Sente and Awase in Aikido

by Hoa Newens

​At the 2023 TAA Gasshuku at Lake Tahoe, we worked on shomenuchi ikkyo in a class and I explained how the nage needs to initiate the technique by extending her arm toward uke’s face to draw uke’s arm into the movement. I noted that this is similar to the concept of sen no sen in Budo and provided a brief explanation. Below is a more in-depth explanation.

The Concept of Sente
In a competitive environment such as war, martial arts and game of strategies, taking the initiative is often the preferred winning strategy, since this first action serves as a preemptive move that forces the opponent into a restricted range of predictable defensive reaction, giving one a strategic advantage.

For example, initiating a linear movement toward my opponent’s face with my arm would likely draw her response to that particular space; she would have to either block it, move to the right or the left of duck down. Her movement will likely be localized in that space in front of her face. Based on this knowledge I gain more control to launch my second move. It is not very different from throwing bait into the ocean to attract a school of fish then dropping a net onto them.

In the strategy game of Go which dated back to the 4th century BCE in China, the ability to play the initial move, Sente (先手), compels the opponent to play the after-move, Gote (後手), and provides a better chance to control the opponent’s movement throughout the game.

The concept of sente and gote evolved further in the martial arts environment, into the concepts of go no sen, sen no sen, and sen sen no sen to define various strategic timing of movement.

In go no sen, one intentionally lets the opponent attack first then seizes his opening to make one’s move. For example, in in the basic version of Aikido Kumijo No. 8, as soon as the attacker starts the hayangaeshi strike one seizes the opening with a thrust to the chest.

In sen no sen, one initiates the first move to elicit the opponent’s first move, then seizes control with the next move. The initial move can be viewed as a pre-emptive move to restrict the opponent’s options. For example, one can initiate a strike to generate a parry from the opponent, upon which one would control the parrying arm, similar to shomenuchi ikkyo technique in Aikido. Another example is the version of shomenuchi iriminage referred to as yama biko no michi (the path of the echo in the mountain), in which one initiates a strong extension toward uke to draw out his forward strike then one enters with iriminage.

In sen sen no sen, the timing is before sen no sen, that is before any movement is even conceived. One would draw out the attacker’s intent to strike and suck him into one’s sphere, as when O Sensei states,

Opponents confront us continually, but actually there is no opponent there. Enter deeply into an attack and neutralize it as you draw that misdirected force into your own sphere.
Morihei Ueshiba

This technique is non-physical and requires one to be aware of the opponent’s intent and draw it into one’s center then neutralize as it manifests as a movement. For a glimpse of a similar technique refer to the scene in The Seven Samurai movie when during a recruitment and testing of potential fighters, a master ronin enters the testing hall and stopped just before the doorway, his heightened awareness sensing the presence of evil intent behind the door.

Is Sente Relevant to Aikido?
Sente is often used in competitive Budo, such as judo, karate and kendo. As can be seen in the foregoing examples of Sente in Aikido techniques, this concept can help to point out the correct timing for these techniques. It helps the student perform the movement at the right time to achieve harmony with the uke.

However, except for the case of sen sen no sen, the concepts of sente and gote exist in reference to linear time and presuppose that our consciousness operates in a sequential manner. That is, at moment #1 I make a move, at moment #2 the opponent is aware of the move and responds to it. This is a limitation that does not provide for one person to be instantly aware of the other’s intent with the result that both persons initiate concurrent movements that have the potential of neutralizing each other. The latter case represents awase (合わせ), as further described below.

With respect to the reason for engaging each other in a martial encounter, O Sensei pointed out that there is no opponent, there is just a person with misdirected thoughts, or misplaced heart. We do not fight each other, we do awase with each other, and neutralize the evil in our hearts.

There are no contests in Aikido. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Victory means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within.
Morihei Ueshiba

O Sensei explained further:

A real warrior puts an end to all conflict and keeps people from resorting to arms to settle disputes. That is the mission of a warrior. A warrior strives to create inner and outer harmony, unity and peace throughout the world. The warrior knows that human beings contain the entire universe within them. That is the ultimate principle, the rationale that guide their actions. To enact the peace and unity of the universal mind is the purpose of Aikido.
Morihei Ueshiba, The Secret Teachings of Aikido

If my purpose is to create peace and harmony, I do not need to win, therefore, how relevant is it for me to make the first move? I just need to be able to come together (awase) with my counterpart and resolve the conflict amicably.

Let us remember that the purpose of Sente was to win over and conquer the other party; if we achieve this purpose and rejoice over the other’s defeat, wouldn’t we have the same mind of discord as the other person?
Sente is relevant for competitive endeavors. Whereas, in an environment where competition does not exist, it loses its meaning, though it may have some usefulness in the early training stages.

Indeed, I have come across scant reference to this concept by O Sensei or Saito Morihiro Sensei., Below are some doka (songs of the way) composed by O Sensei that may give a glimpse of O Sensei’s timing, as compiled by John Stevens in The Essence of Aikido – Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba, Kodansha International, 1993.

(No. 79)
If you want to
disarm your foe,
seize the initiative
step in
and cut decisively!

(No. 82)
When your opponents
run in
to attack,
take one step aside
and immediately cut.

(No. 87)
Letting the
warped foe
strike at my form,
I slip behind him
and counterattack.

(No. 88)
Seeing me before him
the enemy raises his sword
to strike,
but by that time
I already stand behind.
 
