Angry White Pajamas

Angry White Pajamas is a book, subtitled A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From the Tokyo Riot Police , written by Robert Twigger and mainly about the Senshusei course , an eleven month training program at the Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo.

Summary

The book is set in Tokyo in the mid-1990s. Robert Twigger lives with two friends in a small apartment near the city center. They all decide to start Yoshinkan- Aikidō in order to get physically fit and break out of their monotonous life.

Soon after starting normal training, Twigger decides that the only way to truly experience Aikidō is through the Senshusei course, an extremely grueling eleven month program of training Yoshinkan Aikidō teachers. The course consists of four hours of training five days a week. In addition, there is an obligation to clean the dojo and to take part in special weekend training and demonstration events.

For the most part, Twigger describes the rigor and agony of the very intense course. He is referring to techniques that are performed on the knees, also called Suwari Waza, until the knees bleed, only to train again the next day and scrape open the half-healed wounds in the process. He describes techniques that are performed with such force and intensity that it was common for someone's head to be smacked on the mat.

Other experiences in the course include so-called "Hajime" units, in which a technique is repeated over and over again, sometimes for up to half an hour or more. During these training units, the practitioners often pass out or vomit - especially in the summer months. Teachers sometimes give practitioners penalties for thinking they are not doing enough, including push-ups, sit-ups, and squat jumps.

Among the other people named in the book are several top Yoshinkan teachers, including Tsutomu Chida, Yasuhisa Shioda, and Susumu Chino, as well as Robert Mustard, the presiding teacher for foreigners. The teachers are sometimes described as rather cold, occasionally brutal and unsympathetic to the students, who encourage them to make ever greater efforts to develop their technique and spirit.

Twigger also describes other aspects of Tokyo and his life there, including his relationship with his girlfriend and her family, his work at a Japanese university as an English teacher and stories from life with his two roommates. He also writes down thoughts on Japan and observations of Japanese culture.

criticism

Twigger has been criticized by many martial artists for his tone of voice and the content of his book. In a passage that was sometimes very controversial, he mentions that he was delighted to hear that Shioda Gōzō had died because it meant a one-week break from training for him and the other course participants. Especially from the stoic point of view of many Budo philosophers, his constant complaints about the hardness of the course, accompanied by genuine embarrassment, are dubious. Twigger clearly knew what he was getting into when he applied to take part in such an intensive course, critics argue, and it shows an unfair character that he then write a book about his complaints.

Many people have also complained about the personal comments and negative portrayals of other Senshusei students and teachers.

Still, most people find the book funny, which it undoubtedly is. Those who criticize it will themselves be criticized for lacking a sense of humor. You could also say that the author as a writer has a special attitude. It is clear that the book does not claim to be taken completely seriously.

praise

Others have praised Twigger for the frank sincerity with which he describes the course and the people in the dojo. Instead of writing a "clean" version that makes everyone happy, describe the course as he really thought about it - for example, as a difficult, frustrating, and demoralizing experience. Some also say that the book aroused more interest in Yoshinkan Aikidō and the Senshusei Course and inspired some people to practice Yoshinkan Aikidō themselves.