Video: Rare clip of Aikido Pioneer Isao Takahashi in 1964

Here is a long-forgotten video clip of Aikido Pioneer Isao Takahashi Sensei from a demonstration he gave at the University of Southern California (USC) way back in 1964. Takahashi Sensei was one of the early Hawaiian students of Koichi Tohei in 1953 in Honolulu. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1960 to become the chief instructor of the Los Angeles Aikikai. Takahashi later moved to Chicago to serve as chief instructor of the Illinois Aikido Club. He was a major force in the early development of aikido in the western United States and Chicago region.

On a side note, Takahashi Sensei was my second aikido instructor and he greatly influenced my life. He would often explain techniques and write their Japanese names on a blackboard using kanji. I marveled at the beauty of the characters, but at the same time, felt frustrated that I couldn’t read them. This is what stimulated me to begin taking Japanese in college. I will be eternally grateful to Takahashi Sensei and his family for their impact on my life.

I would like to thank Francis Takahashi for providing the link to this video uploaded by the USC Aikido Club. I blush to confess that I, too, appear briefly in the video clip at age 19!

Stanley Pranin

Click here to view the video clip on the Aikido Journal Members Site

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