In our preoccupation with training and developing our skills on the mat we sometimes forgot something very important and intergral to our training, etiquette. It is arguable that as we engross ourselves in the pursuit of polishing our skills on the mat etiquette may take a secondary role in the dojo.
Let us take ourselves back to the time when we first started training...and in this case aikido. One of the first things that we were taught was etiquette in the dojo. When, where and how do we bow, which knee goes down first when we are taking a seat in seiza and which knee comes up first when we come up from seiza, bowing to sensei when he finishes teaching, taking seiza or half seiza when seisei is explaining, holding your weapons in your right hand when you are not engaged in training or combat, bowing to your senpais and senseis, how to conduct yourself when being graded and the use of certain honorific terms when adressing each other, etc Has it ever crossed your mind why we need to have and maintain etiquette at the dojo or contemplated upon the subject?
Some of us might take it as just part of what you need to do when you are in the dojo and when you train. However there is much more to that and etiquette is very important not only in the dojo or every else to preserve and maintain civility in society. When Hj Haneef sensei, accompanied by Zainuddin sensei came to Brunei in May 2008 for to conduct a seminar and upgrading, he tooks pains to remind everyone the importance of etiquette. Sensei even reminded every student who was taking their kyuu and/or shodan grading exams at every level to obeserve the necessary etiquette. This is evidential that etiqutte forms and integral part of our lives and in this case in the dojo and in the spirit of aikido/budo, we must strive to make etiqutte and important part of our lives.
Not everyone may agree with the observation of etiquette but there is always a common ground and a threshold level of behaviour and manner of conduct that is applicable to everyone that in a collective undertaking. This is important and necessary to maintain order and civility, otherwise there would not need to be a legal system or any system for community regulation for that matter. For example we would not need to have traffic lights on the road so that individuals can drive however they want to. Even day to day interactions individuals are expected to behave in accordance to the social contract. Etiquette is not peculiar only to the Japanese but in every civilized culture.
Stanley Pranin in his article
Etiquette and the Preservation of Well-Being eloquently articulated his views on the issue of etiquette which may provide us with some insight and understanding on the same.
It is hoped that as fellow aikidokas as well as brothers and sisters we keep in mind that learning martial arts or self defense is not just about learning the skills to protect or to be a good fighter , but that in the course of our path in budo we can by extension promote and maintain well being in our lives and those around us.
