The Hut

Hi Martin ! " The Hut " , one could write a book just on the Hut itself. I started Judo at the Hut Dojo in 1956 . I saw Kenshiro Abbe Sensei who was a regular visitor to the Hut teaching Aikido in 1957. I joined the Aikido section as well as continuing with my Judo training. I was attracted to the Aikido because it was so strict and hard, it was for me a true Martial Art. We were the very first students in the UK for Aikido, its birth place was " The Hut ". Which was also known as " The Hell Dojo ". Training started with 200 push-ups on the backs of the wrists - fingers pointing in and out. Abbe Sensei said " My English is not good, my Shinai speak good English "............A whack from the Shinai worked far more effeciently than a laboured explanation. As we progressed, we the first UK dan grades also taught with the Shinai ( still do ). Sun mornings the dojo was open only for the dan grades, this was special training, where we would have real fighting with no pretence. Sadly Aikido has become associated with the tree huggers and much of its ridicule is well deserved. I have often seen where people say that there is no kicking and punching in Aikido, that may well be the case in `their` Aikido, it is not so in mine, we still teach both kicking and punching as an integral part of our Traditional style. I have taught in many countries around the world yet I have never ever found a dojo that had 10% of the fantastic atmosphere of the Hut Dojo. It was often said that one felt as if they could grab a handful of the atmosphere and never let it go. I can feel it now, over 50 years on. Henry Ellis Co-author of Positive Aikido No matter your pretence, you are what you are and nothing more....Kenshiro Abbe Sensei 1915 - 1985.

Wow great to hear such experiences, 'The Hut' - 'The Hell Dojo' ahhh I now understand the username aikihell :lol: thanks a lot for the insight, will always make me think twice when someone is saying how aikido is not effective for self defence, I guess it just comes down to who teaches the aikido, as in any martial art.

In those early days you would not have got very far telling students to harmonise with the planets and the universe <>:-) We had many American students from the local AFB West Drayton. If they could not see it, or feel it, then it was not there. Which would result in a visit to the tarmac tatami in the Hut car park. It was well known that we had these two tatami's. We could never have imagined in those early days that a great deal of Aikido in the future would change to become a quasi religeon. Henry Ellis Co-author of Positive Aikido No matter your pretence, you are what you are and nothing more....Kenshiro Abbe Sensei 1915 - 1985.

What do you think caused the changes in perception and practise of aikido in most dojo’s over time, trying to emulate O Sensei in his later years, instructors ego's, lack of technique... I found your article 'Is aikido a martial art?' very interesting, especially the story of how Abbe sensei became a student of O Sensei. The article reminded me of the quote "Choosing not to follow in the footsteps of the old masters but rather seek what they sought" - Matsu Basho

Martin What do you think caused the changes in perception and practise of aikido in most dojo’s over time, trying to emulate O Sensei in his later years, instructors ego's, lack of technique... The changes !! I have often asked that very question of myself..... This is my personal view. In the early days from 1955 to the mid 1960's `all` Aikido was controlled from the Hut Dojo " British Aikido Council " wherever you were you would do exactly as was taught at the Hut, such as the push ups on the back of the hands and much more. When Chiba Sensei arived some stayed with the Hut and some went with Chiba Sensei, and some went their own way. I was the only dan grade to leave the Hut and join Chiba Sensei in 1967, I was his assistant for 4 years. It was about this time that some started to grade themselves :-) :-) I see teachers now that call themselves 6/7/8 dan that I personally taught many years ago. Kenshiro Abbe would often say """ No matter your pretence, you are what you are and nothing more """" As these people graded themselves they also taught themselves, in the process the techniques became diluted, in many cases vapourised. I see uke making a ukemi attack, breakfalling into tori. Now!! if one did that at the Hut Dojo, that would guarantee a good whack with the Shinai. Henry Ellis Co-author of Positive Aikido No matter your pretence, you are what you are, and nothing more. Kenshiro Abbe 1915 ~ 1985

Don't know how anyone can grade themselves the idea just doesn't make sense to me, I wonder how many instructors graded themselves and said sorry I don't think 'I’ve' got what it takes to pass this time so will have to fail myself :roll: "I see uke making a ukemi attack, breakfalling into tori. Now!! if one did that at the Hut Dojo, that would guarantee a good whack with the Shinai." :P i imagine it would. p.s. your book arrived today, will leave an honest review when I’ve finished it, it looks great! Wow Mitsusuke Harada used to train at the Hut now and again, I didn't know that, how was he to train with I believe he showed you some karate and that you taught him aikido technique, did you learn much karate from him, and what was his level of aikido like?

