Tag: Aikido

Interview with Keystone Kokikai Aikido Founder Todd Kupper: Students of Kokikai and its Future

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Todd Kupper began aikido in the early 1990s, with Steven Seagal’s popularity reaching a high point in the United States. He did not find Seagal, but rather Shuji Maruyama, founder of Kokikai Aikido. From his teenage years till now, Kupper experienced many things under Maruyama, including a very close, almost father-son type of relationship. Today, … Continue reading Interview with Keystone Kokikai Aikido Founder Todd Kupper: Students of Kokikai and its Future

Reflecting on Kazuo Chiba’s Life in Aikido

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Klein, Liese. The Life-Giving Sword: Kazuo Chiba’s Life in Aikido. Independently published. 2019. The amount of detail was unprecedented for any one aikido shihan. Such details seemed to be reserved only for O-Sensei or any political figure outside of the martial arts. Liese Klein dove headfirst into Kazuo Chiba’s life, from his humble beginnings in … Continue reading Reflecting on Kazuo Chiba’s Life in Aikido

Interview with Shobu Aikido Founder William Gleason: The Spirituality Elements of Aikido

~ Antonio Aloia ~ 1 Comment

After training with Mitsunari Kanai for six months in Boston and meeting a relative of Seigo Yamaguchi, William Gleason relocated to Tokyo to train with Yamaguchi and explore the philosophical aspects of aikido. In 1980, he returned to Boston to establish Shobu Aikido and five years later, he joined Aikido Schools of Ueshiba headed by … Continue reading Interview with Shobu Aikido Founder William Gleason: The Spirituality Elements of Aikido

Interview with Longtime Tenshin Aikido Practitioner Zorie Barber: From The Original Source, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Zorie Barber was first introduced to Shotokan Karate with Ski, or Gerald Evans. While in college, Barber felt he needed to go to Japan and train with some of Ski’s contemporaries. He arrived in Tokyo and endured a hostile training environment until he moved out to see Kyoto, stumbling onto the Tenshin Dojo under the … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Tenshin Aikido Practitioner Zorie Barber: From The Original Source, Part II

Interview with Longtime Tenshin Aikido Practitioner Zorie Barber: From The Original Source, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Zorie Barber was first introduced to Shotokan Karate with Ski, or Gerald Evans. While in college, Barber felt he needed to go to Japan and train with some of Ski’s contemporaries. He arrived in Tokyo and endured a hostile training environment until he moved out to see Kyoto, stumbling onto the Tenshin Dojo under the … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Tenshin Aikido Practitioner Zorie Barber: From The Original Source, Part I

Interview with Siskiyou Aikikai Founder Darrell Bluhm: Aikido, Kazuo Chiba, and the Future, Part III

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Darrell Bluhm found aikido and started learning the art in 1970 while in college. Very enamored with aikido, after graduating in 1973 he traveled to Japan where he trained from June through August primarily in Iwama with Morihiro Saito Sensei, with visits to Hombu Dojo and to Shingu with Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei. When he returned … Continue reading Interview with Siskiyou Aikikai Founder Darrell Bluhm: Aikido, Kazuo Chiba, and the Future, Part III

Interview with Siskiyou Aikikai Founder Darrell Bluhm: Aikido, Kazuo Chiba, and the Future, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Darrell Bluhm found aikido and started learning the art in 1970 while in college. Very enamored with aikido, after graduating in 1973 he traveled to Japan where he trained from June through August primarily in Iwama with Morihiro Saito Sensei, with visits to Hombu Dojo and to Shingu with Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei. When he returned … Continue reading Interview with Siskiyou Aikikai Founder Darrell Bluhm: Aikido, Kazuo Chiba, and the Future, Part II

Interview with Siskiyou Aikikai Founder Darrell Bluhm: Aikido, Kazuo Chiba, and the Future, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Darrell Bluhm found aikido and started learning the art in 1970 while in college. Very enamored with aikido, after graduating in 1973 he traveled to Japan where he trained from June through August primarily in Iwama with Morihiro Saito Sensei, with visits to Hombu Dojo and to Shingu with Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei. When he returned … Continue reading Interview with Siskiyou Aikikai Founder Darrell Bluhm: Aikido, Kazuo Chiba, and the Future, Part I

Interview with Chester County Kokikai Founder Jason Martin: Kokikai’s Future

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Growing up with a fascination for the martial arts, it was no wonder Jason Martin found himself in an aikido school under Philadelphia pioneer Sensei Shuji Maruyama. Since then, he has continued following the teachings of Maruyama, even opening his own school, Chester County Kokikai Dojo in 2010, spreading what he learned from the Silent … Continue reading Interview with Chester County Kokikai Founder Jason Martin: Kokikai’s Future