Steven Seagal is a well-known actor, producer, screenwriter, musician… Ukraine Bans Steven Seagal Over ‘National Security’, Steven Seagal asked to teach Aikido to Serbia’s special police forces, Steven Seagal granted Russian citizenship by Vladimir Putin, Is Steven Seagal actually a police officer? Is Steven Seagal actually a martial artist? There are a lot of interesting and not much-known facts about his life and especially from the Aikido perspective.
Steven was born on the 10th of April 1952. At the age of 13, Seagal lied about his age and got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant where one of the cooks was a Karate Shotokan expert. This is when Karate basics were learned by Steven. He then, being a teenager, started his Aikido training under Harry Kiyoshi Ishisaka who was a Koichi Tohei’s student and a founder of the Orange County Aikido School. Steven was fully there on the mat and was influenced a lot by his first teacher.
Being around 20-year-old Steven moved to Japan with his father who decided to stay there. In Japan, he got a Shodan and continued his training under Koichi Tohei, Seiseki Abe, Hiroshi Isoyama, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Kisaburo Osawa. Toheis proposal to join Ki Society Aikido was rejected by Steven so he remained under Aikikai.
In 1974 Steve went back to California where he met Miyako Fujitani, an Aikido instructor from Los Angeles and in a year they got married in Japan. Her father was also an Aikido instructor in Japan and after his retirement, Steven became a head and a chief instructor at Tenshin Aikido in Juso city, Osaka. At the same time, he became the first non-japanese to operate an Aikido Dojo in Japan. Miyako was left to care about the Dojo when Steven left.
Steven Seagal holds a 7th Dan and is a Shihan in aikido Aikikai, has black belts in Karate, Judo, Kendo. He opened several Dojos around the world during his aikido career, gave seminars all over the world and is still demonstrating his skill occasionally. His aikido style looks very powerfull even for a big man he is and what he does like are the wrist locks and counter-directional moves which make his aikido look so angry.
They say that Steven accidentally broke Sean Connery‘s wrist during the “Never Say Never Again” movie production. That is a nice way to promote yourself as a martial artist in a Hollywood but not a worst way to use Aikido of course.
Aikido was not that popular back in those days and most of people used their chance to see the “magical martial art” through Seagal’s movies. Take a look at the moves in the fight scenes and you will see a lot of basic Aikido techniques mixed with punches, kicks, cuts. Some of those can be understood as advanced Atemi. All this was done by Steven in his own unique style, realistic and attractive.
Stevens Aikido demonstration in 2015 in Russia. Ukes are: Dmitry Sapozhnikov and Ivan Egorov.
Here are some pages that will make you follow Steven Seagal on the web: IMDB page with filmography, facebook page and a website.
thanks for all the vidios inspiring makes me love aikido more
This Seagal a-hole must be kicked out of every organization as his character is deplorable, backing a war criminal who is bombing and killing innocent children. Steven Seagal is a world class piece of sh#t for supporting his thug pal Putin and like Russia, we need to shut him out of every part of the civilized world. Hey Seagal, you pussy, if you read this F YOU!
If I think of Putin watching Steve in action I can perhaps understand why Putin liked him. Steven strides onto the mat with a non smiling face, a big presence, a no nonsense attitude, and everyone who comes against him goes flying. On Steve’s part being recognized by a world leader of a country having a tough background would have a singular appeal. I don’t hear much about his father. However, his current views of Putin are likely much different than his original impression at the time. At least considering the attitudes of true Aikido, I dearly hope so.
I love Steven Seagal. His movies are awesome!
Do you know how to get in touch with Steven?
I appreciate the fluidity and orientation of Aikido. My college training was in Isshinryu. Steve Segal demonstrates the moves well. What he has not learned is where true power lies, nor the character of that eternal Sensei. The message from Garabandal Spain indicates we will all receive a full review of our state in life from the standpoint of that Sensei. It will be extremely painful. It will focus only on where we have failed the divine criteria in the past and those areas we are failing now. We need that Sensei’s help to pass the trial period on earth before our final exam and eternal assignment. The only thing we actually own and will take with us are our decisions [whether or not to love and care about other human beings with that sensei’s assistance]. That sensei owns us. He loves us into existence before mating us with a fertilized egg. And no, not all religions are the same. Only one has been established by God himself, and verified it with over 40 miracles during 3 years before he allowed his death to pay for our mistakes, and then arose from death to again prove who he was. The ‘pre-exam’ we will be given will not be an option. It will happen to everyone on earth at the same time. Everyone!! I am no one of importance, but that message came from his mother as ambassador and she has never been wrong in 2000 years. The authenticating parties of her appearance there are now saints but were alive then: St. Padre Pio, St. Theresa of Calcutta, and an honorable visit to Garabandal by St. Pope John Paul II. For me St. Padre Pio was enough by himself. I hope Sensei Segal can make it …
[…] Fist,” (Jeet Kune Do) or Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Shōtōkan Karate, or even Steven Seagal’s Aikido Aikikai. This particular means of attack is probably even more famous than all those combined. Nothing […]