Aikido Kenkyukai Santa Barbara will host internationally acclaimed Aikido instructor Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan for a three-day seminar.
The seminar is expected to attract visitors from across California and the United States.
“Ikeda Shihan is a gifted instructor and Aikido-ist, who believes that Aikido students should have the opportunity to train freely across affiliations,” said Lia Suzuki Sensei, a 30-year Aikido veteran who started AKSB in 1999. “It’s an honor to host someone who has committed himself to uniting Aikido practitioners and raising the standard of Aikido in the U.S.”
The seminar will be held July 13-15, opening at 6 p.m. that Friday at the dojo training facility, 121A E. Mason St. in Santa Barbara. In addition to Aikido classes, AKSB will organize fellowship with traditional “Kampai” (toasts) and communal meals between classes at local eateries.
For information, click here or call 805.870.5437.
Ikeda Shihan is the founder and chief instructor of Boulder Aikikai, a nonprofit school of Aikido in Colorado.
Ikeda sensei, a seventh dan (seventh-degree black belt), began his study of Aikido in 1968 in Tokyo. In 1978, he immigrated to the United States. In 1980, he established Boulder Aikikai, and now travels extensively as a guest instructor in the United States and abroad. In 2005, he founded Aikido Bridge, an international organization bringing together teachers and students from diverse martial disciplines, including different styles of Aikido.
Aikido Kenkyukai Santa Barbara is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging the practice of the Japanese non-violent martial art of Aikido and promoting Aikido as a positive and effective vehicle for self-improvement and spiritual growth.
— Kara Chin is an intern for Aikido Kenkyukai Santa Barbara.