The new year is welcomed in with the traditions of martial arts with Kagami Biraki at North Shore Aikikai. The day began with a brief presentation to the audience about what Kagami Biraki means in terms of the traditions of martial arts and the culture of Japan. The event was also an open house for the dojo and was a great opportunity for teh public to learn more about the practices and traditions of Aikido, things that I had always wondered about. The following is a close transcription of the presentation by Sensei Joel Posluns, 6th Dan, Shidoin.

Kagami Biraki literally means ‘mirror opening’, it is an authentic Japanese celebration in that is held in many traditional martial arts schools or dojos, usually on the second or third Saturday or Sunday of January for all students to attend. It is also an old samurai tradition dating back to the 15th century that was first adopted into modern martial arts in 1884 by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, who adopted it as an opportunity for philosophical and spiritual reflection upon their activities. Since then other martial arts such as Karate, Aikido, Jujutsu have adopted the event as well. Kagami Biraki emphasizes renewal, re-dedication and spirit, values central to the practice of martial arts.

In Japan Kagami Biraki is still practiced by many families, as it marks the end of the new years holiday season which is by far the biggest celebration of the year. It is something that brings together Christmas, the family orientation of thanksgiving, mixed with the excitement of vacation and travel. It is a time when the whole nation goes on holiday and it is also a time for family to return to traditional roots, where prayers and offerings are made to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. People dress in kimono, enjoy traditional food and games. It is also a time when fathers are free to relax with their family, eat, play games, and in modern times, watch TV.

In most traditional dojos, preparation for the new years season begins as in most households. Towards the end of the year dojos are cleaned, repairs made, mirrors shined, and everything made tidy. In japan, many dojos retain the tradition of a purification ceremony, salt is thrown throughout the dojo, and salt is a traditional symbol of purity, which is a virtue, and then it is brushed away with pine boughs. Decorations are then frequently placed around the dojo, which in traditional Japan held great symbolism while today they are merely seen as holiday decorations.

Among decorations traditionally used are stacked rice cakes, an orange with a green leaf, as well as pine boughs, as well as a Shinto offering of salt, water and rice, as well as a little sake.

The offerings are for the kami, the sprit of the dojo resides in a little house with a door in the middle of the shrine, called a kamidana. On special days, such as Kagami Biraki, the door of the house is opened and a special ceremony is performed to invoke the spirit that looks over the dojo.

The Aikido shrine is known as a kamiza, also sometimes referred to as tokunowa or shinza. The kagami mochi, the rounded cakes are significant objects to the event, shaped in the fashion of a metal mirror, and formed from a hard dough of pounded rice. They symbolize full and abundant good fortune. The breaking apart of the cakes is the mirror opening, for they crack as they dry out. Traditional Japanese fare for this time of year is also consumed. A sweet Azuki bean soup is served with the mochi cakes from the kamiza and eaten in the soup.

The kamiza is the spiritual center of the dojo, decorated with gifts and offerings to the spirit of the dojo. Pine boughs are placed around the dojo around doors and in small vases and on both sides of the kamidana, which is also the ceremonial center.

Today, however, the new years celebration of Kagami Biraki holds no religious significance. It does however continue the old samurai tradition of kicking off the new year, and it is also a time when participants engaged in a common endeavor, can rededicate their effort and discipline towards goals such as training.

The presentation began with short session of Zazen, or kneeling meditation, ringing of the bell, lighting of the incense, opening of the kamidana door, followed by our traditional bowing to the kamiza, including two sets of claps, and two bows to invoke the spirit of the kami to come out.

North Shore aikikai indeed has its spiritual connection to the traditions of Aikido. But the dojo also possesses a physical connection those traditions, for among the most important possessions in the dojo is a rice paper scroll, written by the son of o-sensei, founder of Aikido, Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba.

A student explained the meaning of the kanji symbols on the scroll.

Ai, harmony
ki, spirit power
do, the way.

Together it means ‘The way to harmonize power’. It is not a system of fighting, but a way to cooperate and communicate with other people.

In every Aikdio dojo is a picture of Morihei Ueshiba, o sensei, the originator of Aikido, who was posthumously made a national treasure in Japan. Ueshiba is honored in Aikido not only for creating it, but for his efforts throughout his life as a true and dedicated martial artist.

More info: http://www.aikidofaq.com/history/osensei.html

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