Yoshiaki Yokota

Yoshiaki Yokota Shihan was born in 1958. He started doing budo with a judo and became a Captain of the Judo Club in a Junior High School at the age of 12.   He soon found more interest in Karate and had an Aikido club in a High School. So at the age of 15 he was doing both Karate and Aikido.

He reached a Shodan in Karate and after moving in the Hombu Dojo Karate was over and Yokota Shihan dedicated himself only to Aikikai.

He spent 2 years at Hombu as a live-in student and served as an uke during demonstrations. Miyamoto Tsuruzo, Osawa Hayato, Christian Tissier, Etsuji Horii and many others you know these days were learning Aikido among Yokota Sensei. Chiba Sensei was teaching there at the time and made one of a biggest influences on a hero of post. He also learned from the Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Kisaburo Osawa, Hiroshi Tada, Sodateru Arikawa and Norihiko Ichihashi who was already known from the University Aikido Club.

Sensei is teaching as much as he can anywhere. Hombu Dojo, Universities, Medical and Culture Centers, Company Clubs are the places that Shihan is giving lessons at in Tokyo up to these days. He also been around the world pretty much everywhere and has a lot of the students abroad.

Yokota Senseis Aikido is powerful, effective, recognizable. This is why he’s getting invited to demonstrate his skills. Shihan can be translated as a “master instructor” or a as a “model” to learn from and Yokota Shihan fits his status well.

On January 14, 2018 during the Kagamibiraki ceremony held in Aikikai Hombu dojo Yoshiaki Yokota received 8th Dan Aikido Aikikai from Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba.