Katsuzō Nishi

Katsuzō Nishi (西 勝造, にし•かつぞー, Nishi Katsuzō) (1884 – 1959) [1] was the Japanese founder of Nishi Shiki in 1927, who was at that time the chief technical engineer for Japan's first subway project, the Tokyo subway.[2] He was also an aikido teacher.

Katsuzō Nishi
Born1884
Japan
Died1959
Japan
Nationality Japanese
OccupationEngineer, Nishi Shiki founder and aikido teacher

Biography
Katsuzō Nishi sensei

The health for which Katsuzō Nishi is grateful came by struggle. What he was he owed to his original methods of health building, methods which were a precious outcome of years of careful study of nearly every theory of health and preventative medicine to be found in the world, of endless experimentation, and lastly, of a very critical examination, from the standpoint of modern medical science, of the knowledge so acquired.[3]

He was also an aikido teacher at Aikikai Hombu Dojo hence many aikidoka were introduced to the Nishi Health System which resulted in the incorporation of certain exercises, like the fish exercise (kingyō undō, 金魚運動), into aikido and the way aikidoka took care of their health.[4][5]

When we watch people involved in Aikido, we see that their stance is like an equilateral tetrahedron. We watch them begin the characteristic spherical rotation. They change in various ways, extending and drawing, without losing their centered balance. Theirs are completely controlled figures. When the body is controlled, it is most healthy.[6]

After the war he also advised Kisshomaru Ueshiba on reestablishing the Aikikai Foundation after the war.[7]

Teachers

The following persons have been his most influential teachers:

Students

These are the most notable of his students:

Descendants
  • Manjiro Nishi

Books
  • Live Longer the Nishi Health System Way Prevent Sickness Maintain Health and Treat Ailments by Katsuzō Nishi.
  • Nishi System of Health Engineering by Katsuzō Nishi. Kessinger, 1936, paperback, ISBN 0-7661-5156-5
  • Nishi System of Health Engineering : Based on an Entirely New Theory of Blood Circulation by Katsuzō Nishi. Hardcover.
  • Live Longer the Nishi Health System Way Prevent Sickness Maintain Health and Treat Ailments by Katsuzō Nishi. 1997. paperback.
  • Cybernetics: Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine by Katsuzō Nishi[8]

References
  1. "Japan - Behind the Scenes - People". Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  2. The Nishi System
  3. Nishi System of Health Engineering by Katsuzō Nishi, 1936; Kessinger, 2003, paperback, ISBN 0-7661-5156-5
  4. Interview with Yasuo Kobayashi (2) Archived 2007-10-17 at the Wayback Machine by Stanley Pranin. Aikido Journal, Aiki News #93, fall 1992.
  5. "The "Fish" exercise". Archived from the original on January 9, 2008. Retrieved 2007-08-06.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. Aikido and Health
  7. Founder of Aikido (39): The Reestablishment of The Aikikai Foundation by Kisshomaru Ueshiba. Aikido Journal, Aiki News #68, August 1985.
  8. Encounter with Automation and Cybernetics, Retrieved on March 11, 2010


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