Virgil Crank

(b. c. 1934). Early American instructor of YOSHINKAN AIKIDO. First taught by Eugene COMBS and Tom CORZINE in the late 1950s in Lawndale, California. Crank was the first person promoted to 1st dan by Corzine and he opened the Lomita School of Aikido c. 1961. Among his students in the early 1960s were Walter Foster, Mits Yamashita, Victor Kato and Stanley PRANIN. Crank later entered the military and taught aikido in Vietnam and Laos.

Josh Gold

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

1 comment

  • Shihan Mits Yamashita who trained under Virgil Crank passed away April 14, 2021 at 8:20 PM.

    Yamashita trained over 75,000 students and was the longezt lasting coach at El Camino College after replacing Virgil Crank at the college, which lasted 58 years, longer than any coach in American college history

    Visit FACEBOOK: Friends of Mits Yamashita

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