Yoshiaki Yokota Shihan was born in 1958. He was a Captain of the Judo Club in a Junior High School at the age of 12. He soon found more interest in Karate and joined an Aikido club in a High School.
He reached a Shodan in Karate and after moving in the Hombu Dojo Karate story was over for Yokota Shihan and he dedicated himself to Aikikai only. Yokota Sensei spent 2 years at Hombu as a live-in student and served as uke during demonstrations.
Miyamoto Tsuruzo, Osawa Hayato, Christian Tissier, Etsuji Horii and many others you know these days were learning Aikido with the Yokota Sensei. Chiba Sensei was teaching there at the time and made one of the biggest influences on Yoshiaki. 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 students abroad.
Yokota Sensei’s Aikido is powerful, effective, recognizable. This is why he’s getting invited to demonstrate his skills often. Shihan can be translated as a “Master Instructor” or as a “Model” to learn from and Yokota Shihan fits his status well.
On January 14, 2018, during the Kagami Biraki ceremony held in Aikikai Hombu Dojo, Yoshiaki Yokota received 8th Dan Aikido Aikikai from Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba.