Category Archives: Banyuaiki Dojo

Il 13 e 14 giugno 2026 l’Aikido Banyuaiki Dojo Roma organizza un seminario di aikidō condotto da Marco La Pera, con sessione di esami kyū e dan.

Luogo
Palestra della Scuola Poggiali Spizzichino
Via Giuseppe Berto 178, 00142 Roma

Sabato			Domenica
9:30 - 10:00	Iscrizioni		9:30 - 10:00	Iscrizioni
10:00 - 12:00	Lezione		10:00 - 12:00	Lezione
14:00 - 16:00	Lezione		12:00	Esami dan*
16:00	Esami kyu

* Per sostenere gli esami è necessario partecipare all’intero raduno.

Il seminario è aperto a tutti i praticanti regolarmente assicurati.

È necessario essere muniti di: jō, bokken, tantō

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Intero seminario: €40 (€30 studenti)

Solo sabato: €30 (€25 studenti)

Una singola lezione: €25 (€20 studenti)

Informazioni e prenotazioni

Alessandro (WhatsApp): +39 338 315 4912

email: segreteria@banyuaiki.it

scarica la LOCANDINA [pdf]

Tada Hiroshi Shihan returned to the traditional annual La Spezia seminar after six years (the previous one was in 2019). The seminar was, as always, a success with more than 500 participants. The foreign participants were more than 200. I had the honor of translating in English for the numerous non-Italian speaking participants.

In recent years, Tada Sensei would speak primarily in Japanese while Koji Watanabe, a highly skilled professional interpreter, translated his words into Italian. This year, however, something remarkable happened. Tada Sensei chose to speak primarily in Italian, as he did in the early years.

I had met Tada Sensei only a few months earlier (May 2025) at Gessōji Dōjō in Tōkyō, but I must say that his clarity, depth, and presence were extraordinary.

Translating his words as he moved between languages, ideas, and subtle levels of meaning was both an immense privilege and a real challenge. Every sentence carried weight—not just in content, but in the energy with which it was conveyed. I had to stay fully present, listen with all my senses, and do my best to render his thought as faithfully and fluidly as possible.

It was not just about language. It was about resonance.

This experience reminded me that translation is, at its heart, an act of connection—between people, cultures, generations, and inner worlds.

I’m deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and for the chance to serve in such a meaningful way.

Several foreign participants asked me to provide further information to some of Tada Sensei’s words. In particular, an ode (dōka 道歌, “way poem”) by the Founder Ueshiba Morihei Sensei which Tada Sensei has been reciting at the beginning of each training session for quite some time now, attracted much attention and interest, probably because it summarized, in essence, the leitmotif of the entire seminar.

Here it is:

誠をば	Makoto o ba
さらに誠に	sarani makoto ni
練りあげて	neriagete
顕幽一如の	ken’yū ichinyo no
真諦を知れ	shintai o shire

During the seminar week my translation varied slightly because I continuously tried to convey a better, more adherent meaning of these verses. At the end, I settled with the version that follows. Please note that it is my personal rendering, and that it has not been vetted by Tada Sensei. I am grateful to Paolo Calvetti, who, years ago, provided an Italian translation of this ode. Interestingly, when his translation was published, I was invited by some fellow aikidō practitioners to share my thoughts on it, which eventually led to an article published here and on Facebook.

Here is my latest version:

Refine sincerity
into an even deeper sincerity,
and come to know
the ultimate truth
that the visible and the invisible are one.

Let’s get right away to the point that in my opinion poses a challenge.

The word “makoto” 誠 can be translated as truth; reality; fact but also sincerity; honesty; faithfulness; good faith. As an adverb it means indeed; really; absolutely; truly; actually; very; quite.

Paolo Calvetti, far more knowledgeable and competent in Japanese than myself, translated makoto as “verità” in Italian, which means “truth”. The problem in my eyes is that this introduces a logical difficulty.

A Potential Logical Flaw

If we take makoto to mean truth in the strict logical sense (as in propositional truth), then the verse:

“Refine truth further into truth”

… seems nonsensical or at least logically incoherent.

Why?

Because, in classical logic, a proposition is either true or false.

Truth is not subject to degrees or refinement.

You cannot “refine” a truth-value — it’s binary.

So from that perspective, saying “truth into truth” or “refine truth into truth” is redundant or meaningless.

Why “Sincerity” or “Authenticity” Works Better

The term 誠 (makoto) in classical Japanese philosophy (especially in Shintō, Confucian, and budō contexts) does not primarily mean “truth” in the logical or factual sense.

It refers more to:

Inner authenticity; moral integrity; genuineness of heart and intent; alignment of thought, word, and deed.

So the phrase:

誠をば さらに誠に 練りあげて (makoto o ba sara ni makotoni neriagete)

… is not talking about refining propositional truth, but rather polishing one’s inner sincerity until it becomes embodied, transparent, or even cosmically resonant.

This aligns with spiritual traditions (Shintō, aikidō, Zen), where makoto is a quality of being, not a logical category.

Aikidō and Ontological Truth

Now, if you wanted to reclaim “truth” here without falling into a logical flaw, you could interpret makoto in a more ontological sense — as in the truth of being, true nature, or actualized potential.

But this requires moving from logical truth to ontological or existential truth, where:

Makoto = that which is genuine, true-to-reality, or true-self

And neriageru = to refine, cultivate, polish

In that broader sense, even “refine truth into truth” might poetically mean:

Refine your superficial truth until it becomes deeper, lived truth —

Until you realize the ultimate unity of seen and unseen (顕幽一如 ken’yū ichinyo).

So it’s not a logical progression, but a spiritual one.

Final Thoughts

I believe that translating makoto as “truth” in a logical sense can introduce a contradiction.

It’s not about propositions — it’s about the heart-mind-body alignment that leads to union with the cosmic principle (真諦 shintai).

That said, what truly mattered during the seminar was our personal ability to experience isshin den shin with Tada Sensei. The deepest meaning of spiritual teachings is rarely expressed openly by true Masters of the Way, such as Tada Sensei.

Il Tada Juku (多田塾), il sistema di allenamento* del M° Tada, si basa su alcuni pilastri fondamentali. Il più importante è il Kinorenma. Questo seminario ruoterà intorno al Kinorenma come parte integrante dell’aikidō e come approccio alla vita di tutti i giorni.

* Il termine giapponese “Juku” (塾) si riferisce generalmente a una scuola privata di formazione o a un gruppo di studio. Nel contesto dell’aikidō, questo termine è utilizzato per indicare la rete di dōjō e comunità di praticanti che seguono il sistema di allenamento del Maestro Tada Hiroshi.

Al Banyuaiki Dōjō, quando parliamo di “Tada Juku”, ci riferiamo principalmente al metodo di allenamento e insegnamento del Maestro Tada, piuttosto che a un gruppo specifico di persone.

SEMINARIO DI AIKIDO E KINORENMA

• Data: Sabato 22 Marzo 2025.
• Luogo: Via Giuseppe Berto 178, 00142 Roma, palestra della Scuola Poggiali Spizzichino.
• Aperto a tutti, purchè regolarmente assicurati.

PROGRAMMA

• 10:00 – 10:30: Iscrizione.
• 10:30 – 12:30: Lezione.
• 14:00 – 16:00: Lezione.
• Portare jō, bokken, tantō.

COSTI E INFORMAZIONI

• Costo: €20, ridotto a €15 per studenti.
• Contatti: Marco (Whatsapp) +39 333 523 9318, segreteria@banyuaiki.it.