Throughout his life O-Sensei had many students, whether for a long time or a short time. Many went on to form schools of their own, taking with them what O-Sensei taught them and drawing on other influences as well. | deshi of O'Sensei
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Deshi - Students of O'Sensei
Shoji Nishio
 Shoji Nishio sensei held an 8th dan at the time of his passing. A skilled martial artists in the arts of Judo, Iaido and some other traditional arts he is famous for his fusion of the arts into aikido to bring a greater understanding of them. An example is shown in one of the shionage blogs. |
Morihiro Saito
 Morihiro Saito held a 8th dan and was the custodian of the Iwama dojo until his passing went it passed back to the Ueshiba family. The Iwama dojo was where O'Sensei spent a lot of his time and depending on who you talked to the only place where the study of weapons was permitted (most likely because at the Hombu in Tokyo there were many teachers drawing on many weapon lineages and it was confusing for students) Something of a living historian of the art Saito sensei strove to preserve what he learnt from O'Sensei, something that was only recently fully understood when O'Sensei's lost text 'Budo' was discovered. He is famous for exploring the weapons and aikido through the sword stick and body arts books which are now well out of print. Although formally part of the aikikai his school became colloquially known as Iwama Ryu and he began to issue his own certificates in weapons. With his passing a number of formal Aikido Ryu-ha formed based on Iwama style. |
Kancho Gozo Shioda
 Famous for creating the Yoshinkan Aikido School, Gozo Shioda wanted to create a way to teach aikido quickly to large groups of people. His style is something more akin to a karate dojo in that there is strong emphasis on solo practice and paired kata are practiced with very precise footwork and movements. Most throws in Yoshinkan are breakfalls and joint locks are applied vigorously.He passed several years ago and his son now heads the Yoshinkan |
Taketoshi Kataoka Sensei
 For many years he was the director of Kiatsu and is now the head instructor of the Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido and the Ki no Kenkyukai (Ki Society) in Japan. |
Seiichi Sugano
Probably Australia's most well known Hombu Instructor, he originally came to Australia to live in the sixties and although a resident of the US these days comes twice a year to run training camps for the Aikikai Australia. |
Iwao Tamura
A frequent visitor to Australia in the 90's Iwao Tamura Sensei ran around 50 dojo in Japan and was a chief instructor of the Ki Society and held a 9th dan. He came across as very much the warrior on the mat but also taught Kiatsu (the healing art of Tohei Sensei as well). He passed in April 2003 |
Koretoshi Maruyama
 Koretoshi Maruyama was born in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, on October 5, 1936. He graduated from the Economics Department of Keio University in March of 1956, after which he joined his father's business, Maruyama Manufacturing. He became interested in the martial arts from his Middle School years, and at his father's urging he took up Judo and earned a black belt. Again at his father's urging, in his first year of college, he entered the Rikidozan School of Professional Wrestling, and also trained in weight lifting and boxing, while continuing his training in Judo at the Kodokan.In the spring of his third year of college, he began to develop doubts about the martial arts of judo, wrestling and boxing, which emphasized a mere contest of strength. At this point he entered the Aikikai, as well as the Keio University Aikido Club. It was here that he found in Aikido what he had been searching for all those years, a martial art which did not depend on strength, and taught the right attitude of mind. After he graduated from Keio University, he continued his training in Aikido, while working in the family business. In 1967 he delegated his responsibilities in the family business so that he could become a full time professional Aikido instructor, under the tutelage of the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, and dedicate himself to the martial art that taught the principles of mind and Ki. In 1971 he went to Hawaii for 4 months, to teach Aikido on each of the islands. In 1972, he resigned from the Aikikai to become the Chief Instructor of the Ki no Kenkyukai, founded in September of 1971 by Koichi Tohei Sensei, who granted Maruyama Sensei the rank of 8th-dan. In 1973 he became responsible for teaching in Hawaii, and for 10 years taught Ki Principles at the University of Hawaii in Hilo, as well as at Keio University Physical Education Research Department in Japan. From 1977 he studied with Haruchika Noguchi Sensei how to heal and help people with Ki and use Ki in daily life. At the same time, he also studied the psychology of Zen from the Zen Priest Shogen Munou, from whom he learned how to use the mind positively. During this time, he also travelled extensively to Hawaii, many states in America, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, Guam, United Kingdom, Italy and other parts of Europe, teaching Aikido and Ki Principles, and eventually becoming the President of Ki no Kenkyukai in 1990. However he began to have reservations about the direction and policies of the Ki Society, and resigned from this position on July 29, 1991. From this time he undertook a period of 10 years in a temple in Saitama Prefecture, intensively training in the philosophy and practice that 'You are fundamentally Mind.' He left the temple on October 9, 2001, during which time he had received permission from the temple priest to establish Aikido Yuishinkai on May 9, 1996, which he has continued to develop until the present day. As a result of this 10-year period of training, he developed the Motto for Members of Aikido Yuishinkai, something that is read aloud by members on awakening, after training, and before going to sleep. |
Koichi Tohei
 For many years, until the death of O-Sensei, Master Koichi Tohei, 10th Dan, was the Chief Instructor at the Headquarters of Aikido in Tokyo, Japan. Shortly after O-Sensei's death, Master Tohei founded Ki Society International (Ki No Kenkyukai). His goal was to spread the principles of Ki and Aikido throughout the world. In 1975, he established Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (Aikido with mind and body unified). |
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