When Harada Sensei arrived in the UK his first classes were at the Hut on a regular basis, he did not study Aikido as the art, just certain moves that he thought would work within his Karate movenent. In those early days Harada Sensei was very different to all the other Japanese we had met, he was more open and friendly with the students. It was a great struggle for him then, it is good to see the success he has reached over the years. There is a recent photo of Harada Sensei and myself taken at the TK Chiba 40th celebrations in London, this is on my BritishAikido website gallery. Regards Henry Ellis

The Hut New Mexico
Just wanted to say hello. My name is Dave Rogers. While I am too young to have been at the original Hut; in the 1990s, after some grueling practices at the Basingstoke Aikido Club in Britain with Sensei Ellis, Sensei Eastman, Sensei Warne and Sensei Webb, I was able to get back to the U.S. still fuctioning. I opened a nasty little dojo in an abandoned adobe brickmaking factory outside of a town called Alamogordo in the American Southwest. We didn't have much, but the place was primitive 120 degrees in the summer, below freezing in the winter, with scorpions falling from holes in the ceiling, a rattlesnake that liked to nest under the refrigerator, and a black widow spider in the bathroom whom no one was allowed to hurt, because she was the club's mascot. Her name was Julie. Anyway, we tried very hard to keep the standards which were crunched into us by my teachers, and had many strange adventures over the years. I would like to think we made the first U.S. "Hut" dojo as memorable an experience as the original it was named after, but I know in my heart there will only ever be one such place - where my teachers practiced and learned with legends in the 1950s and 60s. -Dave Rogers, 3rd Dan, U.S. Rep ESTA

Hello Dave thanks for joining, as I have said to Henry many congratulations on the Positive Aikido book its excellent. Its great to hear how the training at the Hut has had such a wide spread effect on aikido. Great to hear how you got started in the US. Not sure I could train with Julie crawling around though :shock: How are things at the US hut dojo now, is it still going strong?

Doing well.
Hi, Yes and thanks. We are still doing well. There are two groups in New Mexico now - the original one in Alamogordo and the one I've started here upon moving outside of Albuquerque. We have new people nearly every day. I may have to increase the size of the mat! Practices are still rough. Julie and her friends are now the stuff of stories only, but the spirit of that place is still with each practice and new students are taught the stories both from my teachers' time and their teachers' time - but also from our beginnings here in New Mexico. There's only a few guys still practicing who can say they were there - and they remember. But there's bunches of people who passed-through, and they still turn up every now and then, like bad pennies. We are fortunate to still have the direction of Sensei Ellis, Eastman and Warne - who occassionally make the long trip to visit with us here in New Mexico. They enjoy the trips because we have lots of sunlight and real Mexican Salsa.

Brilliant thread, always good to hear stories of old training ways, I have been following this thread and watched a video featuring sensei Ellis talking about aikido with some instructional footage in etc I have to say im very jealous of Ellis senseis samurai swords given to him by Abbe sensei!!! :evil: they look great. Its good that you aikidokas take the art serious as a martial art too would be a shame to see aikido become nothing more than showmanship and dancing mixed together with a bit of hocus pocus. Keep up the good work. P.s. Henry and Dave, do you believe aikido can be an effective martial art to teach self defence. Is effective aikido aikijutsu or can pure aikido be effective in its own right? Also what came first aikido or aikijutsu? I know jujitsu was first but then surely it was aikido then aikijutsu developed from them both? Or was aikijitsu the forerunner to aikido? Just one more question, its been a few years since i did any aikijitsu :lol: is it true there is no stepping backwards movements in aikido? regards

I am not really sure of the origins of Aikijitsu. The name Akido was conceived in 1942 by OSensei. The Aikido I first witnessed in 1956/7 with Kenshiro Abbe Sensei and K Williams Sensei was for me the total martial art, if it had not been, then I would not be involved, then or now. I personally dislike the tree huggers who have latched onto Aikido and tried to change it into some pseudo religeon. Stepping back ? I step back if the technique requires it. For example when in a confrontation in life ( and many years working on the London club scene ) I created a method of a partial step back to bring my opponet in as I attacked, a kind of a `rocking` step. It would not be approved of by the tree huggers but it was very effective for me. The swords. I too am very proud of my swords. The blade is 16th century and the Suba is 15th. Henry Ellis

Aikido done properly is effective. There's just been too many people involved who have allowed it to be watered-down to some kind of new-age thing. They qualify this by saying O'Sensei would have done things this way - that it was what he intended. I believe first of all that it is impossible for them or anyone to speak so authoritatively on something or someone they did not themselves experience. The fact stands. If I get on the mat with some of these characters, they cannot throw me, but instead require me to "cooperate" and fall down for them. This, I don't know how to do. If their technique is working right, then I have to get out of it to save myself. If it isn't right, I don't know when I am supposed to start "falling." The only cooperation I require is that which results when I screw the opponent into the mat.

Now that sounds like my kind of aikido. I suppose with the stepping backwards it should be seen more as an aikido principle but not a be all and end all rule, I believe the theory is good to teach students how to use the opponents energy to their advantage etc but if in the odd technique stepping back can make a particular technqiue more effective then go for it. I'm all for traditional arts but also think at times mixing training up a little and trying out adapted or various methods can be helpful as long as over all you are following the correct priciples and teachings of the respected teachers of the past. What was Abbe sensei's main/favourite martial art? Was it judo or aikido or did he equally respect and teach both?

View Full Version: The Hut