When visitors walk through the door of the dojo, after pausing for a moment, they often exclaim, ‘How lucky you are to be here!’ Over 200m² of tatami mats in the heart of Paris, a cosy coffee corner, a small garden – it’s quite something! However, it’s not a matter of luck, but rather the decisions made by a small group of individuals for their practices over thirty years ago.

The need for an autonomous and dedicated space

Upon his arrival in France in the 1970s, Tsuda Itsuo sensei emphasised the need for a place dedicated to the practice of the way. He himself created several dojos exclusively for the practice of Aikido and Katsugen Undo. The Tenshin association was founded by students of Régis Soavi sensei, himself a student of Tsuda sensei. At first, they experimented with practising in public places, but after a few months it became necessary to find a dedicated space: a place for themselves and for everyone. However, creating such a space requires a lot of work and ongoing commitment. Why bother with renovations, paying rent, dealing with heating, rubbish collection and cleaning, rather than just going to a gym? In our School, a dojo is less a physical place than a space charged with atmosphere, with ki¹See Manon Soavi‘s article ‘Dojo, another spacetime’. In any case, it is impossible to create this atmosphere in a public place, where no one really takes care of it.

Inner awakening through practice

The first Tenshin dojo was located on Quai de la Gare, in a former SNCF²[France’s state-owned railway operator] building. Major renovations were carried out by the members. Due to an urban development project, this dojo was demolished seven years after our arrival. ‘So much energy expended for so little time!’ one might say, but acting here and now was nevertheless essential.

Making do with what we had and working together

The premises at 120 Rue des Grands-Champs, former offices, were not immediately suitable. Without significant financial resources, the work was done with recycled materials, pooling everyone’s knowledge, which gave everyone the opportunity to learn. All the dojos of the Itsuo Tsuda School were built according to these principles, described in detail by the Yuki-Hō dojo in issue 9 of this magazine, in April 2022.

A full emptiness

So we have a beautiful place that is empty most of the day, with no logic of profitability! Apart from the morning session and certain evenings: emptiness. But a full, charged emptiness. Although it is a silent interlude in the urban cacophony, it is also a place for discussions, meetings, readings, screenings: it is a place of culture. And it is also a place of life, for all ages. So when small children discover the dojo, they say nothing, but many pause at the entrance to the tatami mats before quickly making themselves at home in this space. To embrace all these apparent contradictions about what is and is not done there, it is important to understand that Tenshin is a place of transmission. In our eyes, it is the ‘hombu-dōjō’ of our school, where Régis Soavi sensei teaches daily. Being able to come every day to practise Aikido in the presence of our Sensei and exchange ideas with him is invaluable. It is impossible to sum up in a few words what takes years to understand.

A self-managed utopia

Our dojo has been in existence for nearly forty years. An independent and autonomous dojo allows members to decide how it is used. The Tenshin dojo is open every morning and some evenings, 365 days a year, for Aikido and Katsugen Undo sessions and courses. Everyone can come at their own pace. After two years of retreat, we are organising several events this year to introduce everyone to this place that is so dear to us.

This utopia is possible thanks to the responsibility and decisions of each individual. It is an opportunity that we give ourselves.

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Article published in January 2023 in Self & Dragon Spécial Aikido n° 12.