Yoshinkan Aikido is not a sport. Aikido is the development and strengthening of the body and mind, and the practical side of Aikido must never be forgotten.

The Yoshinkan Honbu dojo has developed the following courses to allow students from around the world to experience Yoshinkan Aikido and dojo life.
For more information on these programs, please contactl the AYF

This program is open to groups or students who wish to train and stay at the Honbu Dojo. Groups are able to visit the Honbu Dojo, sharing and experiencing the culture of Japan.
Students are able to train at their own pace towards their specific goals while living the dojo life. Students can work towards their next grading or even an instructor certificate.

Stay Period	Cost in Yen *
1 night and 2 days	5,250
6 nights and 7 days	29,400
30 nights and 31 days	105,000

* Tax included
* One month maximum stay
* Cost covers accommodation only. Students will need to budget for their own food and other costs
* This training program is also available without staying at the Honbu Dojo
* Large Groups are Welcome

Honbu Dojo Gradings

• 10th Kyu ~ 4th Kyu gradings are held monthly
• 3rd Kyu + gradings are held at the beginning of March, July, Oct. and Dec.
• Instructor Exams are held at the beginning of July and Dec.

(Please contact the dojo for specific dates)

This course has been designed for senior students (shodan and above) to work towards their instructor qualifications.

Students will review the fundamentals of Yoshinkan Aikido and learn how to instruct them to students. Upon completing the course and passing the instructor qualifications, students are eligible to open a certified dojo and receive an Instructor license.

This is not the Senshusei Program. Students most complete and graduate from the 11 month program to be classified as a Senshusei. Although the Teacher Course runs parallel with the Senshusei program, only some classes will be shared. Students are expected to be at top physical health and have a strong understanding of Yoshinkan Aikido as there will be no time for conditioning or lengthy review.

3 month Teacher Course:

Duration	Cost in Yen
Monthly fee	52,500

The Senshusei Course is typically a very intensive aikido course for those who really want to dedicate themselves to Yoshinkan Aikido. The course is the only one of its kind in the world having been originally developed in the early 1960's to train the Tokyo Metropolitan Riot Police in Yoshinkan Aikido as a traditional budo form. It continues to this day, with a small but elite group of men and women having had the distinction of graduating with a Senshusei Shodan qualification.

The original course for the "foreign instructors" was initiated in 1990-1991 under Gozo Shioda with the initiative of uchideshi Mark Baker and Jacques Payet who together played the lead role in its implementation to allow non-Japanese students to experience rigorous and physically difficult classes of aikido training alongside the Japanese Metropolitan Police.

Its motto is : “Inspiration, fine example, and shared respect."
For over 20 years instructors, yudansha, and new students with no Aikido experience alike, have committed themselves and made the significant family and career sacrifice that going to Japan for the course can involve. In exchange, the International Instructor course or Senshusei course with the full commitment of the Yoshinkan Honbu Shihan and instructors will return to its original purpose, to elevate its graduates to a place of leadership in the development of Yoshinkan aikdo around the world.

At the end of the Senshusei program, the graduate instructor will understand and know how to teach good aikido technique to others, how to initiate and maintain a passion for aikido in their lives, and will have a desire to assist the spread of aikido in the communities they end up in around the world.

Full-Time and Part-Time programs are available starting April 2010

Full time Instructor Course

Participants are apprenticed to the dojo for typically 1 year from April to March of the following year. During this period Senshusei will participate in the daily life of the dojo, starting their day with cleaning duties, training alongside both regular students and the kidotai (riot police) whilst receiving instruction directly from the instructors at honbu dojo.
Senshusei are in the dojo for most of the day, train 3 classes a day 5 days a week.(Students are allowed to leave early in the afternoon if they need to work) The Senshusei Course takes participants, regardless of their rank or ability, back through all the basics of Yoshinkan aikido through to advanced techniques, jiyu waza, self-defense and instructional methods for teachers.
Yoshinkan Honbu accepts applicants, both male and female from all nationalities. Prior experience in aikido is highly recommended but is not a prerequisite. This course is not something that can be undertaken lightly. It is a very physical course that is difficult for both the experienced and novice to undertake.
Whilst we encourage all serious students of Yoshinkan Aikido to consider this course we urge all those contemplating application to fully research this course before committing themselves to it.

Senshusei Course: Full time

1 year	Cost in Yen
Monthly fee	31,500

Dan recommendation, Instructor recommendation, and Dojo registration forms are available from the AYF to registered instructors. Instructors requesting electronic or paper copies of these forms, or who have questions concerning the application process should contact the AYF at youshin@deluxe.ocn.ne.jp Please include your full name, dojo and instructors level for verification.

