It's been several years now, but I once collaborated on a long interview video of Christian Tissier, an Aikido master, for a martial arts channel called Seido.
Fascinated by Aikido in his youth, Master Tissier came to Japan in the late 1960s to study Aikido. Since diving into this world, he has mastered the art and is one of the few non-Japanese individuals who have reached the rank of 8th Dan master.
During the Cold War, he made a journey to Japan that is hard to imagine today, traveling from France to the former Communist bloc countries by train to Moscow, then taking the Trans-Siberian Railway, and finally crossing to Japan by boat.
His story is full of anecdotes that vividly convey the atmosphere of Japan at the time, and even as a Japanese person, I found it mysterious and full of intrigue.
There are memorable words in this interview:
'Aikido is about naturally reacting to the movements of your opponent, and it's crucial to always maintain a natural posture. You are who you are, no more and no less. There's no need to sacrifice yourself in the context of your relationship with others.'
'Adding cultures superficially is meaningless. It's better to chew and blend each culture. While improving oneself, one should also create their own culture.'
The words of Tissier, who has mastered his path, contain many hints about daily living, making the content interesting even for those who are not interested in martial arts or Japanese culture. The original is in French, but the subtitles are multilingual, so please take a look.
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