Synopsis
Researched and written by a professional linguist with decades of experience as a student of Japanese language, culture, and martial arts—including living and training in Japan for 10 years—"The Language of Aikido: A Practitioner’s Guide to Japanese Characters and Terminology" was designed specifically for students and teachers of the Japanese martial art Aikido, but will also be of interest to Japanese language enthusiasts who practice other martial arts such as Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Iaido, and Kendo.Translating martial arts terminology using a standard Japanese-to-English dictionary is potentially fraught with cultural and contextual errors due to the specialized way that such terminology is used in a Budo study. Even dojo glossaries, while more specifically directed at relevant connotations of such vocabulary, are sometimes lacking in depth and historical and linguist context. Without the combination of a background in the Japanese language coupled with a serious study of Budo, proper understanding of the richness and full meanings of these terms can prove difficult to the non-Japanese speaker. This book attempts to address this problem by introducing the reader to historical and deep contextual information, alternate understandings of terms through the minds of experts in other Japanese martial traditions, and multiple translations of particular kanji (characters).In addition to chapters on Japanese pronunciation and writing systems, this book contains countless entries related to Aikido's history, luminary figures, rank, customs and courtesies, training, equipment, fundamentals, techniques, higher concepts, relevant Japanese proverbs, as well as a sampling of translations of Doka (Songs of the Path) written by Aikido's founder, Ueshiba Morihei. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the single most complete work of its kind in existence in the English language.In the words of Ikeda Hiroshi, Aikikai Shihan 7th Dan and Boulder Aikikai Chief Instructor, "In the process of learning these arts, in addition to learning technical movement, understanding the Japanese language is important—starting with necessary words for use in the dojo including the names of techniques, etiquette-related phrases, practice terminology, and general martial arts vocabulary.”
About the Author
Michael Hacker is a martial artist, linguist, student, teacher, musician, writer, United States Air Force veteran, amateur mad philosopher, and native Iowan. He has spent the bulk of his life nerding out over language and linguistics and has studied French, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, German, and a smattering of other languages in addition to Japanese. (He’s still trying to recover from the Tohoku accent that he apparently acquired during the five years he lived in Aomori Prefecture.) Michael spent a decade—spanning two Emperors, three Presidents, and countless hairstyles—in Japan, training in Aikido and other martial arts, studying the Japanese language and culture, and earning advanced black belts in tonkotsu ramen. While in Japan, Michael had the fortune to share the tatami with such luminaries as Ueshiba Kisshomaru, Ueshiba Moriteru, Shirata Rinjiro, Saito Morihiro, Nishio Shoji, Isoyama Hiroshi, Donald Moriyama, Saito Hitohiro, and countless others senior shihan in addition to regularly training with members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Throughout the 1990s, Michael spent many a day and night training, eating, conversing, and sleeping at the Iwama dojo. In 1998, he relocated to Tempe, Arizona to further his studies with Jiyushinkai founder C. E. Clark and the students of the Jiyushinkan.
In addition to being an Honors Alumnus of the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey, California, Michael also holds a Master of Arts in Linguistics from Arizona State University. He has worked as a professional linguist and translator for various companies and government agencies and currently teaches at Arizona State University in addition to writing. Michael holds the rank of 4th dan, Jiyushinkai, and is an instructor at the Renshinkan in Mesa, Arizona.
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