"Yoshinkan Aikido" was founded in 1955 in Tsukushi Hachiman, Tokyo, and now it is headquartered at Shinjuku Kamiochiai, Tokyo. In 1990, the Yoshinkan Aikido Federation (chairman Mr. Kiyoyuki Terada), and the International Yoshinkan Aikido Federation (IYAF) (chairperson Ms. Kiyoko Ono) were founded in order to propagate Aikido in Japan and overseas. Since the Yoshinkan Dojo was founded In 1962, many well known persons from Japan and other countries have visited it, such as former U.S. President Robert Kennedy and his First Lady (1962), His Highness Prince and Princess Hitachi, Princess Alexandra (1965) and our present Emperor of Japan (1987). They watched Aikido demonstrations for hours and discussed Aikido with master Kancho Shioda.
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Master Kancho Shioda was born in 1915 as a son of a well-known doctor. When Master Kancho Shioda was 18 years old, he became a pupil of Great Master Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. Master Kancho Shioda trained physically and mentally purely in Aikido for 8 years with Great Master Ueshiba.
The turning point, when Aikido rapidly became popular after World War II, was in1954, when the Japan Allround Budo Exhibition was held. Master Kancho Shioda's performance was so outstanding that he was awarded the most excellent prize. A year after that, Japanese society became increasingly interested in Aikido and the financial and political world supported Master Kancho Shioda to found the "Aikido Yoshinkai". For 40 years Master Kancho Shioda dedicated himself to the spread of Aikido until he finally passed away on July 17, 1994. The techniques of Master Kancho Shioda have been handed on to the instructors who have been furthering the development of Yoshinkan Aikido in Japan and all over the world.
Go to Yoshinkan Aikido and Master Kancho Shioda
(photographs by Hirofumi Ajiro)
