt in mental emptiness’, emphasising that what is essential cannot be measured or compared. Following this line of thinking, Régis Soavi sensei made the radical choice in the 1980s to establish a school without grades. This choice stands out in our competition-based society. An … Continue reading Without Fixed Reference, A School Without Grades
by Manon Soavi Max Stirner wrote in 1844: ‘there are […] intellectual vagabonds to whom the ancestral home of their fathers seems too cramped and oppressive for them to be willing to content themselves with the limited space anymore ; instead of staying within the bounds of a moderate way of thinking, and taking as … Continue reading External Things are Neither Certain Nor Necessary
by Manon Soavi Ikebana master Mei Ando Keiko recounts how, as a child, she would watch her grandmother practising her art: ‘I saw her take two leaves from the plant and place them in front of the tokonoma, on a perfectly ironed white cloth where a small number of other plants were already arranged. Then … Continue reading The Art of Dissatisfaction
by Manon Soavi Everyone experiences fear to varying degrees, but we do not all experience the same fears, and when we talk about fear in general terms, we tend to refer to it in masculine terms. While fear is obviously not exclusive to women, there are specific aspects to female fear in our world, and … Continue reading Between Submission and Rage: Fear
by Manon Soavi Nowadays, some of us no longer want to feel. We no longer want to feel heat, cold, pain or fatigue. As individuals bend to social imperatives, norms and advice, neglecting the body’s own needs, they become desensitised. Often, we no longer feel precisely whether we are hungry or not, whether we want … Continue reading A School of Sensation
The event surrounding the publication of Itsuo Tsuda’s book Calligraphies de Printemps [Spring Calligraphies] was held on 18 and 19 November 2017 at Dojo Tenshin in Paris. The audience was able to enjoy nearly 100 reproductions of Itsuo Tsuda’s calligraphies and discover the 468-page book. A look back in video, images… and text! Presentation by … Continue reading Itsuo Tsuda Spring Calligraphies
While no single practice is obviously a ready-made solution to the situation we are experiencing [March 2020 lockdown], continuing a daily practice often helps us to hold our inner course and keep our balance in an unstable situation full of unknowns. The practical philosophy taught by Itsuo Tsuda is also a path to rediscovering our … Continue reading Holding One’s Course
Continuation of Itsuo Tsuda’s correspondence, from which we are publishing a few letters, with the kind permission of Bernard and Andréine Bel. Link to read the first letter. These are Itsuo Tsuda‘s replies, between 1972 and 1979, to a young couple who were beginning to practise the Regenerating Movement. In these letters, we follow their … Continue reading Unpublished Letters #2
Here is the third of the Six Interviews of Itsuo Tsuda by André Libioulle, entitled ‘Breathing, a Living Philosophy’ and broadcasted on France Culture in the 1980s. To read and/or to listen to. (back to Broadcast N° 2) BROADCAST N° 3 Q.: You know France very well, having worked before the 1940s … Continue reading #3 Breathing, a Living Philosophy
Here is the first of the Six interviews of Itsuo Tsuda by André Libioulle, entitled ‘Breathing, a Living Philosophy’ and broadcasted on France Culture in the 1980s. To read and/or to listen to. BROADCAST N° 1 Q: L’École de la Respiration was created by Itsuo Tsuda in Paris in 1973. … Continue reading #1 Breathing, a Living Philosophy