This afternoon I discovered that The Reverend Kensho Furuya, founder of Little Tokyo's Aikido Center Los Angeles, passed away earlier this month, to the sadness of many friends, students, and fellow martial artists.
The memorial web page, posted by his dojo community, displays his picture and simply refers to him as "Our Chief Instructor."
Some may think this characterization is unduly modest, given the Sensei's many accomplishments. But to be a teacher is a very serious profession, often without immediate gratification and bearing heavy responsibilities for the development of others.
Sensei Furuya bore his burden with humility and dedication, sharing this story, about the life of a teacher:
"Many, many years ago, my good friend always complained about her "koto" (Japanese musical instrument) teacher. If she was a little late, her teacher would already be on the telephone complaining her to come to practice or calling her mother to complain about her absences. She always said that she hated koto because of this but she went to koto practice regularly just to keep her teacher and her mother happy. Years later, after she had performed wonderfully in a concert in Little Tokyo, she then confessed to me, 'I am so glad my koto teacher forced me to practice, look at me now!'"
When I taught in the regular university curriculum, I was known as a "hard grader," awarding few A's. My students had to work very hard for B's, and when they earned them, I believed their performances were, literally, "VERY GOOD," as the grading definition says.
"Excellence," signified by the "A," wasn't totally elusive, but it required a Black Belt effort, at least for one semester.
Sensei Furuya sought excellence in everything he did. He was hardest on himself, acknowledging he didn't have a life outside of the walls of the dojo, in which he dwelled on the second floor.
We came to know each other through correspondence, mostly. Occasionally we would challenge each other's ideas, privately and respectfully.
His fine book, KODO: ANCIENT WAYS, and his web postings enlightened and elevated readers around the world. And he was very generous, especially in including my writings, tilted toward my background in kenpo karate, in his "Daily Message" postings.
At 4 this morning, "by accident," I was reading a Buddhist text regarding the dangers of attachment, whether it is to wealth or to life, itself.
More than anyone I have ever known, Reverend Furuya, a Zen priest as well as acknowledged Aikido master, was able to care deeply while at the same time remaining detached.
But living without delusion takes its toll, and this month it took him.
An unguarded treasury of Sensei Furuya's writings can be found here, and I commend it to all martial artists:
http://aikidocenterla.com/articles.htm.
