The Aikido Controversy is now part of British Aikido History. It was a long and difficult fight to protect the true history of British Aikido from the false claims of Mr. Jack Poole and the British Aikido Board. Sport England fully exonerated Henry Ellis. The BAB was ordered to give Henry Ellis a full public apology after admitting that Mr. Poole had received an award for APALCARLO. The BAB also admitted that Mr. Poole could only substantiate his story starting in 1968.
Controversy
(Why so much controversy?)
Two years ago I received a circular, through the British Aikido Board, inviting me to the seminar celebrating Mr. Jack Poole’s “47 Years in Aikido”. At the time, this would have placed Mr. Poole as the first Aikido in the UK in 1952. This is a very serious and offensive statement to those like myself and others who participated in the birth of British Aikido and its subsequent promotion. So why the controversy? Mr. Poole was an immediate beginner at my Dojo in Slough, Berks, in 1968. You don’t have to be a nuclear scientist to calculate that 1968 from 2000 is 32 years (not 47 years). However, the British Aikido Board in their wisdom refused to respond to my subsequent complaint, against Mr. Pooles’ claim, and at the 2000 National Seminary awarded him a bronze samurai statue to celebrate his “40+ years of Aikido “.
The article that follows details these events and has been developed as they unfolded.
Yours in Budo
Sensi Henry Ellis
To learn about the history of British Aikido, read Sensei Ellis’s article “Positive Aikido” in “Fighting Arts International”.
The final analysis
On February 29, 2000, Sensei Ellis sent an official letter of complaint to the British Aikido Board, the letter was addressed to the secretary of the British Aikido Board, Ms S Timms, subsequently Ms Timms organized a meeting in “The Hut” with Sensei Foster, Ellis, Eastman and Ms. Timms herself to discuss the issues detailed in the letter. It was surely agreed that no one had heard of Mr. Poole before he was a beginner at Sensei Ellis’s dojo in 1968.
At the British Aikido Board meeting on 23 September 2000, the British Aikido Board executive denied receiving the “official complaint” when Sensei Derek Eastman raised the matter. If the executive of the British Aikido Board did not receive the letter, why? It was as a result of this letter that the previous meeting took place, so I will ask the question again, why was this important official letter that directly affects the history of British Aikido not presented to the entire executive committee?
In summary, the evidence against Mr. Poole that was offered to the British Aikido Board:
Sensei Ellis does not have one photo of Poole as a rookie in 1968, but several.
Both photographs clearly show Mr. Poole as a beginner and were taken in 1968.
A video taken in 1968, clearly showing Mr. Poole as a beginner.
Witnesses of these dates:
Chiba sensei
Ellis sensei
Eastman sensei
Goodwin sensei
Staverou Sensei
Students of that time.
When a senior member of the British Aikido Board asked Mr. Poole “Jack, when and where did you really start your Aikido?”, Mr. Poole’s response was “errgh, I really can’t remember when I started”.
Based on that short statement, the British Aikido Board awarded Mr. Poole a beautiful samurai statue to celebrate our new leader.
Once again, I repeat that the only reason the controversial article was placed on our website is not malicious, but simply to protect the true history of Aikido in the UK.
As of today, October 13, 2000, we have not yet received any advice from an attorney on any threatened action. We intend to keep the article on our website and if Ms. Timms and Mr. Poole wish to disprove the truth, we patiently await their legal response to turn the hard facts into fiction.
Jack poole
And his coming
“Celebration of 47 years of Aikido”
By Henry Ellis Sensei
Controversy
Recently, I received a letter from the British Aikido Board, enclosing the usual documents from a previous general meeting, among the papers was an A4 size photo of Mr. Poole, inviting everyone to the previous celebration, including myself. The content of the poster was of great concern to many others and to me who shared the birth of Aikido in Great Britain. If you have not read my story in “Fighting Arts International” No 93, and Aikido Today Magazine No 36, they are on this web page.
Why all this worry?
As I have said before, the history of Aikido in the UK is very well documented. Kenshiro Abbe Sensei introduced Aikido in 1955, his first student was Ken Williams Sensei (see Aikido Today Magazine # 43). Out of that first group of selected students, the only ones who survived are Williams sensei, Haydn Foster sensei, and myself, Henry (Harry) Ellis. Williams sensei was appointed a national Aikido coach in the UK, and I was an assistant national coach.
During those great early years, we traveled all over the British Isles, also to France and Belgium.
If we are to believe 47 year old Mr Poole’s claim of Aikido then this would place him in the 1952/3 era, this is two years before Kenshiro Abbe sensei’s arrival in the UK. None of the early teachers had ever heard of Mr. Poole, that is until Mr. Poole joined my “beginner class” in 1967/8 at my dojo in Slough, Berkshire.
