Submitted for the rank of Yondan – Dec 29, 2023

The word “muteki” in Japanese means, “no enemy”. It is comprised of two kanji characters: “mu” for emptiness or nothing, and “teki”, for enemy. The term is usually used to describe someone so strong they have no enemies; they are invincible, unrivaled.

In the context of Aikido, the concept of muteki relates instead to how we approach our partners and practice. We have no enemies in Aikido. Our partner is not our enemy. I am not your enemy. You are not my enemy. 

A few years ago when I was on an extended trip to Japan, my training partner at Hombu dojo one morning explained to me the concept of “muteki”, or “no enemy”. Now in his 70s, Hiyashi-san first came to Hombu dojo as a teenager, where he saw O’Sensei. He only took a few classes, and didn’t return to training until years later, and has been training there ever since.

Hiyashi-san instructed me with three points to consider when practicing Aikido:

1) Muteki. Your partner is not your opponent. Invite them in.

2) Make your mind big – big and open so that it expands outwards.

3) Be like water, flowing.

Hiyashi-san was not the only training partner to coach me with these points. Practically every Japanese person I trained with on the far side of the mat* at Hombu, repeated some version of the same messages, to the point that I was beginning to wonder, “Am I really that combative, closed-minded, or hard?” 

Every dojo, every teacher, has their own approach or interpretation of Aikido. I think it’s important when visiting a dojo to quickly take in feedback and make adjustments to one’s training, not only as a sign of respect to the teachers and senpai, but because we may actually learn something useful and valuable. Over several weeks of training at Hombu I focused on these ideas and found that I was better able to connect with my ukes, and my training became softer and more sensitive.

Since that trip to Japan I’ve given more thought to the lessons Hiyashi-san was trying to impress upon me. 

Your partner is not your opponent. Invite them in. When we first learn Aikido techniques, we learn the mechanics of the techniques. The Uke attacks and the Nage throws the Uke. As nage we place our body in certain positions and move in certain ways to redirect uke’s body and energy. The more skillful we become at Aikido technique, the stronger attack we can handle. From a purely mechanical perspective, our partners can certainly feel like opponents, or “enemy”. They’re attacking us! Our brains amygdala often automatically trigger responses of resistance and fear. We fall into the old paradigm of dominate or be dominated.

Our goal in Aikido is to transcend our fear reflexes, to expand our awareness, and to connect. We do Aikido to dissolve what separates us, to shatter what keeps us small. When we train, rather than aggressively or fearfully responding to attacks, invite them in. Connect with ukes before they even move to attack. 

Hiyashi-san said to me, “I am not your enemy. There is no enemy in Aikido.” Ryuji Sawa Sensei, at his dojo in Setagaya, made a point of telling me directly, “Don’t grab your uke. Grabbing only encourages the uke to resist. Grabbing is fighting. Aikido is NOT fighting. NO fighting.” O’Sensei uchi-deshi Terry Dobson Sensei, in a class a week before he passed away, instructed us, “Don’t DO things to your partner. Stop trying to impose your will on your partner.” These teachers were all saying versions of the same thing, muteki.

Once we understand the concept of muteki intellectually, how do we translate it into our physical training? To that end I have found Hiyashi-san’s second and third points to be helpful visualizations during practice.

Make your mind big and open, so that it expands outwards. When one is learning Aikido, it’s easy to focus your mind on the point of conflict. For example, in Tai No Henko, when your partner is grabbing your wrist, naturally your focus of attention will be on this point of conflict. But the the more you focus your attention on the point of conflict, the more you resist, and the more you create resistance in your partner. When you expand your awareness, “make your mind big and open”, something magical occurs. Your hardness dissolves, conflict becomes insignificant, and there is now a true opportunity to connect with your partner.

When you consciously expand your mind in your own body, you can connect with your central axis, your dantien, and your ki. When you expand your mind to include your partner, a humbling and a letting go of ego can occur, as you connect with the universe that exists in your partner. A synergy of purpose can occur when you expand your mind to include the center and ki of your partner. When you expand your mind to encompass the dojo and everyone in it, not only is training safer because you are more aware of those around you, but there is a further letting go of that which differentiates self, and a deeper connection with all beings.

Be like water, flowing.  When I did masters swimming years ago my coach instructed me to be like a fish—don’t fight the water when you swim, blend with it, relax into it. If you ever watch exceptional swimmers they practically glide through the water, like fish. 

In Aikido being like water means to relax and flow. Use only the muscles necessary for the movement you are making. Let ki flow through you like water. To water in a stream, a boulder is not an enemy, it is just something around which to flow. Think of the Aikido techniques as containers, or structures, through which your ki can flow. The more you relax the easier it is for your ki to move through you.

The Aikido interpretation of muteki is, of course, not limited to Aikido. Where else in our lives have we mentally constructed enemies? Where else are we hardening, resisting, “othering”? In these places can we connect, soften, let go, or broaden our awareness? Aikido is a path of personal development, so how do we translate our Aikido practice to our daily interaction with the world? To what antagonists can we now realize, “You are not my enemy”?

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*If you are unfamiliar, the far side of the mat is typically where the older people at Hombu train. These are people who have been doing Aikido for 30 years, who are more careful with their bodies, who are there almost every day, some of whom take hours by train just to come to the dojo.