Going forward in time, just this morning I was looking at an old technical volume by Koichi Tohei Sensei, the former chief instructor of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. On pages 174-75, Tohei Sensei offers the following...
Archive - May 2015
Josh Gold“How I figured out a way to quickly navigate Aikido’s vast curriculum” by Stanley Pranin
“Finding a needle in Aikido’s haystack of techniques!” A while ago I was having difficulty finding and grouping together aikido techniques even though I have literally thousands of books and videos to...
The Beauty of Budo: Interview with Mitsunari Kanai
This is an excerpt of an interview with Mitsunari Kanai Sensei, conducted by Stanley Pranin, which took place on August 22, 1979, at the New England Summer Camp. This interview will be included in our upcoming Aikido...
Morihei’s Ueshiba Juku, Launchpad of a Martial Arts Career, by Stanley Pranin
Early in my career as a researcher into the life of Morihei Ueshiba, I was misled by two prevailing myths concerning the history of aikido. The first was that Daito-ryu jujutsu was merely one of a number of older...
Remembering Morihiro Saito Sensei Part 1, by Stanley Pranin
Morihiro Saito began his aikido training in Iwama in 1946, under Morihei Ueshiba. After the latter’s death in 1969, Saito Sensei continued teaching and preserving the art just the way O-Sensei did. In the summer...
Haruo Matsuoka Sensei’s Aikido Journey: Part 6
This is part six of a multi-part interview. Josh Gold: Sensei, you said that about a year before Above The Law came out, Seagal Sensei made you chief instructor, right? Haruo Matsuoka: Yes, that’s right.. And that’s...
Taking Ukemi for Morihei Ueshiba: Interview with Nobuyoshi Tamura
This interview with Nobuyoshi Tamura Sensei was conducted in two parts. The first session was held in Marseille, France on August 2, 1983 with Mr. Didier Boyet posing questions. The concluding portion of the interview...
Aikido: Property of the Ueshiba Family, by Stanley Pranin
In answer to a question regarding the role played by Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba in postwar aikido, Shizuo Imaizumi Sensei of New York City made the following comment: “As Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei handled all...
Interview with Pat Hendricks by Ikuko Kimura
Ikuko Kimura: How are you enjoying the Expo? Pat Hendricks: This is more than I ever expected, there is so much talent here, not just the teachers, who are amazing, but so many people of a really high caliber. I don’t...