Page 22 - Hiroshi Kato Shihan

Page 22
them for the first time all over again. I was able to appreciate his skill and art even more
because I was viewing them through aikido glasses with new lenses. I wish I would have
had another chance to come back and do so again.
Edward Borrego, employee at the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
Kato Sensei began as someone unknown to me. I had never heard of him. Looking to
expand my aikido I began to go to different seminars throughout Texas to see what else
was out there. I attend my first Kato Sensei seminar several years ago. He chose me as
his uke. Of course I was honored to be uke. Little did I know what I was in for. He used
me as his uke, again and again. Of course there was no way I could defeat his
technique, but out of respect and more than that, fear; I did not attack with full force. I
did not want to be the guy who hurt Sensei due to my incompetence. Each time I came
within his personal space I felt an uncontrollable vortex and something I had never felt
before. Yet I never felt any pain as I was lifted by this little old man, except when he
played around as he loved to do so much. It was indescribable and one of the best
feelings I had ever felt in my life. I wanted more and more of this. My laughter and
joyfulness was more heartfelt, I was so very happy. I had to be around him.
With each experience with him my spirit grew as well as my aikido. I don’t say
technique, because with him, when all was right in the world, it wasn’t technique. It was
the purest spirit I had ever experienced to this day. I could care less if I never learn
another technique, it is the spirit of budo that I seek.
I now had reason to go to Japan. While there he made sure I was taken care of and
treated me as one of his own students. Heidi and I laughed as we could not keep up
with him. We never saw him enter a room, he would appear out of nowhere.
His last night that we were at Garcia Sensei’s home with Valerie, Christina and Sensei, I
asked him what was his greatest memory of O Sensei was. He answered, “Taking
ukemi was truly a gift.” I knew then how lucky I was to have been given that gift. As the
night went on, we laughed and listened to him. Earlier that night I was working with
Christina. Sensei told me to attack faster and faster, so I did. Christina dropped me hard
and busted my lip. Sensei laughed so hard as he pointed at me and said, “You need to
move better” and complemented her on having the best technique of the weekend. It