O Sensei gave this example about how to read the opponent’s mind when explaining the concept of odo no kamuzawa (小戸の神業):

Aikido is odo no kamuzawa. If you are linked to the void and emptiness, the vibrating patterns of the universe will be reflected on your inner mirror.  Here is a practical example.
An opponent comes walking toward you; if you are spiritually sensitive to his vibrations, you can read him completely even before you see his form. With good aiki, you can instantly sense an opponent’s movement and deftly avoid any attack. If an opponent appears right now, you must be ready. There is no room for error. This is odo no kamuzawa.
Morihei Ueshiba, The Secret Teachings of Aikido, Kodansha International, 2007

The Timelessness of a Calm Mind
At the ultimate level of martial arts, the martial artist sees through the opponent, and physical timing becomes irrelevant, as can be gleaned from O Sensei’s own accounts of two incidents, as noted by the Second Doshu, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, in The Spirit of Aikido, Kodansha USA, 2012.

The first incident occurred in 1924 in Mongolia when O Sensei’s group was attacked by Chinese soldiers:

I couldn’t move from where I stood. So, when the bullets came flying towards me, I simply twisted my body and turned my head. Soon, when I concentrated my vision, I could intuitively tell from which direction the enemy would fire . . . I could see pebbles of white light flashing just before the bullets. I avoided them by twisting and turning my body, and they barely missed me. . . but suddenly I had an insight into the essence of Budo. I saw clearly that the movements in martial arts come alive when the center of ki is concentrated in one’s mind and body, and that the calmer I became, the clearer my mind became. I could intuitively see the thoughts, including the violent intentions, of the other. The calm mind is like the quiet center of a spinning top; because of the calm center, the top is able to spin smoothly and rapidly. It almost seems to be standing still. This is the clarity of mind and body [sumi-kiri] that I experienced.

The second incident occurred in 1925 at O Sensei’s dojo in Ayabe, when he was challenged by a naval officer armed with a sword.

It was nothing. Just a matter of clarity of mind and body. When the opponent attacked, I could see a flash of white light, the size of a pebble, flying before the sword. I could see clearly that when a white light gleamed, the sword would follow immediately. All I did was avoid the streams of white light.

Therefore, for advanced training in Aikido, rather than striving for sente to achieve victory, we should be striving for clarity of mind to achieve awase.

Awase
In Aikido, timing and power are meaningful only in the early stages of training. In advanced training, what matters is whether the training partners have come together to achieve awase (harmony). What matters is not before (sen) or after (go), but together (ai).
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Aiki is the harmonizing principle that ties the elements of the world together. It unifies the spirit. It binds things as one.
Morihei Ueshiba, The Secret Teachings of Aikido

​As soon as practicable in their training, Aikido students strive for awase, which in the beginning manifests as synchronization of movements. Both the nage and uke must remain fully alert through the engagement to keep in sync. This is a most important distinguishing characteristic of Aikido training as compared with other competition-based martial arts: both training partners work together to achieve harmony, not against each other to achieve supremacy.

At a later stage, Aikido students add to their awase by syncing their ki (energy) flows, reducing gaps and starts, and keeping the movement smooth, minimizing any violent impact. The two training partners work together in a respectful and trustful manner during the performance of a technique; one does not bash the other, who blends rather than trying to escape and fight back. This is the training stage known as ki no nagare (blending of ki).

Ultimately, beyond technical proficiency, the advanced Aikido students must go beyond timing and physical blending and allow their awareness to create the appropriate setting or movement to respond to a challenge. This training stage is known as Takemusu Aiki.

In Aikido, the techniques are constantly changing, for change and adaptability are part of the essence of Aikido. I am always training and studying in that spirit, constantly altering the techniques according to the circumstances . . . Aikido has no forms. It has no forms because it is a study of the spirit. It is wrong to get caught up with forms. Doing so will make you unable to respond with proper finesse.
Morihei Ueshiba, The Secret Teachings of Aikido
 
For purpose of understanding the meaning of the principle of awase in Aikido, we can distinguish the following stages.

Tai no awase
Body blending with body. At this beginning stage, students strive for harmony of physical movements. Timing and angles are important. The result is a safe and peaceful exit for all concerned. This stage represents at least the first few decades of training, through the godan level.

Ki no awase
Energy blending with energy. At this stage joining our energy with that of our training partner is the practice goal. This stage includes ki no nagare waza. Up to this stage, using sen no sen in training helps the students go beyond the reactive timing and acquire the ability to extend ki energy to initiate an engagement, such as when practicing shomenuchi ikkyo as described earlier. Gradually physical timing becomes less relevant, and merging ki flows becomes more important.

Kokoro no awase
Heart blending with heart. This is an advanced level practice in which one seeks harmony of feelings and intent, with or without movement. O Sensei instructed that we should envelop the opponent with our kokoro (heart/consciousness) then we can feel their heart and lead them to the right place. As the awase of heart controls, awase of ki flow follows, and awase of movement results; this is awase from the inside out. This can sometime be observed as a harmonious interaction between senior advanced students and their sensei.

Takemusu Aiki
Blending with Aiki to create life. At this ultimate stage, one merges with Aiki, the spiritual life force of the universe, to create, physically, mentally or spiritually. One would move, breathe, and feel coherently with all things.

These stages are described herein to help with the understanding of the concept of awase, though they are not practical aids for training. Further discussion on this topic can be found in another essay The Ai of Aikido .
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​In summary, though sente and gote are concepts that are useful in the early stage of Aikido training, experienced students need to rid themselves of the desire to win or to be first, and focus on the desire for awase, to come together with others through a calm mind. This is the way to reach the heart of Aikido.
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Hoa Newens
​July 20, 2023