Instructors submitting Dan recommendation, Instructor recommendation and Dojo registration forms are requested to fill out all fields and boxes. Dates should be written Year / Month/ Day. Incomplete or illegible forms will NOT be processed.

Visits by Hombu Dojo and AYF Instructors

To assist overseas groups, instructors from the Hombu Dojo are available for overseas visits. Dojo instructors will participate in regular classes and conduct clinics, gradings, demonstrations and instructors courses. Any group may invite instructors from the Hombu Dojo. Accommodation can be in the form of a home stay. Visiting instructors may be utilized in fund raising by host groups. Applications should be submitted to the AYF.

Dojo Registration Certificates

The AYF can provide registration certificates for Yoshinkan Aikido dojos. These certificates prove that dojos are officially recognized by the AYF. Only individuals approved by the AYF may receive dojo registration certificates.

Kyu and Dan Certificates

Kyu and dan certificates are available for students graded by registered instructors. Kyu certificates are available for rankings beginning at 9th kyu and must be used from 3rd kyu. The student's name and kyu, the date and the instructor's name will be filled in by the instructor. Dan certificates will be issued individually by the Hombu Dojo. The student's name will be written on the certificate at the AYF.
Registration of gradings with the AYF is necessary for gradings to be entered in the Yoshinkan records. Records of kyu and dan rankings should be submitted to the AYF on a regular basis.

The aim of the AYF is to support the overseas teaching of Yoshinkan Aikido. Through the Foundtion, instructors worldwide have a direct link to the Hombu Dojo and access to the following:
1. Instructor Certificates
2. Kyu and Dan Certificates
3. Dojo Registration Certificates
4. Subsidized visits by Hombu Dojo and AYF Instructors
5. Instructors Courses
6. Historical Documents
7. Teaching materials (including videos)

Instructor Certificates

All Yoshinkan black belt students (Yudansha) are eligible for AYF Instructor Certificates. Issued directly from the Hombu Dojo, these certificates (or teaching licenses) are valid for life. They establish a direct link with the Hombu Dojo. Holders of these certificates are registered instructors. No annual registration is necessary. Requirements are:

1. Dan ranking in Yoshinkan Aikido
2. Recommendation from an AYF instructor ranked 3rd dan or higher.

Instructors may grade students, obtain kyu and dan certificates from the AYF and use the name Yoshinkan Aikido and the Yoshinkan Aikido symbol. As instructors themselves are promoted, they may apply for certificates stating the grading responsibility of their higher rank.

Long-term, within any one country there will develop a number of registered instructors. These instructors may collectively form regional or national federations. Such federations should provide democratic representation for the interest of all member instructors. In certain countries, the political environment may make national federations useful.

Teaching Materials and Instructor Courses

The Hombu Dojo has a variety of teaching materials: guidelines for kyu and dan techniques and tests, instructional videotapes and publications, and instructor courses and gradings. The International Instructors Course is eleven months in duration. Shorter courses can be designed for those with time constraints.

Starting April 1. 2010, Yoshinkan Aikido, will offer a special Kenshusei program over a 2 year-period on Saturday and Sunday at its Headquarter dojo in Takadanobaba. This program is a flexible version of the famous Senshusei course run alongside the Riot police training. It is designed for Japanese or foreign residents in Japan who would like to experience intensive training in Aikido but have a career, family commitments or time restrictions not allowing them to join a full time program.
This course is particularly recommended for those students who want to commit themselves to master the basics and fundamentals of Aikido and get insight into advance techniques within a short period of time while benefiting from the highest level of instruction available at the Honbu dojo.

Program Details (6 students minimum):

Yoshinkan Honbu accepts applicants, both male and female, from all nationalities. Prior experience in aikido is not a prerequisite.

Date:	From April 1. 2010 to March 30. 2012. Every Saturday and Sunday (According to the Honbu yearly schedule)
Time:	8:00 am to 9:30 am 10:00 am to 11:30 am (end 11:20 on Sunday)
Cost:	monthly fee :Yen 20,000
Note that the program includes yearly events such as demonstrations and seminars at the honbu and elsewhere in Japan that students are expected to participate in.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact the Yoshinkan Aikido honbu dojo at:
Aikido Yoshinkai Foundation
Aikido Yoshinkan Head Quarters Dojo
2F Toyo Building, 4-17-15, Takada-no-baba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-0075, Japan
TEL:03-3368-5556
FAX:03-3368-5578
http://www.yoshinkan.net
5 min. from the Takada-no-baba Sta. of JR Yamanote line, Seibu-shinjuku line and Tokyo-Metro Tozai line.