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Post date: Feb 17, 2010 12:11:47 AM
Its with great sadness that we learnt this week of the passing of Yasuko-san. We remember her for her gentle kindness and big heart. A frequent visitor to Australia and abroard, she accompanied Maruyama Sensei everywhere and brought her gentle touch to so many. She was also a student of O'Sensei and spent her life in dedication to aikido as well,including a long 10yrs whilst Maruyama Sensei was in seclusion.
I first met Yasuko san in 2005 on my first visit to Japan with Andrew Sunter. Although we had never met her before she met us at our hotel and showed us the sites of Tokyo including lunch at an eel resturant.
Her posie and grace simple walking down the side street to our hotel carrying a traditional welcoming gift of some fruit is a lasting memory. Throughout our lunch was she an amazing hostess where our drinks and plates were somehow never empty, there was never an awkward lull in conversation and plenty of good natured advice for the then perennially single Sunter-san.
On subsequent visits to Japan and Australia there was further opportunities to get to know Yasuko-san and Charlie and I spent some lovely times with her and Sensei. We were deeply humbled when she presented Charlie with some hand knitted gifts and also traditional clothing for our new born son.
This touching generosity from someone we might only see infrequently was a true testament to her warm spirit and care for those she met. We know she had many, many friends internationally and heard many more more stories of lives she touched personally everywhere.
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