Bruno Mathis: The Itininerant Aikidoka

Bruno Mathis, 4th dan Aikikai has been practising and teaching for over 30 years. His numerous travels have allowed him to practice all around the world and to discover the richness of our art with the human bonds that it allows us to create, beyond social and cultural differences. From Beijing, his current residence, he talks to us today about his Aiki journey around the world.

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.Jackie Robinson

The Aikido beginnings in Paris

I started to practice Aikido in 1976 in Fontenay-Sous-Bois under the direction of Max Mazzone. This was long before the cleavage between the two federations; Aikido was indeed still under the thumb of the Judo federation. The dojo was a bit rough, in winter we had to scrape off the frost from the windows. The cold temperature and humidity used to freeze the mats. I kind of liked it because it reminded me of the old Samurai stories. I got promoted to Shodan about three years later, which is where I started to think about the real purpose of Aikido. Christian Tissier's Martial Arts Circle had just opened so I went there to pursue my training. I practiced over there for 12 years even though I still went to my old dojo in order to enjoy the peculiar atmosphere and to see my friends that were still there. Following Max Mazzone's advice, I passed my Sport Education qualification and I started to teach within works council of companies such as IBM and Air France. A few years later, I went for my sandan in Paris at same time as Micheline Tissier. I did my first trip to Japan in 1986... first time at the Hombu Dojo... magic! I visited Tokyo, Kamakura, Kyoto and Hiroshima. This was my very first contact with Asia.

A look towards the East

I moved to Grenoble in 1986 because of my love for mountains. It is where I met Cyril Lagrasta, Philippe Gouttard and Luc Mathevet and a few other friends that I still meet every now and then. Some of them actually came to visit me in several of the countries where I have lived. I got involved in the Aikido life of the region and opened several dojo in the mountain. During a seminar with Christian Tissier in Geneva, a Czechoslovakian (yes, at the time, it was still Czechoslovakia) asked me if I wanted to teach a seminar in his country. Everybody around me was making fun out of it, not understanding what the jell I was going to do over there since Aikido practice was forbidden by the political regime in place at the time. Eventually, the Berlin wall fell... perfect timing! I was the very first Aikido instructor to ever teach in Prague. It was during the month of February and I remember that Charles Bridge was completely frozen. About ten friends from the Rhône-Alpes region came with me as well as four friends from Switzerland, everything self funded of course. During one of the lunches, as we were eating in a posh restaurant, our hosts were watching us eat, claiming that they were not hungry. Of course this was a lie; they just did not have enough money to afford eating there! Eventually, we bought them lunch. I subsequently started to organize seminars in Prague and Bratislava. I went back with Philippe Gouttard and his brother Paul. Nowadays, Bruno Mathis's Yondan Aikikaieven the Japanese teach there! All these wonderful memories came by thanks to this connecting device that is Aikido. In the mean time, I had become quite popular in my community and I became Municipal Councilor in our village, Saint-Hilaire du Touvet, a very famous place for paragliders since it is where the Icarus Cup is organized every year which sees even Chinese delegations coming to compete. In mai 1999 pass my yondan Aikikai.

Across the Channel, across the Atlantic

I went twice to Dublin under the invitation of Cyril Lagrasta. He had just started the club and there was a fantastic atmosphere on the mat. They were young and dedicated practitioners who had no preconceptions about the practice. They took me everywhere; I drank so much Guinness that I now have trouble having a single sip of it. In 1999, my wife Michele got a job in Salt Lake City for the winter Olympic Games so there I was in the countries of Mormons and cowboys trying to find a dojo. I started practising at the Utah Aikikai and after six months, I was asked to give my first classes. I had to prove myself because practice was quite physical. My Aikikai grade allowed me to be considered as an equal. We don't realize in France how important Aikikai grades are abroad. They made me sign a paper saying that if I was injured or killed during practice, the club could not be held responsible. Coming from the French system with its insurance and protection policies, it shocked me but nowadays, were I live, it is the French system that makes me laugh! I stayed in contact with the people over there thanks to the Internet. In the United States, there was absolutely no organization between the clubs, no federation either, just loose connections. Salt Lake City is lost in the middle of the desert. Denver, the neighbour city is 12 hours away by car! I went there once for a seminar. Later, Christian Tissier started teaching a summer course there but at that time, I was already gone to Greece.

Athens, the cradle of democracy

My wife and I lived in Athens from January 2001 to December 2004. During that time, I practiced at the Aikido of Athens where a British woman, Janet Clift and an Irish man, Eammon Devlin were teaching. I was back in familiar grounds, except for the Greek language. I started teaching once a week. I even got Philippe Gouttard to come over for a seminar. At the beginning, I had to adapt to a practice that was totally different to mine. The first time we met, Eamonn asked me the name of my Sensei, I answered him that it was him from now on. He was sandan and me yondan but for me, practising was more important than the usual stylistic quarrels and hierarchy which we see too often happen in France. I also met a Greek guy, Yannis, who was teaching in a private dojo in Pendeli, located in the north suburbs of Athens. In Greece, everybody rides motorbikes without a helmet on and in October 2003, I received a message on my mobile: Yannis was at the hospital with a skull fracture! When I went to see him, his first thought was for his dojo so I told him that I would replace him for as long as it takes.

Bruno Mathis and Yannis practising

Later on, we went together to Geneva and to Meylan to the club of my friend Georges Robinet. Georges now spends all his holidays in Greece practising Aikido. I went back to Greece since moving and nothing changed, we are always delighted to see each other.

Today, China

I only knew China through the label "Made in China" on the products I bought. Aikido is not very developed here for two reasons. The first of course is the weight of the history between Japan and China and the second is the relatively high cost of tuitions. When the great majority of old people like to practice Tai Chi outside early in the morning, the young prefer to dedicate to work. I went once to the Aikido club of the prestigious Beijing University but it was too far for me. It is located beyond the fourth Ring Road which involved either a lot of Taxi rides or long walks. The teacher was a Shodan and she was not very open-minded. One day, Dominique Rascle (teacher in Lyon) called me to tell me that he was going to teach a seminar in Beijing. I could not make it to the course because I was in France at the time but I got the address of the dojo he taught to.

The Shudojuku Aikido club in Beijing is located one the Jianguomenwai Dajie, between the 2nd and the 3rd Ring Road. This avenue is a central axis that crosses the city from east to west and passes right in front of the Forbidden City. To get there, I have to walk through the Ritan Park at the east of the Forbidden City. It is a very peculiar place where Chinese people go in the morning to sing or dance as well as at night for a Sanbu, a digestive walk. The dojo is quite new, it was founded only two years ago but the atmosphere is fantastic. Xing Yue, 1st dan Aikikai, is a very open minded chap and he accepted me straight away in his dojo. Each time I go there, I teach a class. The technical director is a Japanese guy from the Hombu Dojo, Kaishi Sakurai but he comes very rarely and therefore, there is no federation and no grading going on either. They have no connection with the other clubs in Shanghai and Harbin or Beijing University. Each club seems to have a different technical director. My Chinese pronunciation being a bit sloppy, I speak a mix of Chinese and English in order to explain my vision of Aikido to Chinese practitioners as well as Americans, Russians, Swiss, Spanish and French.

Bruno practising in Beijing

Aikido does not only consist of practice on the mat, it is really about human contact and acquaintances. It is about sharing moments with others depending on their moods and yours. It is also about staying in contact with your friends the ones that accepted you without judgement. The others are just technicians in quest for power. Aikido is really about accepting differences.