Tag: Jo

Interview with Korinji Founder Meido Moore: Being the Uchi Deshi of Fumio Toyoda, Part III

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Meido Moore began aikido as a way to complement his Buddhist studies in college. After training at an Indian monastery and returning to New Jersey, he met Fumio Toyoda at a seminar. There, Moore was enamored with Toyoda’s approach to both aikido and Zen and found himself quickly moving to Chicago, Illinois to be Toyoda’s … Continue reading Interview with Korinji Founder Meido Moore: Being the Uchi Deshi of Fumio Toyoda, Part III

Interview with Aikido Authors Bob Noha and Laurin Herr: Robert Nadeau and the Art of Transformation, Part II

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Laurin Herr found himself training under Robert Nadeau after a company merger and spending time in Japan training under Michio Hikitsuchi in Shingu. Bob Noha, on the other hand, trained with Nadeau since he was a teenager. Herr, Noha, and four other students of Nadeau came together during the Covid Pandemic to co-author what is … Continue reading Interview with Aikido Authors Bob Noha and Laurin Herr: Robert Nadeau and the Art of Transformation, Part II

Interview with Akayama Ryu Jujutsu Headmaster Doug Bedsaul: History, Application, and Future

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Doug Bedsaul found Akayama-Ryu Jujutsu after training in Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Judo. In 2024, Bedsaul assumed the mantle of Headmaster with the passing of Mark Barlow. Today, Bedsaul took some time to discuss his vision for expanding the reach of Akayama-Ryu, the importance of quality instruction, and how the system continues to evolve through rigorous … Continue reading Interview with Akayama Ryu Jujutsu Headmaster Doug Bedsaul: History, Application, and Future

Interview with Bothell Aikido Founder Amanda Ambrosio: Jiyushinkai’s Uniqueness

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Amanda Ambrosio first studied Taekwondo. When she relocated for an internship in Oklahoma, she could not find any Taekwondo schools that she liked and found an aikido dojo that welcomed her. Over the years she learned from Jiyushinkai founder Chuck Clark and his son and current head, Aaron. Ambrosio has since moved to Washington State … Continue reading Interview with Bothell Aikido Founder Amanda Ambrosio: Jiyushinkai’s Uniqueness

Interview with Granite State Aikido Club Instructor Linda Hovan: Meeting Donovan Waite

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Linda Hovan found herself in aikido with her husband, Michel, as he took her to many a seminar, both in New York and Pennsylvania. It was during one of these seminars that she met Donovan Waite and his teaching intrigued her and Michel, so much so that the couple traveled to Philadelphia regularly to train … Continue reading Interview with Granite State Aikido Club Instructor Linda Hovan: Meeting Donovan Waite

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

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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 North County Aikikai Founder Coryl Crane: Kazuo Chiba and Changes in Aikido

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Coryl Crane was first introduced to aikido through Tai Chi, beginning her training with Ki Society. By 1981, she heard of Kazuo Chiba’s arrival in San Diego and decided to see what the commotion was all about. She never looked back afterwards. Ten years later, she opened her own dojo, North County Aikikai and has … Continue reading Interview with North County Aikikai Founder Coryl Crane: Kazuo Chiba and Changes in Aikido

Interview with Pro-Sessions Aikido Founder Eugene Morales: Fumio Toyoda’s Teaching Methodology

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Eugene Morales walked into James Nakayama’s school because his family decided aikido was an activity they could do together. While his son stayed only for a year, Morales and his wife found something deeper in the art. In his training with Nakayama, Morales received a teaching methodology from Fumio Toyoda. While Morales did not train … Continue reading Interview with Pro-Sessions Aikido Founder Eugene Morales: Fumio Toyoda’s Teaching Methodology

Interview with University of Chicago Ki-Aikido Club Instructor Kağan Arık: The Similarities and Differences, Part I

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Kagan Arik began learning Ki-Aikido while attending the University of Pennsylvania almost by accident. There, he trained under Hal Abramson Sensei, from whom he learned fundamentals. When he moved to Seattle, Washington, Arik started training with Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei and was exposed to different approaches that opened him to the different possibilities of Ki-Aikido. Arik … Continue reading Interview with University of Chicago Ki-Aikido Club Instructor Kağan Arık: The Similarities and Differences, Part I

A Distinctive Dilemma: How Aikido Struggles to Find an Identity in the Modern World by Michael Aloia

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Even during its formation, Aikido has taken on many permutations and multiple interpretations. In brief, its origins are a mixture of physical movements, battlefield ideologies, cultural philosophies, and religious beliefs. More than 80 years after its coining, Aikido continues to take on many forms and interpretations. With the art now moving into a new era … Continue reading A Distinctive Dilemma: How Aikido Struggles to Find an Identity in the Modern World by Michael Aloia