The picture on the left is Morihei Ueshiba, which is the founder of Aikido Martial Arts. The right is Gozo Shioda, which is one of the students of Morihei Ueshiba and the founder of Aikido Yoshinkan style.
Although Gozo Shioda originally has dependent minded on people and environment, he has acquired his mind of independence so that he can live by himself.
Because of the nature of dependent on people, ‘to leave who he is as it is’ causes him dependent on religion. So, Gozo Shioda could not let go of his natural mind. He always needed to control his dependent mind, different from Morihei Ueshiba which lives in a relaxed way. So, he chose different way of life from his master, Morihei Ueshiba.
In Gozo Shioda’s portraits, he looks challengingly at lends of camera. It seems like demanding independence toward people watching his portrait only because he came over his dependence.
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There is a book, which is “Introduction to Records of Ancient Matters ‘Kojiki’ for those who learn Aikido” by Kyoichi Inoue, written in Japanese.「合気道を学ぶ人のための古事記入門」
In this book, Kyoichi Inoue writes an episode.
Morihei Ueshiba says to Gozo Shioda,
“Take the earthworm's spirit to practice to be a god, and you can become a god, too.”
Gozo Shioda answered.
“I don’t want to be a god, yet.”
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According to my interpretation to this dialogue,
‘Earthworm’ means
“Small weak existences Gozo Shioda misses, such as socially vulnerable people, his own family members, and commonplace people, different from Gozo Shioda which has very gifted and well-schooled.”
That is, Morihei Ueshiba means,
“You live not only by yourself. You are kept alive by everything around you”
Answered by Gozo Shioda,
It seems that
“I don’t want to let go of my rational mind, I want to live as Gozo Shioda and die as Gozo Shioda.”
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The difference between views is just not Gozo Shioda’s nature of dependent mind, but also the perspective friction between civilized and uncivilized societies.
Growing up in an urbanized society, Gozo Shioda believed in the concept of Identity. Self in yesterday must be self in today. It has to be the same. The basic informantion should be unchanged in information society. The concept of ID is convenient for information management.
The concept of Identity is a promise in information society because it is a concept created not for oneself but for the people who are associated with oneself to escape social disorder.
However, the thought of Morihei Ueshiba is not allowed in civilized society. Ueshiba Thought is more natural mind, close to nature.
Morihei Ueshiba, born in 1883 in Wakayama prefecture in Japan, growing up as a country boy in a farmer family. Gozo Shioda, born in 1915 in Tokyo in Japan, growing up as a city boy under his father who is a pediatric doctor.
In portrait, Morihei Ueshiba is relaxed and he doesn’t focus on the lens of camera. He just feels. Morihei Ueshiba leaves answer entirely to nature. Morihei Ueshiba is natural and pluralistic.
Gozo shioda always face to face: he is always thinking. Gozo shioda is more centralized: monotheistic.
Gozo Shioda has a desire that transmute mystical mind by Morihei Ueshiba into rationalistic thought.
When I watch Gozo Shioda’s portrait, it seems that he thinks it irresponsible to let vague and unclear as it is.
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A proverb by Gozo Shioda
“There is the God in my body” In Japanese, “Waga Nikunomiyani Kamiyadoru”
（我が肉の宮に神宿る）
I interpret it from his portrait.
Cogito ergo sum./ I am because I think.
Gozo shioda continues to think because he wants to keep himself.
It is at once a sense of self and reason that to continue to remain himself.
He believes reason is the thing that makes us human.
It is the very nature of God that we have reason
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武道の話になります
塩田剛三という人は本来依頼心が強いが、後天的にひとりで生きれるように克服していった
他者依存が強いため放っておくと宗教の方に行ってしまう
師匠の植芝盛平と違い、理性を手放すと一気に依頼心が強まってしまうため、師匠とは違う生き方をした
植芝先生と違い、肖像写真に挑むような態度を感じさせるのはそのためだと思います
依頼心を克服していったからこそ、相手にもそれを要求するような眼差しにもみえます
塩田先生は植芝先生に個人として正面から向き合ったと思います
根元のところで対立したが、逆に言えば根っこでの反発は最大の影響ともいえます
また反発と同時に植芝盛平という人を芯から尊敬もしていた
二人の対照的な肖像写真の違いから、植芝盛平という思想に真っ向から対峙した雰囲気がみてとれます
おそらく塩田家というものが家系的に依頼心が強く同時に自らを恃む傾向があったため、それを解消するには植芝先生の流れを汲む生き方はできなかった、避けられない対峙だったのだと私は考えています
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井上強一先生が書かれた、「合気道を学ぶ人のための古事記入門」 の中に、植芝先生と塩田先生のエピソードがあります
植芝先生が、
“神になる修行のためにミミズの霊をとりなさい、そうすればあなたも神になれる”
と塩田先生に話した逸話がありました
そして塩田先生は
“俺はまだ神になりたくねえな”
という返答のつぶやきをしています
ここでミミズとは路傍の石を指し、それは社会的な弱者や塩田先生の家族、そして塩田先生と違い、才能や環境に恵まれなかった平凡な人のことだったりします
つまり植芝先生は、
“あなたはひとりで生きているのではない”
ということを言いたかった
そして塩田先生の
“俺はまだ神になりたくねえな”
という心のつぶやきは、
“理性を手放したくない”
”俺は塩田剛三を手放したくない、塩田剛三で生きて塩田剛三で死にたい”
というように私には聞こえます
そして植芝盛平という人のスピリチュアルを実際性のあるものに変えたいという願望もあったのだと思います
塩田先生の佇まいには漠然を漠然のままにするのは無責任だと考えているかのようです
塩田剛三は塩田剛三であり続けたいがゆえに考える
塩田剛三でありたいとは自意識であり、理性
人間を人間たらしめているのは理性
『我が肉の宮に神宿る』とは、理性こそが神だということ
