Tag: Aikido in America

Interview with Boulder Aikikai Founder Hiroshi Ikeda: A Journey with Mitsugi Saotome

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Hiroshi Ikeda first trained judo in his high school years before finding aikido at Kokugakuin University, in 1969. There, he began studying directly under Mitsugi Saotome, and soon enrolled in his Reimei Juku Dojo the next year. When an American aikidoka (Bill McIntyre) invited Saotome to teach in Florida in 1976, Ikeda followed him to … Continue reading Interview with Boulder Aikikai Founder Hiroshi Ikeda: A Journey with Mitsugi Saotome

Reflecting on Aikido in America

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Stone, John, and Ronald C Meyer. Aikido in America. Berkeley, Calif.: Frog: Distributed by North Atlantic Books, 1995. Aikido is a Japanese martial art; however, it has spread all over the world from the 1950s onward. Many of the early histories of the art focused on the Japanese experience of the art, magnifying the life … Continue reading Reflecting on Aikido in America

Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part II

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Kristina Varjan found aikido after watching Koichi Tohei Sensei at a Manhattan high school while Rikko assumed the role as uke during his first-ever aikido demonstration. By the late 1980s, they found Kazuo Chiba Sensei, and enrolled in his Kenshusei teacher program. After four intensive years of aikido, iaido, and zazen, the couple emerged as … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part II

Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kristina Varjan found aikido after watching Koichi Tohei Sensei at a Manhattan high school while Rikko assumed the role as uke during his first-ever aikido demonstration. By the late 1980s, they found Kazuo Chiba Sensei, and enrolled in his Kenshusei teacher program. After four intensive years of aikido, iaido, and zazen, the couple emerged as … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of Kohala Founders Rikko and Kristina Varjan: Aikido, Hawaii, and Kazuo Chiba Legacy, Part I

Interview with Shin-Budo Kai Instructor Andrew Bordwin: Shizuo Imaizumi and Beyond

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Because of a friend’s recommendation, Andrew Bordwin entered Shizuo Imaizumi’s dojo in November of 1990 and was immediately captivated. In addition to Imaizumi’s vigorous aikido instruction, Bordwin was drawn to Imaizumi’s emphasis on weapons. Today, Bordwin took some time to talk about his aikido journey, how Shin-Budo Kai interacts with other aikido styles, and the … Continue reading Interview with Shin-Budo Kai Instructor Andrew Bordwin: Shizuo Imaizumi and Beyond

Interview with Shin-Budo Kai Instructor Warren Wynshaw: Past, Present, and Future with Shizuo Imaizumi

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Inspired by his uncle, Warren Wynshaw set out to find a martial art; he did not know what martial art to do, but he was determined to find one that was for him. He found Shizuo Imaizumi in New York City while waiting for his results for the bar exam in 1977. From watching his … Continue reading Interview with Shin-Budo Kai Instructor Warren Wynshaw: Past, Present, and Future with Shizuo Imaizumi

Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part II

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Patricia Hendricks Sensei stumbled into an aikido class led by Mary Heiny in the San Francisco Bay area in 1974, quickly finding a teacher and lifelong friend in Stanley Pranin. They eventually moved to train at the Oakland Dojo – Aikido Institute – that focused on Iwama-ryu, propagated by Morihiro Saito Sensei. After a handful … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part II

Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Patricia Hendricks Sensei stumbled into an aikido class led by Mary Heiny in the San Francisco Bay area in 1974, quickly finding a teacher and lifelong friend in Stanley Pranin. They eventually moved to train at the Oakland Dojo – Aikido Institute – that focused on Iwama-ryu, propagated by Morihiro Saito Sensei. After a handful … Continue reading Interview with Aikido of San Leandro Founder Patricia Hendricks: Morihiro Saito, Iwama, and the Legacy, Part I

Interview with MIT Aikido Club Chief Instructor Matthew Bagedonow: Dick Stroud and MIT Aikido Club’s Beginnings

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Matthew Bagedonow met Dick Stroud in 1972, becoming a student of Mitsunari Kanai based at the New England Aikikai. Bagedonow tells how Stroud was part of the initial Aikido group that requested a Hombu Dojo representative in the Boston area, eventually leading to the creation of the New England Aikikai. In 1978, Stroud founded the … Continue reading Interview with MIT Aikido Club Chief Instructor Matthew Bagedonow: Dick Stroud and MIT Aikido Club’s Beginnings

Interview with Athens Ohio Ki-Aikido Founder Stan Haehl: Ki-Aikido from Kansas to Ohio, Part II

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Stan Haehl heard of aikido before, but it was not until 1978 that he found a class in his small town in Kansas. He first learned the art under Barbra Bloom, then traveled to Boulder, Colorado to train under the Midland Ki Federation head Koichi Kashiwaya, and lastly, under Andrew T. Tsubaki. In 2008, his … Continue reading Interview with Athens Ohio Ki-Aikido Founder Stan Haehl: Ki-Aikido from Kansas to Ohio, Part II