Hayato Osawa is an 8 Dan Aikido Aikikai Shihan. He is a son of the Kisaburo Osawa and one of the main instructors at Hombu just as his father was.
Hayato Osawa was born in 1951. From an early age, he was practicing with his father at home. At the age of 8, he was a regular guest at Hombu where Kisaburo had the role of Dojo-cho. Hombu did not have a kids program at the time and Hayato had to practice with the adults. He was so young that felt it was more like a game rather than training.
Hayato Osawa has been an uchi-deshi in the Hombu Dojo and an Otomo for the second Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba for many years. The last role was to be a bridge between the teacher and other people and to care about things. Hayato wanted a life around his practice and that’s why he never quit.
Little by little I realized that I was a professional Aikidoka, that I had the responsibility of directing the students and that teaching was my job. Now that I am older, I feel more responsible than ever in terms of doing things right and doing a professional job. In a way, it is my students who have made me a teacher, instead of having wanted to be.
These days Sensei is teaching around the world and is in demand. You can learn from him in South America, Africa and Japan of course. He is also coming to Canada a few times a year where he is a technical director of the Canadian Aikido Federation. Enjoy an interview with the Hayato Osawa Shihan on the GuillaumeErard.com.