Always interested in the martial arts, Bob Tullman always kept an eye out for possible training opportunities. After training in Sanuces-ryu jujutsu and Goju-ryu Karate, he heard about this mystical martial art called aikido. He could not find a program near him immediately but while working on his graduate school in Kansas, he found aikido and enrolled in the Lawrence Ki-Aikido school. When he moved to New Jersey, he continued his training there and even took the trek out to New York City to train under Shizuo Imaizumi in 1982. By 1988, Tullman was training with Imaizumi full-time and was part of the new Shin-Budo Kai. Today, Tullman talks about training with Imaizumi, his responsibilities in Shin-Budo Kai, and what the future holds for the organization without the leadership of its founder. All images provided by Bob Tullman.
Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: Hello and welcome Tullman Sensei! Thank you for joining us today!
Bob Tullman: Thank you for having me here today!
MAYTT: You were one of Shizuo Imaizumi’s first students in the 1970s. How did you come to find aikido and what was it about the art that made you want to stay for the long-term?
BT: Actually, I was not one of his earliest students. Compared to Warren Wynshaw Sensei and Donna Carlson Sensei, I was a “Johnny-come-lately.” I first started training with Imaizumi Sensei around 1982 and didn’t become a full-time student of his until close to the creation of Shin-Budo Kai in 1988.
I am going to dig back into the past to answer the “how did you come to find Aikido” and give you a look at my martial arts journey:
My first experience with the martial arts was when I was eleven or twelve (circa 1966-1967) and started studying “self-defense” at the James Monroe Community Center in the Bronx (New York) where I lived. The teacher was the late, great Grandmaster Moses Powell, student of Professor V, and eventually founder of Sanuces-ryu jujutsu. I was very lucky to have fallen under his tutelage! The training was a combination of striking and throwing techniques (mostly judo, but some things I now recognize as jujutsu and aikido related). He called it only “self-defense” befitting the eclectic nature of the teachings. From time to time, Master Powell would don a hakama and walk on the mat with his “magic stick” (a jo or bo) and invite his senior ukes up to attack him. He did an amazing series of what I now understand as jo-nage (as well as some pretty devastating striking techniques). He would also do some freestyle throwing technique and would mention the word “aikido” in passing. Aikido was known to some of the senior students in the dojo and spoken of in very reverential tones as something magical. In retrospect, this was before aikido had really come to the United States, so maybe my memory is faulty, but these guys were serious martial artists, so they may have really known about it.
I practiced with Master Powell in several locations until I couldn’t really follow any more (around 1968-69 or so), but I caught the bug. I dabbled in other martial arts after Master Powell moved his dojos to where I could no longer follow him. Goju Karate, for a while and judo during several summers and in college. One of the judoka in college had studied a little bit of aikido somewhere and showed us things like Unbendable Arm, ikkyo, and shiho nage, but that was about the limit of his knowledge. I started graduate school at the University of Kansas in 1977, and intended to continue judo practice, but the judo club disbanded. One day in 1980 or so, I was walking past the wrestling room in the gym and saw people jumping around in hakamas!! I went in and asked, “Is this aikido!!??” Indeed it was, and I was excited to have finally found the mystical art I had heard about. So, I started practicing at the Lawrence Ki-Aikido dojo almost immediately. In 1982, I left Kansas for a post-doctoral position in New Jersey, though I left before completing my degree…bad timing!!
Once in New Jersey, I sought out the “local” Ki Society Dojo and started practicing with Terry Pierce Sensei, then Chief Instructor of New Jersey Ki Society in Riverton, New Jersey, which was about an hour and a half drive from where I was living. I managed to make it there twice a week. My first sight of Imaizumi Sensei was on a visit to the 10th Street Dojo in May 1982 where I only observed. Since Pierce Sensei was a student of Imaizumi Sensei, he had him down for seminars at the New Jersey Ki Society periodically. He also urged me to try and visit the New York Dojo, New York City was actually much closer to where I lived (and convenient by train) than the Riverton, New Jersey Dojo. So between 1982 and 1984 I split my practice between the two dojos, though in New York, I was always regarded as a “New Jersey Student.” Pierce Sensei was also teaching an aikido class at Princeton University at that time (Tuesday and Thursday nights, if I recall correctly) and since Princeton was closer to me than the New Jersey Dojo, I took the opportunity to assist and take ukemi for him at Princeton during that period. I don’t recall how long that went on, but probably a good six to eight-month stretch. I took my shodan exam at the New Jersey Ki Society dojo along with three others sometime in 1984 shortly before I returned to Kansas to (finally) finish my doctoral dissertation.
In 1985, I returned to New Jersey to work, and was working near Princeton, and thus about equidistant between New York City and New Jersey Ki Society, so I continued practicing at both dojos. Slowly, I was getting accepted as a New York Student as well as a New Jersey student by the New York Ki Society folks and by Imaizumi Sensei. I don’t think I was ever called to take ukemi for Imaizumi Sensei yet, but I think it may have happened shortly before he left for Japan and resigned from the Ki Society in 1987. When he returned in 1988 and started the Shin-Budo Kai organization, I began practicing in the New York Dojo almost exclusively and became a New York Shin-Budo Kai student, though I still visited the New Jersey Ki Society often and I recall attending at least one East Coast Ki-Society Summer Camp.
I took my Nidan Shinsa in May 1990 along with Steve Pityinger and Richard Brown (shodan shinsa) as part of the first official dan tests under the Shin-Budo Kai organization which included many of the new jodo and bokkendo forms. I continued practicing regularly (if at a diminished frequency) with Imaizumi Sensei until his retirement.
I don’t know what kept me staying with aikido for the long term. It was a combination of new enjoyment of the art and the practice, both physical and spiritual, the very solid camaraderie of the dojo and the feeling of belonging to something greater. I always heard stories of how one could practice aikido to an advanced age, and that the practice of aikido kept you young. Now that I am getting “old,” I really appreciate that I can still get on the mat and get thrown around and keep getting back up! So far so good! [Laughs]
MAYTT: That is a lot of martial arts experience! How would you describe the training you first experienced under Imaizumi? How have you seen that training change and evolve as time went on?
BT: I started my aikido career in the Midwest (Lawrence, Kansas) with Ki Society, where we were under the leadership of Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei, then in Boulder, Colorado. The teaching method I experienced there was very much to break down a technique into separate movements and practice them individually until the entire technique could be done to completion. There was also a lot of talking to explain things. This way, maybe only one to two techniques were done in a class. This was very helpful to a beginner!
The first class I observed Imaizumi Sensei teaching was at the 29 E 10th Street Dojo (New York City) on 25 May 1982. His style was to do demonstrate a technique several times and then have the class practice. He said very little other than the name of the attack and the technique. Maybe six or more techniques would be done in a one-hour class. My mind was blown!! How could anybody learn from this method?? This was Imaizumi Sensei’s teaching style from that first class I observed throughout my experience with him. While occasionally he would break things down or emphasize a point, the technique was done to completion. My question of “How could anybody learn from this method?” was answered by the following:
– Repetition! Repetition! Repetition! Especially the basics. Class after class.
– Pairing with more advanced students who would evaluate your performance and provide more granular suggestions for each movement. Imaizumi-Sensei was always watching and would often step in if he felt there needed to be some correction, but he delegated a lot to the advanced students in one-on-one practice with beginners (and peers!)
I have to say this training style was consistent over the roughly forty years I studied with Imaizumi Sensei. There were, of course, some variations in techniques over that time, and because Imaizumi Sensei didn’t talk much, you had to watch carefully. It was easy to fall into the trap of “I’ve seen this technique a thousand times….” and miss a subtle change or variation.
When we began to incorporate more advanced weapons kata into the curriculum there was more of a breakdown of individual movements, but still a pretty wholistic approach to things.
MAYTT: Are there any stories from the early days of Imaizumi here in the United States that you would like to share?
BT: As mentioned above, I was not around for the “early days.” I will share one or two anecdotes. As I mentioned, when I was a student at the New Jersey Ki Society, (circa 1982-1984) Imaizumi Sensei was often invited down for weekend seminars. He and his wife Atsuko and I stayed with Terry Pierce Sensei at his home near the dojo. Saturday nights there was usually a big party and copious amounts of sake and beer were consumed. Luckily, since I was staying there, I could partake freely as opposed to parties where I had to drive home. I recall one party where Imaizumi Sensei sang one of the Ki Society Songs. If I am not mistaken, it was called “Aiki-no-michi-wa.” It was astounding as I had never heard Imaizumi Sensei sing before or since! (Other than chanting the sutras during ceremonies). Nor did any of us know about this song!
During these seminars, Imaizumi Sensei would also administer the ki examinations that were required in Ki Society for various aikido ranks. The highest level, Jokyu, was required for shodan. For those of your readers who may not know, Tohei Sensei’s four principles of Unifying Mind and Body (which were adopted as part of the Shin-Budo Kai Genkido practice) are:
- Keep One Point
- Relax Completely
- Keep Weight Underside
- Extend Ki
The ki exercises consisted of various static and dynamic movements, after which the examiner would test your stability with various pushes and pulls. I was very nervous for mine as I didn’t really know Imaizumi Sensei that well and he was a very imposing presence. Terry Pierce Sensei would always administer various ki tests at the beginning of his classes, and he always knocked me over, so I was really nervous to be tested by Imaizumi Sensei. I passed, though I think he was being very nice to me. At the end of the test when I returned to sit at my place, Atsuko Imaizumi giggled and said to me, “Now you are relaxed completely!”
MAYTT: You bring up Ki Society having aikido songs. Others who have trained in Japan have mentioned that the Aikikai had their own set of aikido songs. Did Shin-Budo Kai ever have their own and why do you think Ki Society had aikido songs?
BT: That one experience with Imaizumi Sensei was the only time I had heard of any Ki Society Songs. I have no idea if there were others. Shin-Budo Kai did not have any songs! Why songs? I don’t know but I will offer a guess:
As a way of bringing the group together; singing shared songs has a long tradition in many cultures. Sea shanties, drinking songs, military cadence calls, spirituals and Gospel songs etc. Karaoke originated in Japan, so maybe the tradition of singing to foster community and camaraderie has been part of Japanese culture (though Karaoke was invented relatively recently, according to a quick Google search)
This reminds me of another anecdote. At one of the dojo parties we had in New York, Imaizumi Sensei suggested (more than a suggestion, I think!) that everyone get up and sing a song. I don’t recall if he sang anything to start. As one of the senior students, I felt an obligation to start, and I did, and was joined by one of my fellows – the song was “Route 66” if you must know! – I honestly do not recall if anyone else actually got up to sing or not. It was the first and last time that this kind of Karaoke was part of a New York Dojo Party.
MAYTT: When did you first begin to teach and what was that experience like for you? How did you think that experience helped or assisted you in becoming the teacher that you are today?
BT: There was/is an axiom in the Ki Society that, “What you learn today, you can teach another tomorrow.” As mentioned above, a lot of teaching went on between sempai and kohai during the paired practice in the course of a class. It is, of course, different from standing up in front of the class and being “Sensei.”
I think my first teaching experience was outside the dojo itself. Around 1986-1987 or so, when I was living in the Princeton, New Jersey area, I met a group of people who were interested in ki and aikido training. Initially, they only wanted to learn the ki training. One of them was a Feldenkrais practitioner, and we would meet in his studio once or twice a week and I taught the ki principles and exercises. I tried to give them everything that I had learned and also try to make it applicable and approachable outside of the aikido context. Later, I heard that someone complained that I talked too much!! [Laughs] After a few months, they decided they were ready for aikido practice, and we found a local gym that sublet space to us. I taught them there for about four to five months or so.
I think that my teaching in the dojo came only after the formation of the Shin-Budo Kai organization (post 1988) and usually only when Imaizumi Sensei was out of town giving seminars, where classes needed coverage. As I often attended those seminars, I often wasn’t there to teach. I did teach a series of Sunday “Introduction to Shin-Budo Kai” for students who were interested in starting classes (or for beginners who wanted extra practice) which would include all the aspects of Shin-Budo Kai including Genkido (ki training), aikido and ukemi, and basic weapons. Like my previous small New Jersey Study group, the teaching method had to be geared to people with little or no experience and the need for more explanation (but not too much!!!) really made me focus on holes in my understanding, because if I couldn’t explain why a particular movement was done the way it was, there was a gap. I think I learned as much or more teaching these classes than the students who attended and it truly did foster “Beginner’s Mind.” I think that influenced my teaching style so that I tend to be more analytical about explaining why we move a certain way in addition to how.
MAYTT: I see. Being centered in New York City, how much interaction did Imaizumi and Shin-Budo Kai have with other aikido styles?
BT: Honestly, very little. Many of us had friends that practiced at other dojos, and we welcomed students from any other dojo and styles to practice with us, so we saw a number of students come through from time to time (some of whom stayed, but most of whom just came to see what it was all about and moved on). We always wondered why Imaizumi Sensei didn’t seek out the company of his peers (other high ranking aikidoka in New York City) but that was his personality, and there was also probably a political element of it all since the “split” between Tohei Sensei and the Aikikai organization.
MAYTT: From your experience, what is it about Imaizumi’s style of aikido that makes it unique compared to other styles of aikido? In what ways does Shin-Budo Kai’s aikido differ from other styles?
BT: Our style was very much influenced by Tohei Sensei’s aikido, and as such, had a lot of similarity with the Ki Society aikido style. I will mention, though, that Imaizumi Sensei’s Ki Society style, and that of the East Coast Ki Federation which he headed (at the time, 1970s-1980s) was always very different from what I experienced in the Midwest (and from what I had heard about the California dojos). I feel like his style emphasized the tai sabaki and ki elements from Tohei Sensei, but also maintained a flavor of the Aikikai style in which he started. I think his style combined an undeniable physicality and power, but at the root of that power was the internal energy and ki principles. This is, of course, pretty much the core of all aikido, but I feel like it was a particular emphasis in the Shin-Budo Kai aikido training and anyone taking ukemi from Imaizumi Sensei could immediately feel it.
For example, I think the signature difference between the Tohei Sensei style of kokyu nage which Imaizumi Sensei taught from the Ki Society days through the Shin-Budo Kai evolution versus the classical irimi nage is the twist of the hips but no step through at the end. I asked him many times throughout the years why Tohei-Sensei (and he) chose this method. I never got an answer other than “You can step or not step. Both are OK.” My personal thought on this is that it was to develop the use of the hips to generate power in all movements.
Another distinction of Shin-Budo Kai (and also of Imaizumi Sensei’s Ki Society tenure) was a very structured nomenclature (Japanese language) for attacks and techniques, so that the criteria for shinsa (exams) were very well defined and each technique could be differentiated. In many other dojos, I did not see this level of structure. In addition to the naming conventions, the later emphasis on footwork (exemplified in the DVD/Video Set Aikido through Footwork (2006) added another layer of structure, dividing technique into categories based on applicable ashi sabaki.
Admittedly, I have not practiced often in other dojos, but when I have, I felt very comfortable in my background and adaptability to the other styles (except for the irimi nage vs kokyu nage!! Too many years of not stepping through!!) Anecdotally, I have heard from Shin-Budo Kai students who moved and practiced at other dojos that their training stood them in good stead.
Apart from the practice of aikido, the Shin-Budo Kai curriculum also included many weapons forms (jodo and bokkendo) including the aiki-ken and aiki-jo, and kata from various schools of jo (Muso-ryu and the Jodo Seitei Kata) and ken (Itto-ryu, Shinkage-ryu, and the Nihon Kendo Kata) and kata that Imaizumi Sensei developed (jo sabaki and ken sabaki) using the various other forms as a basis.
MAYTT: You contributed to the organization’s book The Aikido of Shin-Budo Kai: A Guide to Principles and Practice. What was that experience like for you and how did that project help you better understand Shin-Budo Kai Aikido and Imaizumi’s?
BT: I appreciated seeing the evolution of the book and the thought and effort put in by others and having the opportunity to contribute. We all take away our own impressions of our practice, and seeing the descriptions that others had of the Shin-Budo Kai experience gave me a good chance to see the experience from other perspectives and not just my own. Aikido is a dynamic art, and though I have mentioned that Imaizumi Sensei’s teaching style and curriculum stayed relatively static through the years, there were always nuances and changes. Therefore, it was a daunting prospect to codify the “Aikido of Shin-Budo Kai” into a book that would be a static representation. I give great kudos to Ralph Bryan Sensei for running this project and very adroitly capturing the essence of Shin-Budo Kai Aikido while not getting “stuck” in one time period.
MAYTT: That is an interesting perspective. You were also the former Chief Examiner of Shin-Budo Kai. What were some of your responsibilities and how did you help raise the standard of Shin-Budo Kai aikidoka?
BT: My responsibilities were to conduct all kyu and shodan shinsas (Exams). I was also a “subject matter expert” for test candidates to ask questions of and though this responsibility was often taken on by other senior students, evaluate students’ readiness for exams. At the time, I was proud to have the complete curriculum, including all weapons kata included on the exams committed to memory! (Necessary to evaluate performance on the exams). Imaizumi Sensei was observing all the shinsa that I conducted, but the pass/fail determination was left to me. Of course, he could have intervened at any time, but it was never necessary. I don’t believe I ever had to fail anyone on a dan test, though there were, maybe, two or three kyu tests where I asked the candidate to come back at a later date to re-demonstrate some things (usually weapons) they did not perform as well as expected. For dan tests, I followed Imaizumi Sensei’s practice of randomizing the sequence of aikido techniques and skipping some at random so that students could not just memorize techniques in order but had to understand the terminology and the requested techniques. For kyu tests, the test was very much conducted in order, though I think I may have skipped some techniques to test the students at the higher (second and first kyu) levels.
In contrast to the familiar academic examinations where failure is definitely always an option, I felt that every candidate should pass their promotion exam, as it was a demonstration of their successful practice and preparation as aided by their sempai, and of course the ability to perform under pressure. After each exam, I would present my comments to the examinee for general areas of improvement as well as specific technical corrections and suggestions. This is all captured in The Aikido of Shin-Budo Kai handbook.
MAYTT: Final question; in October of 2022, Imaizumi announced his retirement from teaching and other leadership roles in Shin-Budo Kai. After a year without his direct guidance, what does the future of the Shin-Budo Kai and Imaizumi’s legacy look like?
BT: First, I would like to say in this regard that Imaizumi Sensei’s teachings have been very faithfully transmitted to his students, some of whom went on to start their own dojos. Throughout my years of practice, whenever attending seminars where there were Shin-Budo Kai students from different Shin-Budo Kai Dojos as well as students from other styles, the Shin-Budo Kai practitioners were instantly recognizable and the techniques were almost indistinguishable from those that we in New York Shin-Budo Kai who had the luxury of seeing Imaizumi Sensei every day were used to. That is a good sign that the legacy will continue.
As you may already know from previous interviews, the Shin-Budo Kai Organization is now being run by a Leadership Committee comprised of Senior Yudansha and Chief Instructors from affiliated dojos. We held an inaugural seminar at the Albuquerque Shin-Budo Kai Dojo (Ralph Bryan Sensei, Chief Instructor) in December 2022, and had a second seminar there this past October 2023, with the teaching responsibilities shared among some of the senior yudansha. During the seminar, we also held Leadership Committee meetings. All of the members of the Leadership Committee as well as the various sub-committees are all very committed to carrying on the legacy of Imaizumi Sensei and keeping the Shin-Budo Kai organization growing and adapting while remaining faithful to the teaching we all received. As may be obvious, every student has somewhat of his or her own style even if they had the same teacher especially if they practiced at different times in the teacher’s career and we are trying to synthesize the aspects of Imaizumi Sensei’s teachings in each of the yudansha to maintain, as much as possible, a cohesive and standardized curriculum and style while allowing for growth and change. As stated at the beginning of this answer, we were already well on the way!
MAYTT: Thank you for this great conversation, Tullman Sensei!
BT: It was a great time being a part of it!
To learn more about aikido and its history in America, click here.
Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 