Audio: Stanley Pranin lectures before the Japan Martial Arts Society on Aikido history, September 18, 1983

“An early historical lecture by Aikido Journal Editor Stanley Pranin”

This audio is a recording of a lecture on aikido history by Stanley Pranin before the Japan Martial Arts Society on September 18, 1983 in Tokyo. It also contains a short talk by Bruce Brown on Tomiki Aikido, and a fragment by David Lynch on Yoshinkan Aikido.

What is interesting is that this is an early presentation before my foray into a serious study of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu history, and before I was aware of the pervasive influence of the Inoue family on early aikido history.

The Japan Martial Arts Society (JMAS) was a group of mostly foreign martial artists who met together regularly for meetings and demonstrations and lectures on a variety of Japanese martial arts. The group was active mainly in the 1980s through the early 1990s, and it made important contributions to martial arts scholarship by publishing periodic newsletters. These newsletters contained many academic studies and essays about a wide range of Japanese martial arts. On the aikido side of things, Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba and Yoshinkan Aikido Founder Gozo Shioda both lectured and demonstrated before the JMAS group.

Several of the members of JMAS were close friends of Donn Draeger. To a certain extent, it can be said that this group carried on Donn Draeger’s legacy in martial arts study and scholarship. Among those prominent members that I can recall are, in no particular order, the following: Phil Relnick, Meik Skoss, Laszlo Abel, Larry Bieri, Bruce Brown, David Lynch, Ellis Amdur, Liam Kelley, David Dimmick, myself Stanley Pranin, and a number of others.

A revolution in the study of aikido history

Through a steadily increasing number of documents being added almost daily to the Aikido Journal Members Site, you are now able to access carefully organized information on every aspect of aikido that was previously unavailable. Now, as we systematically upload the actual audio recordings of Stanley Pranin’s interviews, you will have the ability to listen in on hundreds of fascinating conversations with the greatest figures in aikido history! Despite the fact that most of these interviews are conducted in Japanese, you will gain a clear insight into the personality and mode of expression of each teacher. Moreover, most of the interviews have been translated into English for those who wish to delve further in their research. Your time spent educating yourself by listening to these recordings will surely have a profound impact on your study of aikido!

File size: 59:08, 54 mb
Format: mp3
Language: English

Note: Please use a headset to listen to this interview for best comprehension.

Right click the link below to download the mp3 files of Stanley Pranin’s lecture on aikido history recorded September 18, 1983 in Tokyo, Japan: