André Nocquet (30 July 1914 – 12 March 1999) was a French

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

teacher holding the rank of 8th dan. He was one of the very earliest non-Japanese to practice the art.

Early life

Nocquet studied

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...

as a young man. He began the practice of

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

in 1937 with Israeli professor Moshé Feldenkrais. Later Mikinosuke Kawaishi came to Feldenkrais's

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

to teach and Nocquet became Kawaishi’s student.

Aikido career

In 1954, Nocquet was encouraged by Tadashi Abe to travel to Japan to see

Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art, martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Wakayama, Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of ...

and study at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Nocquet stayed for nearly three years (1955–57), living in the dojo; he was one of only two non-Japanese to enjoy this privilege during that early era, the other being subsequently Terry Dobson. This was a difficult time for him as a westerner as there were virtually no other non-Japanese practicing aikido at the time. During Nocquet's initial time at Hombu, he was the only

uchi-deshi is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in ''kabuki'', ''rakugo'', ''shogi'', '' igo'', ''aikido'', ''sumo'', ''karate'' and other modern Japanese martia ...

. Later

Nobuyoshi Tamura was a prominent aikidoka and a direct student of Morihei Ueshiba. The son of a kendo teacher, Tamura entered the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1953 as an uchi-deshi (live-in student) of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. He was one of Ueshiba's favorite ...

and Masamichi Noro took up residence there. Nocquet and Tamura, both of whom held the rank of first dan at the time, trained extensively together. He returned to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the summer of 1958. He practiced alongside Tadashi Abe when the latter came to France. In 1959-1960 Abe returned to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, leaving Nocquet to teach aikido in France. Nocquet received the rank of 8th dan in 1985,Biography of André Nocquet
guillaumeerard.com. Retrieved 2017-02-12 from his French Aikido federation. Nocquet founded the Groupe Historique Aikido André Nocquet (GHAAN) in 1988 within the Fédération Française d'Aïkido et Budo (FFAB) headed by Tamura Sensei. This structure gave him the possibility to teach autonomously while participating in the technical organization of the FFAB. After his death, Nocquet left the technical direction of his group to his four most advanced students (sixth dan) Jo Cardot †, Claude Gentil, Claude Cébille and Hervé Dizien.

References

Writings

*''O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba: Presence and Message'' (1975) – Originally published in French in 1975 as ''Présence et Message'' and translated into English by Robert Cornman at the author's request, subsequently published in 1994 (private edition), and in 2016 (Amazon). A collection of reflections on the philosophy of the founder of aikido together with some 80 photos of Morihei Ueshiba, Kisshomaru Ueshiba,

Koichi Tohei (20 January 1920 – 19 May 2011) was a 10th Dan aikidoka and founder of the Ki Society and its style of aikido, officially Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (literally "aikido with mind and body unified"), but commonly known as Ki-Aikido. Aikido K ...

, ''et al''. *''Aikido: Heart and Sword'' (1991) – Originally published in French in 1991 as ''Le Coeur Épée'' and subsequently translated to English in 1996 by Aiki News. The author trained extensively in Japan, and this book contains some of his perceptions of the teachings of O'Sensei, and the basis of the spirit of Aikido.

External links

*"Nocquet, Andre".
The encyclopedia of Aikido
'. 2007. Aikido Journal *"Returns to Japan".
The encyclopedia of Aikido
'. 2007. Aikido Journal *"Heart and Sword".
Aikido Journal Bibliography
'. 2007. Aikido Journal *"Presence and Message".
Aikido Journal Bibliography
'. 2007. Aikido Journal
"Principles of Aikido"
Exclusive article by André Nocquet (in English).
"The force of the Japanese spirit"
Exclusive article by André Nocquet (in English).
"The heart against the sword"
Exclusive article by André Nocquet (in English).
"Aikido - Unification of body and spiritt"
Exclusive article by André Nocquet (in English). {{DEFAULTSORT:Nocquet, Andre 1914 births 1999 deaths French aikidoka