MY FRIEND BILL " SLIM " COYLE

Discussion in 'Aikido' started by KOKORO KAI, Mar 14, 2011.

  1. KOKORO KAI

    KOKORO KAI Valued Member

    I am now practising Aikido on a regular basis , got the all clear from the doc. I am setting up my own dojo named after the first dojo Bill had with me..... Kokoro Kai dojo.
    Originally called Kokoro E but Sensei Sekiya changed the name to Kokoro Kai when he was over in Glasgow.
     
  2. embra

    embra Valued Member

    Best of luck Tom.
     
  3. Chris Banks

    Chris Banks Valued Member

    All the best with the new dojo and for the future. :cool:

    Cheers,

    Chris.
     
  4. Alansmurf

    Alansmurf Aspire to Inspire before you Expire Supporter

    All the best with the new venture .

    Train hard and god will love you ...dont ...and God help you .

    Smurf
     
  5. adouglasmhor

    adouglasmhor Not an Objectivist

    Best of luck with the new Dojo.
     
  6. sakumeikan

    sakumeikan Valued Member

    Hi Tommy,
    Got your user name mixed up in an earlier blog.Good to know you are getting well.Hope the dojo does well.For myself , just keeping my hand in,saw Chiba Sensei early August.He only does courses nowadays.Keep in touch, Joe
     
  7. KOKORO KAI

    KOKORO KAI Valued Member

    I Year, I month & 4 days. Still missed. RIP Bill.
     
  8. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Understandably so. If ever I need the mental/inspirational kick in the pants I think about Koyo and what he stood for. Then I realize I need to get moving. :)
     
  9. embra

    embra Valued Member

    None of us are immortal, but Bill was a cracking example of what MA is all about and had great humour and social compassion.
     
  10. sakumeikan

    sakumeikan Valued Member

    for your attention

    Hi Tommy,
    Nice to hear from you on this forum.How have you been recently?Have you set up the dojo , if so how is it going?Sent an email to the members of Slims class, just asking them how things were going.No reply as yet . Hope you are ok,
    All the best , Joe.
     
  11. Jimoko

    Jimoko New Member

    NINJITSU by William Coyle

    The spying and assassination techniques grouped together under the name of ‘Ninjitsu’ were originally known in Japan as ‘Shinobi Jitsu’ The idea originated, as did so many Japanese arts, in China.

    A great war statistician in China wrote down his ideas on spying and techniques for harassing the enemy. He was called the ‘Sun Tsu’. In Japan, Otomo-No Saijin was credited with using some of these techniques to help Shotoku Taishi, a war lord to win a battle. He was given the name of ‘Shinobi’, meaning ‘stealer in’. Thus came the name Shinobi Jitsu. Later the name was changed to Ninjitsu. The Japanese added their own particular interpretations and techniques to their already flourishing arts of Bushi-do. The Bushi did have the code of Bushi-Do (the Warrior’s Way) but the Ninja were not bound by this code and cared not at all for ‘honour’ and doing the right thing.

    Incidentally, it is a mistake to refer to all warriors as Samurai. The correct term is ‘Bushi’.

    I will try not to glamorise the Ninja. They were ruthless killers and to protect the secrets of their cult they would kill their own wounded. An understanding of the Japanese mind is necessary to understand the Ninja. Men who could kill viciously and yet could impersonate the voice, carriage and gestures of a young girl so convincingly that they could walk the streets and even be invited home by their potential victims; such were the Ninja. They could wait for hours, patiently, without moving and would also endure the extremes of agony and humiliation to carry out their schemes.

    The peasants and farmers of Japan thought the Ninja were supernatural, but what fascinates me is that the Ninja were real men, extraordinary men, who defied the Samurai – I use the more familiar term – and came near to striking fear into the hearts of those who did not fear even death.

    Few men have lived who could anticipate a meeting with the Ninja with a calm mind.

    THE NINJA ‘RANKS’
    Ninja were divided into three major groups. ‘Jonin’ was the ‘upper man’ who made contact with the war lords and contracted out the Ninja. ‘Chunin’ was the ‘middle man’ who passed out orders and planned the attacks and assassinations. The ‘Genin’ or ‘lower man’ was perhaps the most feared and therefore hated man in Japan. A Genin Ninja, if caught before he could commit Seppuko, or suicide, would invariably die and probably under torture. The Ninja were trained from childhood. No grown man would voluntarily enter the cult of Ninjitsu.

    By European standards the Ninja were slightly built men. Not powerful but wiry and incredibly tough. For a comparison the Apache Indian had a similar build, and there are other parallels between these Eastern and Western men such as their stamina and ability to live off the land.

    The Genin Ninja’s lot was not a happy one. Unlike the Samurai whose fighting ability could bring him wealth and fame, he did not at any cost seek fame and was not very well paid for his trouble. Once a man was instructed in the art of Ninjitsu he remained a member until he was killed, or died.

    DRESS
    The dress of Genin Ninja was a black and rust kimono and specially designed ‘hakama’ or split skirt. He also wore netted gauntlets and a hood which could be pulled over to cover the whole head. His shoes were split toed with moss covered soles for silence and gripping power. His dress was reversible, i.e. when pursued he could reverse his outfit and join his pursuers in the search. Once on the outskirts of the town he could leave the main party, change his clothes and having learned the plans of the search party, and make good his escape. Filling his clothes with air could keep him afloat in water for short periods. His hakama and kimono held many special pockets to hold and conceal some of his equipment. Sometimes he would stitch small strips of bamboo to the soles of his zori to break up the outline of his footprints.

    ARTISTS AND POETS
    The Ninja were artists, poets, sleight of hand experts, singers, musicians; in fact they could fit into any walk of life that their mission demanded. Their training began when they were five or six years old. Their body trained and their spirit developed. At about the age of twelve a Ninja student was introduced to the special arts of Ninjitsu as well as the more common arts of Bushido. When in disguise, his most potent weapon was the bo-staff. He was expert in this art, as well as the arts of the sword, spear, and bow, etc. These weapons were augmented by the most ingenious array of ‘gadgets’ to be found anywhere in the world.

    Picture a man in the peak of physical condition, a master of all the arts of Bushi-do, with the fighting spirit of one who asks no quarter and gives none. A man who practices every day to master his art, and who thinks of nothing being impossible and you just begin to visualise the Ninja . . .

    (Published in Ma Boheme magazine, 1970 – an ImmediateArts.com publication)
     
  12. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    It's the time of year when we reflect on what has happened, what the future holds, new friends and old and those that that are sadly no longer with us.

    I'm out with friends tonight and I'll raise a glass for our friend Koyo.

    If you are new hear do yourself a favour and read through some of his posts.

    Rest In Peace old friend.
     
  13. Alansmurf

    Alansmurf Aspire to Inspire before you Expire Supporter

    Koyo remembered fondly
     
  14. Jimoko

    Jimoko New Member

  15. Anth

    Anth Daft. Supporter

    Haven't been on MAP over the Christmas period but still remember the shock when I heard Bill had passed. Though I didn't get a chance to meet and train with/under him the knowledge he passed on through his posts on MAP will stick with me.

    RIP Koyo Sensei.
     
  16. Angus Rose

    Angus Rose New Member

    Koyo's teachings still taught at Makotokai by Chris and Jerry who trained extensively (and intensively) with him over the years.

    Monday, Wednesday, 211 New City Rd, Glasgow G4 9PA, 7.30-9
     
    axelb, Simon and Alansmurf like this.

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