Interview with Robert Savoca from Brooklyn Aikikai

Robert Savoca Sensei is a 6 Dan Birankai and one of the Kazuo Chiba’s successors. The interview was taken on Saturday, February 2, 2019 during Savoca Sensei’s seminar in Wroclaw Aikikai Dojo, Poland.

Yoshimitsu Yamada

There are only a few direct O-Sensei disciples left alive and Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei is one of them. He holds a rank of the 8 Dan in Aikikai and is a teacher with a name known all over the world. This is one reason he is so respected and demanded. A bigger reason is his […]

Nobuyuki Watanabe

Nobuyuki Watanabe (July 25, 1930 – August 20, 2019) was born in the Miyazaki Prefecture. Sumo was the first Budo on his way and at secondary school, he started Judo. He also made Jukenjutsu but really liked and considered Judo to be the best martial art possible before he got thrown with the Shiho-Nage…

Nobuo Takase

Nobuo Takase is a 7th Dan Aikikai Shihan and a Technical Director of Aikido in New Zealand. He is a head-instructor in Aikido Shinryukan with headquarters in Auckland.

Kisaburo Osawa

Kisaburo Osawa (1910 – May 28, 1991) was one of the first 9 Dan Holders and has been a great inspiration for the deshi’s he was teaching in the Hombu Dojo for many years.

Masatomi Ikeda

Masatomi Ikeda was born in Tokyo, Japan on April 8, 1940. He is a Japanese Aikido teacher with a rank of 7th Dan Aikikai and a status of Shihan. Through the course of life, he also achieved the 4th Dan in Judo and had success in Sumo.

Jiro Kimura

Jiro Kimura is an 8 Dan Aikido Aikikai Shihan. He is in charge of the Osaka Buikukai that is considered to be one of the biggest organizations affiliated to the Aikikai.

Ryuji Shirakawa

Ryuji Shirakawa was born on 4th September 1980 and started aikido at 15 years. He lived in Kobayashi’s Dojo as an uchi-deshi, traveled to Germany to learn under Katsuaki Asai Sensei, lived in Calgary Aikikai, Canada as an uchi-deshi. But let’s make it fare right from the start…

Hirokazu Kobayashi

Hirokazu Kobayashi (February 14, 1929 – August 28, 1998) was an Aikido teacher with a rank of 8 Dan. He created the Kobayashi Aikido style that is still practiced around the world.