Jim Klar, Aikido blackbelt
Cleveland Aikikai

Jim Klar began his study at Cleveland Aikikai, affiliated with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan’s Aikido Schools of Ueshiba, in 1987 and was awarded his shodan (first degree black belt) in 1991. In 1992, he traveled to Japan where he lived for two years and continued his training under Ikuhiro Kubota Shihan and Kazuo Nomura Shihan. Upon returning to the United States in 1994, he resumed his training under Saotome Sensei and became an instructor at Cleveland Aikikai. He received his nidan (second degree black belt) in 1995. In 1996 he became head instructor at Oberlin Aikikai. He also became Head Instructor of Cleveland Aikikai in 1998, and also was awarded the rank of sandan (third degree black belt). In addition to his teaching in Cleveland and Oberlin, Klar Sensei travels to various intensive sessions around the United States, and he invites high-ranking instructors to teach in Northeast Ohio.

Cool Cleveland: What is Aikido?
Jim Klar: Aikido is a martial art the goal of which is peaceful non-violent resolution of conflict. We actually try to end any conflict without harming the one who attacks us. On other levels, it can be a spiritual practice or a lifelong journey.

What makes it different from other martial arts?
All martial arts are unique in their physical technique and I don’t profess to be an expert in other martial arts or to say that they don’t have this but Aikido is based on peace, love and harmony. I think it’s often different from other arts because I don’t know that others have the goal of not-harming. I’ve been doing practicing Aikido for 18 years and I believe that all martial arts teach that one should only use their skills in the event of an unprovoked attack. They I believe some also teach that any harm caused to the attacker is karmic retribution for their aggression. However, if you learn skills that are meant to harm... Aikido takes this philosophy to another the next level--we practice the act of not harming. That is what our spiritual and philosophical standards aim for.

What are the origins of Aikido?
Morihei Ueshiba was recognized as the prime premier martial artist in Japan, but he had an inner conflict: Whenever martial skills were used someone was hurt and someone was not, someone lost and someone won, sometimes someone was even killed. He was a master of hurting and killing, but he came to a point where he didn’t want to harm people that way; he prayed about this and had an enlightenment experience. It was like many other such experiences as they are said to have happened to Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, or anyone else. I guess they call it 'cellular awareness.' – a state of mind where everything, matter, light, sound, etc., appears as shimmering light. During this experience, he realized that he could devise a way that wasn’t injurious by slightly changing the time and place of application of force. It was at this time that the name of the martial art he founded changed from Aikijitsu to Aikido. ‘Do’ means way, so there are three characters--Aiki-ju-jitsu means harmonious martial techniques while Aikido means way of harmony with the universe. Through practice, it becomes a way of life instead of just martial techniques.

You keep referring to Aikido as an art; is it important that it’s an art and not a sport?
A sport is about a competition not a way of life. Artists never stop improving. They do art because it improves themselves and their audience. It’s an experiential life long path of self transformation. Aikido works to physically manifest the art of peace by changing yourself. I truly believe that you may be the biggest asshole in the world, but if you seriously do Aikido for ten years, you’ll be still an ass, but much better.

How did you get involved in Aikido? Why did you pick it above other martial arts?

I always wanted to study movement-either dance or a martial art, but I didn’t know which and I always used that indecision as an excuse to do neither. Then a co-worker came in with two black eyes after trying to avoid a fight at a Steelers game. A couple Pittsburgh fans had been goading him and his friends throughout game. He kept saying, “Just ignore them,” but finally they made one of his friends mad and it turned physical. This guy was so peaceful, so that impressed me. I said to him “You couldn’t have danced out of that could you?” He looked at me like I was crazy, but I told him he’d helped me make an important decision.

What influenced you to evolve from student to teacher? And how did you start running a martial arts practice, a dojo?
The person who was in charge left town and put me in charge. Seriously, it’s not as if I ever decided that I wanted to start a dojo. If one of my teachers came to Cleveland, I’d be happy to give it to them and just come in and train like anyone else.

You put a lot of effort and many hours into the dojo; why do you teach?
Someone taught me and I feel I should give back. I want it to continue, I also want to make sure that the dojo is always here. I’ll do whatever I can while I can to make sure that Aikido continues in north-eastern Ohio. I teach because the person who was in charge said he wanted me to be the head-instructor. He didn’t ask me if I was willing, he just said ‘Congratulations, you are now the head instructor...’

How is a dojo different from other businesses?
It’s a co-op. Even though I’m the head instructor, I don’t own it. No one owns it. Another guy takes care of the physical building and manages the money. It’s a non-profit co-op. Not really a business except that there’s cash flow etc. In fact, it operates more like a church or any other non-profit.
http://www.clevelandaikido.com

Interview and photo by Rachel Jacobs RJacobs@cityyear2005.org (:divend:)