Asahi News Dojo 朝日新聞道場

A dojo of major significance in the history of aikido and Daito-ryu located in the facilities of the Osaka Asahi Newspaper prior to World War II. Morihei UESHIBA taught newspaper employees headed by Takuma HISA at this dojo for a number of months through 1935. A sound documentary entitled Budo made in 1935 (AN Video #5) was shot in this dojo and is the only known film of Ueshiba taken before the war. Also figuring prominently in this film are Tsutomu YUKAWA and Shigemi YONEKAWA who take most of the falls. Takuma HISA appears briefly reading aloud a scroll. In 1936 Sokaku TAKEDA appeared in Osaka and took over instruction of the group from Ueshiba. This was clearly not to the liking of Ueshiba and ill-feeling resulted from this incident. Takeda taught at the Asahi dojo through c. 1940. Takuma privately published a series of training manuals amounting to some 1,000 pages which contain photos with descriptions of techniques as taught by both Ueshiba and Takeda.

Josh Gold

Executive Editor of Aikido Journal, CEO of Budo Accelerator, and Chief Instructor of Ikazuchi Dojo.

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