Take a look at the photos in both magazines, you will see a man with a bald head and a long beard, who is unmistakably Mr. Poole. Is it not conceivable that since I was a 3rd dan at the time I would have realized that this “beginner” had about 15 years of previous training, and the fact that Mr. Poole was with my beginners for about three years, he wouldn’t have told me.
I have a book in the final stages of preparation in the United States titled “Positive Aikido, 45 Years of Traditional Teachings.” Arthur Lockyear, the foremost Aikido writer, is also collecting information on the history of “Aikido in the UK”. I also understand that Sensei Williams is also preparing something along the same lines.
Once a fellow Aikidoist has read the history of our Aikido, you may realize why the few of us left from the early days are so protective of its origins.
Prior to this 47 year old claim, Mr. Poole has always chosen to totally ignore me and my existence when attending British Aikido Board meetings. You may feel that if you ignore me, you may ignore your true story.
During the time that Mr. Poole was in my beginner class, he was always a good student and I never remember any problems or concerns. I am also not concerned about the impersonation of O’Sensei by Mr. Poole in the poster I received, nor do I envy the fact that he is the only person I know of who has earned a “Budo” rating. However, I have serious concerns for the true principles of Aikido and, more importantly, its survival as a credible Martial Art.
The celebration planned by M Poole will take place in April. I have written to Mrs Shirley Timms, secretary of the British Aikido Board, to ask the British Aikido Board to authenticate Mr Pooles’ claim. Ms. Timms told me this would take some time. I suggested that now was the right time, before he committed to the “celebration.”
On Saturday March 11, 2000, I traveled to Birmingham with sensei Derek Eastman’s son (the fourth survivor of the 1950s), Mark. This was the first time he attended a general meeting of the British Aikido Board, he couldn’t believe how the proceedings were.
Arriving at the meeting, Ms Timms rushed to get ahead of everyone else, I can only assume that I will let President Toni Davies know that I was here to speak on agenda item 11, which was any other matter. This is the only time you can bring any other issue to the attention of the board.) After sitting in the meeting for almost 3 hours, we finally got to item 11, any other business, and as soon as I got to my feet, the president called the meeting to a close. I asked to be allowed to speak and Bill Smith Sensei, one of the most respected men in Aikido, shouted “Let the man speak” and again “Let the man speak.” This is an abuse of privilege that we have never seen before on the British Aikido Board. I was denied permission to speak and raise the matter of Mr. Poole. I am told that Mr Poole claims to have trained in France and that he has a letter from O’Sensei. In those early days, we also trained in France, we still have contacts in France, so it would be possible to verify this statement. With reference to O’Sensei’s letter, I have no comment.
In its rush to drop agenda item 11, the board also omitted the last item on the agenda, which was the date of the next meeting.
By protecting Mr. Poole from what would have been a simple matter of authenticity, the British Aikido Board has accepted his claim to rewrite the history of British Aikido and has given it its full approval.
When I do an Aikido exhibition, I always use a couple of beginners to try to encourage other people to join in, I have an 8mm film turned into video that clearly shows Mr. Poole in 1967/8 as a beginner.
Addition:
AIKIDO in the UK
The origins and history of Aikido in the UK began with its introduction by Kenshiro Abbe Sensei in 1955 and its first student was Sensei Ken Williams. A small select group of Dan degrees developed around Sensei Williams at the Abbe School of Budo, Hillingdon Middx.
Aside from Sensei Williams, there are only four survivors from those early days, Sensei Foster, Ellis, Reynolds, and Eastman. When Sensei Foster and I were training at the “HUT” in the 1950s, I’m sure none of us thought that we would continue to participate in Aikido 45 years later. Sensei Williams always had great faith in the future of Aikido, often telling me that Aikido would become the most popular martial art in the UK, and that all of Dan’s early grades would one day be full-time professional teachers. The promotion of Aikido in those early days was such a struggle that, although I was as passionate about Aikido as Sensei Williams, I must admit that I did not share his vision.
The early history of British Aikido is colorful with many anecdotes, as early teachers tried to promote Aikido. Now, after 45 years, those four originals are still teaching and promoting Aikido.
After all these years, I (Henry Ellis) still feel as passionate and dedicated as I did in those early days. I have always had a strong and positive approach to Aikido and I know that the other teachers and I are very proud of our history and our small part in developing what was once just a vision of Sensei Williams. Today that vision is now a reality.
I trust that any true Aikido student will know that I care little about my own promotion, but only about the Protection and Promotion of the Martial Art of Aikido to which I have dedicated most of my life.
Yours in Budo,