Tag: Mitsunari Kanai

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 Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part II

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kali Hewitt-Blackie first saw aikido above a burger shop in California in 1987. At that time, because of her schooling and being a single mom, she could not commit. Upon returning to Canada, she met Yumi Nakamura at Aikido Tendokai in Toronto. She trained diligently there for nineteen years, and because of a number of … Continue reading Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part II

Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Kali Hewitt-Blackie first saw aikido above a burger shop in California in 1987. At that time, because of her schooling and being a single mom, she could not commit. Upon returning to Canada, she met Yumi Nakamura at Aikido Tendokai in Toronto. She trained diligently there for nineteen years, and because of a number of … Continue reading Interview with Canadian Aikidoka Kali Hewitt-Blackie: Aikido, the Coalition, and Beyond, 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 San Diego Aikikai Chief Instructor Deena Drake: Kazuo Chiba’s Legacy

~ Antonio Aloia ~ 1 Comment

Deena Drake discovered aikido while driving to and from work, happening to stop in one day. Immediately, she was hooked. She trained under Michael Flynn for a number of years until moving to San Diego to train under Kazuo Chiba. As Chiba’s health declined, he approached Drake in 2007 to assume operations of San Diego … Continue reading Interview with San Diego Aikikai Chief Instructor Deena Drake: Kazuo Chiba’s Legacy

Interview with Vermont Aikido Chief Instructor Aaron Ward: Vermont Aikido, Ken Nisson, and Terry Dobson, Part III

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Aaron Ward had an interesting event occur during his aikido journey: he got to know Terry Dobson on a personal level during his time at Vermont Aikido. Taking the role of chief instructor since 2001, Ward took some time to talk about his aikido journey, his relationship with Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson, and how … Continue reading Interview with Vermont Aikido Chief Instructor Aaron Ward: Vermont Aikido, Ken Nisson, and Terry Dobson, Part III

Interview with Vermont Aikido Chief Instructor Aaron Ward: Vermont Aikido, Ken Nisson, and Terry Dobson, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Aaron Ward had an interesting event occur during his aikido journey: he got to know Terry Dobson on a personal level during his time at Vermont Aikido. Taking the role of chief instructor since 2001, Ward took some time to talk about his aikido journey, his relationship with Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson, and how … Continue reading Interview with Vermont Aikido Chief Instructor Aaron Ward: Vermont Aikido, Ken Nisson, and Terry Dobson, Part I

Interview with Florida Aikikai Cofounder Peter Bernath: Starting From Scratch

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After seeing a poster for aikido in San Francisco in 1972, Peter Bernath quickly signed up. After moving to New York, he lost no time in joining Yoshimitsu Yamada’s New York Aikikai. By 1980, Bernath found himself in Florida at the request of Yamada, working with Florida native and future wife Penny. Today, Bernath joined … Continue reading Interview with Florida Aikikai Cofounder Peter Bernath: Starting From Scratch

Interview with Keystone Kokikai Founder Todd Kupper: An Intimate Look Into Shuji Maruyama, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ 1 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 until now, Kupper experienced many things under Maruyama, including a very close, almost father-son type of relationship. Today, … Continue reading Interview with Keystone Kokikai Founder Todd Kupper: An Intimate Look Into Shuji Maruyama, Part I